If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Expected more

Absolutely Fantastic

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

CC at the Circus is an introduction of a slightly new direction in the series. Instead of the Chinese sleuth solving mysteries in a specific city or country (as in London, Paris, Shanghai, etc) he began to diversify into piquant locations: the circus, wax work museum's, race track's etc. The tourist locations were not dropped, of course, but the new angle managed to keep the series from becoming tired.This one is one of the best of the Chan films from 1931-36, with a locked room circus wagon murder giving us an enjoyable mystery, which unfortunately doesn't give the audience much chance to guess the killer's identity. How are we supposed to know the gorilla hair is from a dead animal? The casino angle in the tale is introduced pretty late, too.However it's the entertainment value that's important this time out, and this is splendid fare. In Warner Oland we trust! He's always great in the Chan movies, and he's ably supported by the delightful Keye Luke as his no.1 son, Lee. And unlike Mrs Columbo we actually get to see Charlie's family several times in the series. Utterly delightful. And interesting to see J. Carroll Naish in an early role.Well, bring on the next Chan....

With possibly the best sense of place in the entire series this is another one of the films that is near the top of the entire run of Chan films.The plot has Chan and some of his sons getting involved in the dark happenings in and a round a circus. The film manages to walk the fine line between being both light and dark. You have the humor of Number One Son's attempts to help, but you also have the seriousness of the main mystery. sometimes the two tones don't work together, but here they do and the result is truly satisfying.I really like this film a great deal and in a twisted sort of way think that this would be nicely paired with Todd Brownings Freaks, with which it shares a setting and some of the same actors.

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS (1936)A good offering in the Fox series providing an interesting change of locale, with Charlie Chan enjoying a day at the circus with his rather extensive family, only to stay behind with son and partner Lee when some foul play erupts. A circus gorilla kills the owner, who happened to be a boss whom nobody liked. It's interesting to see substantial roles for George and Olive Brasno, who play the "little people" of the circus, who also were prominent in one of the old "Our Gang" shorts ("Shrimps For a Day"). Also welcome among the cast is J. Carrol Naish.*** out of four

I am a big fan of Charlie Chan, owning all the Warner Oland/Sidney Toler episodes I can find and enjoying them, but that doesn't mean they automatically are all wonderful. This one is okay, but disappointing considering how much better it could have been. It did have its customary comic moments with Keye Luke as Number One Son and Charlie had a ton of proverbs, but they weren't particularly profound or humorous, just so-so. One thing different was the co-starring of real-life "small people" circus performers, George and Olive Branso, who were okay as actors.With a setting like the circus, and with Chan's huge family all there (a dozen kids) they could have all kinds of interesting scenarios, but outside of a quick cobra scene and an ape making noise a few times, not much happened. This story was just plain flat overall until the final 10 minutes. The ending was pretty clever but it was a case of too-little, too-late.Overall, it's not a bad film but there is an "edge" to this murder-mystery that is missing.