IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Charlie's investigation of a phony psychic during the 1939 World Exposition on San Francisco's Treasure Island leads him to expose a suicide as murder.Charlie's investigation of a phony psychic during the 1939 World Exposition on San Francisco's Treasure Island leads him to expose a suicide as murder.Charlie's investigation of a phony psychic during the 1939 World Exposition on San Francisco's Treasure Island leads him to expose a suicide as murder.
Victor Sen Yung
- Jimmy Chan
- (as Sen Yung)
Douglass Dumbrille
- Thomas Gregory
- (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Arthur Berkeley
- Audience Member
- (uncredited)
William A. Boardway
- Audience Member
- (uncredited)
Jack Chefe
- Audience Member
- (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin
- First Taxicab Driver
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Treasure Island referred to in the title is a man-made island in San Francisco Bay that was built in 1936-37 in anticipation of it hosting the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939-40. After the fair closed the U.S. Navy used the site for many years. Since the 1980s the site has been used by many film and television production companies with aircraft hangars #2 and #3 converted to sound stages.
- GoofsAs Chan's airplane approaches San Francisco, we briefly see a stock shot of the uncompleted eastern span of the Bay Bridge. The bridge opened more than two years before the Golden Gate International Exposition, the film's setting.
- Quotes
Charlie Chan: We are destroying web of spider. Now let us find spider.
- ConnectionsEdited into Who Dunit Theater: Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (2021)
Featured review
One of the best of the series
While in route to San Francisco, Chan's friend Paul Essex dies of an apparent suicide. The only clue is a threatening note from someone calling himself the Zodiac. Chan soon discovers that the Zodiac is a successful mystic. Together with a would-be psychic-buster and magician named Rhadini (Cesar Romero), Chan sets out to discover the source of the Zodiac's mysticism and unmask a killer.
I thought I had seen the best of the Charlie Chan series. Man, was I ever wrong. After a first viewing, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island has become one of my very favorite Chan films. It's not just one of Toler's best, it's one of the three or four best entries in the entire series. It's got everything a fan could ask for - an interesting plot, a larger than life villain, solid acting, compelling characters, real suspense, comic relief that's actually funny, and some of the best writing I've seen in a Chan movie. The final reveal is also one of the best in the series. It's not the usual drawing room gathering of the suspects (which I usually prefer), but a drawn out, tension filled scene in a theater full of people. And speaking of tension, Chan's first meeting with the Zodiac is amazing, if not a bit frightening. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Cesar Romero, Douglas Fowley, Pauline Moore, and, personal favorite, Douglass Dumbrille add considerably to the film. Overall, this is one Charlie Chan film that I'm very much look forward to revisiting - and soon.
I thought I had seen the best of the Charlie Chan series. Man, was I ever wrong. After a first viewing, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island has become one of my very favorite Chan films. It's not just one of Toler's best, it's one of the three or four best entries in the entire series. It's got everything a fan could ask for - an interesting plot, a larger than life villain, solid acting, compelling characters, real suspense, comic relief that's actually funny, and some of the best writing I've seen in a Chan movie. The final reveal is also one of the best in the series. It's not the usual drawing room gathering of the suspects (which I usually prefer), but a drawn out, tension filled scene in a theater full of people. And speaking of tension, Chan's first meeting with the Zodiac is amazing, if not a bit frightening. Charlie Chan at Treasure Island also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Cesar Romero, Douglas Fowley, Pauline Moore, and, personal favorite, Douglass Dumbrille add considerably to the film. Overall, this is one Charlie Chan film that I'm very much look forward to revisiting - and soon.
helpful•110
- bensonmum2
- Feb 15, 2008
- How long is Charlie Chan at Treasure Island?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Charlie Chan auf der Schatzinsel
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $120,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 14 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) officially released in India in English?
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