Shanghai Chest (1948)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Don't Believe the Hype

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Compared to some other Monogram-produced Charlie Chan films I've watched, "The Shanghai Chest" is a cut above. The extremely prolific, and also series regular, director William "One Shot" Beaudine shoots this one with what could, at certain moments, if one squints hard enough, even be described as sort of a "style": flashbacks, tilted camera angles, montages. The plot is also fairly intriguing (although Chan once again pulls the guilty party like a rabbit out of his hat, with absolutely no evidence supporting his theory). The low budget is tolerably camouflaged. Even the comedy is funnier than usual, like for example in a short exchange between Mantan Moreland and an uncredited Willie Best. My favorite Chan line: "Statement has earmarks of extreme truthfulness"! ** out of 4.

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.

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.

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.