Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum

By combining Charlie Chan with a good old wax museum murder does the trick! Dummies, radio mysteries, crime enthusiasts and Chan & Son are just few of the things that make Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940) a highly enjoyable detective farce in true Chan-style. Probable the best of the 4 released in 1940.

The film has a great opening: a man has planned the murder of Charlie Chan and we see how in intricate detail, but only the wrong man is murdered. And in the wrong way! Great atmosphere is provided by the titular museum, with a lot of suspects floating about suspiciously. It's a little difficult to follow in spots, and the murderer is kind of a letdown, but it's still got some wonderfully morbid bits.