Thursday, March 12, 2015

CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA

Kane Richmond and Jean Rogers
CHARLIE CHAN IN PANAMA (1940). Director: Norman Foster. 

Charlie (Sidey Toler) and number two son (Victor Sen Yung) are in Panama, which is a nest of secret agents. A man is about to tell Charlie (who is in disguise as hat seller Fu Yen) the true identity of the spy named "Reiner," when this contact suddenly dies from smoking a poisoned cigarette. Charlie learns that the mysterious Reiner is out to sabotage the fleet going through the Panama canal. Suspects include Dr. Grosser (Lionel Royce), who keeps plague-carrying rats; Richard Cabot (Kane Richmond), who works in the nearby plant; Kathi Lenesch (Jean Rogers of Secret Agent X-9),  a dancer who catches Cabot's eye; Manolo (Jack La Rue of The Story of Temple Drake), who owns the club where Kathi dances; the somehow- sinister Compton (Lionel Atwill of The Devil is a Woman); school teacher Jennie Finch (Mary Nash); and others. There's a creepy scene in a cemetery with a dank tomb and a hidden room, and the climax has all of the suspects held captive by a bomb about to go off. 

Verdict: Lots of fun. ***. 

3 comments:

  1. Spy saga wartime propaganda becomes classic detective whodunnit as Charlie gathers suspects together for the reveal, Nick Charles couldn't have done it better himself in the original Thin Man.

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  2. Too bad the characters never appeared in the same movie.

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  3. Weirdly enough, when you mention Kane Richmond as suave killer, Hitchcock wanted Thin Man Powell as serial killer Merry Widow Murderer Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt, MGM wouldn't loan him out. He did it on radio, YouTube has it, truly creepy performance. Charles & Chan do appear in Neil Simon's lampoon, Murder By Death, along with Miss Marbles.

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