Murder in Paris....
1935's "Charlie Chan in Paris" is a suspenseful entry in the long running movie series featuring the famous Honolulu Police Detective, here played by Warner Oland and ably assisted by Key Luke as Number One Son.

Charlie Chan, nominally in Paris on vacation, is actually tracking a bank fraud involving forged bonds. Charlie's undercover assistant, a nightclub singer, is murdered the night he arrives. The pool of suspects for the crimes includes a drunken artist, a number of employees at the bank, and a mysterious crippled soldier who seems to show up everywhere. Charlie must find the forgers and the killer, and do so before an innocent woman goes to jail for murder. The trail winds through private homes, a bank, a nightclub, and the sewers of Paris, leading to a final confrontation in an underground room.

The sound and picture quality of the VHS tape is adequate if a little uneven. The storyline, after a slow start, builds up a decent head of steam before the conclusion. Viewers may have to overlook the fact that everyone in Paris seems to speak excellent English in order to appreciate some interesting historical trivia. Charlie arrives in Paris aboard a Ford Trimotor from London, bonds are individually signed by the President of the Bank, and phone numbers have less than seven digits. On the plus side, Chan and his son have to do some real sleuthing to sort out this mystery.

"Charlie Chan in Paris" is highly recommended to fans of the series.

Charlie Looks Around in a Paris Filled with Englishmen and Americans
Charlie Chan movies are an acquired taste. I'm assuming that you have that taste or you wouldn't be looking at this review of the video.

I hadn't seen this movie in over 30 years, and I was curious to see if my obsession with Charlie Chan had survived. I must report that I'm still hooked.

Why? The plot is extremely compact, complex, and well developed. Even knowing who did what to whom, I was fascinated to see the story unfold.

I expected to be bothered by the treatment of Charlie as a Chinese American, but that was handled with reasonable aplomb. Charlie is obviously the smartest guy in the room, and everyone figures that out pretty quickly. Once they know him, they all love Charlie. There's one scene early on where Charlie is patronized by a new acquaintance, but he handles it all with grace. The rest of the time, Charlie receives the kind of treatment that a detective king might command. Warner Oland graciously takes it all as his due.

Those who love Keye Luke who played Lee Chan in the series will be pleased to see that he has a good sized role in Charlie Chan in Paris.

Those who love Apache dancing will enjoy that scene.

What really shocked me was how poorly the film represented Paris. Aside from some French names and a pair of Apache dancers, no one in the film seems to be French. The effort is most amateurish except for an interesting trip through the Paris sewers which is rigged with an unexpected gag.

Financial Swindles
A Ford Trimotor lands at Le Bourget airfield in Paris. Charlie Chan is on a visit. The taxi does not have shatterproof glass, and a warning is delivered. Chan visits the Singe Bleu to see a famous dancer perform the "danse Apache". [It's something you won't see today.] A hidden stranger disapproves of the lady's performance. Her last words to Chan are to search her apartment. A little bird sings a secret. Somebody drops a heavy weight but misses Chan (he was warned). Chan's son joins his Pop (secret banking business). There is a stranger who keeps popping up unexpectedly. Chan has been sent by English bondholders to check on forged bonds of this bank. This is a very confidential matter; exposure could cause a bankruptcy.

Albert Dufresne hands back some love letters to Yvette Lamartine, but a shot ends his career. She is blamed for his murder when people find her with the body and pistol. Lamartine is arrested for the murder. Chan suggests there is a hole in the case. Chan's son has been watching outside and gathered information on the visitors. Chan visits this man and discusses his theory; then he peeks through a keyhole and learns more. Chan visits the address of Marcel Xavier to continue his investigation. He finds a secret passage, then a hidden room. The secret of Marcel Xavier is discovered. Yvette will be released; chivalry isn't dead. Chan has solved another murder mystery.

The many stock and bond swindles were one cause of the Great Depression. Stock whose value was inflated far beyond its worth swindled millions and resulted in poverty instead of expected wealth. The fraud in forged (or stolen) bonds is to sell scrap for real money. Another swindle is to deliver forged bonds as security for a loan. When the loan is in default the securities are worthless and the money is gone forever. This is the crime in this film. Phony bonds were sold in place of the true bonds.

Charlie Chan in Paris
I have always liked old mysteries. They allow you to use your Gray Cells(smile).

Charlie Chan in Paris
As usualk the Charlie Chan series is great and I will be ordering more in the future.