Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (1944)

"Pop, I've got a case that will knock your hat off!", 10 December 2005

A man is shot in a locked room. The police are completely stumped and cannot solve the case. When a book is written that insinuates the wife was the murderer, the man's stepdaughter enlists the help of Charlie Chan to find the real killer. Chan is only in town for 48 hours, so he's got to be quick if he's to solve a six-month old murder.

The Chinese Cat is one of the better of the Monogram Chan films. Sure, it's far from perfect, but I enjoy it each time I get the opportunity to watch. It's always fun to watch Chan investigate a crime scene while spitting out a few of the Chan style proverbs. Mantan Moreland is back as Birminham Brown and he has more than a few moments that bring at least a smile to my face. A few other things The Chinese Cat has in its favor include: a well paced plot, some trickery involving twins, and the fact that Number 3 son isn't as annoying as he is in some of the other Chan films. While I doubt the average movie fan would enjoy The Chinese Cat very much, fans of Chan will find something to enjoy.

But, as with the other Monogram films, there are problems in The Chinese Cat that are hard to overlook. Monogram made these films with very little in the way of a budget and it shows. The sets look cheap, some of the acting is stilted, and action scenes have taken the place of Chan questioning suspects. The Fun House scenes are the perfect example of the budgetary limitations as characters walk past the same three sets over and over and over...

6/10