The body count reaches an all time high of four in this Charlie Chan film, as Sidney Toler attempts to solve the murder of inventor Dr. Harper, apparently killed for a secret gas formula he was developing for the war effort. The continuity of the Chan films is maintained here, as Edwin Luke joins the cast as Number #4 son Eddie, preferring to be called Edward. What starts out as a seemingly intelligent role for Edward evolves into what we've seen with the Chan sons in prior outings, although not as over the top as Victor Sen Young's portrayal of Number #2 son Jimmy - "Every time you open your mouth, you put in more feet than centipede". Mantan Moreland is on hand and more comfortable in his role as Chan's chauffeur Birmingham Brown, in this his fifth Chan film from Monogram Studios. I got a kick out of one of his lines - "I ain't curious about seein' no zombies", as he got to see plenty in two of his earlier films, 1941's "King of the Zombies", and 1943's "Revenge of the Zombies".
Although nearly everyone in Dr. Harper's household has come to despise him, it's his nephew Archer, an unusually talented quick change artist/ventriloquist/strongman who turns out to be the evildoer. What's curious to me is why he would stick around in a house with a detective, policemen and a coroner all looking for clues as to the identity of the killer. It's standard Chan stuff though, as the outcome is made to seem believable after all the pieces are made to fit.
Although nearly everyone in Dr. Harper's household has come to despise him, it's his nephew Archer, an unusually talented quick change artist/ventriloquist/strongman who turns out to be the evildoer. What's curious to me is why he would stick around in a house with a detective, policemen and a coroner all looking for clues as to the identity of the killer. It's standard Chan stuff though, as the outcome is made to seem believable after all the pieces are made to fit.