Charlie Chan in Shanghai

This is an engaging whodunit with a particularly charming back and forth between Warner Oland and Keye Luke. A good bit of action as well, with some some fisticuffs and bang bang. I was intrigued by several occasions where Chinese is spoken, although it appears none of it was critical to the plot. Certainly it is appropriate considering the locale in Shanghai. Some good little surprises here and there, with Charlie always ahead of everyone else in spite of a couple of perilous encounters.

If you like this series in general, you should be quite pleased with this entry. Warner Oland is, at least I think, the best Chan, showing warmth and wit and a playfulness his antecedents seem to lack.

The Hawaiian detective, Charlie Chan, visits the homeland of his ancestors along with his son, Lee. Once there, not unexpectedly there is a murder and Chan is called into action to solve the crime. It seems that somehow the Opium trade and the US State Department are pulled into the case and it's up to clever Charlie to solve it. Along the way, you get to see Oland sing a cute little song to a group of kids (a rarity in these films) and his son is there to provide some comic relief, though it's much more subdued and less blundering like it was in later films--and this is indeed a relief. Lee isn't the idiot like many of the later Chan clan!

I've long thought that the Charlie Chan films deserve to be remembered far better than they have--particularly the early ones that featured Warner Oland as the brilliant detective. While they clearly were B-movies (lower budget films intended for a double-feature), they were significantly better than nearly all the other detective series films from the same era. Excellent writing and production values compared to the rest of the genre really set them apart. Here, we've got the whole package--Oland in the title role, his best sidekick (#1 son, played by Keye Luke), a very good plot and a less hurried pace than the cheaper series made by Monogram in the 1940s---so it's certainly well worth a look.

By the way, in today's world, the Chan films are not exactly welcome in many circles because they are NOT politically correct. This ISN'T because they portray Asians badly--heck, Chan is seen as brilliant and the rest of the Asians in this film are decent folks and not cardboard stereotypes. However, Chan was played in this and the rest of the films of the next couple decades by Westerners in Asian garb. While insensitive, for the era it was made, this was the norm and I hope that viewers can accept this and just watch the films for their own merits.

While visiting China, Charlie Chan finds himself the guest at a banquet in his honor. At the banquet, a man is murdered. Now Charlie and "Number One Son" Lee must investigate. This is one of the best of the Charlie Chan series. A nice mystery coupled with some humor and more action than usual for the series. Keye Luke is great in his second appearance as Lee. He was sorely missed in Egypt. Warner Oland is pitch-perfect, as always. We even get to hear him sing! Solid support from pretty Irene Hervey, Halliwell Hobbes, Russell Hicks, and Jon Hall in a very early role (billed under his real name Charles Locher). Just a fun story for fans of classic detective movies.

This is one of Warner Oland's best, in my opinion. I found it to have a very clear plot line with a neat twist at the end, albeit somewhat predictable. Oland made a terrific effort and Keye Luke was marvelous, without being "over the top". They could have left the singing out, though.

If you want to see him dance, get the Red Dragon. If you want to see him sing, look no further. I like this one, it's one of the lesser seen early Chan films. This one had a bit more rough-housing than the the others. The shot of Lee Chan flying down a stairway in mid leap is great. It was always one of my most memorable Chan scenes.