Whodunit in Rio...
Added 4/5/2008
1941's "Charlie Chan in Rio" is a solid mystery thriller in the Charlie Chan movie series, featuring Sidney Toler as the famous Honolulu Detective, here assisted by Sen Yung as enthusiastic Number Two Son Jimmy.
The story opens with some exterior shots of Rio and proceeds to the floor show of a Brazilian nightclub. Charlie Chan and his son are present, along with the local Chief of Police, to arrest Lola Dean, a singer in the nightclub, for murder. We are quickly introduced to the cast of people who will figure in the story. Lola Dean leaves the nightclub after being proposed to by her boyfriend. Her brief stop at the home of a Indian mystic brings an involuntary confession under drugs to the murder Charlie Chan is investigating. By the time Miss Dean reaches her home, she has decided to elope with her fiancee. By the time Charlie Chan and the Police Chief arrive, she has been murdered.
Charlie and the Police Chief consider the clues and question the suspects, while Jimmy jumps from one wrong conclusion to the next. The fatal shooting of Lola Dean's butler as he was about to reveal the name of the killer adds a second murder to be investigated. The lack of clues drives Charlie Chan to play a long shot in order to trap the killer or killers into a confession.
The number of potential suspects with a motive will have viewers puzzling over the murder mystery when they are not laughing at the antics of Jimmy, who ardently courts Miss Dean's Chinese housemaid when he isn't bumbling through the investigation. A subtle reminder of the times is the arrival of Jimmy's draft notice at the end of the movie.
This movie is highly recommended to fans of the Charlie Chan series as a much better than average entry.
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"I Know What Happened, Pop!"
Added 4/2/2008
Charlie Chan in Rio has strengths in three aspects that make it appealing to Charlie Chan fans:
1. Broad gags played by Victor Sen Yung (as number two son, Jimmy) as a brash know-it-all who usually doesn't have a clue. Sidney Toler plays off Sen Yung's gags to provide the punch lines that provide the laughs.
2. A good police procedural plot based on crime scene investigation.
3. Some excellent acting by Victor Jory playing the role of a psychic.
I also enjoyed the signature dancing sequence that opens the film in the Carioca Casino in Rio.
From there, the film has little to distinguish it. It's rush, rush, rush and then take a break to add a few laughs. In terms of mystery, there isn't much.
Here are a few elements you might not expect that help make the film more appealing: Sidney Toler's nastiness is toned down so he's more appealing than usual. Harold Huber as Chief Soto is allowed to be reasonably intelligent (a big change of pace from most Chan films for the police roles). The minor characters are typically given enough of a role to work with to either build the plot or to provide for some character development.
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Another Murder Mystery Drama
Added 5/24/2007
The film begin at the Carioca Casino in Rio. Charlie Chan and his son are watching the floor show. We see romantic rivalry between two women over the affections of a wealthy heir. Chan is there to arrest Lola Dean, who expects to announce her wedding engagement to Clark Denton, the wealthy heir. Lola visits the Continental Hotel to meet a mystic; but she is drugged and confesses to a murder in Honolulu! [Note the recording method of that day.] After Lola returns home she is found stabbed to death. [No blood spatter?] Chan begins to question the servants. Lola's jewels were stolen! The other guests are questioned. A tipsy Joan Reynolds accuses a woman of the murder. Another suspect is brought in for questioning; he is Lola's former husband. Murano the mystic brings new information, and uses coffee and an herbal cigarette to extract the truth from a volunteer. Like other murder mysteries of that time all the suspects are gathered together in one room for dramatic questioning.
Chan deduces a possible clue in the murderer's shoe. When one suspect begins to talk, the lights go out and a shot is fired; the suspect will tell no tales. The remaining suspects are gathered around the dining room table. Chan begins to question one suspect with coffee and a herbal cigarette, then another. There is a new clue when Chan himself tries the coffee and herbal cigarette for its effects. Then the murderer confesses for a surprise ending, and explains why it happened. Edmond Locard said a criminal always leaves something at the scene of the crime and takes away something from the crime scene.
Note how a successful series will repeat stories from earlier films, whether Charlie Chan or James Bond.
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"It's a Cinch!"
Added 3/1/2006
This fun and colorful entry in the Charlie Chan series is actually a remake of an early Chan entry, "The Black Camel," starring Warner Oland as the wise Chinese detective. Sidney Toler plays the Oriental detective in this fun film with nice production values, a good script, a fine cast, and lots of Brazilian atmosphere.
We get a big dose of Brazil right from the start with shots of the sunny beaches of Rio and the posh nightclub where Lola Dean (Jacqueline Dalya) sings the exotic, "They Met in Rio," written by Mark Gordon and Harry Warren. Chan and his enthusiastic second son, Jimmy (Sen Yung), are there to arrest Lola for a murder which took place on Charlie's turf in Honolulu. But before Lola can slip away to marry Clark Reynolds, she is murdered, leaving Charlie and son Jimmy with a new crime to solve.
Marybeth Huges is the beautiful Joan Reynolds, who did not like Lola in the least. She had much company, however, including Grace Ellis (Cobina Wright Jr.) and an Indian mystic who may have discovered Lola's secret past. Young Jimmy, always ready to jump to the wrong conclusion, is a hoot. There is a very funny scene where Charlie discovers the real reason Jimmy has been missing math classes back home while he is under a spell. Jimmy's affections for Lola's pretty Chinese maid, Lili (Iris Wong), keeps the atmosphere light as Charlie plays a long shot in order to catch a killer.
Kay Linaker, Victor Jory, and Ted North round out the cast for one of the most entertaining Charlie Chan films. Sidney Toler was always my favorite Chan and shows why here. His interactions with young son Jimmy are priceless, as is his cool demeanor under pressure. The mystery is both fun to solve and watch. Don't miss this one.
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It's No Mystery That This Is a Great Movie!
Added 11/19/2003
Charlie Chan in Rio is one of the best films I have ever seen. The plot is surprislingly strong and keeps you guesssing all through the film. The way Chan solves the mysteries is mesmorising. This was my first Charlie Chan film, so it naturally holds a special place in my heart. However, this is clearly one of the best. This film is brilliant.
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