I wanted to but couldn't!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

As Good As It Gets

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Fortunately, director Harry Lachman's interest in the Charlie Chan series was revived by "Dead Men Tell". Lachman had considerable input into designing the elaborate sets. Alas, although his work is wonderfully eerie, not a great deal of it is actually visible on the screen because, when actual filming began, he encouraged photographer Charles G. Clarke to shoot the picture mostly with spooky close-ups. However, it must be admitted that this ploy is highly successful and that all the players acquit themselves well.In fact, there are fans who regard this entry with all its noir effects and intriguing plot, as actually the very best of the whole series.

There is murder on board a ship that is taking its customers to an island where there is a 60,000,000 dollar treasure (or so we're told). The map has been divided into fourths to be distributed once they reach the island. Jimmy Chan stows away (what else is new) and while there an old lady is murdered (she has one of the pieces) by someone dressed as a pirate. Meanwhile, Charlie Chan comes aboard, looking for his number two son. As it turns out there are all sorts of people who could be responsible, including the captain of the ship who hates people and would rather have nothing to do with them. Jimmy, who is in this episode too much, starts investigating. He ends up dropping the water on at least four occasions. He muddles up the case again. This is fun because of the locale. There are numerous misleading clues. By the way, George Reeves appears in this one. He is the one who starred in "The Adventures of Superman" back in the fifties. This is a decent mystery.

A "treasure hunt cruise" is all lined up—but the ship never leaves the dock in this mystery featuring a pirate ghost, a treasure map, a couple of murders, and the usual lineup of suspicious characters. Jimmy Chan helps get the action started by sneaking aboard the darkened ship to investigate, his imagination fired by news about the expedition to retrieve $60 million of hidden treasure. Pop Charlie Chan comes looking for Jimmy, intending to take him home—which is how both Chans happen to be on the ship when the first murder occurs.Sidney Toler is fine as always as the elder Chan; Sen Yung has a larger role than usual as Jimmy, and gives an energetic—practically manic—performance as the would-be detective whose curiosity is matched only by his enthusiasm. Toler and Yung, by now veterans of several films in these roles, complement each other perfectly. The plot concerns an alleged treasure map, divided into four pieces and distributed among the would-be passengers. When the map's owner (and tour sponsor) is murdered and her map portion disappears, it becomes apparent that someone else on board is out to grab all four sections. Not surprisingly, practically all of the passengers and crew seem to harbor secrets of one kind or another….The entire film is set inside the ship, outside in the harbor, or in a neighboring waterfront bar…and it all takes place at night. Nicely designed sets and good shadowy photography create an atmosphere that is sinister and just slightly spooky. Jimmy Chan can't seem to keep out of the water in this one….And my favorite line from the picture is the elder Chan's response to Jimmy's apology for falling in yet again: "Please. Save alibi for autobiography."

This is an often overlooked Chan film that deserves more attention! It is short at an hour running time. But it is loaded with great atmosphere and a good cast of interesting and eccentric characters. This is a good mystery and has many humorous parts, too. Sen Yung is quite good in this one. How can you get better than a ghost pirate named Black Hook on a treasure hunt? Another one that's lots of fun. TV Superman, George Reeves is in it too. This is one to see and see again!