There is a tendency for viewers to conclude that Dead Men Tell is set in San Francisco, and I agree that the fog gives that impression but, I think there are several clues that point to a location other than SF.
We know that the movie is set on the west coast of the USA, Cocos Island is in the pacific off the coast of Costa Rica, and when Jimmy falls into the water at the end, Charlie tells him Honolulu is due west. So the clues definitely point to California.
We get a big clue when Jimmy leaves the bar by the water door, we catch sight of a large poster advertising a boxing exhibition, clearly legible are the contenders Krovatsky and KO Hogan. This is a reference to a 1929 movie WALTZING AROUND which was set and filmed at the American Legion Stadium in Hollywood, and there might be a statement to that in the poster itself. It would be unlikely that a boxing event in Hollywood would be advertised in SF. (True the posters been hanging their for 11 years but it could be a canvas poster).
In a later scene in which Charlie is talking to Jimmy in the background can be seen the words ---Field Wharf. This may be a reference to Reeves Field, a small naval airfield at the Port of Los Angeles.
So, based on this I would conclude that Dead Men Tell is set at the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
You have done it again. Today I was finally able to take the time to watch "Dead Men Tell" again. I found two other "clues" which I humbly add to your well-thought-out hypothesis.
First, Charlie Chan notes that he is trying to bring his Number Two Son, jimmy back to his books at college. It has been well established that Jimmy attended the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. It would be very unlikely that Jimmy would be traveling all the way up to San Francisco and then find his pop following him there to bring him back to L.A. If this had been the case, the senior Chan would certainly NOT have been amused!
Next, Mr. Chan was told that his son was once again "in the harbor." That is, he had fallen into the "drink" again! Now, if we were in San Francisco, I believe that the comment would have contained the word "bay."
A third clue of sorts is the presence of a movie actor, Charles Thursday, accompanied by his new bride. They were on the treasure-hunting trip as part of their honeymoon. Again, this points to Los Angeles, more specifically, Hollywood.
So, I believe that with everything pointing in the direction that you indicated, we can fairly safely state that this adventure takes place in Los Angeles Harbor - San Pedro. And, Charlie Chan was not a stranger to that location, having been there at least once before, as seen in "Charlie Chan at the Race Track."
Rush,
Thanks, and I think the points you make are excellent and lead me to another one. At the end of the film when Chan tells his son that home is due west, that comment wouldn't be valid if they were in San Francisco Bay, it only makes sense if they are already in the Pacific.
So the bigger question is how do we get the film summary changed to reflect what we figured out?
