***SPOILERS*** Warner Oland in his next to last film as Hawaiian master detective Charlie Chan gets involved in a double murder while attending a banquet in his honor by the New York Police Department as it's gust of honor. This has to do with mob moll Billie Bronson, Louise Henry, who after coming out of hiding in Europe was found gun down at the notorious mob hangout the Hottentot Club that her mobster boyfriend Buzz Moran, Leon Ames, ran.Charlie as usual is hampered by hi #1 Son Lee, Keye Luke, who among other things that made pop's job difficult was looking through the keyholes at the hotel, The Cartlon, that the two were staying at. It's a wonder he didn't get his head slammed by someone in the place opening up a door or being arrested by the hotel detective as a peeping Tom or Lee. As Charlie soon discovered the murder victim Billie Bronson's body was moved and evidence stolen when he was shown a photo of the murder scene. This lead Charlie #1 Son Lee as well as NYPD Police inspector Nelson, Harold Huber,to Billie Bronson's hotel room where there was discovered the body of murdered hoodlum Thomas Mitchell, Marc Lawrence, who's been following Billie all the way to NYC from far off Europe.***SPOILERS*** As it soon turned Billie had an explosive diary that she was going to use to blackmail members of the New York city police as well as well placed New York politicians and businessmen who were involved with the town's criminal element who was paying them off to look the other way. It's was one of those involved who, seeing the writing on the wall, cracked and exposed the entire operation by trying to gun down Charlie in front of a dozen witnesses including Inspt. Nelson and #1 Son Lee. It was #1 Son Lee who saved his dad from being shot and killed by running interference and body slamming the gunman before he could get a shot off.

I enjoyed CHARLIE CHAN ON Broadway but also have to admit that there isn't much new or special that sets it apart from all the other later Warner Oland films from the Charlie Chan series. It has all the usual elements--the assistance (whether wanted or not) of #1 son, plot twists and clever "Chanisms"--the clever aphorisms Charlie makes during the course of the film. So the film isn't a disappointment nor is it particularly distinguished.The plot involves a gangster's moll who is killed just before she reveals mob secrets. Despite the movie making it look like the mobsters Burke or Moran did it, I found this plot much easier to unravel than most when I noticed the exact same clue that Chan did when he gives a summation of the case at the end of the film--so it's not one of the more baffling mysteries of the series.Decent acting, plot and dialog--this is yet another fine Chan film. A bit better than the later Sidney Toler films of the series but not up to the standards of the better Chan films like CHARLIE CHAN IN London or CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA.By the way, despite the title, there really isn't much about Broadway in this film--nothing about plays like you might expect. It just happens that the murders happened in the Broadway neighborhood, so don't expect anything like CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA.

Charlie (Warner Oland) and Number One Son (Keye Luke) investigate a murder at NYC's Hottentot Club. It's a standard whodunit, with half a dozen or so suspects.The problem with this film is that the story is rather slight. The film's runtime is only 68 minutes. And yet, most of the film's first half is filled with plot points that relate only in a peripheral way to the murder. There's the business about Charlie getting seasick aboard a ship. Later, Charlie and his son chop logic over a missing button. At the Hottentot, quite a bit of time is spent on a floor show consisting of a chorus line and a girl who engages in a lengthy dance. The murder investigation doesn't even begin until halfway into the film.The murder plot itself is only mildly interesting, and relates more to city mobsters than to anything having to do with "Broadway". Production design, however, is quite good, at least by Charlie Chan standards. The script is rather heavy on dialogue. And we have the usual Charlie Chan aphorisms.The identity of the murderer is not hard to figure out, owing to poor film direction. Some of Charlie's logic about who the murderer is, is not consistent with the film's plot. And there's very little suspense in this film.Except for the production design, especially at the Hottentot, I found this particular Charlie Chan mystery to be disappointing. The main weakness lies in a meager script that needed more character development and a larger, more complex story.

Charlie Chan and #1 son Lee get mixed up with a mysterious woman on board a ship bound for New York. Unbeknownst to Chan, the woman is the former girlfriend of a gangster with information that, if published, could blow the lid off the underworld. She hides a small package in Chan's luggage to make sure it gets to New York safely. Shortly after arriving in New York, the woman is murdered in an office at the Hottentot Club. Can Chan discover the woman's secret and find her killer? Charlie Chan on Broadway is yet another very solid entry in the Chan series. Warner Oland and Keye Luke are as good and entertaining as ever. Plus, anytime I see the names Marc Lawrence or Leon Ames in the credits, I know I'm in for a good time. But the highlight of this one has to be the killer's identity. It completely caught me off guard.BIG TIME SPOILERS – If you've seen enough of the Charlie Chan movies (or any other detective type movies from the 30s and 40s), there are a few absolutes you can generally count on. One of them is that the Chan movies usually feature a young couple in love. While both may come under suspicion at some point in the movie, they are always exonerated by the end to continue their dreamy relationship. That's not the case in Charlie Chan on Broadway. One of the last people I expected – the male half of the ideal couple – is found to be the killer. It really threw me for a loop! END OF BIG TIME SPOILERS Overall, I'm very pleased to have discovered a "new" Charlie Chan film. I look forward to revisiting it many times in the future.