Charlie Chan in London (1934)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Eugene Forde

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (character)
Philip MacDonald (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

When all others failed, they turned to...

Plot:

Charlie visits a wealthy country home in England. Suspects in the murder range from a housekeepe to a stableman to a lawyer.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Lawyer | Suspect | Fiancee | Home Secretary

Cast

Warner Oland	...	Charlie Chan
Drue Leyton	...	Pamela Gray
Ray Milland	...	Neil Howard (as Raymond Milland)
Mona Barrie	...	Lady Mary Bristol
Douglas Walton	...	Paul Gray
Alan Mowbray	...	Geoffrey Richmond
George Barraud	...	Maj. Jardine
Paul England	...	Bunny Fothergill
Madge Bellamy	...	Becky Fothergill
Walter Johnson	...	Jerry Garton
Murray Kinnell	...	Phillips
E.E. Clive	...	Det. Sgt. Thacker
Elsa Buchanan	...	Alice Perkins (maid)
Reginald Sheffield	...	Flight Cmdr. King
Perry Ivins	...	Assistant Home Secretary Kemp

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This film is mentioned in the mystery film Gosford Park (2001). It is mentioned because a fictional producer named Morris Weissman went to Gosford Park to do research on British customs. Actor Alan Mowbray, cast member in the Chan film, is also mentioned.

Quotes:

Charlie Chan: Excuse please.
Lake: What do you want?
Charlie Chan: I am very curious man.
Lake: I ain't got no time to waste answering questions. I've got my sleep to get the same as other people.
Charlie Chan: It is unasked question which prevent sleep.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Charlie Chan in Paris (1935)

CHARLIE CHAN IN London (Eugene Forde, 1934) ***

I had watched CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA (1936), considered the best of the series, sometime ago on Italian TV - mainly due to the involvement of Boris Karloff, but which I enjoyed a great deal. Last year I managed to get 5 other titles in the long-running series and did get to watch BEHIND THAT CURTAIN (1929) which, incidentally, also featured Karloff in a minor role. I next tried THE BLACK CAMEL (1931) - co-starring another great horror star, Bela Lugosi - but, unfortunately, the disc froze permanently around the 50-minute mark and, consequently, I never bothered with the rest of the films on the disc! However, my interest rose again after the upcoming Fox DVD (containing some of these very titles) was announced...

This is a very enjoyable entry in the series with Warner Oland the quintessential Charlie Chan, delivering a plethora of his trademark witticisms. Though we've seen many a murder mystery with this setting, the plot twists still come off as fresh and quite unpredictable - and the limited time-frame in which it all happens (and around which hangs, no pun intended, the life of Douglas Walton, a convict awaiting execution) makes for a genuinely suspenseful little thriller. The film also features a vivid - and thankfully not too stereotyped - recreation of the aristocratic British way of life, a surprising villain, and an early role for Ray Milland (whose character functions more or less as a red herring).