Castle in the Desert
Seen it?1942 | 62 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Monday Morning Maybeearly ratingWhy it’s a Monday Morning Maybe
With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- One for people who can't resist a good whodunit and anyone drawn to the darker side of the street. The investigation drives everything, one lead at a time. Liked L.A. Confidential? This is a good next one.
- The mood
- Tense, gritty.
- The pace
- Moves at a clip, at 1 hr 2 min. Done before bedtime.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1942: an older pace and style.
- Skip it if you like your heroes clean-cut.
Charlie Chan, with son Jimmy on a week's pass from the Army, takes up a request for help at a castle-home, miles from anywhere in the American desert south-west and inhabited by an eccentric, reclusive historian and his wife, a descendant of Lucrezia Borgia. Once there, he finds the request's legitimacy denied by all who are present, but still necessary as one houseguest has already been murdered, the other guests are at each other's throat, and the Borgia-related chatelain is suspected...
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 3K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Harry Lachman
- Sidney TolerCharlie Chan
- Victor Sen YungJimmy Chan
- Lenita LaneLucy Borgia Manderley
- Douglass DumbrillePaul Manderley
- Steven GerayDr. Retling
- Edmund MacDonaldWalter Hartford
- Arleen WhelanBrenda Hartford
- Ethel GriffiesMme. Saturnia, aka Lizzie
- Henry DaniellWatson King
- Richard DerrCarl Detheridge