CHARLIE CHAN AT MONTE CARLO (1937) -- COLORIZED

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Warner Oland, Keye Luke and Virginia Field. The main character is Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective. This was the sixteenth and final Charlie Chan film with Oland portraying Chan. The film features Keye Luke as Charlie's son Lee and character actor Harold Huber as a French police inspector. It was produced and distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

Warner Oland contracted bronchial pneumonia during his visit to Sweden and died there on August 6, 1938, at age 57. The series continued at Fox for another eleven entries with Sidney Toler. In 1942 Fox sold it to Monogram Pictures, and it continued on even after Toler's death in 1947 with Roland Winters in the role through six films into 1949. Keye Luke would also reprise his role as Lee Chan from the film in Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938), a film originally produced to be a Charlie Chan film prior to Oland's death.

Plot summary

Although Charlie and Lee are in Monaco for an art exhibit, they become caught up in a feud between rival financiers which involves the Chans in a web of blackmail and murder. The messenger for millionaire Victor Karnoff is ambushed and murdered, and $200,000.00 worth of bonds are missing. The taxicab of the two Chans passes the crime scene, and they become involved, with the blessing of the local law Chief Joubert (Huber).

Later on, a bartender who was apparently attempting to blackmail the killer is also murdered, and the bonds found in his room. But Chan notices that in order to make certain the bonds were discovered, their briefcase had been opened with a special key that very few people had access to, and the bartender was not one of them.

Back at the Karnoff mansion, Chan exposes the killer, who had been embezzling in order to keep femme' fate Evelyn Grey (Field) in the style to which she had become accustomed.
Cast

Warner Oland as Charlie Chan
Keye Luke as Lee Chan
Virginia Field as Evelyn Grey
Sidney Blackmer as Victor Karnoff
Harold Huber as Chief of Police Jules Etienne Joubert
Kay Linaker as Joan Karnoff
Robert Kent as Gordon Chase
Edward Raquello as Paul Savarin
George Lynn as Al Rogers
John Bleifer as Ludwig
Eugene Borden as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
Leo White as French Butler (uncredited)