Charlie Chan in Meeting at Midnight [DVD]

This film was originally known as "Meeting at Midnight" but when you run the DVD you'll see that the title was changed to "Black Magic". It features Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan and Mantan Moreland is right there as needed for great comic relief. We also get to meet one of Charlie's shrewder kids who is played by the talented Frances Chan. (Yes, her real name is Chan!)THE STORY: Mantan Moreland replaces the current butler in a big spooky house where scam artists are running seances. Not long after he arrives, a seance takes place and it just so happens that Charlie Chan's daughter is participating... and then a murder takes place during the seance.The man was shot by the infamous "disappearing bullet"! (How many urban legends have been launched from this idea, I cannot say). In any event, Charlie's daughter becomes one of several suspects in the crime which is a caveat that the police use to twist Charlie's arm a bit to get him to investigate the case.One of the more heinous acts of the scamsters includes the use of a secret drug which makes the victim very succeptible to suggestion under hypnosis, even to the point that they will commit suicide. Charlie makes progress in the case until he too is slipped some of the drug and commanded to step off a tall building into nothing firmer than air space!This is a fine mystery, perhaps not the very best of Charlie Chan films, but still very watchable. This 1944 film is, of course, shot in black-and-white and the aspect is full-screen. It was directed by Phil Rosen and the characters are "suggested" by Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan stories. The running time is 65 minutes.If you're looking for the very best Charlie Chan Films you can view either "Charlie Chan and the Jade Mask" (Sidney Toler), "Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum" (Sidney Toler), "Charlie Chan's Secret" (Warner Oland), or, "Castle in the Desert" (Sidney Toler). Charlie Chan in The Jade Mask Charlie Chan: At the Wax Museum Charlie Chan's Secret Charlie Chan: Castle in the Desert Unfortunately, some of these titles are difficult to obtain on DVD and you are relegated to watching them in the VHS format.In any case, "Meeting at Midnight" is a fine old mystery film and Chan Fans in particular will savor it.

This is one of the best and also one of the hardest to find in the Chan series.

Charlie Chan is my favorite movie detective. I can never decide which Chan I like best... Toler or Oland. You have to enjoy Birmingham Brown. He adds a welcome touch just when it is needed. This movie was oiginally titled, "Black Magic".

One of my favorite Charlie Chan's about seance's and a murder without a weapon although this one comes with a daughter as well as a son helping solve the crime. It plays on people's fascination with hypnotism during the period this movie was filmed. I enjoy Charlie Chan movies because they are a step into a simpilier past when the vilian

Old movies are sometimes hard to find; Amazon has helped us fill gaps in our collections. The packages arrived in plenty of time for Christmas gift giving and were in good condition--just what I ordered. Thank you, Amazon!

Very very hard to hear.

FAST DELIVERY NO PROBLEMS

Good and worth the money, but Toler's movies are very similar. Fun but not spectacular

What a classic.

very funny and capervateing

Ok as an example of the type but suprisingly not as good as the Karloff versions of the genre. Prefer MR.MOTO series as a type genre of the period.

This like many of those kind of films is very good and shows that brain power far out ways the importance of gadgets recomended