After Warner Oland's death, 20th Century Fox wanted to keep the Charlie Chan series going so Sidney Toler slotted in instead. He was less warm than Oland, more like a wax figure, and no more authentically Chinese. His sidekick, number Two son, played by Victor Sen Yung, was less good than Keye Luke too.
However this is actually one of the best in the series - bright, energetic, and off the wall. Its set in Honolulu with Chan awaiting the birth of his first grandson (a good idea to introduce Toler because he's established as a family man and is on his home turf). A boat arrives with a dead body - Number Two Son amusingly pretends to be dad and tries to solve the case as him while Dad's at hospital; eventually Charlie figures out what is up and heads over.
I wonder why they used the pretending-to-be-Charlie Chan plot here... was Fox worried audiences would take to Toler and wanted to limit his time on screen? Anyway it actually suits the tone of the rest of the movie which throws in everything - it's mostly set on ship but feels like a haunted house story at times; there's an escaped lion and his comic relief tamer, George Zucco as a mad scientist experimenting on brains, a gruff sea captain, ever presence 30s gangster Marc Lawrence, a younger Chan son as well, constant cutting back to Charlie's son in law at the hospital.
It is a decent mystery, the finale has the suspects gathered, I didn't pick the killer (the young lovers are reasonable suspect) and the handling is vigorous. Lots of fun. I wish it had Oland instead of Toler but you can't have everything.
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