Review - Dead Men Tell, released 3-28-41 This film is the ninth of eleven 20th Century Fox productions, there were five actors named after the opening title, after Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan. The larger cast is detailed at the end of the film naming eleven actors, including Toler and Yung. Two familiar names appear for me, George Reeves and Milton Parsons. The latter appeared in many films and TV series. The late George Reeves was the only Superman, in this reviewer's opinion. There was also Stanley Andrews, casted as an Inspector, appearing late in the movie, uncredited, but familiar to many as the Old Ranger in Death Valley Days, and also credited with many other western roles. The actual killer turned out to be a surprise, revealed in the end, while all suspects were genuine red-herrings throughout the film, even toward the conclusion. The scenes are all on shipboard or the sail loft nearby the vessel, which never leaves port. One victim meets her untimely death early in the film, seeing her ancestor disguised as the pirate he was and the second victim about half-way through the movie, marked as an escaped convict, hiding on shipboard, disguised as a newspaperman; how appropriate. The story entails a chartered cruise in search for buried treasure on an island somewhere in the Pacific. The adventure gets the interest of adventurers, newlyweds, a disturbed patient with his accompanying psychoanalyst, an escaped convict disguised as a newspaperman and a revenge seeking charter-boat captain. All actors were professional in their deliveries, very believable in the roles they played, except some were minor speaking parts, considering the billing they achieved. It is an hour-long movie, likely shown as part of a Saturday matinee, therefore, the attempts at humor are acceptable, mainly confined to Jimmy Chan interfering with his father's investigation. I wonder if Steve Daniels ever billed Jimmy Chan for dry cleaning; watch to learn the nature of this rhetorical question. There was not the usual cop following Charlie around, as Chan worked the case alone. In fact, the police did not become a part of the action until late in the show. Charlie is on his own linking the clues, searching for evidence, setting a trap among the red-herrings. This film was a pleasant change of pace. Chan does not require help from additional law enforcement personnel, in fact, Jimmy is incapable of following orders, so eliminate number two son; send him home, and Charlie winds this case up sooner. The theme of the movie was explained by the charter captain, as he told Charlie the history he had with the same island. There was really a treasure at one time, told by the captain, with his partner turning against him, stranding and leaving him to certain death. The captain was fortunate to survive, seeking revenge against the man deserting him. They are headed for same island the Captain survived. The story is introduced by the old lady, related to a pirate roaming the seas long ago. This same pirate, peg leg included, is present throughout the movie, disguising the killer. The same lady devises a way to lure the seekers to the island and search for the treasure, i.e. split the map up into four pieces, she keeps one, the other three pieces are spread amongst the guests, but nobody knows which guests, except the woman. Charlie uncovers the killer through a process of investigating the suspects' actions on the ship contrasting with their motive, background with the sea and the evidence found on board. This is a worthwhile watch as the film moves along its one-hundred minutes; above-average fair by far.

A ship is going on a trip to find a treasure. A lady had a treasure map, cut it in four pieces and sent them to 3 different people invited to this treasure hunt trip. Later she dies on the ship frightened to death by someone she thinks is from the pirates curse. Chan's son sneaks on the boat he wants to go on this treasure hunt. Later his father comes looking for him. Chan's son is supposed to call the police about the death of the woman on the ship,he tells a reporter to do it who does not.He then goes into a bar looking for someone with a wooden leg and trips over a guy with a wooden leg. Chan's son is so funny he gets into all kinds of trouble thinking he is so smart. He ends up in the water a lot. He blind folds himself and tell a man he can walk a straight line anywhere. Not nothing the man takes the chain off of a plank and Jimmy Chan walks straight almost to the end of the plank above the water. When he takes the blindfold off he gets scared by what he sees and falls in the water.Someone on board is scaring the others pretending to be Black Hook, a pirate with a hook for a hand and a wooden leg who left scratch marks on the door with his hook where the woman died. Strange music starts playing when danger is expected. People start getting killed and someone is trying to collect all the pieces of the treasure map.George Reeves/Superman is in this young and handsome. There is also a thin man who looks nuts and comes on board with a doctor to get rid of some of his fears. His name is Milton Parsons and he plays Gene LaFarge. He is also funnyNice mystery most of the passengers have a reason to knock everybody off.

The later Charlie Chan films made by the Monogram studios get a lot of flak, but here is a 20th Century Fox Chan outing that could have been a Monogram production: it's very cheap and oppressively claustrophobic. And I also have a problem with the treatment of Number 2 Son in this movie: he becomes a figure of pitfalls and humiliation. It's OK when Charlie makes fun of him (always with parental affection), but NOT when everyone else does as well. One last complaint: as often in these movies, when the characters are not played by recognizable names or at least faces, they tend to blend together, and this is the case with "Dead Men Tell" as well. The killer seems to be selected at random. My favorite Chan line: "Swallow much but digest little". ** out of 4.

Very nice cinematography in this installment of the Chan series - beautiful lighting that really does the most with black and white film. The story is a nice one, but for me there's just too much of son Jimmy playing the fool. This is one of those Chans where the son is really a co-star in the film, with a resulting comic-relief drag on the mystery. I know the sons were very popular back in the day when the formula was a little drama, a little comedy, a little action, a little romance and maybe a little music, but for me the bug-eyed, bumbling Jimmy just stops the story in its tracks over and over. Watching the DVD on my laptop, I find myself pausing the film every time Jimmy jumps to the front of the scene and surfing the web for a while. If Jimmy doesn't bother you like he does me, then I'd give it a 7. For me, it's a 5 in the world of Chan.