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      Charlie Chan's Secret

      Released Jan 10, 1936 1h 11m Mystery & Thriller List
      60% 5 Reviews Tomatometer 43% 50+ Ratings Audience Score The Chinese detective (Warner Oland) settles a family estate by solving the murder of a would-be heir. Read More Read Less

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      Audience Reviews

      View All (6) audience reviews
      andy f Far from the best Charlie Chan (troublesome son is sorely missed) but it has enough spooks and atmosphere to make it interesting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review kevin w Standard entry into the popular series canon with A Brit butler taking over the usual "Number 1 Son" comic duties. Red herrings galore until the "all the suspects in one room while the detective explains what we've been watching" payoff. Always decent entertainment value even if often nonsensical. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member 1.5: Hmm. I was prompted to watch these by an article in The New Yorker that I read a year or two ago. I wasn't expecting them to be outstanding, but I was expecting something better than this. I have now seen essentially every Charlie Chan film, or at least all that were made between 1931 and 1947 (29 films). What struck me most is that these really have more in common with a television show than a feature film. Each film is essentially the same except for the "location." I guess it makes sense as they serve essentially the same purpose. One can essentially watch every film on auto-pilot comfortable in the knowledge that one knows exactly which characters will pop up and that everything will be satisfactorily resolved in the end. They are "C" picture at best. Sidney Toler is pretty good; Warner Toland is somewhat acceptable; and the other two one picture no-names are either inconsequential or awful. It is rather ludicrous that they didn't allow an actual Asian actor to play the role, but the portrayal of African-American's is much more heinous. They certainly pale in comparison to just about every other detective picture/TV series I've ever seen. None of the films rate an individual review so this will have to suffice for all 29. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member good entry in the warner oland chan series. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review bill t Another great Charlie Chan vehicle here, with plenty of suspects. What's great about this one is ithat there's no gimmick background to the story, just a spooky house in San Francisco. Orland tries his best to confuse everyone, and there's some comedic elements. Very good if you like the Chan films/ Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member WARNER OLAND DOES A FINE JOB AS CHARLIE CHAN IN TH=IS BETTER THAN AVERAGE CHAN FILM. AN INTERESTING PLOT, THE MOVIE IS SHORT, TO THE POINT AND TOUCHES OF HUMOR ARE A VERY NICE TOUCH. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Charlie Chan's Secret

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (5) Critics Reviews
      Eddie Harrison film-authority.com ...doesn't offer the guided tour to out-dated attitudes that might be anticipated... Rated: 3/5 Jun 26, 2021 Full Review Gus McCarthy Motion Picture Herald (Exhibitors Herald) There is much that is unique. Nov 19, 2020 Full Review Ann Ross Maclean's Magazine Warner Oland as Charlie Chan helps a good deal, but the plot is more complicated than ingenious. Oct 2, 2019 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 4/5 Nov 3, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Lacked humor. Rated: C+ Aug 12, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis The Chinese detective (Warner Oland) settles a family estate by solving the murder of a would-be heir.
      Director
      Gordon Wiles
      Screenwriter
      Robert Ellis
      Production Co
      Twentieth Century Fox
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Jan 10, 1936, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Feb 1, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 11m
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