Customer Reviews

Charlie Chan in The Scarlet Clue

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

THE SCARLET CLUE is an above average entry in the Chan series helped by a fast-paced script and the antics of Manton Moreland as Birmingham Brown.

Charlie is acting as a federal agent trying to solve a murder and at the same time prevent the theft of top secret radar plans. The title refers to a bloody footprint.

Sidney Toler has the role of Charlie and Benson Fong is back as Tommie Chan.

One of budget-brand Monogram Pictures' entries in the Charlie Chan series, this picture has a busy, tricky screenplay which resembles a serial story. The villain is masked and cloaked in the best cliffhanger tradition, and every few minutes there is some new deadly device introduced (an elevator with a trap door, a weather tunnel with dangerous extremes of heat and cold, etc.). The radio-station setting is novel, and there is some outstanding comedy relief by Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter doing their "incomplete sentence" nightclub act. The direction and photography are routine, but the filmmakers apparently were concentrating on the ambitious technical gimmicks in the script. Par for Monogram, and a pleasant hour for B-movie fans.

I am Chinese and have heard lots of western people refering to Charlie Chan. I was very curious how Chan was like and bought this DVD. I was not disappointed --- even though this movie was made so many years ago, it is still very entertaining.

the scarlet clue was a pretty enjoyable movie for the monogram charlie chan series. clever jokes, interesting clues, trap floors in elevators, and charlie chan himself, all added up to an enjoyable 65-minute movie experience (so much so i'm ordering more charlie chan tapes today).

Loosely based on novels by Earl Derr Biggers, 20th Century Fox's Charlie Chan series proved an audience favorite--but when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor the studio feared audiences would turn against its Asian hero. This was a miscalculation: actor Sidney Toler took the role to "poverty row" Monogram Studios, where he continued to portray the character in eleven more popular films made between 1944 and his death in 1947.

20th Century Fox regarded the Chan films as inexpensive "B" movies, but even so the studio took considerable care with them: the plots were often silly, but the pace was sharp, the dialogue witty, and the casts (which featured the likes of Bela Lugosi and Ray Milland) always expert. The result was a kindly charm which has stood the test of time. Monogram was a different matter: Chan films were "B" movies plain and simple. Little care was taken with scripts or cast and resulting films were flat, mediocre at best, virtually unwatchable at worst.

Released in 1945, THE SCARLET CLUE is neither the best nor worst of the Monogram Chan films, certainly better than such dreadful entries as THE TRAP but a far cry from its 20th Century Fox counterparts. At the same time, however, the film has a certain interest due to its setting: a broadcast company. It would be a mistake to look to any Chan film for factual information, but the film does remind us--and quite effectively so--of that moment in time when radio still dominated even as television (which is repeated mentioned) began to make inroads with the public.

The story, such as it is, finds Chan (Toler) acting as a federal agent who is investing a murder involving radar secrets. When a stolen car leads him to a radio actress he soon finds himself in the middle of the broadcast company itself, where murderous communications are issued via teletype and elevators become instruments of death. It's all very flyweight stuff, but the details make the film watchable--as does the occasional actor, with Mantan Moreland a case in point.

In today's world the type of roles assigned to Moreland would be thought racist, but taken within the context of what was possible for an African-American actor at the time they remain remarkably charming. To it's credit, Monogram recognized Moreland's appeal, and always took care to give his name highly-placed credit in the cast lists. THE SCARLET CLUE is particularly interesting because it also allows us to see Moreland perform a few bits of his "interrupted talk" stage routine, performed here with Ben Carter--a bit of comedy that is every bit as clever as any thing you might find in Abbot and Costello's best work of the same period.

When all is said and done, THE SCARLET CLUE is indeed watchable, but it really is best left to hardcore Chan fans. Newcomers would do better to begin with the 20th Century Fox films, which are now at last becoming available on DVD.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
For the Negative Voter, who so enjoys hitting each of my reviews with an "unhelpful vote" almost as soon as I post them--and who makes the assumption that it will discourage me from writing more reviews. Not hardly!

I'm a huge Charlie Chan film fan and this one, in my opinion, hits just below the middle mark of them all, including both Toler and Oland black-and-white entries.

The story is this: The local metropolitan police are cooperating with Charlie to track down a courier who is involved with an organized crime ring to steal top-secret radar plans. When Charlie gets too close to success, the courier is sacrificed to maintain silence about the crime ring.

Through a comedy of errors, Charlie (Sidney Toler), Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland), and one of Charlie's many sons (one of the cheesier ones), end up in a large building where the science lab which has developed the secret radar plans are held... and also in the same building is a radio studio, the management and radio personalities there seeming somehow linked to the crime ring. Charlie has to ferret out the top dog of the crime ring but, before he can, murder ensues.

The plot on this one is a little cumbersome and foggy at times. One gets the impression that this film was made pretty quickly and that last minute script changes weren't all that well thought out. Still, it's quite watchable and Mantan Moreland comes through pretty strong as he performs his classic nightclub routine with his partner, Ben Carter.

In summary, this one isn't of the quality of, say, "Charlie Chan in The Jade Mask," or, "Charlie Chan in The Secret Service". But Chan fans, like myself, will devour it nonetheless.

Captain Flynn and another man are following Roush since he got off the train. Charlie Chan is visiting and joins the hunt. When they find Roush he will tell no tales. [The events are described so you can't miss what's happening! The comedy is really laid on thick.] Chan tracks down the owner of the car parked by the murder scene. We see a Shakespearean actor (modeled after Boris Karloff?) Then Chan discovers a matching footprint; the murderer is at the radio station! A phone call tells who this is. Then we see two comedians do their stage act. Next we see life behind the radio microphone, where the advertiser cracks her whip and the actors jump as ordered ("trained animals who can speak" said Hitchcock). One actress asks Mr. Brett for a better position; but he won't worry about her future.

A strange poison is used to kill Gloria Baynes. Then we see two conspirators who tell how they work (so you don't miss anything). Mr. Cooper and Mr. Brett have been watched. The head of the operation makes Mr. Brett escape for good. His body was then found in a cold testing chamber. The police arrest Cooper, and they try to contact the unknown head of the spy ring. Chan learns how Brett was killed. When Mr. Rand tries to tell Chan something he too is rendered silent! But Chan figures out how they were killed (a high-tech method). Then there is a final chase of the head of the spy ring, who is caught by the same trap used for Brett.

This must be the funniest in the series, a collection of jokes set in an espionage murder mystery. The simple settings tell of its low budget. You'll note how sometimes the actors can't prevent a smile as they speak. There is even a part where they tell of the dangers of cigarette smoking! Is there a message in the revelation of the traitor?

If you have not sampled one of the Monogram Chan movies yet, The Scarlet Clue would be a good one to start with. It takes place in a radio and television studio with many sinister electronic devices. Birmingham has some very funny material, including finding his own face in a police mug book as he and Tommy Chan look for suspects. Near the end of the film, Chan makes an obvious error in judgement that the real Chan would never make. Can you tell what it is? Famous Chan line is "So many fish in fish market, even flower smell same."

1945's "The Scarlet Clue" has famous Honolulu detective Charlie Chan, now seconded to the Secret Service for the war, in hot pursuit of a gang of spies who intend to steal valuable secret radar plans from a office building. Sidney Toler does the honors as Chan, assisted by Number Three Son Tommy (Benson Fong), and second assistant Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). Moreland gets the opportunity to showcase his hilarious comedic routine with real life stage partner Ben Carter, in which the two men carry on a conversation by unfinished half sentences.

The story opens with two policemen tailing a suspious man on an unnamed waterfront, on Charlie Chan's orders. The man takes refuge in a tugboat, where he is mysteriously murdered before the police can close in. Clues at the murder scene lead Charlie Chan to a radio and TV studio in the same building as the radar research lab. The entire cast and crew of a rather bad radio drama are potential suspects. Charlie will sort the clues while dodging a series of ingenious murder traps, including a deadly poison administered by cigarette and a trap door in an elevator.

This episode features some interesting set up work. The leader of the gang communicates through a clever phone and teletype lashup that hides his or her identity from the gangmembers. The leader is seen only when wearing a monster suit, and therefore could be any of the suspects who have not already been silenced. The solution of the case involves a couple of rather silly chases through an environmental test chamber simulating extreme heat and cold, while Charlie seems to be pulling some answers almost out of thin air. However, the identity of the killer should be a surprise to viewers, thanks to a couple of red herrings laid down earlier in the movie.

"The Scarlet Clue" is worth a look for fans of the longrunning Charlie Chan series.

Sidney Toler, Benson Fong and Mantan Moreland return.
A frightened man, Rausch (Charles Wagenheim), hides in a car to get away from some goons. He finally makes it to his boat, but a mysterious person is hiding in the same darkened room. Charlie Chan arrives on the scene and meets with Captain Flynn (Robert Homans). They have to arrest Rausch, but then they decide to keep him safe. They both go down to the boat. They find Rausch dead. he was stabbed.
Charlie Chan must solve the case. Son #3 Tommy helps his father.

Also in the cast: Virginia Brissac, Ben Carter, Jack Norton, Janet Shaw, Helen Deverell, Victoria Faust.

Running Time: 64 minutes.

Sidney Toler in his 16th appearance as "Charlie Chan".

Next Mystery: Charlie Chan in The Shanghai Cobra (1945).