Hitchcoc Charlie and Lee once again find themselves in foreign territory (he doesn't seem to spend much time with the rest of his family). The get a look at one of the gambling hot spots of the world. Soon they are wrapped up in the intrigue between two very rich men who hate each other. There is a murder on a country road as they walk to their hotel (the taxi they have take breaks down). A woman in a fancy car is seen driving away. The two men and two women, along with a bartender, become embroiled in the transfer of a million dollars in metallurgical bonds. As is usually the case in these episodes, there are multiple efforts at coverups by the principles. It would seem that the more playing with the facts these guys attempt, the more Chan becomes suspicious. There are also the scenes where loudmouthed number one son is always a half step behind his honorable father. There is also some great stuff as Junior tries to speak French. At one point he confesses to murder with his poor use of the language. Charlie asks him at breakfast if he can order something without getting them thrown in jail. It is my understanding that Oland died shortly after the completion of this movie. That is why Sidney Toler took over the role. I saw all the Chan movies as a boy and am rediscovering them now. I hope that the remainder of the canon is as entertaining.

utgard14 Charlie Chan and "Number One Son" Lee are visiting Monte Carlo when a bank messenger is murdered and some bonds stolen. Sadly, this was Warner Oland's last Charlie Chan film. He's good in this, though he does seem a little 'off.' Whether this is my imagining things because I know about his problems offscreen, I don't know. He just doesn't seem as happy in this one as earlier films. Keye Luke is great, as always. Harold Huber, who appeared in Charlie Chan on Broadway as a different character, is fun here as a French police chief. It's not the best of the series, but still enjoyable. All of the Fox Chan films were at least watchable, whether Warner Oland or Sidney Toler were Chan. After the series moved to Monogram, quality declined greatly. The worst moments of Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo are better than anything in the Monogram series.

MartinHafer As usual, Charlie and Number One Son are visiting when coincidentally there are murders. This time they seem to have something to do with stolen securities which seem to vanish and re-appear like magic. Unlike many of the films, though, Chan and Son seem to be caught up more in the action instead of passively investigating after the fact.Many of the reviews seem to feel this is one of the weakest of the Warner Oland Charlie Chan films, though I liked it quite a bit and felt it stacked up well with the earlier films from the series. Why did I like it? Well, the stolen bonds angle seemed pretty interesting, Harold Huber (who had just played a New York police inspector in CHARLIE CHAN ON Broadway) was pretty good as a French cop and the film certainly kept my attention. It's not great, but still is a very competent part of a series of excellent and enjoyable detective films and a cut above similar series.

classicsoncall "Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo" would be Warner Oland's final turn as the Oriental Detective, as he died during filming of what would have been "Charlie Chan at Ringside" later in the year 1938. Interestingly, Keye Luke remained in the "Ringside" film portraying Number #1 Son Lee Chan, as it was hastily rewritten into "Mr. Moto's Gamble" with Peter Lorre in the title role.As the Oland films progressed, so did the body count of victims who met their demise in the course of the story. In the first half dozen or so Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland, there was only one murder to be solved; in the next four films (Racetrack, Opera, Olympics, Broadway) there were two. More was not necessarily better, as "Monte Carlo" is not as highly regarded as many of the other Oland Chan's.Harold Huber appeared in "Charlie Chan on Broadway" as an ineffective New York City police inspector; in "Monte Carlo", his character is an ineffective French police officer, although his accent passes reasonably well. His presence treads the line between serious noir drama and comedy relief.The story itself involves the repeated theft and reappearance of a series of metallurgic bonds worth twenty five thousand dollars. At the center of the mystery are two wealthy but antagonistic businessmen, Victor Karnoff (Sidney Blackmer) and Paul Savarin (Edward Raquello), seen early in the film at a gaming table - "They play only to visit insult to each other." As commonly seen in Charlie Chan mysteries, there is a host of additional characters to keep track of before the final resolution is worked out by the Oriental Detective, with information not readily made available to the viewer.To keep a light hearted touch in the film, there are a couple of running gags that include a backfiring taxi and Lee Chan's fractured attempt at the French language. When 'Pop' tries to order a breakfast plate of waffles using a hand drawn picture, the waiter brings him a crossword puzzle book. Earlier, Lee's description of a dead body found in an abandoned car resulted in a confession to the murder! Lee's all around legend as a jack of all trades is added to here, as we learn that he has a painting to be shown at a Paris exhibition, adding to his reputation as college student, businessman, and gold medal swimmer. It would be another ten years before Keye Luke shows up again in a Charlie Chan film, co-starring with Roland Winters in the role of Charlie, along with Victor Sen Yung as Number #2 Son Tommy, the only time Luke and Sen Yung would appear together in a Chan film as brothers. Oddly, Luke never appeared in a Chan film with Sidney Toler, who replaced Warner Oland in the next twenty two Charlie Chan mysteries!