Description
Eccentic, elderly matron Patience Nodbury has a treasure map she's inherited from Black Hook, her pirate ancestor. To foil a mysterious thief who has tried to steal it, she divides it into four pieces, three of which she gives to fellow passengers booked to sail on the Suva Star, an old wooden sailing ship chartered for a treasure hunt on an offshore island. She is convinced that, according to family tradition, Black Hook will visit her before she dies. When the peg-legged "ghost" does just that, and she suffers a fatal heart attack, Charlie and Jimmy are faced with a boatload of red herrings including Bill Lydig, an escaped convict, Gene LaFarge, a certifiable neurotic accompanied by a personal psychiatrist, and the embittered Captain Kane, who was marooned on a deserted island by his ex-partner and vows revenge.
Review
One of the biggest 'unknown' diamonds among crime movies
If many of the other 'Charlie Chan' movies are real gems, some smaller, some quite big (like "The Black Camel" or "Charlie Chan's Secret"), this much lesser known film is perhaps the 'Golden Jubilee' among them all - and among mystery movies in general. With moderate, but immensely effective means, this mixture between a scary ghost story and a solid whodunit goes way beyond the general line of the 'Charlie Chan' series: there are elements of horror that can compete with any horror classic of the time, while the atmosphere is overall Noirish, with everything from the characteristic lighting effects to the feeling of doom that seems to hang over the protagonists as much as the fog on deck...
Strange, but very determined elderly Miss Nodbury, the ancestor of a notorious pirate who was hanged for murder, has organized a 'treasure hunt' on the island where the pirate's treasure is hidden - worth 60,000,000 dollars! But she wants to call off the trip on board the old pirate ship 'Suva Star' the last minute, because the night before somebody tried to steal the pirate's map that was in her possession - but the old lady is clever: she has divided the map into four parts and kept only one part to herself, while she sent the other three to members of the expedition. Still, somebody obviously is craving for ALL of the pieces, and so, on the same night, pirate captain "Black Hook" himself, in whose ghost Miss Nodbury has always believed, seems to come in order to claim them and summon Miss Nodbury to her ancestors...
Now don't believe that this is just another whodunit with only a little bit of 'ghost hokum' in it - there are moments when the strange, melancholy melody that 'means death', as Miss Nodbury insisted, and the sound of the pirate's wooden leg approaching ACTUALLY make not only the expedition members, but also us think our conviction that there ARE no ghosts over again...
But then, of course, there's a VERY real murder to solve; because while you COULD explain Miss Nodbury's death as a natural one, due to her heart problems and her strong belief in ghosts - you certainly can't put the blame for the suffocation of a man in an old diving bell on supernatural powers! And there's a really illustrious group of suspects on board, from a numismatist who doesn't seem to know his occupation's scientific name to a neurotic and his woman psychiatrist to the hardened, taciturn captain himself...
This movie is indeed perfect in EVERY way: the eerie atmosphere the direction creates with all means from the settings to the sound effects to the shadows and the fog is completed by a marvelous cast - in particular Ethel Griffies as the pirate's heiress is simply MAGNIFICENT. In order not to scare the wits out of the audience completely, of course some humor is added as always (with Jimmy falling into the harbor basin with every opportunity) - but all ye who are about to watch this movie for the first time, be prepared for some VERY creepy moments!
But speaking seriously now, as a long-time fanatic of classic B movies: to my knowledge and in my opinion, this is about the MOST underrated B mystery movie of all times.
Ghosts and Red Herrings
An agreeable entry in the Charlie Chan series, this is an extremely well-made little movie, directed by Harry Lachman, and featuring some striking shots of an old pirate vessel in port and a tough waterfront dive. It's all cliches, nicely cobbled together, and served up with good humor by actors who don't seem to be taking themselves too seriously. Sidney Toler makes an agreeably phlegmatic and dignified Chan; while Sen Yung's Number Two Son gets into his usual hot water,--in this case actually sea water--as he tries to bail his old man out. Ethel Griffies is splendid as the haunted (and hunted) Mrs. Nodbury, Truman Bradley sinister as a pipe-smoking captain, George Reeves breezy as a suspect. I especially liked the quietly neurasethenic performance of Milton Parsons as a Boston Brahmin on vacation, trying to overcome a recent nervous breakdown. He picked one hell of a vacation spot! Highly recommended for fans of maritime mysteries, treasure maps, talking parrots and nocturnal strolls around creaking, fogbound wharves.
An often overlooked Chan film that deserves more attention!
This is an often overlooked Chan film that deserves more attention! It is short at an hour running time. But it is loaded with great atmosphere and a good cast of interesting and eccentric characters. This is a good mystery and has many humorous parts, too. Sen Yung is quite good in this one. How can you get better than a ghost pirate named Black Hook on a treasure hunt? Another one that's lots of fun. TV Superman, George Reeves is in it too. This is one to see and see again!
Pirate's curse and mystery
A ship is going on a trip to find a treasure. A lady had a treasure map, cut it in four pieces and sent them to 3 different people invited to this treasure hunt trip. Later she dies on the ship frightened to death by someone she thinks is from the pirates curse. Chan's son sneaks on the boat he wants to go on this treasure hunt. Later his father comes looking for him.
Chan's son is supposed to call the police about the death of the woman on the ship,he tells a reporter to do it who does not.
He then goes into a bar looking for someone with a wooden leg and trips over a guy with a wooden leg. Chan's son is so funny he gets into all kinds of trouble thinking he is so smart. He ends up in the water a lot.
He blind folds himself and tell a man he can walk a straight line anywhere. Not nothing the man takes the chain off of a plank and Jimmy Chan walks straight almost to the end of the plank above the water. When he takes the blindfold off he gets scared by what he sees and falls in the water.
Someone on board is scaring the others pretending to be Black Hook, a pirate with a hook for a hand and a wooden leg who left scratch marks on the door with his hook where the woman died. Strange music starts playing when danger is expected. People start getting killed and someone is trying to collect all the pieces of the treasure map.
George Reeves/Superman is in this young and handsome. There is also a thin man who looks nuts and comes on board with a doctor to get rid of some of his fears. His name is Milton Parsons and he plays Gene LaFarge. He is also funny
Nice mystery most of the passengers have a reason to knock everybody off.
Heaps of atmosphere and great cinematography
This is an interesting Chan in several ways. First, the DVD print looks great! Our setting is a classic type old sailing ship and the adjacent docks, tavern, etc. Tons of fog, so I guess we are in San Francisco, though I don't recall anyone specifying that.
This film is also notable, for the action all taking place in a few sets: sailing ship deck, cabins, docks, tavern, a few others. Think of an old mansion story--like Castle in the Desert--but here we are on a ship at dock. I imagine this saved a lot on the budget. The sets are A-1; just about anything nautical is crammed on that old ship!
I was a bit surprised by the acting styles in this film; a lot of the actors play it very broad, with long, big visual reaction takes, more like an early 1930's film. The pace of the film is very deliberate, almost slow at times, but I enjoyed it. There is good humor with Number Two Son. Toler underplays very effectively; he owns the part, at this point. This is a good one; recommended.
