Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Lechuguilla An old house with secret passageways, a gloved hand belonging to a person we don't see, a spiritualistic séance, and an old woman who uses a Ouija board combine to produce spooky atmospheric effects in this whodunit about a murder, the motive of which may be greed.It's a good film in the Chan series, made better by the absence of the annoying number 1 and 2 sons whose presence in other Chan films is distracting. Still, we have to endure the "comic relief" of a dimwitted butler, a character I could have done without. The story is full of character stereotypes, not unusual for films of that era. And the plot left some questions in my mind unresolved.Yet, the eerie atmosphere and the standard gathering of the suspects at the end make the film worth watching. This is one story wherein Chan himself (Warner Oland) is not sure of the killer's identity until Chan lays a trap, and the villain grabs the bait. Compared to many whodunits, the large number of suspects here makes picking out the murderer a little more difficult. Toward that objective, one plot point can really lead the viewer down the garden path if not paying close attention.Visuals consist mostly of set pieces, which are fairly well constructed. B&W lighting is okay, but could have been ratcheted up a notch or two for even greater suspense. Henrietta Crosman is terrific as the wealthy old woman. She and Warner Oland work well together.Of all the Chan films I have seen, "Charlie Chan's Secret" probably would be in the top half, mostly owing to the atmospheric visuals and a plot that made guessing the identity of the murderer tricky and far from certain.

tavm This review is the second of a series of such that I'm devoting to the films of the Charlie Chan franchise. Once again, Warner Oland portrays the famous Chinese detective with his humor and intelligence intact. This time, he's investigating the possible reappearance of one Allen Colby (Jerry Miley) for an inheritance. But there are many associates of his that would rather he not show up...This was another enjoyable Chan entry I liked especially when Herbert Mundin as butler Baxter does some grimaces whenever he has to do something he doesn't want to do. He gets quite funnier with each appearance. And Henrietta Crossman is also fine as an old friend of Charlie's who gets pertinent info about certain things from him. All in all, I rather found Charlie Chan's Secret very good overall. P.S. I feel the need to mention another player from my birthtown of Chicago, Ill., here. This time, it's James T. Mack as the fingerprint man. Also, the coroner played by Landers Stevens is the father of director George Stevens. The lawyer, Warren T. Phelps, is played by Jonathan Hale who a year later would begin essaying his best known role, that of J.C. Dithers in the Blondie movie series. And Rosina Lawrence-who's Alice Lowel here-would eventually become Our Gang/Little Rascals new teacher and appear with Laurel & Hardy in their classic, Way Out West. She'd also decades later marry the man who chronicled the comic duo's lives and careers in books, John McCabe.

dbborroughs More serious Chan story has the detective going it alone as he tries to solve the mystery of a missing heir. The mystery becomes a question of murder in short order and the detective tries to find the killer before he is the next victim.Atypical Chan is undeservedly forgotten, even by me. I remember the film not because of what it is, a cracking good mystery, rather because of what its not, a film with little humor and no of his kids to help him. Its a wonderful change of pace that marked a break from the formula that would dominate most of the films in the series. The film also has one of the best mysteries, as in the plot of what is really going on, in the entire 40 plus film series.. Closer in a way to the darkness of some of the later films, this is one of the Chans thats really is perfect for a dark and rainy night. Recommended

MartinHafer The Warner Oland series of Charlie Chan films made by Twentieth Century Fox were among the best of the B-detective series films--with excellent stories and acting as well as a quality level unmatched by the later series by Monogram Studios. So my expectations for this film were pretty high and I am sad to report that this is one of the few failures in the series. The biggest problem is that the usual comedic moments are sadly lacking, as inexplicably, none of the Chan children are here for comic relief. While #1 son (Keye Luke) is probably most people's favorite, I would have been happy if #2, #3, #4, #5 or even Chan's daughter were here to provide some needed fun for the film. In fact, now that I think about it, there were few of the Oland or Toler series films where Chan works alone. As a result, not only is the usual balance not there, but some of the lines and situations usually reserved for the Chan children have either been removed entirely or given to the butler, Baxter--who is a sad replacement indeed.Now as for the plot, while it was original, oddly, it was reused in a later Sidney Toler Charlie Chan film (CHARLIE CHAN IN BLACK MAGIC), as BOTH movies concerned phony psychics and a murder at a séance. It has its moments, but even this plot is a bit ordinary. Not a bad film and certainly worth seeing for fans, but truly a bit of a disappointment.