Oh man…I have absolutely no inspiration to write about this. Hmm…better’d take a shower…
[One shower later.]
Okay, here’s an idea: Why don’t I talk about some of the formula elements that have irritated me, ones I haven’t bothered to question before. Namely, let’s discuss that most insipid plot worm of every single Charlie Chan film so far, the romantic couple of lovebirds. Man, these archetypal characters are useless, even more so than in most movies that opt to glom on romantic subplots, because 1. They aren’t the main characters in Chan’s stories, and 2. They never have any effect upon the murder mystery anyway. That is, they are never the killers, and they can never be killed. Sure, the relationship can be put at hazard if one is arrested under suspicion of murder, but that’s about it. I’d dearly love for the filmmakers to start using these stock characters more creatively, maybe tossing us some curveballs, but I honestly never expect it to happen.
Rather, I realize that in a strange way, the insipid lovers are essential to Charlie Chan. And just how is that? Well, consider mystery. It is, at its purest, one of the most purely mental of all genres – as a result the emotional stakes are lowered. A little suspense or excitement can be affixed to the mix by adding thriller elements, risking the life of the central detective (Charlie Chan). Still, Chan remains a distant figure, a man to admire for his brilliance, and thus never to know. To appeal to those viewers who cannot find interest in Chan, the one truly static element from story to story, some romance must be tossed towards some audience identification figures. Because, damn it, people demand romance in every single freaking movie ever made, for some unholy reason, and lord knows Chan cannot support a romantic story on his own – seeing as he’s married to a Chinese bit actress and has sired a larger brood than in that one awful Steve Martin movie. Hence, for better or worse, we have our insipid lovebirds in every story.
So much for the meta-franchise examination. Let us delve into today’s movie, Charlie Chan in Shanghai…
For the third time in 1935 alone, Charlie Chan is taking his formula on the road, naturally to Shanghai. The location switch usually bears very little importance upon the plot, except for determining the MacGuffins and details. In Charlie Chan in Egypt, the killings revolved around archeological treasures, while Charlie Chan in Shanghai makes its focus opium – though not in that many words, ‘cause you can’t say “opium” in 1935 Hollywood. You could do as much as you liked after making your movie, though!
The real major changeup Shanghai offers, though, is a direct response to my complaints from last time – this movie isn’t racist! At least, after wading through hoary old slurs and Stepin Fetchit, I see nothing particularly offensive here. Indeed, the cast is rather packed with Asian actors (except, of course, for all the main characters, but Hollywood movies are no better about that now *cough* The Last Airbender *uncough*. But there are Asians present, often entire scenes of them, often entire scenes of them speaking their native languages! It’s hard to realize outside of franchise context, but this is actually a major racial improvement over the early Charlie Chan films (the unofficial, non-Fox entries), where audiences flat out wouldn’t accept Asians in their movies about Asians.
Furthermore, Charlie Chan in Shanghai sees the very welcome return of Chinese actor Keye Luke as Charlie Chan’s “Number One Son” Lee Chan. Lee is astoundingly unaccented and a-racial. Compared alongside his father Chan, with his inability to adequately speak the English language (and his accumulation of other stereotypical “slant eye” qualities), Lee’s presence seems to suggest actual generational shift. Ignoring the fact that his father’s actor is a Swede, the totally non-stereotypical Lee offers up ways to justify Warner Oland’s now-cemented performance as Charlie.
So much for the broad observations on Charlie Chan in Shanghai. On to the plotline…
Charlie Chan has arrived in Shanghai harbor, party to “renew acquaintance with land of honorable ancestors,” but also to respond to an opium smuggling investigation that shall not be fully explained to us long into the movie. Chan’s first act upon reaching Shanghai is to attend a Chamber of Commerce banquet. He’s already met the requisite lovebirds, Philip Nash (Jon Hall) and Diana Woodland (Irene Harvey), about who’s characters I’ve already said my peace – though it’s interesting how easy it is to peg these types instantly, even though the actors switch out each time. Chan has also met Diana’s uncle, Sir Stanley Woodland – uh oh! The combined fact that I cannot fine an actor listing, and this noble old man is related to the love interest, instantly pegs Woodland as the inaugural murder victim.
I was right! Within a minute of Sir Woodland’s intro, he is dead – victim of a mechanical gun trap sprung inside an ancient jade box. These details do not matter, for I am actually surprised to report that Charlie Chan in Shanghai is not a true murder mystery. Oh sure, Chan goes about investigating a murder by his usual methods, but the antagonist has changed entirely. First of all, we see the bad guy right off the bat in no uncertain terms (no disguises or “Scooby-Doo” doofiness). Second, Chan is up against a formed and established crime syndicate, an enemy that is actively interested in knocking Chan out with all due haste.
The attempt on Chan’s life occurs that very night, nearly 45 minutes sooner than such acts typically happen in these movies. This is a surprise, though Chan’s survival by the old “pillows look like my body” trick is already a recycled element (from Charlie Chan Carries On, proof I’m over-watching these things). And bless Chan for anticipating in advance this little switch up in series formula.
It is at this point where we unequivocally get to know the villain – it is criminal kingpin Ivan Marloff (Frederick Vogeding), a white guy who has somehow wrested control of a major Chinese criminal element.
Shortly after we become aware of Marloff’s villainy, so does Chan (and Lee). Marloff, upon learning of Chan’s survival through a duplicitous telephone operator (don’t ask), has his plentiful street goons bring Chan (and Lee) into his lair. He demands to know why Chan (and Lee) is in Shanghai, and is about to off the relatively pacifistic Chan in right then and there when something I truly did not expect occurs – an action sequence. See, it’s really a thriller with mystery elements! Lee employs something resembling 1930s Hollywood kung fu (that is, something that in no way resembles kung fu) to fight his way out of Marloff’s evil clutches, performing actual unassisted stunts and saving his father from harm. Naturally, Chan responds to Lee’s sudden usefulness by banishing him back to the hotel room for the vast majority of the film, where Lee shall be distracted by a comic relief subplot involving horniness. And I’ll say this for Lee’s comic shenanigans – not a single joke is predicated upon his race! It’s actually character humor! I think Charlie Chan in Shanghai might be my favorite franchise entry so far. It’s Chan-tastic!
Nash, ever the sideline romantic hero, introduces Chan to Sir Woodland’s associate, James Andrews (Russell Hicks). Hmm, none of the non-regular actors in this have had remotely significant careers, but at least none of them is Stepin Fetchit. I really dislike Stepin Fetchitt.
Chan reveals to Andrews that Sir Woodland wrote a plot-dictated letter before his plot-dictated death. At this Andrews reveals the truth about Woodland – he is (er, was) a secret agent working in tandem with Andrews to bring down the opium smugglers. Chan utters one of his standard aphorisms, but one that I find particularly amusing: “Beauty of poppy conceals sting of death.” Damn straight! Meanwhile, Nash is also there, searching Andrews’ offices fruitlessly.
Now, it is around this point in a Charlie Chan movie where the traditional second murder takes place. Before we try to predict who might die at the plot’s whims, I’ll give up this movie’s secret – There is no second murder! This one really is toying with formula, and I love that. Instead, a rare second attempt upon Chan’s own life is made, except our hero uses his patented Chan Sense to detect the would-be killer and snatch the gun from him. We never see the killer, but all signs point to Nash (who obviously cannot be the killer, by dint of his archetypal role). Chan himself finds reason to doubt Nash’s guilt (he understands unwavering franchise formula), but Andrews will have none of it, and sees to it Nash is arrested. So this is the romantic hero’s function in this entry, to be wrongfully convicted. I must say, this third use of this trope (after London and Paris…eh, London not so much) is the best use they’ve found for their bland heroes. And it serves an extra function, getting half the romantic equation off my screen for half a movie.
Later Chan discovers a secret message on Woodland’s letter revealing that the villain is – da dum dum – Marloff…Okay, we knew that and Chan knew that. And soon Chan and Andrews are together again, acting the action heroes first and foremost, as they alone race off to Madoff’s – excuse me, wrong bad guy, Marloff’s – lair. They search the dark, noir-lit confines, recently abandoned by Marloff’s evil forces. Here is something I truly didn’t expect to see in a 1935 B-movie – a spring-loaded cat. You know, like Jones in Alien. It’s not played for a jump per say, but it’s the same basic gag, complete with a litter of kittens (aww!). And per the grammar of horror cinema, the instant our guard is down, another shock can surprise Chan. This is a crusty old bearded hobo – only it turns out to be Lee in disguise. You know, this guy is being kept on the sidelines for now, but I fully expect him to eventually become the Penny and Brain to Chan’s eventual Inspector Gadget in later entries.
Events are being set up for end game, with Chan attempting to learn of Marloff’s current whereabouts (this movie ain’t a whodunit, it’s a wheredunit), Marloff acting to entice Chan into an ambush, and Nash having escaped from prison to act as a surprising wild card. That is, Nash somehow manages to track down Marloff first, and it briefly seems he might actually sell Chan out (this is all a ploy – Nash is working for Chan, setting up his grand gambit). But for the time being, Chan and Andrews are headed into Marloff’s trap at the Versailles Café (come on, Chan was in Paris two entries ago). This is one of those fun little seedy bars from all the old movies, the sort of place Rick Blaine might operate. Instead of discovering the murderer, Chan resolves Marloff’s howdunit, learning he smuggles the delicious opium out of Shanghai in wine bottles. (By the modern creativity of drug smugglers, this seems a little undercooked.) Then the police arrive, engage Marloff’s men in a brief and exciting (for 1935) shootout. They arrest them, and Chan wins.
But this is a Charlie Chan movie, there has to be a twist ending – for as much as you consider the murderer’s reveal a “twist ending.” Indeed, Chan reveals the surprise culprit, Andrews himself. For it seems the real Andrews spy was killed two weeks ago (possibly satisfying the MIA second murder); the current “Andrews” is really a double-agent. This hardly really matters, but it’s the sort of thing you’d expect from the series, so in that sense it’s essential. And the movie ends, not with the lovebirds reunited as it the standard, but with a funny joke involving Lee. I’d like to see that become the traditional tag from now on.
So that’s Charlie Chan in Shanghai, and I find myself feeling rather positive towards it. It tells a tale of gangsters through the grammar of a murder mystery, which is bracing and wild in the predictable context of this series. And indeed, methinks the filmmakers are learning how to massage the best movies they can from their ingredients – this is something serial B-movies are good at, and something slower-paced modern franchises simply cannot handle. I mean, this is the twelfth entry, and it just might be the best one. Either that or I’m developing some sort of Stockholm Syndrome towards this formulaic, racially insensitive series.
Related posts:
• No. 3 Behind That Curtain (1929)
• No. 4 Charlie Chan Carries On (1931)
• No. 5 The Black Camel (1931)
• No. 9 Charlie Chan in London (1934)
• No. 10 Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)
• No. 11 Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)
• No. 13 Charlie Chan’s Secret (1936)
• No. 14 Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936)
• No. 15 Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
• No. 16 Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)
• No. 17 Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937)
• No. 18 Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)
• No. 19 Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1938)
• No. 20 Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938)
• No. 21 Charlie Chan in Reno (1939)
• No. 22 Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)
• No. 23 City in Darkness (1939)
• No. 24 Charlie Chan in Panama (1940)
• No. 25 Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940)
• No. 26 Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise (1940)
• No. 27 Murder Over New York (1940)
• No. 28 Dead Men tell (1941)
• No. 29 Charlie Chan in Rio (1941)
• No. 30 Castle in the Desert (1942)
• No. 31 Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944)
• No. 32 The Chinese Cat (1944)
• No. 33 Meeting at Midnight (1944)
• No. 34 The Shanghai Cobra (1945)
• No. 35 The Red Dragon (1945)
• No. 36 The Scarlet Clue (1945)
• No. 37 The Jade Mask (1945)
• No. 38 Dark Alibi (1946)
• No. 40 Dangerous Money (1946)
• No. 41 The Trap (1946)
• No. 42 The Chinese Ring (1947)
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