Charlie Chan at the Opera

"A fiendish killer lurks at the opera! Weird! Thrilling! The Master Minds of Crime Match Wits Against Each Other!"

1936 1h 8m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 36

CrimeMysteryThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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 fiendish killer lurks at the opera! Weird! Thrilling! The Master Minds of Crime Match Wits Against Each Other!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Warner Oland
Charlie Chan
Boris Karloff
Gravelle
Keye Luke
Lee Chan
William Demarest
Sergeant Kelly
Guy Usher
Inspector Regan
Margaret Irving
Mme. Lilli Rochelle
Gregory Gaye
Enrico Borelli
Nedda Harrigan
Mme. Lucretia Borelli

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: H. Bruce Humberstone
Writers: Charles S. Belden
Languages: Italian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

90 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, shot by Lucien N. Andriot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Alex Troffey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warner Oland and Boris Karloff and Keye Luke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A fiendish killer lurks at the opera! Weird! Thrilling! The Master Minds of Crime Match Wits Against Each Other!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

H. Bruce Humberstone directs. Lucien N. Andriot behind the camera. Alex Troffey cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4Part of the "Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, shot by Lucien N. Andriot. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Alex Troffey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Warner Oland and Boris Karloff and Keye Luke carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A fiendish killer lurks at the opera! Weird! Thrilling! The Master Minds of Crime Match Wits Against Each Other!".
9IMDB entry: tt0027440 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 36 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien N. Andriot
Editing: Alex Troffey
Costume design: Herschel McCoy
Runtime: 68 min · 1h 8m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

Part of

Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) Collection

Charlie Chan Chanthology

Also by

H. Bruce Humberstone

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-19
★ 7/10
I think this might well be my favourite outing for our Hawaiian super sleuth. This time, Warner Oland must investigate some very suspicious goings on in a theatre. Unbeknown to all of us, this theatre has it's very own phantom... but whom? Why? Well, that's all rather entertainingly explained over the course of the hour as he - with the help of son "Lee" (Keye Luke) - must stop this from becoming an operatic game of Russian Roulette. Now there is absolutely no jeopardy - it is pretty clear early on who the culprit it; but our journey of discovery is quite cleverly managed by director Bruce Humberstone with engaging efforts from Margaret Irving, Charlotte Henry, Gregory Gaye and, of course, Boris Karloff. Oscar Levant and William Kernell provide us with some operatic numbers that authenticate the process and the thing has a good deal of fun to it, too. Definitely worth watching, this one..

Production companies