Charlie Chan in Panama

1940

1h 6m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

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Crime

Thriller

Mystery

Comedy

Charlie impersonates an employee of the U.S. government to foil an espionage plot which would destroy part of the Panama Canal, trapping a Navy fleet on its way to the Pacific after maneuvers in the Atlantic.

Directors

Norman Foster

Writers

Earl Derr Biggers(characters by)

John Larkin(writer by)

Stars

Sidney Toler

Jean Rogers

Lionel Atwill

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Top cast

Charlie Chan

Kathi Lenesch

Cliveden Compton

Miss Sarah Finch

Jimmy Chan

Richard Cabot

Sergeant Montero

Dr. Rudolph Grosser

Stewardess

Emil Manolo

Governor D.C. Webster

Captain Lewis

Achmed Halide

R.J. Godley

Dr. Fredericks

Dance Sailor Suspicious of Kathi

Jimmy Aubrey

Drunk Fisherman with Cigar at Club

Brooks Benedict

Nightclub …

Directors

Norman Foster

Writers

Earl Derr Biggers(characters by)

John Larkin(writer by)

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User reviews1

Review

Featured review

6/10

This outing for our sleuth finds him working undercover - appropriately in a Panama hat shop - on a mission to help the US Government combat the activities of some spies bent on disrupting the movement of US Naval vessels though the Panama Canal. When a man is murdered in his shop, "Chan" is detained by the unwitting authorities who take him to a local jail where he, coincidentally, encounters no. 2 son "Jimmy" (Victor Sen Yung), who was working on a cruise liner and who is also stranded in Panama. Together, they must identify and thwart the would be saboteur amidst a plethora of suspects led by the always reliable Lionel Atwill ("Compton"). I enjoyed the dynamic between father and son - it works well, and the story is actually quite exciting to watch for the most part with a rather better ending than I was expecting. The constant dialogue in contrived proverbs is a little bit annoying, but then it wouldn't be "Charlie Chan" if he ever actually called a spade a spade...!

Geronimo196723 Jun, 2022