csteidler Dr. Cream's wax museum hosts a weekly "Crime League" radio broadcast: renowned detectives revisit famous unsolved crimes and debate various solutions. Charlie Chan reluctantly accepts a challenge to appear on the program to discuss the controversial Rock Case—which culminated, he has long been convinced, in the execution of an innocent man. Little does Mr. Chan know that he himself is now being set up….Sidney Toler is excellent as the master sleuth in this prime Charlie Chan mystery, one of the series' most memorable. It's a mostly serious Chan we see here—unflappable, quick thinking, even gutsy—and Toler appears to inhabit the character effortlessly.Sen Yung is good as usual as Jimmy Chan—sneaking in, snooping around, making himself invaluable despite his pop's protests. Marc Lawrence is the escaped murderer out to get Chan for helping convict him; C. Henry Gordon the shady Dr. Cream, wax dummy creator and sometime plastic surgeon; Joan Valerie the museum assistant who doesn't mind gangsters hiding out in the basement but argues that a murder on the site will ruin their whole setup. The "crime museum" provides a suitably spooky atmosphere, and a convoluted enough plot keeps viewers as well as detectives guessing who is who. Definitely a top notch Chan mystery.

dbborroughs Possibly my favorite Charlie Chan film. This has Chan showing up at a wax museum in order to be part of a radio program where an unsolved murder will be discussed. Unknown to Chan is the fact that the museum is actually a front for a plastic surgeon who changes the faces of wanted criminals, including one that Chan just helped to send away, or would have had he not been shot and "killed" in an attempt to escape. As the night progresses Chan will have to not only deal with the murder on the radio, but the potential murder of the great detective himself. Creepy in an old dark house sort of way, things remain nicely light and airy thanks to Chan's son Jimmy who as always is an equal mix of help and hindrance. As with many of the Chan's the mystery really isn't that mysterious, its more about watching the characters do what they do best, Jimmy Chan get into trouble, his father save the day and the bad guys prove they are nowhere near as clever as they thought. Its just a great deal of fun.

bensonmum2 As the movie opens, Charlie Chan finds himself at the sentencing phase of trial he has given evidence in against a criminal named Steve McBirney. After McBirney is sentenced to be executed, he shoots his way out of the courthouse and makes his escape. He heads straight to a wax museum dedicated to figures depicting famous crimes and criminals. The museum is run by Dr. Cream. But Dr. Cream has another profession – he's a plastic surgeon who specializes in making the faces of criminals unrecognizable. Dr. Cream also hosts a regular weekly radio show in his museum dedicated to crime. He invites Charlie Chan to be a guest on the next program. Reluctantly, Chan agrees to appear. But unfortunately for Chan, this week's radio program is a set-up for McBirney to get his revenge against the detective he blames for getting him convicted.If someone would have asked me twenty-five years ago what my favorite Charlie Chan film was, I would have most likely answered Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum. It's got a whole lot to like and a whole lot that appealed to me during my youth. Secret passages, a dark and stormy night, and creepy wax figures all add up to one of the more atmospheric movies in the Chan series. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum probably comes as close as any of the other Chan films to having actual elements of horror – something I always go for. As an added bonus, #2 son Jimmy is less of an annoyance in this film and actually gives an interesting performance as he helps his Pop with the case. It's really not difficult to see why this movie appealed to me. It's just a fun movie!Well, and unfortunately, my tastes seem to have changed over the past couple of decades. Thanks to the recent R1 DVD release, I was finally able to revisit Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum. And while my 8/10 rating indicates I enjoyed the experience, it wasn't what I remembered. I could cite a number of problems I had with the film, but I'll just go into the most obvious. When it is discovered that someone was trying to use the wired-up chair to electrocute Chan, why doesn't Chan seem more interested in looking into this particular clue? Other than being mentioned in passing a few times, the chair is almost forgotten. Shouldn't Chan have tried to discover more about the chair like who hooked it up to the wires or what Dr. Cream knew about it? Instead, Chan spends his time running around in the dark (both literally and figuratively) trying to find a murderer. Sorry, but it doesn't add up.

Jim Tritten Excellent series entry and one of Sidney Toler's best Chan films. New direction by Lynn Shores gives this series a new look and feel. The most significant feature of this film is the mixing of suspicious characters with very realistic wax figures in the dark dungeon-like Dr. Cream's Chamber of Horrors on the New York waterfront (admission 25¢) Naturally it is raining outside most of the time (thunder and lightening to boot) and the lights keep going out.Witty dialog add to the enjoyment. Chan provides his usual pearls of wisdom: `Knowledge only gained through curiosity,' `Mice only play when cat supposed to be in bed,' and `Sometimes better to see and not tell…' We can thank writer John Larkin who also penned a few other good Chan films including `Charlie Chan at Treasure Island.'The story unfolds quickly and the comic relief provided by Jimmy Chan is more subtle than it other entries. Plenty of suspects, lots of misdirection, more than enough clues, and in the end Chan reveals what he knew that could not be known by the viewer; i.e. you can only guess who is the killer. Nevertheless, just sit back and enjoy this one. My wife even liked it. Highly recommended.