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..
- Year: 1939
- Country: United States of America
- Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- Keyword: paris, france, arms smuggling, espionage, murder, burglary, enemy agent, cheap hotel, forger, eve of world war ii, forged passport, burglars, comical sidekick, charlie chan, bumbling cop, fugitive suspect, gas masks, bistro
- Director: Herbert I. Leeds
- Cast: Sidney Toler, Harold Huber, Pedro de Cordoba, Lynn Bari, Richard Clarke, Dorothy Tree
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.