Disappointment for a huge fan!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

The first must-see film of the year.

Warner Oland is Charlie Chan in "Charlie Chan's Secret" from 1936.Charlie is attempting to ascertain whether a man named Allen Colby is dead or alive. After seven years of being away, he's announced to his family that he is on his way home to claim the family fortune. However, the ship that he is on sinks near Honolulu, and he is presumed drowned. But is he? Charlie sees in the journal Colby left behind that there have been attempts on his life. He heads for the family mansion.There he sees the matriarch of the family (Henrietta Crosman) and other family members. Henrietta is involved with a psychic and has séances at her home to connect with her late husband. During one séance, the body of Allen appears - dead. It's the actual body -- he arrived home, was murdered, and then hidden until the séance. Charlie has to find the killer.It's not hard to figure out the killer, but that doesn't make the film any less entertaining. Warner Oland was a delightful Chan, cheerful and funny, with more energy than the older Sidney Toler. The rest of the acting, with the exception of Crosman, isn't very good - in fact, it's bad -- but Oland keeps it going.Some nice spooky elements, some sinister-looking people, and a fun mystery.

An old house with secret passageways, a gloved hand belonging to a person we don't see, a spiritualistic séance, and an old woman who uses a Ouija board combine to produce spooky atmospheric effects in this whodunit about a murder, the motive of which may be greed.It's a good film in the Chan series, made better by the absence of the annoying number 1 and 2 sons whose presence in other Chan films is distracting. Still, we have to endure the "comic relief" of a dimwitted butler, a character I could have done without. The story is full of character stereotypes, not unusual for films of that era. And the plot left some questions in my mind unresolved.Yet, the eerie atmosphere and the standard gathering of the suspects at the end make the film worth watching. This is one story wherein Chan himself (Warner Oland) is not sure of the killer's identity until Chan lays a trap, and the villain grabs the bait. Compared to many whodunits, the large number of suspects here makes picking out the murderer a little more difficult. Toward that objective, one plot point can really lead the viewer down the garden path if not paying close attention.Visuals consist mostly of set pieces, which are fairly well constructed. B&W lighting is okay, but could have been ratcheted up a notch or two for even greater suspense. Henrietta Crosman is terrific as the wealthy old woman. She and Warner Oland work well together.Of all the Chan films I have seen, "Charlie Chan's Secret" probably would be in the top half, mostly owing to the atmospheric visuals and a plot that made guessing the identity of the murderer tricky and far from certain.

"Charlie Chan's Secret" (1936) is unique. Its predecessor is "Charlie Chan in Shanghai" (1935)---which featured Keye Luke in his usual role as Number One Son. All the remaining Warner Oland films in the series up to his final entry, "Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo" (1938), also had Keye Luke in the cast. However, "Charlie Chan's Secret", as others have pointed out, does not have Keye Luke on board. Rather, his "place" was taken (sort of) by the comic British actor, Herbert Mundin. Why did Keye Luke not appear in this film? Everyone seems to have missed him.In the new DVD of "Charlie Chan's Secret", the extended commentary on the film fails to explain the cause of Keye Luke's absence-----only the fact that he does not show up in the film.Is it possible that Keye Luke's void could be due to the fact that he was loaned by Twentieth Century Fox to Warner Brothers Studio around the same time to appear in the small but pivotal supporting role as Paul Muni's son in the classic Pearl Buck epic "The Good Earth" (1937)? Such loan out arrangements were not uncommon between studios in this period.In any event, "Charlie Chan's Secret" survives his absence very nicely and emerges as a solid entry in the series with its own particular charm and entertainment value. But it does illustrate how the chemistry between Warner Oland and Keye Luke was very special and without doubt one of the greatest strengths of the "Charlie Chan" films.

Henrietta Lowell hires Charlie Chan to find word on what happened to her nephew, Allen Colby, who disappeared years ago. Colby, presumed drowned in a recent accident, makes his way back to the family's San Francisco estate, but is killed as soon as he enters. Mrs. Lowell (who like her deceased brother is into psychic research) conducts a seance to locate her nephew, but Colby's corpse appears, and Charlie and the police must find out who the murderer is. The suspects include many of the Lowell family since Colby would inherit the estate and money and even Mrs. Lowell, since Colby was the one member of the family who didn't believe in psychic phenomenon, which also makes mediums Prof. Bowen and assistant Carlotta suspects. Mrs. Lowell decides to cut several members of the family from her will, which puts her life in danger. When Mrs. Lowell is killed, the family blames Charlie for the accident, but the great detective has a plan to uncover the murderer. The film is a letdown from many of the other entries in the series since there is less mystery, suspense, or intrigue in this entry. Keye Luke was missing from the series and comic relief in the form of Herbert Mundin leaves the film rather dry. The revelation of the murderer was one where anyone could have been the murderer. Rating, 5.