When a troupe of showgirls with their impresario and press agent vacation at a Malibu Beach resort, two of them are garroted. Charlie takes on the case assisted by Number Two Son Jimmy and faithful chauffeur Birmingham Brown.
Acting
Mantan Moreland's terrified chauffeur steals every scene he's in.
Production
Malibu standing in for... Malibu, shockingly economical.
Director
Howard Bretherton
Sidney Toler
Charlie Chan
Mantan Moreland
Birmingham Brown
Victor Sen Yung
Jimmy Chan
Tanis Chandler
Adelaide Brandt
Larry J. Blake
Rick Daniels
Kirk Alyn
Sgt. Reynolds
Anne Nagel
Marcia
Helen Gerald
Ruby
Howard Negley
Cole King, Impresario
Barbara Jean Wong
San Toy
Minerva Urecal
Miss Weebles, the Housekeeper
Margaret Brayton
Madge Mudge
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Sidney Toler's penultimate Chan film; he made 22 total after Warner Oland's death, keeping the franchise alive through sheer willpower.
Mantan Moreland's 'Birmingham Brown' persona—bug-eyed, cowardly comic relief—made him a top Black box office draw of the 1940s while trapping him in demeaning roles he'd later publicly regret.
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1946
US
