Charlie Chan at the Opera

19361936
PassedPassed
1h 8m

Boris Karloff, Charlotte Henry, and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

A dangerous amnesiac escapes from an asylum, hides in the opera house, and is suspected of getting revenge on those who tried to murder him 13 years ago.A dangerous amnesiac escapes from an asylum, hides in the opera house, and is suspected of getting revenge on those who tried to murder him 13 years ago.A dangerous amnesiac escapes from an asylum, hides in the opera house, and is suspected of getting revenge on those who tried to murder him 13 years ago.

Director
- H. Bruce Humberstone
Writers
- Scott Darling(screen play)
- Charles Belden(screen play)
- Bess Meredyth(from a story by)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Boris Karloff, Charlotte Henry, and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff, Thomas Beck, Margaret Irving, and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Frank Conroy and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff and Gregory Gaye in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Nedda Harrigan and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Maurice Cass, Frank Conroy, Adolph Faylauer, J.C. Fowler, Julia Griffith, Tom McGuire, and Alexander Schoenberg in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Frank Conroy, Margaret Irving, Warner Oland, and Guy Usher in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Boris Karloff in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Director
- H. Bruce Humberstone
Writers
- Scott Darling(screen play)
- Charles Belden(screen play)
- Bess Meredyth(from a story by)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Gravelle, a former baritone believed dead after an opera house fire, has been languishing in a mental institution for the past seven years, an anonymous amnesiac. When he fortuitously sees a news story about his former wife's current appearance at the local opera, his memory returns. He escapes, and, disguised in costume, seeks revenge for a failed attempt on his life years earlier. When the guilty parties are found stabbed to death, Charlie Chan and son Lee try to find out if the dangerous fugitive is the one responsible. —duke1029

asian detective escaped lunatic opera house dagger soprano 7 more

Taglines
- A fiendish killer lurks at the opera! Weird! Thrilling! The Master Minds of Crime Match Wits Against Each Other!
Genre
- Mystery
Certificate
- Passed
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
Though only excerpts are used, Oscar Levant wrote an entire short opera for this film.

Goofs
When they characters are all gathered in the dressing room after the murders and they are questioning Childers, he says he knew Madame Barelli well. What he actually meant to say Madame Rochelle (or Madame Lilli as she was being referred to).

Quotes
Mr. Arnold: I'm stage manager here and this opera's going on tonight even if Frankenstein walks in.

Crazy credits
Opening credit: Warner Oland vs. Boris Karloff

Connections
Edited into Who Dunit Theater: Charlie Chan at the Opera (2021)

Soundtracks
Carnival: March Funebre
Music by Oscar Levant

Top review

7/10

My First Look At Charlie Chan

This was my first-ever look at Charlie Chan. It wasn't one of his better adventures but I've seen worse, too. It sports a famous guest actor, Boris Karloff, and a semi-famous, if you will, actor in William Demarest.

Demarest plays a cop and his lingo and his prejudices are very early '30s. He couldn't say those lines (cracks about Asians) on film in this day-and-age.

The usual witty and profound Chan proverbs are in here and the usual loyal son (Keye Luke, number one son) is there to help. The ending left me a bit confused. Granted, I was tired when I watched this but Charlie's last-minute explanation and conclusions came so fast they confused me. I'd have to see this at least one more time to understand it. I think this is coming out on DVD soon and I'll get that and watch it again.

I'll always have a fond memory for this since it introduced me to this extremely entertaining film series. I've seen around 20 of them since this one and enjoyed them all.

helpful•18

10

ccthemovieman-1
Oct 21, 2006

Release date
- January 8, 1937 (United States)
Country of origin
- United States
Language
- English
Also known as
- Mefisto v operi
Filming locations
- 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Production company
- Twentieth Century Fox
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Runtime
1 hour 8 minutes
Color
- Black and White
Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1

Boris Karloff, Charlotte Henry, and Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Top Gap

By what name was Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936) officially released in Canada in English?

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