Let's be realistic.

Better Late Then Never

Am I Missing Something?

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The "City in Darkness" is Paris, where Charlie Chan and a group of colleagues from the last Great War are gathered for a reunion on the eve of the next one. As the picture opens, a newsreel-style sequence presents a fascinating and frightening summary of European events of 1938—as they appeared from the vantage point of early 1939. In this setting, with war imminent and preparations mounting, the nighttime blackout in effect occasionally helps the story along—such as the scene in which Mr. Chan, captured and tied up in a shop's back room, manages to surreptitiously switch on an outside light, knowing the police will come and pound on the shop door and thus rescue him. The plot itself concerns the murder of a shady character named Petroff—and the usual number of suspects who may have had reasons (personal or political) for doing away with him. There's a shop owner (Leo G. Carroll) who makes and sells fake passports on the side; a young couple (Richard Clarke and Lynn Bari) trying to catch the last boat for America for six days; a "business associate" (Noel Madison) of Petroff's who slides in and out of the picture; and butler and patriot Antoine (Pedro de Cordoba).C. Henry Gordon is a natural as the prefect of police, the old friend Chan has come to visit. Sidney Toler is solid if rather subdued as Mr. Chan. Instead of assistance from number two son, however, this time around Chan has to deal with…Harold Huber as a bumbling inspector who hopes to solve this case to impress the prefect. His accent is thick, his gestures are exaggerated, and whenever he is on screen he interrupts loudly, whoever else may be speaking. It's a comic role—but, for my taste at least, it's a bit too much. I'm all for broad humor but in this case it only partially works and it distracts from an otherwise rather serious movie.It's certainly an interesting setting…but overall I'm not sure they didn't concentrate too much on the picture's timeliness and neglect to polish the dialog and plot.

A dreary, boring film from the usually entertaining Charlie Chan series. Harold Huber dominates the film and Charlie merely stands around most of the time. It might have been different if Huber was funny, but he just comes across as annoying. Huber's character and Chan do not mesh well either. The film really misses #1 or #2 son. The plot isn't well spelled out and is not that interesting nor are the characters involved. There was potential here with the backdrop of WWII, but it does not get developed. The worst Chan film ever follows what many consider the best Chan film, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island. In fact, the next three Chan films are all excellent. Puzzling as to why they made this clunker.

I can fully appreciate why others would say this is the weakest Chan movie. HOWEVER, I'm here to defend it. This particular Chan movie has our protagonist playing second fiddle to Huber playing a bumbling detective. I can see why they neglected to put a Chan son in, there was no need. Huber played the bumbling detective/Chan son combo perfectly. He is a bit over the top, however.The movie has great historical value as well as being a good mystery. I certainly did not think it was the butler, but the female spy. It was surprising to find out it was indeed the butler. It felt good to butler stand up for himself at the end, and win Chan's favor.I strongly disagree what others say about Chan not having a role to play. certainly he played second fiddle, but Chan does indeed go about his methodical way of getting his facts. Great scenes include the time that Marcel (Huber) and Chan visit a bar lat at night looking for the criminals, Huber getting tossed out of the hotel looking for the lady, and Marcel indicating to Chan 'i, too, have been busy," pointing to all the culprits in one room. as much as Huber is an idiot in this, he did round up more suspects than Chan!!a much watch. my 4 favorite Chan behind murder cruise, panama, and Chan in Honolulu.

If you were to say at the outset "The butler did it", you'd be right. On the brink of World War II between Nazi Germany and the European Allies, Charlie Chan finds himself in Paris, the "City in Darkness" of the title, deriving the name from the precaution taken for German air raids against the city. The film plays more like an espionage story, though businessman Petroff does wind up a murder victim, amid clandestine arrangements for phony passports and implications of embezzlement.Inspector Chan investigates this one without the aid of offspring, though in conversation with wannabe detective Marcel Spivak (Harold Huber), admits to having five wannabe detective sons of his own. Marcel is the secretary to Prefect of Police Romaine (C. Henry Gordon), but dives headlong into the case wanting to make his mark in police work. His antics are a bit over the top, and his character is quick to jump to errant conclusions about the case.Era veterans in the cast include Leo G. Carroll as Louis Santelle, a locksmith by day and forger by night; Douglas Dumbrille as murder victim Petroff, and Lynn Bari as Marie Dubon, arranging passage for her fiancé Tony Madero (Richard Clarke) to Panama. The observant viewer will also catch Lon Chaney Jr. in a minor role.When Petroff's killer is finally revealed, the sympathetic Chan offers butler Antoine (Pedro de Cordoba) and Prefect Romaine an extenuating circumstance defense, allowing that Antoine acted in self defense, as Petroff was dealing arms to the enemy Nazis. Earlier in the film, the butler was shown escorting his nineteen year old son off to the war effort, en route to the threatened Czech border. Petroff's salient remarks to Antoine and his son at that time were enough to cast him as one villain you wouldn't mind seeing get his due.