CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET (1936) Warner Oland, Rosina Lawrence & Charles Quigley | Mystery | B&W

Charlie Chan's Secret is a 1936 American mystery film directed by Gordon Wiles and starring Warner Oland, Henrietta Crosman and Rosina Lawrence. It is the tenth film in Fox's Charlie Chan series featuring Oland as the detective.

SYNOPSIS
The heir to a huge fortune is presumed drowned, then shows up, is then murdered.

Charlie Chan has been investigating the whereabouts of Allen Colby, heir to a vast fortune. He recently made contact with his relations in San Francisco - his Aunt Henrietta Colby Lowell, her daughters Alice and Janice, and Janice's husband, Fred. The story opens as Allen is traced to a ship that has sunk, but it cannot be confirmed that he is dead. On the contrary, evidence is found that someone is trying to kill him to prevent his return to San Francisco to claim the estate.

Allen arrives at Colby House and is promptly murdered. His body is revealed in the course of a seance conducted that evening at Colby House with Chan in attendance. He is an old friend of Mrs Lowell; who, like her late brother, is a devout believer in psychic research. She has retained the services of Professor Bowen and his wife, Carlotta, who is a medium. Someone subsequently attempts to kill Mrs Lowell and eventually appears to succeed. The truth is revealed in another seance, at which the murderer makes a foolish mistake.

CAST & CREW
Warner Oland as Charlie Chan
Jerry Miley as Allen Colby
Henrietta Crosman as Mrs Lowell,
Charles Quigley as Dick Williams
Astrid Allwyn as Janice Lowell Gage
Edward Trevor as Fred Gage
Jonathan Hale as Warren Phelps
Egon Brecher as Ulrich
Gloria Roy as Carlotta
William Bailey as Detective Harris
Bud Geary as SFPD officer
Chuck Hamilton as SFPD officer
Brick Sullivan as SFPD officer
James T. Mack as the forensic officer
Francis Ford as the Captain

Directed by Gordon Wiles
Written by Robert Ellis, Helen Logan, Joseph Hoffman
Based on Charlie Chan by Earl Derr Biggers
Produced by John Stone, Sol M. Wurtzel
Cinematography Rudolph Mate
Edited by Nick DeMaggio
Music by Samuel Kaylin
Production company 20th Century Fox
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date January 10, 1936
Running time 72 minutes
Country United States

NOTES
The film is the public domain due to the omission of a valid copyright notice on original prints.