- Someone is attempting to steal radium stored in a bank. Death by cobra venom connects a number of murders. Charlie investigates.
- When three employees of a bank are found murdered with cobra venom, Charlie Chan connects the homicides to a case he had worked in Shanghai in 1937. Even though he arrested the alleged murderer, whom later escaped from the police, Charlie wouldn't be able to recognize him because, at the time of his apprehension, his badly burned face and hands were swathed in bandages. Although Chan believes he is now involved with a gang that is stealing valuable radium from a bank vault, utilizing tunnels that connect to the area sewer system, his new identity remains a mystery. When a detective disguised as a bank guard is found dead in a tunnel by Birmingham, Charlie knows he's on the right track.—duke1029
- The Shanghai Cobra, Released 9-29-45 On a rainy night two people enter a coffee shop, a lady and a Mr. Black. Joe, the shop-owner, offers his beef stew, the man only wants black coffee, he moves toward the coffee pot, stopping to offer the lady his beef stew, while she stares at the stranger outside the door. The man outside was in a car parked nearby, he took out his gun, putting it back in its holster, under his raincoat. She insists on just a cup of coffee. The stranger enters, sits at the counter, ordering a cup of coffee, much to the chagrin of Joe, the owner. The woman and Black go over to the record machine, they argue, the raincoat man approaches, the woman kisses him on the cheek, pretending they know each other. The man identifies himself as Ned Stewart, while Joe wants to be paid for the coffee, the lady asks Ned to pay the bill, she will wait outside. The lady meets Mr. Black outside in the rain, he says he has been trying to talk to her for days, he clutches his chest, collapses to the ground. Ned Stewart asks what happened, the lady says she doesn't know, other than, he tried to say something, but instead, went down to the sidewalk. She says she will call for help. Ned comes back in the coffee shop, Joe sends him out back in the direction the woman went. A policeman enters, and goes out the back, there is a gunshot. Joe requests a song from the operator of the record machine.
At the police station, Inspector Davis reads the newspaper, three cobra killings, Mr. Grey enters the office, and Davis discusses the killings. Grey says there is only one man able to identify these killers. Inspector of Police, Harry Davis, Homicide Squad, asks for Charlie Chan's help with a wire, remembering Charlie's offer to help, when they both worked a Honolulu beat. Charlie responds to the request with a smile, cancelling his appointments for the next several days.
In Davis's office, Chan reviews the case. Three persons are murdered by the bite of cobra fangs. All three victims worked for the Sixth National Bank. The men were bank guards and the girl worked in the posting department. Charlie reminisces with Davis, eight years ago in Shanghai, he arrested a man named Van Horn for bank robbery and murder by cobra bite. It was the first day Japanese bombers flew over Shanghai, Van Horn was a prisoner, badly injured in bombing. Inspector Mainwaring rode with Charlie to the British Police Headquarters to meet Van Horn for the second time. Van Horn had bandages about his head, telling Charlie is being framed. While he was transported to Singapore, he jumped out of the small boat he was being moved. That was the last time Charlie says he heard of Van Horn. He face was badly burned, perhaps greatly changed, but his hair was unusual, a streak of white in very black hair. Charlie explains to Davis, the Sixth National Bank has something very valuable to the American Government, it stores radium. The bank is the distributing center for hospitals, laboratories and factories in this vicinity. He goes on to tell Davis, his plans to visit the bank and the coffee shop.
In the bank, assistants Tommy and Birmingham talk foolishly and are followed by a large bank guard, encountering Charlie Chan, who explains to the guard the misgivings of the two helpers. Chan sends the two to the car to wait for him. H.R. Jarvis encounters a woman in the bank, they exchange some words, Jarvis ignores Taylor and Morgan in the bank. Charlie is greeted by Bradford Harris, Vice President of the Bank. Chan explains his business is with the bank's President, Mr. Walter Fletcher; he is lead into the man's office. Greeted by Fletcher, Charlie notices the white streak of hair in the man's otherwise black scalp. Charlie asks Fletcher if he was ever in Shanghai, China. Fletcher responds yes, in 1936 and 1937, for the International Bank Company. Charlie tells he is investigating the deaths of three people, Rafferty, Dunham and Black; he wishes to examine personnel records of these individuals. Fletcher talks to his secretary, Miss Paula Webb, requesting the records of the three dead employees. Charlie also asks to look into safety deposit box number 210. Fletcher says the vault is special, rented by the US Government. Charlie says he works for the government, and has the key in hand to the box. Fletcher introduces Miss Paula Webb to Chan. Charlie greets her, then follows Fletcher to the vault room. Miss Webb telephones the deposit vault room, announcing Fletcher and Chan are coming down to the vault; she hangs up. Chan checks the deposit box, holding his Geiger counter near it, as the needle bounces. He tells Fletcher everything is normal.
Chan is next at the coffee shop, meeting irascible Joe, the owner, who denies knowing the lady and man in his shop, the night they were killed. The lady over the jukebox, identifies the man as Ned Stewart, listed in the phone book as Proprietor, Apex Detective Agency. The three enter Stewart's office, newspapers on desk show he had been reading about the cobra murders. The trio encounter Ned who has his gun drawn on Charlie, telling him he needs to call the police. Chan shows identification, he is the police. They all head to the police station. Steward is seen being grilled by Inspector Davis. Stewart said he was hired over the phone to follow the girl by a Mr. Rogers. Stewart hired Rogers to shadow the girl, who lived at a rooming house, under the name Pauline Webster. She went back to the same address the night Black died, but she had packed up her belongings and left the place by the time Stewart got back there. Stewart received payment for a week of service, and a note from Rogers saying do nothing more about Pauline Webster. The note accompanied a postal money order for payment, which is not traceable. Charlie states the handwriting of the note was an attempt to disguise the sourced author. An inspection of bank personnel signatures might tell us the writer identification. Chan requests Davis to inform the newspapers Mr. Stewart has been arrested for the murder of Samuel Black.
Bank guard, John Adams, asks Miss Webb if Mr. Fletcher had seen these headlines, handing her a newspaper, headline reading, private detective held for murder. Webb calls someone. Charlie is in Davis's office, gets phone call to meet the girl tonight, she has information for him. Charlie excuses himself to attend to personal matters. He tells Davis he will see him tonight after he talks with girl. Charlie is assuming it is the same girl in the coffee shop, present when Black collapsed out on the sidewalk. The same girl running through the coffee shop, out the back followed by the policeman shooting his gun.
At the café, the girl talks to Chan about the night Black encountered her on the sidewalk. She says he never got to speak to her, he dropped dead before he could speak. Stewart is sitting in the next booth, covered by booth curtains, Chan asks if he recognizes young lady, he says yes. He joins Chan and the lady. Chan introduces young lady as Paula Webb, known to Stewart as Pauline Webster, and she has cleared you of murder charge. Miss Webb, we expect you to come tomorrow to police headquarters to make an affidavit of your statement. Mr. Stewart is to escort charming young lady home. Paula Webb tells Stewart he didn't have anything more to do with Mr. Black's death than I did.
Detective Larkin phones from bank requesting Chan and Davis get over there promptly, when they arrive Larkin is gone. Adams, the bank guard by day and night, tells Chan they have searched for Larkin, cannot locate him. Davis tells Fletcher and Harris of Larkin's identity as a police detective. Charlie explains to Davis, Larkin's disappearance will be a mystery which they must solve alone. Inspector will have the architect's plans of the bank building sent in, showing sewers and tunnels. Morgan and Taylor, seen in the bank earlier, both have records, will be picked up, and they will be grilled for information. Tommy and Birmingham bump into Morgan and Taylor on the sidewalk. The two criminals enter the laundry service store, greet Rita, the laundry clerk, heading to the back room. Tommy and Birmingham sneak in the laundry, past Rita, into the back room, discovering a secret entry to the cellar. They venture down into the tunnel, then climb down into the storm sewer.
Charlie, Inspector Davis and Stewart are passed by a woman coming of the elevator. She comments they look like someone she knew. Tommy and Birmingham continue through the tunnels. They run into Larkin, who is dead. Morgan and Taylor are now following the sounds of the two assistants. The two criminals shoot at the two assistants, having climbed up a level to the tunnel. Charlie, Davis and Stewart are moving through the tunnel as well; they hear the shots. The two assistants meet up with the three, stating the two criminals started to shoot, so they left in a hurry. The two tell of finding the dead man. Charlie wants to see first-hand. The body is confirmed to be Larkin, telling Charlie what they need to know. Larkin was the fourth person to die by the fangs of the cobra. Larkin's body found outside of bank proved in reverse a way to get into bank without going through the front door. The three prior deaths were common to the coffee shop, which will be visited tomorrow. Now they visit the laundry with mysterious trap door, but the trap door is gone; they all leave. Charlie talks to the letter carrier, finding the laundry moved one door down. The group enters next door, finds the building empty, but the trap door is there. They enter the tunnel, start moving to try and determine how Larkin got from inside the bank to the cellar's tunnels. They find a duct vent leading up to a light. Stewart climbs up the vent, into the office of Fletcher's secretary. Charlie and Davis enter the bank, excuse themselves to Fletcher and Harris, who are not welcome to follow. They meet Stewart, showing them the way he came through the ventilator. Miss Paula comes out of Fletcher's office, surprised to see the men. Fletcher and Harris question how Stewart got there. Chan tells Paula to get her coat and follow the detectives and Stewart.
The group confronts Joe, the coffee shop owner. Charlie learns the bank employees frequent his shop. Charlie also learns the jukebox was installed by a guy named Jan Van Horn, per Joe. Joe describes Van Horn as mediocre. Charlie thanks all, instructing them to remain there in the coffee shop. He goes with Davis to the second floor of bank building seeking the girl who's comes from the juke box. Charlie says she walked off the elevator yesterday, her voice sounded strangely familiar. The elevator boy told Charlie she worked in the office of H.R. Jarvis, Chemical Engineer, second floor. They approach the office, hear someone inside, hide around the corner, a man exits, presumably Jarvis. Davis gives Charlie his skeleton key to enter, and comments, slightly illegal. Chan quips back, murder is much more illegal. They enter, walk through to a second room, a chemical laboratory, Charlie dabs his finger in something on the counter, suspects Penta, a very powerful explosive. He wants police chemist to analyze the substance. Girl of voice jukebox works there, so jukebox must be there. He spots an amateur method of concealment, the bookshelf, concealing a hidden room. The woman sitting at the desk is the voice. Charlie operates the television screen, showing Tommy and Birmingham at the coffee shop. The girl says she only works there, knows nothing, or admits nothing. Charlie asks the group, when Mr. Black was there, did he put a coin in the box? Paula says yes, Black did put a coin in, got the wrong number, subsequently, got his money back. Charlie asks the girl, which button did you push to return his money? She pushes a button off to the side. Charlie directs Stewart to push return coin button, but not with finger. He pushes it with a nail file from Paula. A needle comes out of a hole, just below the coin return button. Stewart says Charlie found the cobra, a device in the machine, obviously activated from the girl's machine. She says she didn't touch that lever, it was always Jan Van Horn. The girl says she cannot describe him, because she never saw his face. Charlie questions all the associations with him, yet she never saw his face. He asks her to accompany them to police headquarters. Charlie tells Davis, the girl is not lying, when she says she has not seen Jan Van Horn's face. The inspector thinks otherwise, he plans on holding her for further questioning. Inspector Davis and Charlie Chan agree they have reached an impasse, however, Chan alerted the newspapers government will remove the radium from the bank tomorrow. If thieves believe radium is removed tomorrow, they might try to steal same tonight. Chan requests police be in cars in street outside bank, and are to move in when signaled by him. Charlie excuses himself to see Mr. Fletcher at bank.
A man speaks on the phone, everything is ready on this end, he is here now. They are playing into our hands, Morgan, the government is planning on moving the radium in the morning. A great deal of work to make this rocket practical. Morgan says that will sure put a nice hole in the vault. Is everything ready in the tunnel? Morgan says yes. They synchronize watches. The tubes will be put in the rocket at eleven o'clock.
Charlie pulls up to bank, meets Mr. Adams, telling him of appointment with Mr. Fletcher. He asks Adams, if he thinks Miss Webb is connected with murder. Adams replies no, not that child. Charlie enters Fletcher's office, asking to open vault. Fletcher says the time lock won't open vault until nine tomorrow. Charlie informs Fletcher, time lock not set for tonight, by my orders. Charlie enters vault with Fletcher, checks on radium with his pocket Geiger counter. Says everything is in order, Adams closes the safety deposit box door, Chan tells Fletcher, we will return to your office. A man walks out of the bank, in front of Charlie's car, appears to be Morgan or Taylor. Tommy spots Taylor. Assumes he is heading for the laundry, to enter the tunnel; he follows.
Tommy and Birmingham discover a tied up policeman behind the laundry back-room-door, Taylor is right behind them, gun drawn, he spots the tied-up cop, as the two assistants move through the tunnel. The two hear Taylor approaching, with Morgan, from the opposite direction, they head down to the sewer, Taylor fires his gun in their direction. Morgan tells Taylor to hold it, he drops a bag of Penta down, setting off an explosion. The explosion is heard by Charlie and Fletcher, beneath the bank, they leave to investigate.
Charlie enters the tunnel, Fletcher hangs back, warning Chan. Charlie proceeds in tunnel, Morgan and Taylor are setting the explosives, Morgan tells Taylor, I will keep them covered, call Jarvis, tell him to go ahead. Charlie locates Tommy, as more concrete falls, trapping them. The phone operators detect something in the phone lines, it sounds like Morse code. Inspector Davis is called by the operator supervisor. Tommy asks Charlie if the code worked. Charlie answers, it had better, or we are finished. The operator contacts Davis with message, letting the Inspector know to proceed with plan to catch thieves, and they are trapped in sewer from explosion. Davis gets the message, calls all cars to bank.
Morgan and Taylor are set to explode the Penta, they have readied. The police enter the tunnel shooting at Morgan and Taylor, as multiple cars have descended upon the bank. Jarvis says five seconds, he ignites the Penta, blowing the safe to the boxes, as police grab him, after the explosion. Davis's men reach Charlie and assistants.
Charlie fresh from a change of linen, enters Fletcher's office, explaining to Inspector Davis he has arrested four persons, but he still seeks killer and leader of bank robbers. Fletcher tells Charlie the police said it was a man named Van Horn. Charlie turns to Paula Webb, stating every time Van Horn is mentioned you are frightened, not for self, but for Van Horn. A man named Rogers was worried about you; Mr. Adams is also worried about you, Miss Webb. Fingerprints have been compared with people working in bank to that of Mr. Rogers letter to Mr. Stewart. Adams admits writing the letter. He shows Charlie his wrists, reflective of the burns he received in Shanghai. Affection noticed, by humble detective, between you and Miss Webb. Webb is Adams' daughter, the reason Adams had Stewart follow Webb was to protect her, without her knowing. Adams admits to being Van Horn, he died his hair, had plastic surgery. Webb says Dad never killed anyone or robbed any bank anywhere. Charlie asks why you come here after you escaped? One of the men on the boat had some of the jewels I was accused of stealing in Shanghai, I came to the US following that man, to get to the man who framed me for robbery and murder. Charlie inquires, who was the man you followed? It was Jarvis, replies Van Horn.
Charlie continues his deductions, Jarvis took an office in the building, so you got a job in bank. Paula also got a job here. She saw Black talking to Jarvis, so she started following Black at night. Adams or Van Horn hired Stewart to follow her. Charlie tells Van Horn, there was only one man who fully believed you robbed the bank in Shanghai, that man who collected all and the only evidence against you. The only man who disappeared when you escaped, Special Agent Hume of Shanghai. I have a bag of strange powder, which I find on Mr. Jarvis' desk. Chan tosses the bag to Jarvis, VP Harris intercepts, catching the bag with his left hand, warning Chan to be more careful. Chan tells explosive in another bag. You are one who stopped being careful for the first time, you use left hand. Special Agent Hume was also left-handed. When I receive fingerprints from England, I will prove you are that special agent. Harris reaches for lighter in his coat pocket, Chan wrestles it away from him. Police take Harris or Hume away. Charlie declares, at last, Inspector Davis, we have captured the human cobra. Chan demonstrates, two buttons on lighter, one to produce a flame, the other button pushes out two needles, that killed Detective Larkin. Chan pulls the diamond ring from Stewart's pocket, gives it to Adams, while Stewart holds Webb.
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