Sidney Toler in "Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise" (1940) - feat. Victor Sen Yung & Leo G. Carroll

The case begins with the stabbing death of research scholar Kenyon (Robert Lowery) in San Francisco. Kenyon had been part of a circle studying psychic phenomena under the guidance of Dr. Suderman (Lionel Atwill), a mysterious figure with hypnotic influence over his followers. Convinced that the killer is among this circle, Honolulu detective Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) accepts an invitation to join them on an ocean voyage across the Pacific to San Francisco, hoping the confined setting will expose the culprit.

Aboard ship, Chan is accompanied by his bumbling but eager son Jimmy Chan (Victor Sen Yung), whose comic missteps often complicate matters but occasionally yield clues. Also on board are Susie Watson (Marjorie Weaver), a spirited woman with a keen interest in the case; Professor Gordon (Leo G. Carroll), an academic who harbors secrets of his own; Dr. Suderman, always exuding an air of menace; and a variety of passengers and crew, each with motives that might link them to the murder.

Soon after departure, another killing rocks the vessel. The victim, found in circumstances echoing Kenyon’s death, sends panic through the ship. Chan methodically interviews the suspects, using his calm demeanor and cryptic proverbs to unsettle them. Tensions rise as he notes inconsistencies in Suderman’s stories, observes Professor Gordon’s nervous behavior, and considers Susie’s suspiciously close knowledge of events. Meanwhile, Jimmy, eager to prove his worth, bungles investigations by tailing suspects, hiding in closets, and nearly exposing his father’s strategy, though he occasionally uncovers vital scraps of evidence.

The turning point comes when Chan discovers that the murders share a common thread: each victim had uncovered compromising information about Dr. Suderman’s background. Far from being a legitimate scientist, Suderman is revealed to be a fraud who used hypnotic tricks and intimidation to manipulate others. Cornered by Chan’s deductions, Suderman tries to stage another killing to deflect suspicion but is caught in the act.
In the tense climax, Suderman attempts escape but is overpowered by the ship’s crew and turned over to authorities upon docking. With the murderer unmasked, the passengers breathe a collective sigh of relief. Chan, ever modest, credits persistence and patience rather than brilliance for the solution, while Jimmy boasts of his own “assistance,” to the amusement of the onlookers. Order is restored and the detective’s reputation once again affirmed.

A 1940 Black & White murder mystery detective film (aka "Charlie Chan's Cruise", "Charlie Chan's Oriental Cruise", "Chan's Cruise," and "Chan's Murder Cruise") directed by Eugene Forde, John Stone associate producer, screenplay by Robertson White and Lester Ziffren, based on the story "Charlie Chan Carries On" by Earl Derr Biggers, cinematography by Virgil Miller, starring Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Yung, Robert Lowery, Marjorie Weaver, Lionel Atwill, Don Beddoe, Leo G. Carroll (as Leo Carroll), Cora Witherspoon, Leonard Mudie, Harlan Briggs, Charles Middleton, Claire Du Brey, Kay Linaker, James Burke, Richard Keene, Layne Tom Jr., and C. Montague Shaw. Released by Twentieth Century-Fox.

Shemp Howard appears as Shorty McCoy, uncredited.

There are two actors who also appeared in the serial "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars": Charles Middleton played Ming the Merciless, and Montagu Shaw was the Clay King.

Sidney Toler's fifth performance as Charlie Chan. The 24th of 47 Charlie Chan movies.The second film adaptation of Earl Derr Biggers' novel "Charlie Chan Carries On". The first version, with Chan played by Warner Oland, is now lost. This adaptation picks up at the point Chan becomes involved, and expands Chan's role.

Robert Ellis and Helen Logan wrote the first treatment for this film, which was followed by a treatment and screenplay written by John Larkin.

Charlie Chan quotes:
"To speak without thinking is to shoot without aiming."
"Truth, like oil, will in time rise to surface."
"Better a father lose his son than a detective his memory."
"Elusive offspring, like privacy, sometimes hard to find."
"In darkness, sometimes difficult to distinguish hawk from vulture."
" Life has been risked for jewels far less valuable than friendship."
"Man can more safely search for gold if world thinks he dig ditch."
"Young man's explanation, like skin of sensitive woman, very thin."
"Sometimes quickest way to brain of young sprout is by impression on other end."
"Hours are happiest when hands are busiest."
"Dead men need no protection."
Charlie Chan: When Chinese Emperor have eight suspects of murder, he solve problem very quickly.
Prof. Gordon: Really? How?
Charlie Chan: Chop off eight heads. Always sure getting one criminal.

This film stands as a classic example of the series’ blend of atmospheric mystery, exotic settings, and light comic relief, with Sidney Toler’s wise and measured portrayal of Chan counterbalanced by Victor Sen Yung’s lively energy.