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Comedy thriller

Dead Men Tell (1941): Cast & Plot

Dead Men Tell (1941) movie poster

Dead Men Tell is a 1941 comedy thriller directed by Harry Lachman, starring Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, Charles Tannen and Ethel Griffies. It runs 1 hour 1 minute.

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Read the plot summary
Dead Men Tell (1941) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 1m (61 min)
Director
Harry Lachman
Genres
Comedy , Crime , Thriller , Mystery
Original language
English
Studio
20th Century Fox
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Dead Men Tell About?

The premise of Dead Men Tell without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

Aboard a treasure ship, Charlie Chan faces the ghost of a pirate hanged a century ago. When the elderly benefactor who financed the hunt is killed on her docked vessel, Chan must assemble a four‑part map while dealing with the pirate’s spirit, a talking parrot, a recalcitrant sea captain, several suspicious passengers and a second murder.

Dead Men Tell Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • 1940s
  • pirate
  • pirate ancestor
  • hook
  • famous ancestor
  • evil ancestor
  • treasure
  • pipe smoking
  • talking parrot
  • black hook the pirate
  • pirate map
  • snooping
+38 more
  • locked in a crate
  • falling in water with clothes on
  • buried treasure
  • playing a concertina
  • hook for a hand
  • pet parrot
  • ghost story
  • laughter
  • bound and gagged
  • scared to death
  • shadow
  • discovering a dead body
  • suva star sailing ship
  • hand over mouth
  • peg leg
  • treasure hunt
  • black cat
  • holding a grudge
  • suffocated to death
  • foggy night
  • caucasian actor plays an asian character
  • charlie chan character
  • treasure map
  • red herring
  • ghost
  • revenge
  • psychiatrist
  • parrot
  • neurotic
  • heart attack
  • escaped prisoner
  • false accusation
  • waterfront bar
  • walking the plank
  • typist
  • suspect
  • reporter
  • newlywed couple
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Cast & crew

Dead Men Tell Cast & Characters

Sidney Toler leads the cast as Charlie Chan, with Charles Tannen as Sailor with Girl and Ethel Griffies as Miss Patience Nodbury. Directed by Harry Lachman; 21 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Dead Men Tell

· 17 more
Show all 21 cast members
From the director

More from Harry Lachman

More films directed by Harry Lachman: The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe, Castle in the Desert, Charlie Chan in Rio and Murder Over New York.

Full filmography
Plot

Dead Men Tell Plot Summary

What happens in Dead Men Tell from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

Miss Patience Nodbury Ethel Griffies hires Charlie Chan Sidney Toler to unravel a mystery aboard a ship that doubles as a floating museum of pirate lore, cruising toward a fabled treasure on Cocos Island. The voyage is shaped by secrecy: Nodbury has torn a treasure map into four pieces and entrusted them to several invited passengers, carefully withholding who holds what and why. The tension tightens as the vessel glides through its calm sea, and the atmosphere grows tense with whispers about curses, pirates of old, and the possibility that someone aboard is hunting the same prize.

Full summary

The whole story of Dead Men Tell, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Dead Men Tell?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who hires Charlie Chan to investigate the mystery on the ship?
Details

Dead Men Tell Also Known As

7 alternative titles, including “Charlie Chan in Dead Men Tell” and “Рассказ мертвецов”.

Also known as
  • Charlie Chan in Dead Men Tell
  • Рассказ мертвецов
  • Charlie Chan auf dem Schatzsucherschiff
  • Charlie Chan e i morti che parlano
  • Mortos Que Matam
  • Мёртвые рассказывают
  • 陈查理之死者说话

Seen Dead Men Tell?
More like this

Movies Like Dead Men Tell

Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Dead Men Don’t Die, Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise and Charlie Chan at Treasure Island.

FAQ

Dead Men Tell FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date

Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Dead Men Tell, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Dead Men Tell?

Dead Men Tell runs 1 hour 1 minute (61 minutes).

When was Dead Men Tell released?

Dead Men Tell was released on March 28, 1941.

Who directed Dead Men Tell?

Dead Men Tell was directed by Harry Lachman.

More films by Harry Lachman

Who is in the cast of Dead Men Tell?

Dead Men Tell stars Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, Charles Tannen as Sailor with Girl and Ethel Griffies as Miss Patience Nodbury, among 21 credited actors.

Does Dead Men Tell have a post-credit scene?

No. Dead Men Tell has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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