Charlie Chan investigates a murder case aboard the yacht of a wealthy Greek shipping tycoon.Charlie Chan investigates a murder case aboard the yacht of a wealthy Greek shipping tycoon.Charlie Chan investigates a murder case aboard the yacht of a wealthy Greek shipping tycoon.
Photos
Virginia Ann Lee
- Doreen Chan
- (as Virginia Lee)
Soon-Tek Oh
- Stephen Chan
- (as Soon-Taik Oh)
Pearl Huang
- Jan Chan
- (as Pearl Hong)
Patricia Gage
- Sylvia Grombach
- (as Pat Gage)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilmed in 1971 but not broadcast until 1979.
- GoofsLate in the movie, during his interrogation of all known suspects, Charlie is handed a crucial bit of photographic evidence printed off the 'teletype' machine. However he is actually given a sharp glossy photo hand developed from a photo-lab darkroom. A teletype image would be of crude quality and printed on thin paper with punched holes.
- ConnectionsFollowed by Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)
Featured review
I found this to be a fun, if overly complex, updating of the Chan legacy--Charlie is now sixty years old and has been in retirement for ten years. It is a bit jolting to see him roll up to his house at the beginning in a dune buggy wearing a gaudy Hawaiian shirt but it's got a good spirit about it. Ross Martin is certainly not the best choice to portray the great detective but he certainly is credible and grows on you with subsequent viewings. The mystery itself, as I mentioned, is quite confusing on the first go round but becomes clear on a second viewing. I suppose that this complexity is what landed this pilot film on the shelf for so many years before it was finally released. Unlike some other reviewers here, I love the "tacky" 70's feel of this and it adds a certain camp quality that makes it even more fun. The two offspring of Charlie's that appear as his companions here(one son and one daughter)again grow and you and showed promise as potential regular characters. This would have been a good regular series in the mould of McMillan And Wife, Columbo etc. etc. At any rate it is an enjoyable one off that is never less than diverting. In the end maybe it was right this didn't become a series, inasmuch as Ross Martin was not Asian and it was getting to a point where it seemed out of place to have caucasians portraying the great sleuth. Hopefully the latest chapter of Chan,with Chow Yun-phat will rectify this issue! So, if by chance your a fan of Charlie Chan, give this a try and realise it was simply a different take made for an early 1970's audience and enjoy it!
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Charlie Chan: Ein wohlgehütetes Geheimnis
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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Top Gap
By what name was The Return of Charlie Chan (1972) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer