Truly Dreadful Film

Best movie of this year hands down!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Review - The Wax Museum, released 9-6-40 A seven, on a one-to-ten scale, is as far as I go downward in value for a rating of any Charlie Chan movie, then the film reviewed presently is a definite seven; no consideration of improving either. Almost the entire movie is set at the subject wax museum, where Charlie Chan solves another case, without the help from really anybody, but using his own gift to analyze events, results and rely upon his own deductions. Son Jimmy is no help at any given time, but then what else is new. Reference to the automat brings one back to the days of the vending of meals from the small glass portals. Toothpicks were available at these automats for all diners. The wider toothpicks could be placed to the lips in such a way to cast something a few feet away, thus the mention of the usage to propel a poison dart. A wax museum filled with criminal figures and some law enforcement images worked to hide some of the guilty parties and suspects. There were secret panels, trap doors, cellar laboratories and a not too bright night watchman showing up in the activity surrounding the case. We are about midway through the Fox productions with this movie starring Sidney Toler. No comedic chauffer, but enough of the son that would not obey any order from his father. When your father asks you to do something, do it, instead of delaying the crime solving. The premise is for Charlie Chan to expose the same physician to the reputed surgeries he was performing to alter the faces of known murderers. These criminals could then continue their evil deeds while invisible to the law. Charlie suspects a certain Dr. Cream of altering the face of a recent killer and being responsible for other criminals' appearances. Further, the premise is to exonerate an innocent man, convicted and hanged. Charlie is determined to see justice prevail by putting the bad guys away for good and clearing the name of the innocent man, Joe Rocke, wrongfully sent to the gallows. The museum is a front for the laboratory where the crooked Dr. Cream has surgically changed the faces of two ruthless criminals wandering about the museum as a radio broadcast discussion between Charlie Chan and Dr. Otto von Brum is to take place.Dr. von Brum doesn't make it away from the broadcast, and the chase is on to find his killer. Unfortunately, von Brum wasn't the only killing that took place before the murderer was apprehended. Charlie follows his suspicions, tricking the killer, getting his confession in front of the group, namely the Homicide Inspector. A most peculiar manner is chosen to murder. A blow-dart used to kill had been an effective way of killing for the eventual perpetrator throughout his crime history. The method was effective and was known to Charlie as the modus operandi of the gangster. Catching the perpetrator by means of a pseudo-dart was genius by Chan. Mrs. Joe Rocke thanks Mr. Chan for clearing her husband's name, for which she is deeply grateful. Chan replies, justice is like virtue, brings its own reward.

This may be the highest ranked Charlie Chan film on this entire website. I feel bad for not being as captured by it as most people do. When you have a movie series with literally dozens of entries, it's easy to see them becoming episodic. It seems like less a movie and more like just a long episode of a TV show. In fact, "Columbo", another detective series actually did have episodes that were this long. That being said, this is still a good movie. I am starting to get more familiar with the characters, especially Charlie Chan's son, Jimmy.I really do like how they mixed up the formula a bit here. This wasn't really a simple murder mystery. It was interesting to see Charlie find new light shed on an old case. Was there another movie about that? There's so many characters that have distinct roles it's hard to keep up. There's just so much going on with which character was supposed to die, which one was manipulated, and how someone even died. It's not a mystery to the audience as much, but more to the characters. I still like this dynamic and would recommend this. Uh, sorry I couldn't keep up with the plot that well! ***

I've just seen Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum for the first time and found it rather good and creepy too.A murderer who Charlie Chan helped to convict is sentenced to death and then goes on the run, determined to get his revenge on Chan. He goes to the Wax Museum to see if he can have a new face to disguise himself. Chan turns up at the night of the radio play and strange things start happening with people being killed. Most of these killings turn out to be the responsibility of the murderer, who is arrested at the end.This movie is rather creepy in parts, especially in the Wax Museum complete with a thunderstorm.Chan is played well by Sidney Toler but I've not heard of anyone else in the cast.This is a must for all Chan fans. Excellent.Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Sentenced to death for robbery and murder, Steve McBirney (Marc Lawrence) shoots his way out of court by grabbing a deputy's gun, making his way to an accomplice's getaway car. He prevails upon Dr. Cream (C. Henry Gordon), of Cream's Crime Museum to make him a new face so that he can get his revenge upon Inspector Charlie Chan, whose evidence helped put him away. Dr. Cream was once a successful facial surgeon, who now uses the cover of a wax museum to double as a mob hideout."Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" has great atmospherics; most of the story takes place at Cream's museum with it's macabre displays of famous killers. The set is creepy and creaky, providing just the right tone for a murder mystery. One exhibit in particular portrays mobster McBirney rubbing out a former confederate, Butcher Dagan. Adding to the suspense, Dr. Cream hosts a weekly radio broadcast by the Crime League, focusing on famous unsolved murder cases with prominent guests, hoping to shed new light on old crimes. Chan is invited to participate in one such broadcast, the famous "Rock Case" - Charlie has always believed Rock to have been an innocent man framed for a murder he didn't commit, but convicted upon evidence provided by criminologist Dr. Otto von Brom. Chan accepts the invitation to square off against von Brom - "Knowledge only gained through curiosity".Behind the scenes though, mobster McBirney is pulling the strings, first having his face rearranged by Dr. Cream, and then having a chair rigged to a high voltage wire that will eliminate Chan when the detective participates in the radio broadcast. McBirney's henchman talks the dimwitted night watchman Willie into throwing the switch at exactly 8:20 P.M., but plans go awry when von Brom insists on switching seats with Chan. Von Brom dies, but not by electrocution; he's the victim of a poisoned dart, delivered by a makeshift blowgun, and carrying Tonga poison used by Dayak headhunters of Borneo - huh?The film gradually introduces the usual cast of colorful characters and suspects, notably Mrs. Joe Rock (Hilda Vaughn), out to avenge her husband's execution, Dr. Cream's suspicious assistant Lily Latimer (Joan Valerie), Crime League radio host Tom Agnew (Ted Osborne), and radio engineer Edwards (Harold Goodwin). Victor Sen Yung is also on board, taking a break from his law school studies to assist "Pop" as Number #2 Son Jimmy.As far as Chan mysteries go, this one is entertaining enough, but upon close examination reveals a number of elements that weren't very well thought out, the first of which is criminal McBirney's escape from authorities at the beginning of the film. Then, when he forces Dr. Cream to give him a new face, it's done with Cream's assistant and the night watchman present to know of the details. One would think a criminal mastermind would be a little more discreet. The Dayak tonga poison ruse comes way out of left field as a murder tool, but no more so than the ultimate revelation of the murderer - it's Butcher Dagan, believed to have been dead for many years! It was Dagan who framed Rock for murder, and presumably had a lookalike pumped with thirteen bullets by McBirney - how'd he do that? Now he's turned up as the unassuming radio engineer Edwards to exact his own revenge on Dr. von Brom and McBirney, the films's two victims, and the only parties who might conceivably reveal his identity - other than the ever perceptive Charlie Chan.It's interesting that unlucky number thirteen carries more than passing significance in the movie. As mentioned earlier, thirteen was the number of bullets fired by McBirney into supposed victim Dagan; and the airing of the Crime League's radio broadcast of the Rock Case was the thirteenth episode of that series. And one more - it's mentioned that Charlie Chan's offspring still number thirteen, although that will change as soon as Monogram Studios takes over the Chan series from Twentieth Century Fox after four more Fox films."Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" moves along at a brisk sixty three minute pace and presents a lot of information to the viewer; keeping a scorecard helps. It does entertain, though one may have to overlook some of the inconsistencies mentioned earlier. But in the end, as Charlie Chan himself would say - "Justice, like virtue, brings it's own reward."