The Red Dragon [Charlie Chan and the Red Dragon] ** (1945, Sidney Toler, Fortunio Bonanova, Benson Fong) – Classic Movie Review 9055

Director Phil Rosen’s 1945 thriller The Red Dragon [Charlie Chan and the Red Dragon] is a standard, conveyor-belt late Charlie Chan entry from his Monogram Pictures phase. Sidney Toler is back again as the oriental detective, this time in Mexico, where the bad guys are seeking some A-bomb plans and the corpses start piling high.

The plot is much as before, with atomic secrets up for grabs and bullets fired from nowhere. The Red Dragon has not many thrills, but is dies have some good humour and charm, and there is a special Poverty Row touch to the production and direction that works.

It also stars Fortunio Bonanova as Inspector Luis Carvero, Benson Fong as Tommy Chan, Robert Emmett Keane as Alfred Wyans, Willie Best as Chattanooga Brown, the cousin of Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland being absent) and Carol Hughes as Marguerite Fontan.

Also in the cast are Marjorie Hoshelle, Barton Yarborough, George Meeker, Don Costello, Charles Trowbridge, Mildred Boyd, Barbara Jean Wong, Donald D Taylor and Lucio Villegas.

The 35th of 47 Charlie Chan movies, it follows The Shanghai Cobra (1945) and is followed by Dark Alibi (1946).

The Red Dragon [Charlie Chan and the Red Dragon] is directed by Phil Rosen, runs 64 minutes, is made and released by Monogram Pictures , is written by George Callahan, is shot in black and white by Vincent Farrar and is produced by James S Burkett.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9055

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