IslandGuru Who payed the critics

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

binapiraeus In 1942, 20th Century-Fox had dropped its long-running 'Charlie Chan' movie series (perhaps the studio bosses thought that in war times, murder mysteries would be inappropriate); but Sidney Toler himself bought the rights, and two years later he 'carried on' at Monogram Pictures. Monogram had already tried their hand at an 'imitation' of the series, the (not too impressive) 'Mr. Wong' films with Boris Karloff - but now they had the REAL thing in their hands! And even from this very first Monogram 'Charlie Chan', the quality of the movies (although made on a considerably lower budget!) was NOT inferior to that of the Fox films (with the exception of some REAL masterpieces like "The Black Camel", "Charlie Chan's Secret", or "Dead Men Tell") - they were just DIFFERENT in style. More humor was added, more members of Charlie's family were introduced as his assistants, and Monogram regular, the great black comedian Mantan Moreland, became an almost indispensable member of the troupe.In Monogram's first entry in the 'Charlie Chan' series, our beloved detective has joined the Secret Service - doing his duty for his country hunting down not 'ordinary' murderers, but dangerous spies of enemy countries. And he's assigned to the case of scientist Melton, who'd been working on a very effective new torpedo, and had suddenly died right in the hall of his own house where he was about to hold a dinner party - and the torpedo plans he had on him are missing... Charlie immediately suspects the international spy who's known only as 'Manlic', hoping to be able to lie his hands on him at last - and starts his investigations with the dinner party guests, who all really look MORE than suspicious...Meanwhile, number three son Tommy and number two daughter Iris are eager to help their Pop while Jimmy is away - and together with chauffeur Birmingham (who tries all the time in vain to get away from the scene of the crime), they make a marvelous trio of confusion that adds laughter rather than help for Charlie - and for us! A REALLY entertaining, and quite clever spy/murder mystery, a great start for a new 'era' of Charlie Chan movies at Monogram Pictures...

blanche-2 The always enjoyable Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) works to find out who murdered an inventor and stole his invention in "Charlie Chan in the Secret Service." This film, from 1944, introduces the character of Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). In this, he plays the chauffeur of one of the party guests.A scientist who is working on an invention to protect Allied ships from torpedoes is being protected by Secret Service. However, on the night he's having a party, he refuses to greet his guests surrounded by Secret Service, so he doesn't want them around. He is almost immediately killed and his invention stolen! Charlie, number three son Tommie (Benson Fong) and daughter Iris arrive to solve the case.This plot was re-used with different McGuffins several times. I don't watch Charlie Chan for the plots, which is a good thing. I like the characters, Charlie's proverbs, and Charlie's relationship with whatever son is along and Birmingham.This particular story is perhaps more incongruous than others in that the inventor is working in his home and has a dinner party filled with suspicious characters, and doesn't want the Secret Service. It has one of those scenes of everyone gathered in the living room for the big reveal - and it could be any one of them.Fun, though I could have done without Iris Chan (Marianne Quon), not a particularly good actress.

Neil Doyle I'll say one thing for these Charlie Chan films. There's never a shortage of murder suspects and the clues are always readily apparent to the master sleuth but not to the audience. At least, that's the usual pattern, even when Sidney Toler joined forces with Monogram for several B-picture entries in the series.CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE follows the pattern precisely, even giving us a final gathering of suspects from which to venture our own guess as to the identity of the murderer. As usual, it's at your own risk for it seldom turns out to be the most obvious.Once again, Toler plays it close to the vest without giving the audience much of a hint as to which suspect he's onto. The story gets off to a fast start with the murder of an inventor of a torpedo plan murdered in his own home being guarded by secret service bodyguards.Chan gets the call to solve the case and discovers that the inventor's plans are missing. "No one leaves until case ends satisfactorily," he tells the police. Chan is soon joined by two of his eldest children, who are no help at all in solving the crime. Nor is MANTAN MORELAND as Birmingham Brown, wild-eyed with fear as still another murder occurs.The explanations are strictly a wild concoction by the screenwriter who has left no stone unturned to make sure that the old cliché about "the least obvious suspect" is once again a truism.Summing up: Good for a few chuckles, but it doesn't play fair with the clues.

Spondonman I'm pretty sure there wasn't a Chan film made that I didn't like: I preferred Oland to Toler and Fox to Monogram but am more than happy (maybe even keen!) to watch a Toler Monogram effort. They all transported you to a world of more or less cultured baddies, each hiding a thousand secrets which Charlie (and us of course) has to work his way through. Usually, as in this case, to find the murderer from a roomful of shifty twitching eyes.Electrical scientist murdered and the secret plans stolen, Charlie with a little ... help from offspring Tommie and Iris has to decide which of the house guests did it. The Monogram house's hanging drapes and thick carpets lend a nice atmosphere to the mystery. Only gripes: the incongruously brash and childish music track and the continual visual reference to a Watching Evil Eye from a Dark Place.Watched from the Chanthology DVD and with the widescreen TV set to mild zoomview meant it was like the first time again for me seeing this, an experience I'd have to recommend and one I want to repeat with the other titles in the set.