Charlie Chan in Panama
One more minute... and the fleet is doomed!
1940 | 66m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Norman Foster |
|---|---|
| Writer: | John Larkin |
| Staring: |
| Charlie impersonates an employee of the U.S. government to foil an espionage plot which would destroy part of the Panama Canal, trapping a Navy fleet on its way to the Pacific after maneuvers in the Atlantic. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 01, 1940 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Norman Foster |
| Writer: | John Larkin |
| Genres: | Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | panama, panama canal |
| Production Companies | 20th Century Fox |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 10, 2025 Entered: Apr 27, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Sidney Toler | Charlie Chan |
| Jean Rogers | Kathi Lenesch (Baroness Kathi von Czardos) |
| Lionel Atwill | Cliveden Compton |
| Mary Nash | Miss Sarah Finch |
| Victor Sen Yung | Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung) |
| Kane Richmond | Richard Cabot |
| Chris-Pin Martin | Sergeant Montero |
| Lionel Royce | Dr. Rudolph Grosser |
| Helen Ericson | Stewardess |
| Jack La Rue | Emil Manolo |
| Edwin Stanley | Governor D.C. Webster |
| Donald Douglas | Captain Lewis |
| Frank Puglia | Achmed Halide |
| Addison Richards | R.J. Godley |
| Edward Keane | Dr. Fredericks |
| Eddie Acuff | Dance Sailor Suspicious of Kathi |
| Jimmy Aubrey | Drunk Fisherman with Cigar at Club |
| Brooks Benedict | Nightclub / Dance Extra |
| Lane Chandler | Powerhouse Search Officer |
| Russell Custer | Soldier |
| Alan Davis | Soldier |
| Franklyn Farnum | Marine Officer |
| Edward Gargan | Plant Workman |
| Harold Goodwin | Military Police Corporal |
| Sol Gorss | Soldier |
| Chuck Hamilton | Dance Extra |
| Alberto Morin | Hotel Desk Clerk |
| Philip Morris | Plainclothesman |
| Gloria Roy | Hostess |
| Charles Sherlock | Soldier |
| Charles Stevens | Native Fisherman-Cameraman Spy |
| Sid Troy | Sailor |
| Max Wagner | Soldier |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Earl Derr Biggers | Characters |
| John Larkin | Writer |
| Norman Foster | Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Sol M. Wurtzel | Executive Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Trending Position
This outing for our sleuth finds him working undercover - appropriately in a Panama hat shop - on a mission to help the US Government combat the activities of some spies bent on disrupting the movement of US Naval vessels though the Panama Canal. When a man is murdered in his shop, "Chan" is detaine ... d by the unwitting authorities who take him to a local jail where he, coincidentally, encounters no. 2 son "Jimmy" (Victor Sen Yung), who was working on a cruise liner and who is also stranded in Panama. Together, they must identify and thwart the would be saboteur amidst a plethora of suspects led by the always reliable Lionel Atwill ("Compton"). I enjoyed the dynamic between father and son - it works well, and the story is actually quite exciting to watch for the most part with a rather better ending than I was expecting. The constant dialogue in contrived proverbs is a little bit annoying, but then it wouldn't be "Charlie Chan" if he ever actually called a spade a spade...!