The Black Camel (1931)

The unsolved murder of a Hollywood actor several years earlier and an enigmatic psychic are the keys to help Charlie solve the Honolulu stabbing death of a beautiful actress.

Director:

Hamilton MacFadden

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (novel), Barry Conners,

Stars:

Warner Oland, Sally Eilers, Bela Lugosi

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Warner Oland	...	Inspector Charlie Chan
Sally Eilers	...	Julie O'Neil
Bela Lugosi	...	Tarneverro / Arthur Mayo
Dorothy Revier	...	Shelah Fane
Victor Varconi	...	Robert Fyfe
Murray Kinnell	...	Archie Smith
William Post Jr.	...	Alan Jaynes
Robert Young	...	Jimmy Bradshaw
Violet Dunn	...	Anna the maid
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Thomas MacMasters
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. MacMasters
Rita Rozelle	...	Luana
Otto Yamaoka	...	Kashimo

Storyline

Movie star Sheila Fayne is seeing wealthy Alan Jaynes while filming in Honolulu, Hawaii, but won't marry him without consulting famed psychic Tanaverro first. Tanaverro confronts her about the unsolved murder of fellow film star Denny Mayo three years earlier, and she decides to reject Jaynes' proposal. When Sheila is found shot to death in her beach-front pavilion, Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police investigates.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | psychic | actor | hawaii | honolulu hawaii | 

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Taglines:

CHARLIE CHAN'S Latest Thriller

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 June 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie Chan in the Black Camel

Filming Locations:

Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawaii, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Western Electric System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Of the five Warner Oland Charlie Chan films based on the original Earl Derr Biggers novels, only this one still survives. The other four are believed to have been lost in one of two fires, one in the thirties and the other in the sixties.

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Goofs

The plot of this otherwise quite entertaining mystery contains a hole the size of the Grand Canyon. Part of the solution hinges on a close resemblance between a murdered actor and one of the suspects. In fact, two other characters hide portions of a torn photograph to cover up that resemblance - this despite the fact that most of the suspects admit to having been acquaintances (at least!) of said earlier murder victim. All the suspects would, therefore have to have been quite familiar with the resemblance between one of them and the dead actor, and only the murderer (and possibly one or two other characters) would have any reason to conceal the resemblance. Surely the innocent suspects would have immediately have informed Chan of what they knew, yet no-one mentions it!

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Quotes

Charlie Chan: Way to find rabbit's residence is to turn rabbit loose and watch.

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Connections

Followed by Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

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Soundtracks

"Na Lei O Hawaii"
(uncredited)
Written by Charles E. King

User Reviews

Clue....Clue!

Hollywood star Shelah Fane is filming her latest movie in Honolulu, while keeping her name in the papers with her whirlwind romance to Alan Jaynes, traveling playboy. Shelah decides to send for her psychic consultant, Tarneverro, to advise her if marrying Jaynes is the right thing for her to do, but while consulting with him, Shelah hints of a murder she committed a few years earlier, one Denny Mayo. Later she is found dead by her friend Julie, and the case is turned over to Inspector Charlie Chan, who has to figure out the Denny Mayo connection to both Shelah and the murder suspect. Nice entry in the Chan series, helped immensely by the on location shooting in Hawaii. Even with Lugosi as Tarneverro (a suspect no doubt) the suspects do not really give any sinister or worth-a-closer-look performances here. Yamaoka is really annoying as Chan's bumbling assistant (the latter word used loosely) Kashimo. The main problem with the film is too many characters with their own story in a movie that can't quite crack the B movie mold. Later remade as Charlie Chan in Rio. Rating, based on B mysteries, 4.