Hitchcoc
Roland Winters carries this off better than in his first couple efforts. There's a little more pizazz to this offering. Several men are killed who were associated with the conviction and execution of a hoodlum. Apparently, he was innocent of the crime. This brings into play someone who is seeking revenge. Since it is thought that he has no relatives or close associates, finding the guy is pretty hard. Once again, we have the poor guys, alone in their offices, with the windows open. They are attacked from behind and left to die. There is a red herring in the barrel that is never dealt with. A man who is the nephew of a judge is to be disinherited and becomes a suspect. He is cleared very quickly (a weakness in the plot--but then he is abundantly unattractive as a person) because of some findings. We pretty much never see him again. The problem with the whole thing is the circumlocutory mess that must be gone through to find our guy. There is an exhumation of a grave, done in about five minutes. It's hard to tell who is who in the fabric of things. When the solution comes my response was "Huh!" And, of course, the two hangers on are there again to participate.
mlraymond
This is one of the most entertaining of the later Charlie Chan films, with Roland Winters obviously enjoying himself in the role of the famed detective. The mystery is clever enough to hold up until the final revelation of who done it, with many humorous and atmospheric scenes leading up to the finale.The low brow Forties humor may not appeal to all modern viewers , but for die-hard Chan fans, such priceless moments as well meaning Number Two son Tommy and nervous chauffeur Birmingham ending up in jail, after attempting to apprehend a supposed crook ,who turns out to be a respectable citizen, are what make these Monogram Chan movies so much fun. Milton Parsons turns in one of his patented undertaker performances as an evasive mortician questioned by Chan, with a very funny bit by a pretty Asian receptionist, who responds to Charlie's polite greeting in his native language with a beaming, " I'm sorry, but I do not speak Chinese." The slightest hint of parody lurks beneath such classic moments as a suspect who had much to gain, being found over a dead relative ,holding the murder weapon; a faintly suspicious butler, and a mysterious figure in black creeping around the various murder scenes.This is a thoroughly enjoyable old mystery, with plenty of atmosphere and laughs for Charlie Chan devotees.
classicsoncall
Forged fingerprints in a Charlie Chan film were used as recently as 1946 in "Dark Alibi", six movies prior to "The Shanghai Chest". The same gimmick is used here again, this time with the fingerprints of a man who's been dead for six months. The prints are found at the scene of three murders, all of the victims having had some connection to the man who was sentenced to death for murder himself. But that may have been a frame up; the man, Tony Pandello may in fact have been innocent, and someone is out for vengeance.Roland Winters portrays Inspector Charlie Chan in this 1948 Monogram release. Continuity in the later Monogram films seems to have fallen apart completely, as Victor Sen Yung appears as Number #2 Son Tommy, contrary to his introduction in earlier 20th Century Fox and Monogram movies as Number #2 Son Jimmy. Mantan Moreland is Chan chauffeur Birmingham Brown. In a jail scene, Birmingham and Tommy are released from the lock up, and in the next cell is Willie Best, appearing under his own name. Willie appeared in the Chan film "Red Dragon" as Birmingham's cousin Chattanooga Brown.In typical Chan fashion, the murderer revealed at the end is a surprise, having been a trusted aide of the first murder victim. But the case is wrapped up neatly by Charlie; he outwits the villain, who did all of his dirty work in the dark of night in garb reminiscent of The Shadow.
admjtk1701
Another great title let down by a poor script, low budget, and mostly bad acting. This film has Tim Ryan as police Lt. Mike Ruark, whom Chan calls, "Lt. Mike". Overall, it is annoying rather than endearing. Tim Ryan is credited with "additional dialogue". If only he came up with better words. Watch a Warner Oland Chan instead.
AD
