At-A-Glance Film Reviews: Docks of New Orleans (1948)

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Roland Winters played Charlie Chan for the second time in The Docks of New Orleans. He made a terrible Chan. His manner of speaking sounds as if each word were recorded individually, and, in post-production, they were edited together without adjusting the pacing or tone of voice. Furthermore, he exhibited none of the charisma that made Sidney Toler and, in particular, Warner Oland so much fun to watch.

The mystery itself isn't half bad, however -- well, at least in comparison to the other late entries in the series. The film is actually a remake of Mr. Wong, Detective, the second film in the Charlie Chan ripoff series that Monogram produced before they got the rights to make actual Chan films. It involves a mysterious string of deaths that occur when the victim is alone in a room. The weak link, besides the improbability of it all, is the blithering stupidity of the police force. The average fourth grader is smarter than these bozos. Sheesh.

Other Versions

Mr. Wong, Detective (1938)
Docks of New York (1945)

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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