Black Magic (1944)

Charlie searches for a murderer amidst numerous ghosts conjured up by a strange variety of spiritualists and occultists.

Director:

Phil Rosen

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (characters), George Callahan (original screenplay)

Stars:

Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Frances Chan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Mantan Moreland	...	Birmingham Brown
Frances Chan	...	Frances Chan
Joseph Crehan	...	Police Sgt. Matthews
Helen Beverly	...	Norma Duncan / Nancy Wood (as Helen Beverley)
Jacqueline deWit	...	Justine Bonner
Geraldine Wall	...	Harriet Green
Ralph Peters	...	Officer Rafferty
Frank Jaquet	...	Paul Hamlin
Edward Earle	...	Dawson, Police Lab
Claudia Dell	...	Vera Starkey
Harry Depp	...	Charles Edwards
Charles Jordan	...	Tom Starkey
Dick Gordon	...	William Bonner (as Richard Gordon)

Storyline

Because Charlie Chan plans to return to Honolulu, he no longer needs the services of Birmingham, who gets a job as butler for William and Justine Bonner, two apparently phony psychics who regularly host occult activities in their home. When Charlie's pretty daughter Frances attends a séance out of curiosity, Mr. Bonner is shot, and she becomes an immediate suspect. Charlie postpones his trip home to help with the investigation, which is made problematic when no bullet can be found in the wound and a hypnotized Mrs. Bonner is compelled to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of a downtown building.

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Plot Keywords:

spiritualist | murderer | psychic | occult | butler | 

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Taglines:

SCIENCE TRAPS A KILLER!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charlie Chan in Black Magic

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monogram Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

67 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Charlie Chan's daughters appeared with him in previous films (including Charlie Chan in Honolulu and Charlie Chan at the Circus), this is the only film in which a daughter (Frances) plays the assistant role usually done by one of Chan's sons (Lee, Jimmy, Tommy).

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Goofs

When Charlie first declares himself psychic to Sgt. Matthews, we can see the pole held by a stagehand that makes a white handkerchief flutter over Charlie's head.

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Quotes

Charlie Chan: Your suicide most excellent case of murder.

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Connections

Follows The Chinese Parrot (1927)

User Reviews

Wonderful Mantan Moreland

Nervous and bug-eyed Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) "assists" Charlie Chan and his daughter at the murder investigation in the home of a woman who has a séance business. During one of her sessions, a man is killed, and one of six people at the séance table appears to be the murderer.

Moreland was a great comic actor with tons of talent, and he is one of two reasons to watch this film. The other reason is the high-contrast B&W lighting, that reminds me of some 1940's noir films.

Other than Moreland and the film's lighting, "Black Magic" has little to offer. With a runtime of just 67 minutes the story is razor thin and poorly developed, suggestive of a sketchy, hastily written screenplay. There are several plot holes, and the killer's modus operandi is rather far-fetched.

As in many Chan movies, production design is minimal. And the sets here are a little too familiar. The entry hall in the séance house looks exactly like the entry hall used in the Chan movie "The Jade Mask". And the elevator set here looks like the elevator set used in the Chan movie "The Scarlet Clue". But Monogram Studios had the reputation for being cheap. And in this film ... it shows.

Even so, I can see how this film might have appealed to viewers in the 1940s, particularly as a Saturday afternoon matinée feature. In its time it probably was delightfully entertaining and a welcome diversion from the grim business of WWII.