Charlie Chan at the Circus

Charlie Chan goes to the circus with his family. One of the circus's co-owners tells him he has been receiving threatening letters and asks for his help. Before long there is a murder. Chan starts looking into everyone who works there, the hierarchy under the tent, and who owes what to whom. His family is not far behind. Harry Lachman's seventy-two minute film is one of the lighter entries in the series; the circus setting supplies plenty of characters and plenty of suspects. What is most argued about in the series today is again the casting: the Chinese detective is played in make-up by Warner Oland, born in Sweden. Keye Luke, who plays his son Lee, really was of Chinese descent.