The Scarlet Clue takes it's name from a bloody footprint found at the scene of the first murder in this film, which takes place on a suitably mysterious docked boat. The action resumes at the Cosmo Radio Center, where a host of suspects and victims interact with Inspector Charlie Chan as he goes about solving the case.
In two wonderful segments, Chan's chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) carries on a spirited dialog with Ben Carter, each interpreting the other and finishing each other's sentences, leaving Number #3 Son Tommy (Benson Fong) totally confused.
There's an interesting segue near the middle of the film when Charlie Chan meets a former Shakespearean actor, now radio personality named Horace Karlos; could this be a tribute to Boris Karloff?
By the time the film ends, there are four victims, all having been murdered for being too close to the identity of the criminal attempting to steal government radar plans. In a clever scheme, two of the victims are dispatched via the pitch of a radio broadcast that shatters a vial containing a gas that lethally interacts with nicotine when the victims puff on a cigarette. As in many Charlie Chan films though, you don't see the identity of the guilty party coming, it's only revealed at the end with a neat wrap up by the Oriental detective.
In two wonderful segments, Chan's chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) carries on a spirited dialog with Ben Carter, each interpreting the other and finishing each other's sentences, leaving Number #3 Son Tommy (Benson Fong) totally confused.
There's an interesting segue near the middle of the film when Charlie Chan meets a former Shakespearean actor, now radio personality named Horace Karlos; could this be a tribute to Boris Karloff?
By the time the film ends, there are four victims, all having been murdered for being too close to the identity of the criminal attempting to steal government radar plans. In a clever scheme, two of the victims are dispatched via the pitch of a radio broadcast that shatters a vial containing a gas that lethally interacts with nicotine when the victims puff on a cigarette. As in many Charlie Chan films though, you don't see the identity of the guilty party coming, it's only revealed at the end with a neat wrap up by the Oriental detective.