Oland vs. Karloff

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA-1936-As it says above the title “It's Warner Oland vs. Boris Karloff”! An amnesiac opera singing piano playing maniac (Boris Karloff) escapes from an insane asylum and threatens the life of opera diva Lilli Rochelle (Margret Irving). The police inspector calls in Charlie Chan who happens to be on the mainland. Rochelle is accompanied by a pompous demanding baritone Barelli (Gregory Gaye) The stage manager (Maurice Cass) says “This opera is going on tonight even if Frankenstein walks in”! The maniac turns out to be named Gravelle and he was once the lead baritone with the company but was deliberately locked in a room while a building was on fire. He’s also the father of Lilli’s secret daughter Kitty (Charlotte Henry) who came to the opera with her fiance Phil (Thomas Beck) to get mom's blessing on their marriage. . Although it seems Gravelle kills Berelli and takes his place as Mephisto in the opera and kills Lilli on stage while performing, this is a Charlie Chan mystery and things aren't as clear cut as they seem. 

Racist Sgt. Kelly (William Demarest) disagrees with everything CC does or says and refers to him as “Egg Fu” and “chop suey” and says “No Chinese cop’s gonna show me up”. Unfortunately for him he's wrong but he gives props to the famed detective when the mystery is solve.  Meanwhile No. 1 son Lee (keye Luke) digs up several clues while in disguise. 

This is a classy if far-fetched murder mystery with Karloff as a sympathetic nut the highlight. The music for the fake opera is by Oscar Levant. The lip syncing is very good. 

 2 years before this film co-star Charlotte Henry played Bo-Peep in THE MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS with Laurel & Hardy. Director H. Bruce Humberstone directed this in between CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACETRACK and CHARLIE AT THE OLYMPICS.]

The same year as this Karloff was the piano playing John Ellman brought back to life in THE WALKING DEAD. He and Lugosi made THE INVISIBLE RAY tooFollowed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS.

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Finally The Third

THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE-1945-A scientist named Mr. Stendal (not Dr.) (Otto Kruger) brings a rabbit back to life through his new type of blood transfusion. Later his henchman Moloch (Rondo Hatton) kills a morgue attendant and steals the body of the now deceased Paula the ape woman. Detective Harrigan (Jerome Cowan) suspects Stendal's young assistant Dan Young (Phil Brown) who's engaged to Stendal's nurse Anne Forrester (Amelita Ward). Obviously mad, Stendal brings Paula back to life with the unwilling help of Anne who supplies her blood. “Don't be a fool. We're scientists, not sentimentalists!”. Paula escapes, kills a dog and Stendal has to control her with a whip. He turns her back into Paula DePuree (now played by Vicky Lane) but she's semi-catatonic. Despite not being a surgeon Stendal plans to put Ann's brain into Paula's head but Moloch has fallen for Ann. Stendal tells him: “No offense Moloch, but with that face you're not exactly a Casa-nova”. When Paula wanders away, Moloch tries to locate his boss and Paul becomes suspicious. He follows Moloch to their hideout where Moloch turns against Stendal and is shot and killed for his efforts. Paula reverts into an ape and kills Stendal. But before she can kill Anne, Harrigan arrives and shoots her.

Another unnecessary sequel to the “Paula, the ape woman” series started in 1943 with CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN and followed by JUNGLE WOMAN in 1944. It's not very good though not very long. It just seems like an excuse to bring Paula back to life just so she could be killed off again!

Vicky Lane was in only 6 movies in her brief career (plus one TV appearance). Her first husband was Tom Neal (DETOUR). Phil Brown was in many character and bit roles and much later on became a TV director. Director Harold Young also directed THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942).

Of course once again I kind of screwed up and forgot all about this third installment. I reviewed the first two years ago!

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2015/08/

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2016/04/ape-sequel.html

Thanks for reading anyway!

Race Track Chan

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK-1936-In Hawaii when sure winning racehorse Avalanche is disqualified for a foul by his hockey (Frankie Darro), its owner Major Kent (George Irving) hires the Honolulu based (fake) Chinese detective (Warner Oland) to investigate. Unfortunately Kent is kicked to death by his own horse before Chan can get to work. On board an ocean liner bound for US (Hawaii wasn't a state yet) everyone receives threatening letters regarding not using Avalanche in anymore races. Chan is even shot in the leg. It's all a plot by a group of gamblers to make a big score. Lee (Keye Luke) disguises himself as a laundry boy and causes a distraction so “Pop” can switch the horses back.

Doping also figures in the plot and there are lots of the usual suspects. Director H. Bruce Humberstone made the next entry into the series CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA (with Boris Karloff) the same year.

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Big Top Chan

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS-1936-This entry begins with Charlie (Warner Oland) and his wife (Annie Mar) and 12 children visiting the circus and talking to 2 little people, Col. Tim (George Brasno) and Lady Tiny (Olive Brasno) both dancers. One of the owners Kinney (Paul Stanton) approaches Chan and says he’s received some threatening letters. Chan agrees to meet him later during the show. We also learn Kinney's partner John Gaines (Francis Ford) owes him a lot of money and if he can't pay he’ll lose his half of the circus. He also has a problem with Cesar the gorilla (Charles Gemora) who he whips and then fires its trainer. Later with the help of Col. Tim and a giant (John Aasen) Chan discovers Kinney dead in a locked room inside his wagon. Then it’s found that the abused ape has escaped its cage! A phony mystic John Holt (J.Carrol Naish) helps subdue Cesar when he attacks Chan. No.1 son Lee (Keye Luke) and police chief Macy (Wade Boteler) try to figure things out (Lee also pursues a Asian contortionist). Lady Tiny visits the Chan Clan at their hotel to try and convince Charlie to help find Kinney's killer but he declines as he’s on vacation with his family. However Mrs. Chan and their kids convince him to help. Charlie and Jimmy join the circus to investigate. The first night a cobra slithers into the elder Chan's bed but Jimmy shoots it, It seems Kinney was engaged to the star trapeze artist Marie Norman but was married to Nellie (Drue Layton),who works in the costume dept. To trail her Lee  dresses as a woman with Tim as his cigar smoking baby! Later when Nellie proclaims that she will inherit half the circus trapeze artist Norman claims she can prove that Kinney and Nellie we're not legally married but first she has to perform. Bad decision. Someone fires a rifle cutting one of the ropes. She falls but doesn't die. Charlie sets a trap and discovers the real culprit. They can't make a monkey out of Charlie Chan!

 Director Harry Lachman made OUR RELATIONS with Laurel & Hardy the same year. He later made more in the Chan series. George and Olive Brasno were a real life brother/sister singing act who were very popular and successful in their day. 

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE RACE TRACK.

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Shhh! It's Chan Secret....

CHARLIE CHAN’S SECRET-1936-Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) searches for a guy named Alan Colby who may have perished in the sinking of a ship but since his body was never found he could still be alive. This could pose a problem to people like Mrs. Lowell’s daughter Janice (Astrid Allwyn) and her grouchy husband Fred (Edward Trevor) who have been living off the fortune for years.   Mrs. Lowell (Henrietta Crosman) has hired Chan because Colby is the rightful heir to her husband's estate. It turns out Colby is alive but he's killed before he makes his presence known. Mrs. Lowell believes in psychic phenomena and plans to hold a seance in “the old house” with her other daughter Alice (Rosina Lawrence) and her beau reporter Dick (Charles Quigley). The professor (Arthur Edmund Carewe) and Carotta (Gloria Roy) perform a seance where Colby's corpse shows up. The family lawyer (Jonathan Hale) hangs around suspiciously. Without any son, comedy relief is provided by the family butler (Herbert Mundin). Later after the killer strikes again but unsuccessfully Charlie is nearly electrocuted by the professor. Even though he was almost killed, the police blame Chan for letting the murderer get away! Later while Mrs. Lowell and the butler use a Ouija board she is shot! Charlie uses another seance to expose the guilty party.

 Director Gordon Wiles was also an art director. Of the eleven films he directed only this Charlie Chan entry stands out. It was also the last role for Arthur Edmund Carwe who committed suicide in 1937 after suffering a stroke.

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN AT THE CIRCUS...

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Shanghai Chan

CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI-1935-Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) visits “the land of my ancestors” for the first time in many years to see his friend Sir Stanley (David Torrance). He’s  met at the dock by Stanley's secretary Nash (Jon Hall using his real name Charles Locher) and his niece Diana (Irene Hervey). Chan also hooks up with number 1 son Lee (Keye Luke). Unfortunately at the dinner Stanley is shot and killed by a wooden case rigged with a gun. Police inspector Watkins (Halliwell Hobbes) agrees to let Charlie investigate the death of his old friend. At night while Chan and Lee are sleeping an attempt to kill Chan fails. Later Chan is kidnapped by some mysterious bad guys but number one son saves him. An American secret agent Andrews (Russell Hicks)  explains to Chan that that he and Sir Stanley were working on breaking up an opium ring and wanted Chan’s help. Meanwhile Nash snoops around very suspiciously. After Nash is arrested for attempted murder, Chan's life is threatened several more times until he tricks the gang and reveals their real leader.

 One of the best in the series with son Lee doing a lot of fighting! 

Director James Tinling also made MR. MOTO'S GAMBLE.
 https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2016/01/mr-moto-returns-again.html

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN'S SECRET.

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Chan in France

CHARLIE CHAN IN PARIS-1935-Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) arrives solo in Paris for a rendezvous with a dancer who has secret info for him. Almost immediately he gets a warning to leave when a rock with a note attached is thrown through his car window.  He pretends to be on vacation but is actually working on a case for a London banking house. After the dancer is stabbed to death by a beggar (obviously a disguise) before they can meet Charlie searches her apartment and an unsuccessful attempt on his life is made. Back at his hotel he meets son Lee (Keye Luke) who becomes “Pop's” chauffeur and shadows several suspects. Charlie is investigating a bond fraud case. When a woman named Yvette (Mary Brian) is arrested for the murder of a sleazy banker, her fiance Victor (Thomas Beck) accompanies Chan through the sewers of gay Paree’ to catch a killer. John Miljan and John Qualen are also in it. 

Director Lewis Seiler in his only Chan outing, later directed several movies featuring Humphrey Bogart (YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WITH MURDER; CRIME SCHOOL; THE BIG SHOT).

Followed by CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2015/12/chan-again.html  and CHARLIE CHAN IN SHANGHAI. 

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