Castle in the Desert_
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...
Starring
Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Yung, Lenita Lane
Updated Feb 16, 2026
WHERE TO WATCH
No streaming data available yet.
Check availabilityDROPTHE_ GOSSIP
Year context
Castle in the Desert was released 84 years ago in 1942.
Overview
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-w...
Castle in the Desert is a Crime, Mystery, Thriller film with a runtime of 1h 2m.
CAST (17)
Sidney Toler
Charlie Chan
Victor Sen Yung
Jimmy Chan
Lenita Lane
Lucy Borgia Manderley
Douglass Dumbrille
Paul Manderley
Steven Geray
Dr. Retling
Edmund MacDonald
Walter Hartford
Arleen Whelan
Brenda Hartford
Ethel Griffies
Mme. Saturnia, aka Lizzie
Henry Daniell
Watson King
Richard Derr
Carl Detheridge
Lucien Littlefield
Prof. Gleason
Milton Parsons
Arthur Fletcher
George Chandler
The Bus Driver
Oliver Blake
The Hotel Manager
EW
Eric Wilton
The Majordomo
Paul Kruger
(unconfirmed)
Tex Phelps
(scene deleted)
DETAILS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Castle in the Desert about?
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 long is Castle in the Desert?
Castle in the Desert has a runtime of 62 minutes (1h 2m).
Who stars in Castle in the Desert?
The cast of Castle in the Desert includes Sidney Toler, Victor Sen Yung, Lenita Lane, Douglass Dumbrille, Steven Geray.
What is the rating of Castle in the Desert?
Castle in the Desert has a rating of 7.0 out of 10 based on 17 votes on TMDB.
GENRES (3)
Crime
Mystery
Thriller