This is a nice clean mystery. Charlie is in Shanghai to receive some sort of honor. After a couple testimonials, a dear friend of his opens a box. In it is a revolver that goes off and kills him. Charlie has, himself, received a threat to his life. He suspects an attack and evades death when he puts some pillows in his bed which are attacked by the would be killer. Another development is the appearance of his son played by Keye Luke. The son is quite protective of his father. He is also carrying on a relationship with a young woman over the phone, causing consternation to his father who needs to stay in contact with the police. It turns out a couple is at the center of all this and are trying to isolate the two Chans in order to kill them. As is usually the case, Charlie has the ability to see things others don't. From watching the Chan movies in order, I would recommend not opening boxes if you can help it.

Master detective Charlie Chan(Warner Oland) is in the need of a much deserved vacation, but before it really gets started, his services are summoned. When a good friend begins his keynote speech at a banquet is shot dead, who else would be the better man to investigate? Charlie works close with the local constabulary, while of course getting hapless aid from his Number-One-Son Lee(Keye Luke), in following clues that lead to an opium smuggling ring being behind the murder. This follows a becoming standard formula Chan mystery, but brief Shanghai scenery and comic antics of Luke make for another interesting story. At this time you just couldn't go wrong with a Charlie Chan movie. Other players featured are: Charles Locher, Irene Harvey, Jon Hall, Max Wagner and Hallwell Hobbes.

CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI (1935) This is a decent if unremarkable Warner Oland Chan entry, though there are some good moments teaming up with Keye Luke as his Number One son. Here, the father and son team are in their native China where Charlie is being honored at a dinner. Things take a morbid turn when a good friend of Chan's gets killed while making a speech, and it may or may not be intentional. The detective then becomes a target as he investigates an opium smuggling ring.**1/2 out of four

Filmed in 1935, CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI is the 9th film in the Fox series. It is also, rather curiously the only Chan film that would be set in Asian--the only time Hollywood allowed Chan to make it back to China.In this episode, Chan travels to China--presumably on holiday. But Chan's holidays have a way of being investigations in disguise, and no sooner does his ship dock than he receives a warning note; later that evening a close personal friend is unexpectedly killed by an ingenious booby trap which may have been directed at Chan himself. Needless to say, Chan assumes a major role in the investigation, and quickly finds himself the target of several murderous assaults. Could it all be tied to an infamous opium smuggling ring? Could be! Although this particular Chan film does not offer a notable supporting cast, Keye Luke is once more along for the ride as Chan's "Number One Son" Lee, and every one plays a smart pace. The plot, while typically gimmicky, is superior and offers a final twist that Chan fans may see coming in advance--but only if they know Chan's character and very high standards.Chan films are often accused of being racist, and critics often complain that the actors playing Chan wore "yellowface" make up. The films, however, must be seen within the context of their era. In the 1930s, Hollywood presented most Asian characters as either servile or as Fu Manchu-like entities; Chan was actually just about the only positive Asian character going, and as such the films were tremendously popular with Asian-American audiences of the era.True enough, Chan is inevitably played by an occidental actor, but this was typical of the era, in which star status was considered more important than racial accuracy. (Other Asian characters were always portrayed by Asian actors, Keye Luke being a case in point.) Whatever the case, neither Warner Oland or the later Sidney Toler wore significant make-up for the role, and Oland--although a Swede by birth--actually had a strong strain of Asian ancestry in his family tree.While I cannot say that CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI is among my favorite Chan films, it is well-made, a solid entry in the series. Chan fans should enjoy it quite a bit.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer