Charlie Chan in the Secret Service

Starring:Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Arthur Loft, Gwen Kenyon, Sarah Edwards, George J. Lewis, Marianne Quon, Benson Fong, Muni Seroff, Barry Bernard, Gene Roth, Eddy Chandler, Lelah Tyler, George Lessey, I. Stanford Jolley, John Elliott, Davison Clark, Gene Oliver
Director: Phil Rosen
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Solid Performances by Sidney Toler,Mantan Moreland and Benson Fong in Mediocre Film
Cheapest of the cheap Chan's
My First Charlie Chan movie
First Monogram Chan is only fair; try another one first.
First Monogram Chan is one of the weaker efforts.

Charlie Chan in the Secret Service
Starring: Sidney Toler , Mantan Moreland , Arthur Loft , Gwen Kenyon , and Sarah Edwards
Director: Phil Rosen
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00020X85W
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Description

The World War II years, filled with espionage and spies of all sorts, were perfect for the foibles of Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler). And in his 1944 venture, America's Number One Chinese detective is enlisted by the Secret Service to find the person who murdered the inventor of a top-secret device. Charlie takes his time as he investigates the case of a scientist murdered for devising a wayto protect US forces from German U-boats. Bedeviled by a gaggle of eccentrics, his nervous assistant (Mantan Moreland) and his exuberantly in-the-way offspring (Benson Fong and Marianne Quon),Charlie must decide which of a houseful of guests is actually the plan-purloining Master Spy!

Customer Reviews:

Solid Performances by Sidney Toler,Mantan Moreland and Benson Fong in Mediocre Film.......2006-06-30

I like CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE although I agree with some of the other reviewers that this low budget movie has many obvious shortcomings.For the Chan fan it is still an entertaining entry about a scientist who dies mysteriously in his home which is full of house guests.His plans for a new torpedo are missing and the guests are the leading suspects in both the theft of the plans and the possible murder of the scientist.Charlie Chan is called in as an agent of the Secret Service to assist in the case.

Sidney Toler plays the part of Charlie Chan and he is joined by Benson Fong as Tommie Chan and Marianne Quon as Iris Chan. The cast also includes the excellent comic Mantan Moreland.

The producers were Philip N. Krasne and James S. Burkett. The director was Phil Rosen and the screenplay was written by George Callahan.

Cheapest of the cheap Chan's.......2005-02-25

An inventor of a new weapon is being doggedly protected by government agents. He tells them to back off as they are an insult to his guests. He keeps the plans safe in his pocket. We see ominous eye pears out of the shadows. We know that any minute our scientist will be shot or stabbed. He drops dead. Yep they call in Inspector Jones (Arthur Loft) who in turn calls in Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler).

The props look like cardboard and toys. The background music is atrocious as they try to build up suspense and only make you wish this was a silent movie. They must have dug Sidney up from the grave; he is falling apart and his sneer look more like a grimace. The characters are not and you spot the obvious perpetrator.

The only mystery is how the inventor died. No fair guessing.

My First Charlie Chan movie.......2002-03-17

"Charlie Chan in The Secret Service" was my first Chan movie. I was impressed with it. My only complaint was the scene in which Chan is riding to the mansion that the inventor was killed in, and is walking up to the mansion. Loud, blaring, music is played during this scene as if there was a fight scene going on or something. But it is apparent that Toler is trying to create interest in this new first Monogram outing, and it pays off. The low budget is futile to complain about, because the budget for the Monogram pictures never increases at any point in time. Critics should judge the Monogram Chans and state their opinion according to if they did the best job they could with the lower budget. Simply complaining about the low budget doesn't cut it, because the Monogram Chans ALL have a low budget. But if their resources are used in the best way, it can still be a good movie, low budget or not.I thought it was a good mystery that was not muddled or confusing. I would give them a thumbs up for doing their best to have a good movie. The Fox Chans were a hard act to follow, but quite a few times, Monogram did very well, lower budget and all. Of course, Benson Fong did not have the effect that the other two previous sons had, but he did well, I thought. Marianne Quon as Iris Chan works well off Benson Fong, but is only seen in this one movie. And of course, Mantan Moreland as Birmingham makes his first appearance as well, and continued throughout the series(with the exception of "The Red Dragon" and "Dangerous Money".)Of course, this movie is not "Citizen Kane", but is worth viewing.

First Monogram Chan is only fair; try another one first........2000-06-05

The first of low-budget Monogram Pictures' Charlie Chan mysteries has some flaws, but was successful enough to give the series a new lease on life. Chan investigates the murder of a scientist and the disappearance of secret plans. The film is too stagey; most of the mystery is talked out in ensemble scenes, with a minimum of action. Mantan Moreland (billed second) is a plus, Marianne Quon (as Chan's daughter) is a minus, because she doesn't deliver dialogue convincingly. The underscoring is laughable, with much-too-dramatic music blaring when nothing exciting is happening. The tape's picture and sound are excellent. Okay for Chan fans and B-movie buffs, but if you don't know the Monogram Chans, try "The Shanghai Cobra" or "The Scarlet Clue" instead.

First Monogram Chan is one of the weaker efforts........1999-08-21

Sidney Toler returns as detective Charlie Chan in this Monogram picture after being dropped from 20th Century Fox in 1942. Monogram was known as the king of the "B" movies. This film introduces Benson Fong as Number 3 son, Tommy, and Marianne Quon as Number 2 daughter, Iris. It also introduces the comedian Mantan Moreland who would continue to play the role of Birmingham Brown in most of the Monogram Chan films. Some politically correct types might criticize Moreland as being a black stereotype, but, to me, he adds a refreshing touch of humor to these films. His material in this film is rather weak, but would get better in later films. In one scene, Tommy and Iris start talking to Chan in jive talk. Chan says "Could please speak English?" Tommy replies "Yeah Pop! We're hep cats of the younger generation! You're Confucius. I'm Confucius Jr.!" The classic Chan line in this film is "Detective without curiosity like glass eye at keyhole---no good!"

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