IMDb > Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940)

Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   684 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Lynn Shores
Writer:
John Larkin (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 September 1940 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller more
Tagline:
Death in the electric chair faces Charlie Chan... at the hands of a murderer twelve years dead! more
Plot:
An escaped convicted murderer hides out at a New York wax museum where he hopes to get plastic surgery, which will help him revenge himself on Charlie Chan. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Faces and Representations more (12 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Sidney Toler ... Charlie Chan
Victor Sen Yung ... Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
C. Henry Gordon ... Dr. Cream
Marc Lawrence ... Steve McBirney
Joan Valerie ... Lily Latimer
Marguerite Chapman ... Mary Bolton
Ted Osborne ... Tom Agnew (as Ted Osborn)
Michael Visaroff ... Dr. Otto Von Brom
Hilda Vaughn ... Mrs. Joe Rocke
Charles Wagenheim ... Willie Fern
Archie Twitchell ... Carter Lane
Eddie Marr ... Grenock
Joe King ... Inspector O'Matthews
Harold Goodwin ... Edwards
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Blystone ... Bailiff (uncredited)
Jimmy Conlin ... Barker (uncredited)
David Newell ... Attorney at Trial (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge ... Judge (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan ... Prosecuting Attorney (uncredited)
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Directed by
Lynn Shores 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
John Larkin  writer

Produced by
Ralph Dietrich .... associate producer
Walter Morosco .... associate producer
 
Original Music by
Cyril J. Mockridge (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Virgil Miller 
 
Film Editing by
James B. Clark 
 
Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber 
Richard Day 
 
Set Decoration by
Thomas Little 
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jasper Blystone .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Bernard Freericks .... sound
Harry M. Leonard .... sound
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Herschel McCoy .... costume supervisor
Sam Benson .... wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Emil Newman .... musical director
Edward B. Powell .... orchestrator (uncredited)
Herbert W. Spencer .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
63 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA High Fidelity Recording)
Certification:
Australia:G | USA:Approved (PCA #6383)
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The wax head near the mummy case appears to be modeled after Clark Gable. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Inspector Matthews comes in through the museum window, his coat is wet from the thunderstorm outside. Seconds thereafter, although his face still has rain dripping from it, his coat is now dry. more
Quotes:
Charlie Chan: Knowledge short; suspicion long. more
Movie Connections:
Follows Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful.
Faces and Representations, 10 October 2006
Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach

Of all the Chans that I know, this is both the best and the most interesting.

The setting is really cool. Its a wax museum where contemporary crimes are displayed, using personalities that are alive and are among the statues of themselves. It is also a plastic surgery where crooks get their faces changed. And thirdly it is the site of a broadcast radio show where unsolved crimes are re-enacted on-air.

It sounds complicated, and it is. But it is all done very matter of factly, so that these three very clever notions overlap and sometimes merge. Regular readers of my comments know that I love this sort of stuff, stuff I call "folding." Folding is stuff that plays with the notions of representation, and the fun is in how the movieness can play with itself, presenting to us and at the same time noodling with what it means to present.

Detecting in folds has always been a way of discovering narrative. Charlie Chan mysteries aren't the most cerebral of things along these lines. And the actual mystery here is impossible for the audience to anticipate. Its just revealed.

But in just the form of the thing, its great fun. It even has a chess-playing machine, a pretty savvy reference to a fourth fold. (One of the earliest

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

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