bkoganbing The famous Chinese detective is in Monte Carlo with eldest son Keye Luke in Charlie Chan At Monte Carlo for a little relaxation before going on to Paris. Of course Warner Oland was already there several pictures ago.The murder of bank manager Georges Renavent and later of chauffeur John Bleifer and the theft of bank bonds of Sidney Blackmer is the case that Oland gets involved in. Later on an American gangster George Lynn is also murdered. Lynn's got his own little racket going concerning Blackmer's wife Kay Linnaker.Blackmer's rival in another competing banking house also has much to gain. He's got a mistress played by Virginia Field who sends out her come hither glances and those are ultimately responsible for all three of the murders.Not one of the better Charlie Chans from Warner Oland. There is however a funny scene with Charlie and number one son trying to order breakfast in French and see what Charlie gets. This was also the last film for Warner Oland.Nice, but not as good as other Chan features.

bensonmum2 Traveling from Monte Carlo to Nice, Charlie Chan and No.1 son Lee discover and abandoned car. Inside the car, they find the dead body of a bank messenger who was transporting $1 million in bonds belonging to a wealthy industrialist named Victor Karnoff. There is no shortage of suspects: Paul Savarin – Karnoff's business rival; Joan Karnoff – Victor's wife who was being blackmailed; Al Rogers – a shady bartender; Evelyn Gray – a woman living above her means; or Karnoff himself for the insurance money. It's up to Charlie Chan to discover the truth. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo would be Warner Oland's last performance as the venerable detective. Unfortunately, it's one of the weakest Chan films Oland would make. It's not his fault – instead the blame can be placed on a weak script and a couple of other factors. Chan films notoriously cheat the viewer in that the solution to the mystery too often relies on facts not available to the audience. Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is especially guilty of this. Key clues that help trap the killer are known only to Chan and the French Police Inspector. As for the other factors I mentioned, one of these would be Harold Huber. Huber, who appeared in two other Chan films, really lays it on thick here with his over-the-top acting and ridiculous French accent. It gets annoying rather quickly.Still, this is Charlie Chan I'm talking about so it's not all bad. In fact, even a weak Chan film is still an enjoyable experience. It's just a shame that Oland couldn't have gone out on a higher note.

classicsoncall "Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo" would be Warner Oland's final turn as the Oriental Detective, as he died during filming of what would have been "Charlie Chan at Ringside" later in the year 1938. Interestingly, Keye Luke remained in the "Ringside" film portraying Number #1 Son Lee Chan, as it was hastily rewritten into "Mr. Moto's Gamble" with Peter Lorre in the title role.As the Oland films progressed, so did the body count of victims who met their demise in the course of the story. In the first half dozen or so Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland, there was only one murder to be solved; in the next four films (Racetrack, Opera, Olympics, Broadway) there were two. More was not necessarily better, as "Monte Carlo" is not as highly regarded as many of the other Oland Chan's.Harold Huber appeared in "Charlie Chan on Broadway" as an ineffective New York City police inspector; in "Monte Carlo", his character is an ineffective French police officer, although his accent passes reasonably well. His presence treads the line between serious noir drama and comedy relief.The story itself involves the repeated theft and reappearance of a series of metallurgic bonds worth twenty five thousand dollars. At the center of the mystery are two wealthy but antagonistic businessmen, Victor Karnoff (Sidney Blackmer) and Paul Savarin (Edward Raquello), seen early in the film at a gaming table - "They play only to visit insult to each other." As commonly seen in Charlie Chan mysteries, there is a host of additional characters to keep track of before the final resolution is worked out by the Oriental Detective, with information not readily made available to the viewer.To keep a light hearted touch in the film, there are a couple of running gags that include a backfiring taxi and Lee Chan's fractured attempt at the French language. When 'Pop' tries to order a breakfast plate of waffles using a hand drawn picture, the waiter brings him a crossword puzzle book. Earlier, Lee's description of a dead body found in an abandoned car resulted in a confession to the murder! Lee's all around legend as a jack of all trades is added to here, as we learn that he has a painting to be shown at a Paris exhibition, adding to his reputation as college student, businessman, and gold medal swimmer. It would be another ten years before Keye Luke shows up again in a Charlie Chan film, co-starring with Roland Winters in the role of Charlie, along with Victor Sen Yung as Number #2 Son Tommy, the only time Luke and Sen Yung would appear together in a Chan film as brothers. Oddly, Luke never appeared in a Chan film with Sidney Toler, who replaced Warner Oland in the next twenty two Charlie Chan mysteries!

admjtk1701 This was the last time Warner Oland played the great Charlie Chan. Sadly, his final bow is not a very good one. Chan is not in it enough for me. A lot of the screen time is devoted to Harold Huber. And, the plot is forgettable along with the script. Mr. Oland deserved a better exit.