This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

I'll tell you why so serious

Good movie but grossly overrated

Absolutely Brilliant!

Review - Charlie Chan in the Secret Service, released 2-14-44 The first of eleven films released by Monogram Pictures, featuring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, and a worthy movie for the genre of Saturday matinee double features. Our intrepid detective is now with the Secret Service during war time, in D.C., working on a murder case involving a government project with a scientist perfecting torpedoes against the German U-Boats. The scientist is killed and his torpedo design-plans are missing. Chan has to sift through the usual suspects, all of dubious character; some we learn later, are worse than others. Charlie suspects the handiwork of a certain espionage criminal being directly involved. Give Monogram the benefit of doubt with their production. If the movie was from 20th Century Fox, it would still be considered poorly edited, but in order to fit the film in the time frame required, a few cut corners were necessary disallowing certain plot explanations. The music playing in specific scenes was unnecessary, and the picture could have survived without the music accompaniment. For their first time around, it was an interesting film, with a believable story able to keep the viewer enthused till the end, where as always, the explanations run aplenty from Charlie Chan. The climax revealing the killer proved to be a surprise, considering all the suspects were red-herrings. The scenes were almost exclusively in the house of the murders, one location in different rooms. A man is murdered early in the film and Charlie goes about linking the data to the alleged killer, only to have him murdered before actual admission. The true guilty party was working with the prime suspect and was afraid of being found, so she killed him by way of his own studies. Watch the film to witness how Chan catches her at the end.

The first film in the Monogram Studio's Charlie Chan series after 20th Century-Fox had given up the the franchise. A scientist is killed and the plans of his torpedo stolen just before he could greet several people who have come to his house for a cocktail party. The head of the Secret Service (who sits in an office with 'SECRET SERVICE' written on the door!) tasks Charlie Chan to solve the crime and find the plans. Which he does of course. Apart from some plot holes it is a fair mystery mainly set in the scientist's house and passes the time nicely.Sidney Toler as Chan is his usual urbane self, slowly prodding and pushing to get to the truth. He is supported by his No. 2 daughter Iris and his No. 3 son Tommy played respectively by Marianne Quon and Benson Fong. The film also sadly introduces into the Chan series Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown, which I thought was a retrograde step as this fine actor and comedian is reduced to unfunny mugging and rolling of eyes. It would have been better to utilise one or two of Chan's numerous offspring instead of Brown. In this film Quon and Fong are fine as the comic relief as were previous actors in the series like Keye Luke and Victor Sen Yung. With fourteen Chan children there were plenty to choose from!

Charlie Chan arrives at Monogram. I was a huge fan of the Fox Charlie Chan series. Warner Oland was my favorite but Sidney Toler made good ones too. For whatever reason, Fox decided to stop making Charlie Chan movies in 1942. So Sidney Toler bought the rights and took the series to Poverty Row studio Monogram. This meant a lower budget, weaker scripts, and a generally less impressive cast. Opinions on the Monogram Chan films are mixed among fans. I don't like them much myself. The best ones are watchable and nearly all of them are forgettable. That this movie is considered one of the better Monogram Chans is proof of how weak the series was there.Here, Charlie is less likable than before and more of a grouch. Sidney Toler looks noticeably older and frailer than just two years prior. This could be due to the difference in quality between Fox's hair, makeup, and wardrobe people and that of Monogram. I'd be surprised if Monogram even had such people. This movie sees the addition of bug-eyed comic relief Birmingham Brown, played by Mantan Moreland. The previous Chan films had some comic relief, usually from Charlie's sons Lee or Jimmy. But their comedy felt organic to the stories and brought something to the table beyond juvenile humor. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Moreland. His character exists just to be the stereotypical cowardly black man who runs at the sight of his own shadow. This also marks the debut of "Number Three Son" Tommy (Benson Fong). Fong is a poor substitute for either Keye Luke or Victor Sen Yung. He's very drab. We get to meet Charlie's daughter Iris (Marianne Quon). I like her and wish we could have had her as Charlie's sidekick in this series instead of boring Tommy or ridiculous Birmingham.The writing and directing is uninspired. The unnecessary comedy is NEVER funny and just detracts from the film building any kind of mood or suspense. The music is terrible and misused. An early scene shows Charlie exiting a building, walking to a cab, and riding to the scene of the crime. There's nothing exciting or suspenseful about this, yet the music used would make you think he was fighting for his life with an alligator on the wing of an airplane. Oh, Monogram!

During World War Two, spies come in all shapes and forms. America's Number One Chinese detective, Charlie Chan(Sidney Toler), is called upon by the Secret Service to find who murdered the scientist/inventor of a top-secret weapon to protect the U.S. forces from German U-boats. Chan arrives to a house party full of guests that contains a spy that has stolen the assembly plans of the newly invented weapon. The guests are quite eccentric, if not just plain suspicious. Chan is followed by one of his sons(Benson Fong) and daughters(Marianne Quon)good for getting in the way of the investigation. Not one of the best Chan movies I've seen, but still good enough to hold interest. Absolutely comical is Mantan Moreland that plays a chauffeur named Birmingham Brown. Others in the cast: Gene Roth, Lelah Tyler, Gwen Kenyon, Arthur Loft and Sarah Edwards.