Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo

CinemaSerf

Multi-talented No 1. Son "Lee" (Keye Luke) has a painting being exhibited at a gallery in Paris. For reasons that are not quite clear, though, he and his sleuthing father travel from home to France via the tiny principality of Monaco, where they encounter the rather dapper police commissioner "Joubert" (Harold Huber) and are soon immersed in a murderous plot to steal $1m worth of bearer bonds. It's soon clear that the local rivalry between Messrs. "Karnoff" (Sidney Blackmer) and "Savarin" (Edward Raqullo) coupled with some amorous antics are all adding fuel to the fire as the boys struggle to find the truth. As usual, we can enjoy the comic antics of the son - this time well paired with the over-the-top, foppish, Huber and the mystery, though hardly suspenseful, is quite engaging too. As a frequent visitor to Monaco over the years, I have to declare there is one undeniable flaw with the plot - nobody ever got a taxi that easily there; not even one that shot flames from it's exhaust!