Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Dark Alibi (1946)

A bank is robbed and a guard killed, the fingerprints of ex-con Thomas Harley (Edward Earle) are found on the scene and he is arrested and later convicted.

With his execution just days away his desperate daughter June (Teala Loring) calls on Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) for help. He finds that Harley was living in a boarding house full of potential suspects. Everyone seems rather suspicious and somehow involved. When Chan is shot at he knows he has made the real perpetrator worried.

But surely the fingerprints make it an open and shut case? It seems perfect but Charlie Chan thinks its too perfect...

Charlie Chan is on great form in this film, which is sprinkled with humour especially with his lazy son (Benson Fong) and his chauffeur (Mantan Morland) who make a great double act. There are also many pseudo-Chinese proverbs and philosophy throughout.