The killer uses venom from a cobra to eliminate his victims in this film. Sidney Toler plays Chan and the cast includes Benson Fong as Tommie Chan and Manton Moreland in the role of Birmingham Brown. Fong and Moreland are really quite good as a comic team. George Callahan and George Wallace Sayre handle the screen play. THE SHANGHAI COBRA is one of the better entries in the Chan series.

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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Chans, and miraculous for a Monogram, November 8, 1999

By	Scott MacGillivray (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Low-budget Monogram Pictures usually did a serviceable job with its Charlie Chan mysteries, but this one is exceptional. Thoughtful direction (by Phil Karlson) and excellent camerawork (by Vincent Farrar) give the film far more atmosphere and production polish than usual. You'll notice, as early as the opening scene, the imaginative staging and camera angles, unusual sets, and clever technical gimmicks, all enhancing the excellent film-noir-style presentation. Series regulars Sidney Toler, Benson Fong, and Mantan Moreland are in good form, aided by a fine cast of familiar character actors (Joan Woodbury, James Cardwell, Addison Richards, George Chandler, and a host of others). If you've never seen a Monogram Chan, try this.

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars By Far The Best Monogram Chan movie, February 11, 2002

By	Isaac Laughhunn (Victoria TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Shanghai Cobra" is my favorite of the Monogram Charlie Chans. It is beautifully atmospheric in the opening scenes, and I think Phil Karlson, the director (his first of two Chan outings, the other being "Dark Alibi" [1946]which is also worth watching)adds alot of these great effects, making it an enjoyable mystery that will keep you guessing. The comedy in this entry is superb with a wordplay gag about "u-turns" running all through the film. The sets and the noticable shadows and darkness make it almost like a "film noir" movie. Some action takes place in the sewers below the bank that they are doing investigations in(more darkness.)I also enjoyed the "flashback" when they showed Charlie Chan in his visit to Shanghai in '36 and '37. A fun film, a good mystery, and atmospheric at the same time, I would recommend this film highly to any Charlie Chan fan. Excuse, Please...

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars "No, U Turn Here!"
Those Charlie Chan fans who only consider the topflight series at Fox worth watching, dismissing the "B" films made after Sidney Toler bought the rights to Earl Derr Biggers'... Read more

Published 26 days ago by Bobby Underwood

3.0 out of 5 stars 'Tommy' & 'Birmingham' Add Spark
This Charlie Chan entry was more mystery-oriented than most of the Monogram Pictures versions, which tended to rely more on humor. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Craig Connell

3.0 out of 5 stars Needed this to fill my collection
I purchased this DVD to fill my Chan collection, as the copy in my previously purchased "Chanthology" collection was damaged and unplayable. Read more

Published 3 months ago by MattSub

4.0 out of 5 stars A Clever Murder and a hidden Murderer...
1945's "The Shanghai Cobra" is a better than average Charlie Chan movie of those featuring Sidney Toler as the famous Honolulu Detective, here seconded to U.S. Read more

Published 15 months ago by D. S. Thurlow

3.0 out of 5 stars Sidney Toler Plays Tough and Soft
After Warner Oland died, Sidney Toler took over the role of Charlie Chan. Oland brought a natural dignity to the role that made Charlie seem like a beloved, rotund uncle. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Professor Donald Mitchell

3.0 out of 5 stars Among the Best of the "Monogram" Chans--But That Isn't Saying Much
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... Read more

Published on June 21, 2007 by Gary F. Taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Charlie Chan
Wonderfully written and acted by Sidney Toler. A great movie for all Charlie Chan fans.

Published on January 4, 2007 by Hoot

4.0 out of 5 stars One of Toler's Best Performances as Charlie Chan
Obviously the Chan movies made at Monogram could never compare to those made at Fox with Warner Oland, but of these, The Shanghai Cobra is one of the best. Read more

Published on March 17, 2005 by Tim Janson

3.0 out of 5 stars This is one of the better Monogram Chans.
This mystery concerns the murder of several victims by cobra bites. It has Mantan Moreland and Benson Fong again getting into trouble as usual. Read more

Published on August 21, 1999 by Marc Capralis

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