The role of Chan's chauffeur Birmingham Brown was traditionally played by comedian Mantan Moreland, but not in this film. Mantan Moreland and Ben Carter, seen in the previous Chan mystery The Scarlet Clue, became so popular as a comedy team that they embarked on a coast-to-coast personal-appearance tour for eight weeks,[1] which is why Moreland was missing from the next two Chan pictures, The Red Dragon and Dangerous Money. Veteran African-American comic Willie Best substituted for him as Chattanooga Brown, Birmingham's cousin.
Plot
Scientist Alfred Wyans of Mexico City has perfected a more powerful version of the atomic bomb. His assistant, Walter Dorn, fears for the formula's safety and telephones Charlie Chan to safeguard the formula. Wyans hosts a luncheon, where several international guests have been invited. By the time Chan arrives, however, a murder has been committed and the formula has disappeared. It develops that the various luncheon guests sought to purchase the secret formula. Scientist Wyans is himself killed, and during Chan's investigation he discovers that the fatal bullets were not fired by a gun. He also discovers that Walter Dorn had hidden the formula cleverly, by a means almost impossible to detect. Chan finds the remote-control mechanism that triggered the shots, and corners the murderer in a desperate gun battle.
The Red Dragon was generally considered a step down for the Charlie Chan series. Trade publisher Pete Harrison was frank: "Not much can be said for this latest in the Charlie Chan program detective series. The story is so far-fetched, and the direction and performances are so ordinary, [that] by the time Chan solves the mystery at the finish, one's interest in the solution is gone. All in all, the picture is way below par for the series."[2]Film Bulletin agreed: "Below par Charlie Chan entry. Charlie Chan merely ambles through this routine mystery programmer, which will get by in the lesser action spots."[3]Showmen's Trade Review elaborated on the problems: "The picture is a minor offering, not up to the usual standard of previous films in the series, due to the lack of action -- most of the film's footage is confined to a small area -- and the implausibility of the story. However, there's enough suspense in the mysterious happenings to hold the interest throughout, which should give the average audience and the Chan followers some degree of entertainment. Sidney Toler appears to live the part of Chan, for he's smooth and natural in the part."[4] William R. Weaver of Motion Picture Daily, noting that a key plot point was unfairly withheld from the viewer, gave Toler the benefit of the doubt: "Sidney Toler's portrayal of Charlie Chan is perhaps the best he has given, and it is his performance that carries the picture. The script commits the professional offense of solving the accumulated murder mysteries by post-climax revelation of an explanation not previously present in the story. Presumably the Chan followers will settle for the Toler characterization, however, which is what counts."[5]
Home media
The Red Dragon has been released on DVD.
References
↑ Boxoffice, "Moreland and Carter Booked for Tour", June 9, 1945, p. 92.
↑ Pete Harrison, Harrison's Reports, Dec. 15, 1945, p. 99.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
