JohnHowardReid I once had a 16mm print of Charlie Chan at the Circus, so I know the film well. The screenplay concocted by Fox's top writing team, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan, neatly combines a circus setting with a locked room puzzle. The mystery is intriguing and I love the gorilla at large. Oland, in fine form, is supplied with many amusing bon mots, including "Mind, like parachute, function best when open" and "One grain of luck sometimes worth more than a whole rice paddy of wisdom." In my humble opinion, the support cast is the best ever assembled for a Chan movie. Francis Ford (in a major role for once), Maxine Reiner, Shirley Deane, Paul Stanton, Drue Leyton and J. Carroll Naish are all most ingratiating, while comedy relief is amusingly handled by Wade Boteler, Keye Luke and the wonderfully spirited Shia Jung. And a special pat on the backs of George and Olive Brasno. Director Lachman is also in fine form. Who could resist that opening tracking shot, or the scenes on the train, or the ape on the loose, or the big top menagerie? This picturesque background, however, is never allowed to swamp the film. Detection is always at the forefront. Production values are high

susanctoo I found all of these early Charlie Chan's on Youtube and have been watching them in order. I am a huge mystery fan who watches Sherlock Holmes, Murder She Wrote, Hercule Poirot, etc. This one has some very entertaining features.There is the authentic 1930s era circus to start with. A real trapeze artist Maxine Reiner plays the girl on the daring trapeze. Also there are the Brasnos, brother and sister midget team, who play Colonel Tim and Lady Tiny. They do a wonderful authentic Latin ballroom dance which we get to see all of. Scenes of the circus train are there with the elephants helping to push the wagons when they unload. All the tiny details are a wonderful history lesson.I know some find the actors portrayal racist but I tend to disagree. First of all he is clearly smarter than everyone else since he is the only one who solves the mystery in the end. I find it somewhat similar to Hercule Poirot....a Belgian detective played by a British actor on PBS. He has his little mannerisms also and faces much prejudice from people calling him a French frog and foreigner. Yet he triumphs over all solving the riddles using only his little gray cells.There is a scene in this film where the others want Charlie Chan's autograph and he signs it using what I assume to be Chinese symbols. Many times the characters break into the Chinese language. I think the writers honored his heritage in some of those small details.I watch movies to escape reality and be entertained. I like to just go along for the ride. All and all I have been delighted with Warner Oland's portrayal and can't wait to watch the rest of them.

JoeKarlosi CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS (1936)A good offering in the Fox series providing an interesting change of locale, with Charlie Chan enjoying a day at the circus with his rather extensive family, only to stay behind with son and partner Lee when some foul play erupts. A circus gorilla kills the owner, who happened to be a boss whom nobody liked. It's interesting to see substantial roles for George and Olive Brasno, who play the "little people" of the circus, who also were prominent in one of the old "Our Gang" shorts ("Shrimps For a Day"). Also welcome among the cast is J. Carrol Naish.*** out of four

bkoganbing Even the most dedicated of sleuths likes an occasional day off and Warner Oland as Charlie Chan wanted just such a day to spend with his family at the circus. But it actually turns out that one of the partners who owned the circus had hired him to look into some veiled threats he'd been receiving from unknown sources. So the Chan family, all 14 of them, go to the circus and wouldn't you know it, the guy who hires Charlie winds up murdered. And Charlie's got a whole circus full of suspects. Oland enters the case at the behest of the performers, especially two midgets played by George and Olive Brasno. The police are holding the circus up until the murder is solved, but that in itself will bankrupt the show if they miss scheduled dates.It was nice to see Charlie on a family outing even if he couldn't escape the need for his services. As usual Keye Luke is the bumptious number one son who Charlie has to keep dispensing fortune cookie wisdom all the time to. This is a good, if average entry in the Charlie Chan series.