Sidney Toler (1874–1947)

Those Charlie Chan fans who only consider the topflight series at Fox worth watching, dismissing the “B” films made after Sidney Toler bought the rights to Earl Derr Biggers’ famous detective and took him to Poverty Row, are truly missing out on some great fun. While it is true some of the films were only marginally “B” yarns, a few were solid “B” entries, and a couple were stellar efforts. The Shanghai Cobra gets a B+, being great fun.

The opening scene on a rainy night sets an atmospheric tone to this fun Chan entry, marked with humor, more action than usual for the series once it went to Poverty Row, a pretty nifty little mystery, and some excellent sets which director Phil Karlson makes the most of. An interesting device of an unseen girl behind a diner jukebox occasionally gives the viewer a sense of watching an audience watch a Charlie Chan film! It not only adds to the fun in the screenplay from George Callahan and George Wallace Sayre, but proves an integral part in solving the Cobra part of the mystery.

Nicely photographed by Vincent Farrar for Monogram, the opening sequence catches a woman following a man into a diner on a rainy night. Before it's over, someone will be the latest victim of a killer who dispatches his victims with cobra venom. The killings date all the way back to 1937 Shanghai, when Charlie brought in a suspect, only to lose him during the bombings by the Japanese. Charlie being the only man to ever see him, he is of course summoned. Adding some fun to this quite serious task is Benson Fong as Charlie’s son Tommy, and Mantan Moreland as Birmingham.

Chan has some suspicions concerning a bank where pretty Pauline Webster (Joan Barclay) works. Even guarding some radium can’t prevent Charlie from playing matchmaker in this one, nor can it prevent Chan’s “help” from inserting themselves into the case and causing more problems than they solve. This fun mystery has Charlie rescuing his “help,” uncovering an ingenious method of murder, and reuniting a family.

This atmospheric Charlie Chan “B” lives up to it’s “B” status. The Shanghai Cobra actually gives some of “A” films a run for their money despite the Poverty Row budget. A terrific piece of “B” filmmaking and one of the most enjoyable Charlie Chan “B” entries of the entire series.… (meer)