20th Century Fox
Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) Collection
City in Darkness
PARIS! BLACKOUT!...but there's no blackout for crime...and the great detective is commandeered!
Chan, in Paris for a reunion with friends from World War I, becomes involved in investigating the murder of a munitions manufacturer who was supplying arms to the enemy, even as the rising clouds of World War II force the city into nightly blackout status..
- Original title
- City in Darkness
- Language
- EN
- Country
- US
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Nov 30, 2024 · via TMDB
With war in Europe looming large, "Charlie" (Sidney Toler) is in Paris to celebrate with some of his colleagues from the previous conflagration when he finds himself embroiled in the mysterious killing of "Petroff" (Douglass Dumbrille). There are few clues, but those that there are seem to centre around the young "Marie" (Lynn Bari) who is constantly having to beg, borrow or maybe even steal money to pay for an all-important passenger to travel to Panama and thence onto the safety of the USA. The deeper he delves, though, the more suspicious the activities of the deceased man start to look, and together with local policeman "Antoine" (Pedro de Cordoba) they roll their sleeves up. I quite enjoyed this, especially the effort from de Cordoba as a French policeman who might make "Insp. Clouseau" look efficient. He also gels well with the meticulous Toler who isn't accompanied by any of his brood for this adventure. There are loads of red herrings and at the end the tiniest bit of prophesying as the dark clouds really were gathering in 1939. The production is all a bit stage bound and basic, but that doesn't really spoil the enjoyment and if you like Toler and his forensic approach to sleuthing coupled with his Confucian profundities, then it's an amiably paced watch.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Sidney Toler
Charlie Chan
Harold Huber
Police Inspector Marcel Spivak
Pedro de Cordoba
Antoine
Lynn Bari
Marie Dubon
Richard Clarke
Tony Madero
Dorothy Tree
Charlotte Ronnell
Noel Madison
Belescu
Leo G. Carroll
Louis Santelle
C. Henry Gordon
Prefect of Police J. Romaine
Louis Mercier
Gentleman Max
George Davis
Alex
Barbara Leonard
Lola
Douglass Dumbrille
B. Petroff (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Adrienne D'Ambricourt
Hotel Proprietress
Lon Chaney Jr.
Pierre
Eugene Borden
Gendarme
Frederick Vogeding
Captain
André Cheron
Man wearing a robe in the hallway
Ann Codee
Complainant at Police
Albert Conti
Travel Agency Manager
Gino Corrado
Proprietor of Wine Cellar
Jean De Briac
Puppeteer
Jean Del Val
French Cabby
John George
Victor the Gypsy, gangland bistro patron (cameo extra)
Michael Mark
Mechanic
Alphonse Martell
Gendarme
Alberto Morin
Clerk
Frank Puglia
Gendarme at Steamship Office
Rolfe Sedan
Hotel Clerk
Tom Seidel
Phillip
Lester Sharpe
Market Man
Larry Steers
Man Leaving Paris
Veola Vonn
French Girl
Poppy Wilde
One of Petroff's Girlfriends
Marek Windheim
Cabby
Virgil Miller
Director of Photography
Herbert I. Leeds
Director
Ladislas Fodor
Theatre Play
Robert Ellis
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Nov 15, 1939
