Charlie Chan in London

"When all others failed, they turned to..."

1934 1h 19m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

⭐

6.9

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 37★6.9IMDB · 2,202

CrimeMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Charlie Chan is sought out by Pamela Gray, a desperate young socialite whose brother Paul awaits execution for the murder of a weapons inventor. Pamela is convinced of his innocence.

“When all others failed, they turned to...”

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Cast

Warner Oland
Charlie Chan
Drue Leyton
Pamela Gray
Ray Milland
Neil Howard
Mona Barrie
Lady Mary Bristol
Douglas Walton
Hugh Gray
Alan Mowbray
Geoffrey Richmond
George Barraud
Major Jardine
Paul England
Bunny Fothergill

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Eugene Forde
Writers: Philip MacDonald
Languages: 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 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

92 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Eugene Forde, shot by L. William O'Connell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Warner Oland and Drue Leyton and Ray Milland carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When all others failed, they turned to...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0024968 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Eugene Forde directs. L. William O'Connell behind the camera. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
292 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Eugene Forde, shot by L. William O'Connell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Warner Oland and Drue Leyton and Ray Milland carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When all others failed, they turned to...".
8IMDB entry: tt0024968 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 37 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: L. William O'Connell
Costume design: Royer
Runtime: 79 min · 1h 19m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Charlie Chan in London (1934)
IMDB rating: 6.9/10 · 2,202 votes
MPAA: Approved

Part of

Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) Collection

Charlie Chan Chanthology

Also by

Eugene Forde

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-13
★ 6/10
Warner Oland is the eponymous detective given just 65 hours to save a man from the gallows in this rather cluttered crime mystery. This time, he has come to London were he is recruited by the all-too-frequently distressed "Pamela" (Drue Leyton) who is convinced that her brother "Paul" (a really hammy Douglas Walton) didn't commit a murder at their stately pile. The lack of children or chauffeurs to help doesn't impede his thorough investigation that does, of course, quickly establish the true culprit. Not one of the better stories, this - there are too many characters and many of the British stereotypes are old and tired, even by 1930s standards. We do have a wide range of plausible suspects though ; Alan Mowbray and Ray Milland are efficient and EE Clive steals the whole thing - constantly referring to "Mr. Chang" - as Scotland Yard's finest, and quite possibly densest, policeman "Sgt. Thacker". The solution to the mystery comes from left field but it reminded me somewhat of a scooby-do cartoon. It's still fun, and Oland is beginning to make this part his own. Not quite sure there actually is a boat from the UK to Honolulu, though,...!

Production companies