Charlie Chan Collection, Vol. 4 DVD Review (2008)

Warner Oland died in 1938, so Sidney Toler, ever the good sport, took the reins as Charlie Chan, the smooth Chinese sleuth you could have over for dinner or a murder, preferably the latter, though his manners (not to mention his puns) certainly were good enough for the former.

Four Toler films make up this lively set of B-movies from Fox —"Charlie Chan in Honolulu"(1938), "Charlie Chan in Reno"(1939), "Charlie Chan at Treasure Island"(1939) and "Charlie Chan in City in Darkness"(1939).

The fact that all of these films were shot and released over the course of two years says it all for the quality of the production values. The movies were made on the cheap, but they are engaging. Now that they’re fully restored, they almost look respectable.

Grade: B

Witness the curious influence of Charlie Chan in Reno: