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THE JADE MASK
US, 1945, 65 minutes, black and white.
Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Edwin Luke, Alan Bridge.
Directed by Phil Rosen.
This is one of the later Charlie Chan mysteries starring Sidney Toler. Was also one of the several Charlie Chan films in these years directed by Phil Rosen who began his career with Edison and directed many brief films during the 1920s and 1930s into the 40s.
Charlie Chan does not come into the film for about 10 minutes. There is a set up, reminiscent of so many of the Charlie Chan mysteries of this time involving war activities, development of weapons, the concern of government. A very arrogant scientist is murdered – and later his butler as well as his chauffeur. There is a mysterious policeman on a motorbike. There is the son of a rival scientist who wants the dead man’s formulae. There is also his family, a Mrs Danvers-like sister, as well as a visitor who was working with puppets for the scientist and his experiments.
Charlie Chan is invited in as a government representative. Mantan Moreland is present once again with his now politically incorrect comedy which was popular at the time, along with Eddie, Charlie Chan’s fourth son, who becomes involved, rather academic in his approach but just as eager as his older brothers. Alan Bridge portrays the local sheriff and he gets some of the best lines, puzzling about the mystery in a self-deprecating way.
Everyone is assembled in the house very early in the film and the action takes place over a very short period of and night, murders, investigations, clues, a literal unmasking and some reasonably unexpected twists.