Whenever anyone has said bad things about the later Sidney Toler films I have balked at agreeing with their poor assessment. Of course they are not as big budget and high quality as the earlier Fox films, but all things considered I thought they did pretty good with what they had to work with. "Meeting at Midnight" for example, I found quite enjoyable. Not to mention "Chinese Cat","Secret Service" and "Shanghai Cobra". I rather liked them. "Shadows Over Chinatown" does have some problems. After all, the title has very little to do with the locale of the film. If you were to blink you would miss it as being in Chinatown. Charlie's secret assistant, where did he come from? As for his "Sitting Assistants" they didn't get to contribute as much as usual. The cast of stock character actors such as Mary Gordon who played the missing girl's mother was an excellent one. There were many plot elements that held great promise. I loved the opening bus scene. I don't think they quite delivered as they could have. However, no Chan film starring Sidney Toler as Charlie is ever unwatchable. To be fair, my copy of the movie was rather dark. The night scenes were like listening to a radio program. I can't wait till they are released remastered on DVD and I can see things clearly. I look forward to the Charlie Chan Vol. 3 due out soon. Even in his "darkest hour" Charlie Chan is still number 1.

Dear Russell,

Thank you "so much" for the wonderful insights. I think that new fans of Charlie Chan can benefit from your thoughts on these often overlooked Chan films.

You are not alone regarding you higher opinion of the Toler Monogram Chan films. Nearly all of us who attend our weekly Chats and Film Viewings enjoy these films whenever whe "show" them. This past Monday, in fact, we featured "Shadows Over Chinatown," which you mention. I am beginning to believe that there is no "good" copy of that film availabe, as most everyone mentions the darkness of many scenes, myself included.

My personal favorite Monogram Chan is "The Shangai Cobra." However, I truly enjoy viewing them all, including the Winters versions. There is a saying that a few of us share: "The only bad Charlie Chan movie is NO Charlie Chan movie." (Of course, we refer to the films in the series, proper!) Yes, even in his "darkest hour," as you say, Charlie Chan is, indeed, Number One.

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Good takes.

Although I prefer the Fox films ("Charlie Chan's Secret" is indeed my all time favorite), IMO the personality and feel is still there in the Toler Monogram films.

If I had to choose from the Monograms, I'd say Toler's last film "The Trap" is my favorite of those later post-Fox films.

To be honest though, can't say I care much for the Winters films. The ingenuity's still there, but Winters' acting seems pretty stilted with absolutely none of the easy humor of the earlier films.