Dangerous Money (1946)

Sadly Over-hyped

Just perfect...

Fantastic!

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Ocean-going steamships and trains make great settings for 1940s mysteries. Charlie didn't have any adventures in a train, but this is the second on a ship--the third if you count the docked sailing ship in one of his outings. Toler is outstanding as always, in one of the greatest ongoing screen characterizations of an ideal film detective: clever, humane, with a sense of humor and of justice. It's his ability to make Chan so very likeable which really elevates these films, putting them, on the whole, on about the same level as the great Universal Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. And Toler never had the support of a truly first-rate, all-pro actor, as Rathbone had in Bruce. This movie is pure fun. Lots of action. The humor is sometimes very corny, but that's part of the charm. Highly recommended!

Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates when a treasury agent is murdered aboard an ocean liner. Penultimate Toler Chan film has some pros & cons. The pros: Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung) is assisting his father. Jimmy breathes life into the Monogram series which, with the exception of the one movie with Frances Chan as Charlie's daughter, saw Charlie saddled with lifeless sidekick Benson Fong and bug-eyed comedian Mantan Moreland. Another pro is the decent supporting cast that includes Dick Elliott, Richard Vallin, Joseph Crehan, and pretty Gloria Warren. The cons: typically cheap Monogram production, as well as the inclusion of stereotypical comic relief Chattanooga Brown (Willie Best). This is the second and final appearance of Chattanooga in the series. Thankfully, he's overshadowed by the likable personality of Victor Sen Yung. Not a particularly strong Chan film, but helped by the presence of Jimmy.

The best quality of "Dangerous Money" is Charlie Chan's habit for metaphors and aphorisms, like the one mentioned above, or "Kangaroos also reach destination by leaps and bounds". The script is often muddled, the multiple suspects, with few exceptions, are not distinct enough as characters (maybe because they are played by an almost completely unknown cast), Sidney Toler is a bit stodgy as Chan (he does well with the funny lines, though), and Willie Best's comic relief is a matter of taste, however I would advise you to watch this film if only for one truly memorable and outrageous surprise at the end. You may well forget the rest of the picture a day or two later, but I doubt you'll forget that surprise anytime soon. Production values are decent for a Monogram film. ** out of 4.

I wish someone could tell me why Willie Best played 'Chattanooga Brown' in a couple late Charlie Chan films. After all, Mantan Moreland had played 'Birmingham Brown' in quite a few Chan films--why was he briefly replaced? And, did they really think people would just accept 'Chattanooga'?! He wasn't a good addition to 1945's "The Red Dragon" and now he's back for one final appearance in the Chan series...but why?! As for the plot, it's pretty typical. As was often the case, Charlie Chan is on vacation--during which time someone is murdered (in this a US government agent). This time is occurs aboard a cruise ship--also not the first time for this series. So, it's up to Charlie and two bumbling assistants (#3 son and Chattanooga) to solve this case. Considering he always did, it's probably not too much of a stretch to say that once again he'll be successful. So this make you wonder why the criminals didn't just kill Charlie first! Among the many possible suspects is Mr. Burke--played by the very familiar actor, Dick Elliott. Usually, Elliott played bumbling and rather dim individuals--here he plays a slimy and rather dangerous character. But is he the killer or just a horrid little blackmailer and all-around jerk? Overall, this is an exceptionally familiar sort of Chan story...without Mantan Moreland. The only things that set this one apart are that you see Charlie shoot a couple people (though, not surprisingly for a B-film, he never kills any of them--they're only flesh wounds!) and one of the passengers is a cross-dresser!! It's slightly below average in quality, but considering that Chan films are always worth watching, it's still worth your time.