Clevercell Very disappointing...

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Prichards12345 Charlie Chan's Secret is a thoroughly enjoyable affair; with an engaging story of a believed dead holder of a fortune suddenly turning up to the consternation of his family (who all stand to lose a fortune if he reclaims his inheritance) and Charlie trying to ascertain if he has survived an ocean liner sinking.This mystery is straight out of the Old Dark House school, with fake seances, scared butlers, dodgy old houses, shady groundsmen, etc. But it's extremely well acted and engaging. Warner Oland is a delight as Chan, full of his usual witty aphorisms and remaining one step ahead of the murderer when the owner of the fortune is killed as soon as he shows up! There's even a bit of JFK style shooting, to which of course, there is more than meets the eye. This scene and its aftermath is a real standout. No Keye Luke this time out, but Chan has plenty of helpers on this one! I really enjoyed this mystery movie, and hopefully you will too.

Michael O'Keefe Ace sleuth Charlie Chan(Warner Oland) has been summoned by Henrietta Lowell(Henriettta Crosman), the matriarch of a wealthy family to help clear up the disappearance of her son Alan Colby(Jerry Miley), who has not been seen for seven years. A vast fortune is at stake of being divided. He returns home to only be murdered before claiming his inheritance. Next Mrs. Lowell's life is in harm's way. A creepy family mansion sets the scene for a couple of insightful séances. Several persons have greedy reasons for getting their hands on the money. Chan is there to right any wrongs; clearing up mystery and murder. Other players include: Rosina Lawrence, Charles Quigley, Astrid Allwyn, Jonathan Hale, Egon Brecher and Herbert Mundin.

lobbykiller The good thing with this Charlie Chan entry is that the usual obvious comedy element isn't that overexited as usual. OK, its given by the butler, but it ain't that obvious as with sons no. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.You know, attached fun is just not needed in movies, as it is unreal. For example, the German Edgar Wallace series uses the same method, mostly personalized by Eddie Aren't. Thats so militant, so unnecessary. Nobody in real life acts like that, just couldn't do, even if he tried very hard.But besides these script failures, the Charlie Chan series has a lot of atmosphere, a lot of pulpy aspects, so its very enjoyable in spite of the obvious comedy elements.This flick: 9/10

classicsoncall Missing for seven years, Allen Colby, heir to his father's fortune is no longer welcome at the Colby/Lowell home. His arrival would mean that the supply of funds doled out by his father's estate under matriarch Henrietta Lowell, Bernard Colby's sister, would come to an abrupt halt. Henrietta has an abiding interest in all things psychic, and has spent nearly one hundred thousand dollars on psychic research, séances, and payments to Professor Bowen and wife Carlotta to stay in touch with the dead.Although it's presumed Allen Colby drowned when a cruise ship went down, detective Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) has his doubts. With no body, and a recovered briefcase bearing the initials "A.C.", Chan believes the missing heir will show up. Indeed he does, but not as expected. Gaining entrance to the old Colby homestead, Allen is quickly dispatched by a knife in the back thrown from a parlor trapdoor. His corpse does make an appearance though, at a scheduled séance meant to determine his fate. With Colby truly gone, the remaining Colby/Lowell heirs can gain some measure of satisfaction - or can they? The film does a nice job of presenting a number of possible suspects to the Colby murder. Attorney Warren Phelps, the administrator of the Colby fortune stands to lose a substantial portion of his income from fees paid for his services. Henrietta Lowell would lose all of her psychic research funding, and her two daughters would be cut off as well. Accordingly, Professor Bowen and wife Carlotta would no longer enjoy their séance income if Allen Colby showed up to claim his inheritance. And for good measure, the film offers caretaker Ulrich as a suspect; his daughter was in love with Colby years ago, but died some time after Colby disappeared seven years earlier.Charlie Chan approaches the case methodically, and begins to unravel the case a step at a time. When he demonstrates to Mrs. Lowell how the séances were rigged by the Bowen's, she becomes a loyal ally to uncover the mystery, to the point of faking her own death when the killer lashes out. But with all the meticulous work done in laying out the suspects, the identity of the real murderer still comes as a surprise at the end. In typical Chan fashion, the killer had a stake in Colby's disappearance, but there were no real clues to implicate him throughout the film.With no Chan family members on board for this film, the comic relief is handled by Lowell butler Baxter, nervously but effectively portrayed by Herbert Mundin. As if to lend further credibility to mysterious psychic forces at work in the Colby House, a black cat named Lucifer snarls his way into a couple of well placed scenes. Sufficiently dark and moody, "Charlie Chan's Secret" is a well told mystery that nicely complements other films in the Chan series.