Phil Rosen (1888–1951)

A scientist working on an important new invention which will protect Allied shipping from U-boat torpedoes has been assigned Secret Service security protection. Amazingly, despite the fact that his laboratory and experiments are located on the upper floor of his Washington mansion, he decides to host a cocktail party for friends on the first floor. Even though several of his guests are foreign nationals with shadowy pasts, he refuses to allow his bodyguards to attend because their presence might offend them. When he is killed by unknown means before joining them, the resultant summary investigation includes Honolulu detective Charlie Chan and children Tommy and Iris, later joined by Birmingham Brown, the chauffeur of one of the guests. When a preliminary autopsy reveals the scientist was electrocuted, Charlie and his associates must decide which of the suspects and red herrings is the guilty party. Written by Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)… (mehr)

This was enjoyable--much more than I expected. The picture and sound quality is pretty poor--and no, it's not some pirated copy--this still has the sticker on--my aunt bought it on clearance. There's not one star name in this--and there are plenty of glaring plot holes in this tale of a woman trying to prove the innocence of a man sentenced to death. That "bridge of sighs" is the one connecting the courts to the jail. But a lot of the dialogue is witty, Marion Courtney is a surprisingly intelligent, brave kickass heroine for 1936 and she's played well by Dorothy Tree. If nothing else, I found myself entertained by the period details.… (mehr)