Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)

Director:

Phil Rosen

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (characters)
George Callahan (writer)

Release Date:

14 February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery

Plot:

Charlie Chan is an agent of the U.S. government assigned to investigate the mysterious death of an inventor.

Plot Keywords:

Wall Safe | Engineer | Racial Stereotype | Wheelchair | Torpedo

Cast

Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Mantan Moreland	...	Birmingham Brown
Arthur Loft	...	Inspector Jones, Secret Service
Gwen Kenyon	...	Inez Arranto
Sarah Edwards	...	Mrs. Hargue, Housekeeper
George J. Lewis	...	Paul Arranto (as George Lewis)
Marianne Quon	...	Iris Chan
Benson Fong	...	Tommie Chan
Muni Seroff	...	Peter Laska
Barry Bernard	...	David Blake
Gene Roth	...	Luis Philipe Vega aka Von Vegan (as Gene Stutenroth)
Eddy Chandler	...	Lewis, Secret Service (as Eddie Chandler)
Lelah Tyler	...	Mrs. Winters
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Davison Clark	...	Sgt. Billings (uncredited)
John Elliott	...	George Melton (uncredited)
George Lessey	...	Slade (uncredited)
Gene Oliver	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)

Directed by
Phil Rosen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Earl Derr Biggers		characters
George Callahan		writer

Produced by
James S. Burkett	....	producer
Philip N. Krasne	....	producer

Original Music by
Karl Hajos		(uncredited)
Dave Torbett		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Ira H. Morgan		(as Ira Morgan)

Film Editing by
Martin G. Cohn

Set Decoration by
Albert Greenwood		(as Al Greenwood)

Production Management
George Moskov	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Moskov	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Dave Milton	....	set designer

Sound Department
Glen Glenn	....	sound recordist

Music Department
Karl Hajos	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Monogram Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Monogram Pictures Corporation (1944) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

63 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Monogram Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

First Charlie Chan film to be made by Monogram Pictures, after having been produced by 20th Century-Fox for several years.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Also, while Charlie is riding in a cab to the murdered doctor's house in "Washington, DC", he goes through a neighborhood full of houses with red tile roofs and palm trees in the yard!

Quotes:

Birmingham Brown: Talk? Mr. Chan, I can't. I'm so scared I can hardly gulp!

Movie Connections:

Follows Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)

Film Like Sleeping Pill - Give You Plenty of Rest

A true yawner and a bad film even for the Chan series. I like a good Charlie Chan film or even a reasonably good one, but this one falls way short of the mark. Charlie is enlisted to help figure out the murder of a scientist working for our government when someone in the house has stolen the plans for another power. The mystery is very pedestrian and the acting doesn't fare much better. The only saving grace for me in the film was the presence of Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown. He gives the film a little comedy and has some good scared faces, but after that the pickings are rather slim. Benson Fong is here as Tommy Chan and pairs up with Chan's daughter of all things. What about Sidney Toler? He is pretty decent but looks like he is straining to carry the film. What I noticed most was the way the film was shot. Chan director Phil Rosen, of whom I generally like most of his entries, uses lots of long shots with no action(like Charlie's initial walk into the house from outside). Why? The film is only 64 minutes long for crying out loud! Shots like that tell me the director had to fill time up because the script was even weaker than he was accustomed to. This probably isn't the worst Chan film ever made, but up to now it is the worst I have sat through unfortunately.