DANGEROUS MONEY

DANGEROUS MONEY (1946). Director: Terry Morse. 

When treasury agent Scott Pearson (Tristram Coffin, star of King of the Rocket Men), who's on the trail of some "hot" money, is murdered on board ship, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) steps in to investigate. But Pearson is only the first of several victims of a knife-throwing assailant both on board the ship and in the port of Samoa. Among the suspects are the purser, George Brace (Joe Allen), portly P. T. Burke (an excellent Dick Elliott), Tao Erickson (Rick Vallin) and his wife Laura (Amira Moustafa), Freddie Kirk (John Harmon), Miss Rona Simmonds (Gloria Warren), dishwasher Big Ben (Dudley Dickerson) with the big bank roll, and Mr. and Mrs. Whipple. Now there's something odd about one of those passengers but we won't say what. Instead of Mantan Moreland's Birmingham Brown, we get Chattanooga Brown played winningly by Willie Best [who also appeared in My Little Margie.] Victor Sen Yung plays Chan's No. 2 son, Jimmy. This is another entertaining and suspenseful Monogram Chan picture. You have to see the turtle with the pen light on its back to believe it! NOTE: This is included on the TCM Spotlight Charlie Chan Collection, which also includes Dark Alibi, The Trap and The Chinese Ring.

Verdict: Not bad Chan. **1/2.