At-A-Glance Film Reviews: Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)

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When a member of a cruise party assaults a friend of Charlie Chan's, the Chinese detective joins the group to find out which one. His number two son, Jimmy Chan, is both a help and hindrance, as usual. Some good detective work and a cast of suspects unusually easy to grasp and relate to make this a fine entry in the long running series. Unfortunately, the film is marred by a gratuitously spooky, overly theatrical couple who say things like "Death is among us!" during dramatic pauses. Fortunately, their screen time is slight.

As a trivia note, this episode features an appearance by Chan's number seven son, Willie, in the film's humorous opening scene. The same character appeared in a Chan film two years earlier, in Charlie Chan In Honolulu -- but there he was referred to as Chan's number five son. Oops.

Other Versions

Charlie Chan Carries On (1931)
Eran Trece (1931)

Series Entries

Charlie Chan Carries On (1931)
The Black Camel (1931)
Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)
Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933)
Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)
Charlie Chan In London (1934)
Charlie Chan In Paris (1935)
Charlie Chan In Egypt (1935)
Charlie Chan In Shanghai (1935)
Charlie Chan's Secret (1936)
Charlie Chan At the Circus (1936)
Charlie Chan At the Race Track (1936)
Charlie Chan At the Opera (1937)
Charlie Chan At the Olympics (1937)
Charlie Chan On Broadway (1937)
Charlie Chan At Monte Carlo (1937)
Charlie Chan In Honolulu (1939)
Charlie Chan In Reno (1939)
Charlie Chan At Treasure Island (1939)
City In Darkness (1939) (aka: "Charlie Chan In City In Darkness")
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940)
Charlie Chan At the Wax Museum (1940)
Charlie Chan In Panama (1940)
Murder Over New York (1940)
Charlie Chan In Rio (1941)
Dead Men Tell (1941)
Castle In the Desert (1942)
Charlie Chan In the Secret Service (1944)
The Chinese Cat (1944) (aka: "Charlie Chan In the Chinese Cat")
Charlie Chan In Black Magic (1944) (aka: "Meeting At Midnight")
The Shanghai Cobra (1945)
The Scarlet Clue (1945)
The Jade Mask (1945)
The Red Dragon (1946) (aka: "Charlie Chan and the Red Dragon")
Shadows Over Chinatown (1946)
Dangerous Money (1946) (aka: "Charlie Chan In Dangerous Money")
Dark Alibi (1946)
The Trap (1947) (aka: "Charlie Chan In the Trap")
The Chinese Ring (1947)
Docks of New Orleans (1948) (aka: "Charlie Chan On the Docks of New Orleans")
Shanghai Chest (1948)
The Golden Eye (1948) (aka: "Charlie Chan and the Golden Eye")
The Feathered Serpent (1948) (aka: "Charlie Chan and the Feathered Serpent")
The Sky Dragon (1949) (aka: "Charlie Chan and the Sky Dragon")

Related Films

The House Without a Key (1925)
The Chinese Parrot (1927)
Behind That Curtain (1929)
The Return of Charlie Chan (1979) (aka: "Happiness Is a Warm Clue")
Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981)

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