Very atmospheric entry in the Chan series with Charlie trying to set the record straight in a case that has been falsely judged. Marc Lawrence gives a standout performance as a murderer set for the death penalty by Chan's testimony but subsequently escapes seeking plastic surgery at the wax museum run by Henry Gordon. The storyline is that Chan is to square off with Berlin detective Dr Otto Von Brom (Michael Visaroff) on a radio broadcast from the museum to reassess this case in which Von Brom pinned the murder on innocent Joe Rocke. Chan accepts the challenge suspecting Gordon of harboring Lawrence at the museum. The cast turns in uniformly good performances. However, the viewer must contend with the irrepressible Sen Yung as Jimmy Chan and his silliness. This is a decent mystery but it is the filming and setting of this movie that makes it a cut above the other Chan films.

Possibly my favorite Charlie Chan film. This has Chan showing up at a wax museum in order to be part of a radio program where an unsolved murder will be discussed. Unknown to Chan is the fact that the museum is actually a front for a plastic surgeon who changes the faces of wanted criminals, including one that Chan just helped to send away, or would have had he not been shot and "killed" in an attempt to escape. As the night progresses Chan will have to not only deal with the murder on the radio, but the potential murder of the great detective himself. Creepy in an old dark house sort of way, things remain nicely light and airy thanks to Chan's son Jimmy who as always is an equal mix of help and hindrance. As with many of the Chan's the mystery really isn't that mysterious, its more about watching the characters do what they do best, Jimmy Chan get into trouble, his father save the day and the bad guys prove they are nowhere near as clever as they thought. Its just a great deal of fun.

One of the more atmospheric entries in the Charlie Chan series, this taut mystery finds Charlie investigating the disappearance of a convicted criminal who has sworn to get revenge on the detective. Perennial gangster Marc Lawrence plays McBirney, who coerces shady doctor and wax museum proprietor Dr. Cream to provide him with a new, unrecognizable face. Chan suspects Dr. Cream of being an underworld supplier of new faces to assorted mobsters, and sets out to expose the Doctor in the guise of attending a live radio broadcast from the museum. But Charlie doesn't know that his presence is eagerly awaited by the vengeful McBirney, and that to be the guest of honor in this museum is to step into a spider's web of danger...A dark, rainy night sets the tone for the spooky proceedings, with the silent figures staring at visitors from shadowed corners, kept company by a slightly touched watchman, who talks to the dummies as his friends. The usual enthusiastic but not always helpful assistance is offered by Number Two Son Jimmy, with plenty of suspicious characters lurking around the museum after hours.A very effective Chan film, with loads of atmosphere, almost a horror movie feeling about it. Good cast and plenty of suspense. The killer's identity when revealed is quite a surprise. Recommended.

Of all the Chans that I know, this is both the best and the most interesting.The setting is really cool. Its a wax museum where contemporary crimes are displayed, using personalities that are alive and are among the statues of themselves. It is also a plastic surgery where crooks get their faces changed. And thirdly it is the site of a broadcast radio show where unsolved crimes are re-enacted on-air.It sounds complicated, and it is. But it is all done very matter of factly, so that these three very clever notions overlap and sometimes merge. Regular readers of my comments know that I love this sort of stuff, stuff I call "folding." Folding is stuff that plays with the notions of representation, and the fun is in how the movieness can play with itself, presenting to us and at the same time noodling with what it means to present. Detecting in folds has always been a way of discovering narrative. Charlie Chan mysteries aren't the most cerebral of things along these lines. And the actual mystery here is impossible for the audience to anticipate. Its just revealed. But in just the form of the thing, its great fun. It even has a chess-playing machine, a pretty savvy reference to a fourth fold. (One of the earliest Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.