The Blue Room

THE SECRET OF THE BLUE ROOM-1933-On the onset of Irene Van Hoffler’s 21 birthday, she (Gloria Stuart, who was in James Cameron's TITANIC 64 years later,,,) gathers with her father Robert (Lionel Atwill) and her three best friends (all male). After the youngest of the trio Tommy (William Janney) confesses his love for her, Irene sings a weird operatic song. They all want to know more about the legend of the blue room which had been locked for 20 years after three murders had occurred there.  On a dare Tommy decides he will stay overnight in the cursed room. Meanwhile the butler (Robert Barrat) has a disheveled visitor at the back door who he tells to come back the next night. Irene is very nervous about Tommy staying in the room. The next day Tommy has disappeared and a window overlooking the moat is open. Possibly he committed suicide but the others find it hard to believe. They search for him but find nothing. Then Irene is “attacked” by a man whose shadow looks suspiciously like the guy the butler put out. That night their novelist/friend Frank (Onslow Stevens) stays in the room. While playing the piano, he's shot to death and the door is locked from the inside. A police commissioner (Edward Arnold) is called in to investigate. He questions everyone and finds a few lying. The  killer is eventually captured, though it's never explained who committed the old murders. Paul Lukas plays Capt. Brink, the one friend who manages to stay alive. (SPOILER: He's not the killer!). This is one of the earliest full length features directed by Kurt Neumann who went onto make many low budget dramas and several TARZAN films. In 1958 he was immortalized in the Sci-Fi genre when he directed THE FLY! 

Wow! Lionel Atwill was a busy actor in 1933! Besides BLUE ROOM he also starred in THE VAMPIRE BAT, MYSTERY IN THE WAX MUSEUM and MURDERS IN THE ZOO!

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Chan In Jolly Old England

CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON-1934-Paul Gray is found guilty of murder and sentenced to die. His sister Pamela (Drue Layton), her boyfriend Neil (Ray Milland) and mutual friend Geoffrey Richmond (Alan Mowbray) try to prove his innocence but to no avail. Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) happens to be in London after helping solve another case, and the trio hook up with him. When Neil is forced to admit he thinks Paul really is guilty, Pam breaks their engagement and goes off to Geoffrey's estate. Chan thinks he can help and follows her. He meets a whole bunch of upper class twits who could all be suspects. After a suspicious acting groom Lake (John Rogers) commits suicide Chan proves to stupid police Sergeant Thacker (EE Clive) that it's actually murder. It's apparent that most of them resent “a foreigner” in their midst but Chan exposes the murderer, saves Gray and makes sure Pam and Neil are reunited. 

Director Eugene Lorde went on to make more in the series and also co-directed CHARLIE CHAN'S COURAGE, now a lost film, the same year. Followed by CHARLIE CHAN IN PARIS.

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Charlie Chan Again

THE BLACK CAMEL-1931-In Hawaii, movie star Shelah Fane (Dorothy Revier) has doubts about marrying actor Allen Jaynes (William Post Jr.) She sends for mystic Tarneverro (Bela Lugosi; soon after DRACULA) to help her. Her friend Julie (Sally Eilers) doesn't like him but she’s too busy being wooed by real estate agent Jimmy Bradshaw (Robert Young). Later Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) makes his first appearance at the Royal Hawaiian hotel and confronts Tarneverro about his activities in Honolulu. He mentions the 3 year old Lenny Mayo murder case and maybe the fortune teller could help. Later Shelah visits the mystic and under duress admits she was in Mayo’s house the night he was killed. Later she receives an orchid from a guy named Bob Fyfe (Victor Vaconi). Her butler Jessop (unbilled Dwight Frye) is in love with her maid (though she says she’s not in love with him) and says he would do anything for her. After frolicking on the beach Julie and Jimmy find Shelah dead. Thus begins the scenario that was typical of so many Chan films to follow. A roomful of people, nearly each one a suspect.

Warner Oland debuted as Charlie Chan earlier in the year in CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON which unfortunately is now a "lost" film. In fact the next three entries are also lost. The next surviving picture with Oland is CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON.

 I liked THE BLACK CAMEL because Bela has a large pivotal role but I dislike it because of the racist characterization of Chan’s dumb overzealous Japanese assistant Kashimo (Otto Yamaoka). Much more degrading and annoying than any of his sons ever were! For some reason director Hamilton MacFadden is un-credited.

“Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. Tonight black camel has knelt here”

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Early Chan

BEHIND THAT CURTAIN-1929-Creaky early sound film noted as the first feature film appearance of Charlie Chan (the character had appeared in a serial in 1926) and an early sound role for Boris Karloff. 

Sir George (Claude King) refuses to give his consent for his niece Eve (Lois Moran) to marry a “real bounder”, Colonel John Beetham (Warner Baxter),an explorer headed to African with the backing of George. Beetham is sweet on the weepy Eve but she seems to only have eyes for a guy named Eric (Phillip Strange). When George is murdered suspects abound. 21 minutes into this talky “filmed play” Chan’s name is mentioned by the pompous Sir Frederick (Gilbert Emory) of Scotland Yard. Then it’s back to the moody melodrama. Later in India Eve is the unhappy wife of the philandering Eric. 

 Not only does she find out Eric has had sex with their servant in their bed (a very provocative scene) but he’s also a murderer. Eve begs Beetham to take her with him to Africa so she can “disappear”. He reluctantly agrees. Soon after the annoying Sir Frederick visits Eric in connection with the disappearance of his wife. He suggests they rendezvous with John’s caravan. They meet up with John but Eve runs away. Later the Chan character finally shows up after more than an hour has gone by! He (the mysterious E.L. Park) and Harry Snapper Organs, I mean Sir Frederick finally set a trap for the murderer. While John is giving a lecture, Eve shows up. So does Eric... with a gun intent on killing her. Frederick takes a bullet for Eve (he doesn't die) and Chan kills Eric.

Despite some interesting pre-code scenes this soggy mystery is like watching paint dry with a lot of inane chatter. Plus the over wrought emoting of lead actress Moran and the “Mony Pythonese” performance by Emory as Sir Frederick really make this tough going. Karloff is Beetham’s faithful servant who doesn't do much. 

Director Irving Cummings was also an actor who started directing in 1921. Two years later he directed Warner Baxter again in THE CISCO KID. His last movie was DOUBLE DYNAMITE with Groucho Marx, Frank Sinatra and Jane Russell in 1951. BEHIND THE CURTAIN is based on the novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers published in 1928.

Warner Baxter had won a best actor Academy Award in 1927 playing The Cisco Kid in OLD ARIZONA (he was also the first American to win the award). In 1936 he was the movie industry's top actor but a series of nervous breakdowns inhibited his career. He came back in B-films, especially as “The Crime Doctor” in a series of movies but died in 1948 at age 62.

The next film appearance for Charlie Chan would be in the “lost” film CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON I n 1931 (Warner Oland's debut as the intrepid detective). That was followed by THE BLACK CAMEL (also 1931).

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Senor Dracula

DRACULA-(Spanish Language Version)-1931-So much has been made of this once lost film and how “superior” it is to Tod Browning's classic English language version but let's face it. It's all bullshit. It's almost a scene for scene copy except the actors are speaking Spanish. The direction isn't any worse or better than Browning’s. The Spanish film crew which shot their scenes at night had access to Browning's dallies and took it from there. The acting of Carlos Villarias as Dracula and Pablo Alvarez Rubio as Renfield are so over the top and comical that they render the whole movie as one big laugh riot. I know in his own way Villarias was trying to imitate Lugosi but he fails miserably. Critics are quick to criticize the Lugosi version for it's flaws but this thing has gotten too much praise for too long!

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SinBaaad...

SINBAD OF THE SEVEN SEAS-1989-Terrible “Hercules” like tale which according to the credits is based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe! 

Sinbad (Lou Ferrigino) has a mixed crew (a Chinese warrior, a viking, a dwarf, etc.) who argue with each other and occasionally fight but mostly the story is held together by a narrator, a mother (Daria Nicolodi) telling her kid a bedtime story. Maybe they lost the soundtrack or were too lazy to dub everything. An evil sorcerer (John Steiner; hamming it up more than usual) and a sorceress (Teagan) are the main villains and there's some unintentional comedy. 

Director Enzo G. Castellari made this Italian production after several movies with the words “The Bronx” in their titles.

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Poe In Name Only

THE OBLONG BOX-1969-In Africa, Edward Markin (Alister Williamson) is cursed and his face disfigured. Later back in England he's held prisoner in his room by his brother Julian (Vincent Price). Through some voodoo Edward appears to die but plans a comeback. However Julian buries him alive and marries his younger fiancee' Elizabeth (Hilary Dwyer). Edward's rotten attorney Trench (Peter Arne) who was suppose to help, can't/won't. Edward is “rescued” by some grave robbers who deliver his body to Dr. Neuhartt (Christopher Lee). Edward blackmails the doc into harboring him. He plots revenge and kills wearing a velvet mask. He was cursed by an African tribe because he trampled a boy to death. But in actuality he's innocent. The big hype for this film was the first pairing of “horror masters” Price and Lee. The only time they meet is during Lee's death scene! Rupert Davies and Sally Geeson are also in it.

Price (and Rupert Davies & Hilary Dwyer) had been in Michael Reeves' WITCHFINDER GENERAL in 1968. Reeves was scheduled to do THE OBLONG BOX but he died (from a mixture of booze and pills) while working on the script. AIP hired Gordon Hessler to direct and he made many changes to the original script. The story isn't bad but considering this was the first time meeting between Lee and Price it doesn't have much of an impact especially considering Williamson has the most screen time! Hessler, Price and Lee “reunited” in 1970 for the bizarre SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN. 

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