Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Warner Oland, Keye Luke and Virginia Field. The main character is Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective. This was the sixteenth and final Charlie Chan film with Oland portraying Chan. The film features Keye Luke as Charlie's son Lee and character actor Harold Huber as a French police inspector. It was produced and distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
Directed by	Eugene Forde
Screenplay by	Charles Belden Jerome Cady
Story by	Robert Ellis Helen Logan
Produced by	John Stone
Starring	Warner Oland Keye Luke Virginia Field
Cinematography	Daniel B. Clark
Edited by	Nick DeMaggio
Music by	Samuel Kaylin
Production company	20th Century-Fox
Distributed by	20th Century-Fox
Release date	December 17, 1937 (1937-12-17) (New York City)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Warner Oland contracted bronchial pneumonia during his visit to Sweden and died there on August 6, 1938, at age 57. The series continued at Fox for another eleven entries with Sidney Toler. In 1942 Fox sold it to Monogram Pictures, and it continued on even after Toler's death in 1947 with Roland Winters in the role through six films into 1949. Keye Luke would also reprise his role as Lee Chan from the film in Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938), a film originally produced to be a Charlie Chan film prior to Oland's death.

Plot summary

Although Charlie and Lee are in Monaco for an art exhibit, they become caught up in a feud between rival financiers which involves the Chans in a web of blackmail and murder. The messenger for millionaire Victor Karnoff is ambushed and murdered, and $1,000,000.00 worth of bonds go missing. The Chans' taxicab breaks down and they decide to proceed on foot. Continuing along the road in their attempt to make the train to Paris, they pass the crime scene. The Police arrive and in the confusion, they're detained. The Chans ultimately become involved in the investigation, with the blessing of the local law Chief Joubert (Huber).

Later on, a bartender who was apparently attempting to blackmail the killer is also murdered, and the bonds found in his room. But Chan notices that in order to make certain the bonds were discovered, their briefcase had been opened with a special key that very few people had access to, and the bartender was not one of them.

Back at the Karnoff mansion, Chan exposes the killer, who had been embezzling in order to keep femme' fatale Evelyn Grey (Field) in the style to which she had become accustomed.

Cast

• Warner Oland as Charlie Chan
• Keye Luke as Lee Chan
• Virginia Field as Evelyn Grey
• Sidney Blackmer as Victor Karnoff
• Harold Huber as Chief of Police Jules Etienne Joubert
• Kay Linaker as Joan Karnoff
• Robert Kent as Gordon Chase
• Edward Raquello as Paul Savarin
• George Lynn as Al Rogers
• John Bleifer as Ludwig
• Eugene Borden as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
• Leo White as French Butler (uncredited)

Bibliography

• Backer, Ron. Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood. McFarland, 2012.

External links

• Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo at IMDb
• Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo at the TCM Movie Database
• Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo at Rotten Tomatoes
• Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo Film details at The Charlie Chan Family Home