CHARLIE CHAN In "The Jade Mask" - 1945

Today, Charlie Chan is brought in to solve a mystery after an eccentric scientist goes missing in his mansion with a hidden lab, secret panels, a suspicious butler and greedy relatives with unusual talents. It boils down to... Where's the body? How can a dead man walk? And, how can a murder be done in full view of detectives and witnesses?

It stars Sidney (22 roles as Charlie Chan) Toler, Mantan (My Hero!) Moreland, Edwin (BLOOD ALLEY) Luke, Hardie (THE MAD DOCTOR OF MARKET STREET) Albright, Frank (HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN) Reicher, Janet (THE TWONKY) Warren and Cyril (THE INVISIBLE MAN'S REVENGE) Delevanti.

The story starts with this bizarre scene of the scientist Harper and his assistant working in their little gas chamber. What they're doing is a mystery at this point, with their gas masks and all...

Well, Harper is paranoid about security so no one except him and the butler, Roth, in the household knows anything about where his secret papers are hidden.

Then it happens, Harper is working in his lab when he gets a dose of poison gas!

Charlie Chan is called in to solve the mystery of the disappearing scientist. Holy crap, there's a pile of misfits to question, and none of them really like each other!

Charlie does some investigating and discovers the dead scientist, he pulls the curtain and viola, the body was still in the lab!.. What the?

Charlie and the sheriff question the butler, who's rather dodgy about the matter.

By far, the strangest person there is Harper's assistant, Walter Meeker. He always stops the show when he speaks up. He accuses Roth of murdering Harper...

In the meantime, Charlie and one of the women find the secret room and vault where Harper hides his papers. When they open the vault, they find a woman there, she's removed and lives through the ordeal.

Charlie grabs the papers and puts them in his pocket for safe keeping...

Mute housemate Michael Strong is played by Lester Dorr, right, who the heck is Lester Dorr? Well, get this, he has an astronomical 495 acting credits!!!!! Anyway, things get super complicated near the end, Michael has a clue for Charlie, but falls dead from a poison dart that nobody knows from where it came. Did I mention that Harper was also making human sized marionettes and puppets, and robots, for the war effort?

Walter comes in and starts with some insane crap and twisted insight about the case.

Charlie, who has all the clues now, has the sheriff grab the assistant and he pulls a mask off of the impersonator for all to see... He then points at one of the women and accuses her of being an accomplice to murder. He also informs her that the maniac also tried to kill HER!

She turns on him. Hey, they're married!! He's a quick change artist and impersonator, she's a puppet master, both trying to get their hands on the papers! So, everything turns out swell, but Birmingham (Mantan) wants to get the Hell away from that house!

As the sheriff is driving back to town, Birmingham catches up and asks him how far into town, then speeds away!.. So, we'll be back on Wednesday with more treats for you, here at The Dungeon!!..