Moviecut—The Black Camel

source: The Black Camel

The Black Camel

Really good Charlie Chan mystery - this one will not disappoint. I've read this is the earliest surviving Charlie Chan film. This one has plenty of comical moments to keep the viewer laughing and enough mystery to keep you involved in the interesting story. Kashimo, Chan's sidekick, is a blast to watch - very funny together. The two of them really make this film great - stand out. Kashimo is one of my favorite characters in this one. If you are a fan of the other Charlie Chan film or of Warner Oland then you should really get a kick out of this one. Fans of Robert Young, Bela Lugosi and Dwight Fry will enjoy this one as well. 8/10

As an avid Charlie Chan film buff..i,ve managed over the years to obtain all of the "feature films"..The Black Camel is the earliest of all of the surviving films with Warner Oland portraying the great oriental slueth. This particular film was shot on location in Honolulu and is very entertaining..It also features Bela Lugosi as the fortune teller..Tarneverro..A fast moving story and a great cast of characters make this a "must have" for classic film buffs!

This film, taken from one of Earl Der Biggers original novels is one of the very best of the Chans. It is the second of the series, and the first, third, fourth and fifth are lost films. We can see the early Chan only through this film, and we see a very human Chan, rather than the more restrained Chan in the later films. It also features a near tour-de-force scene by Bela Lugosi in which he, as the fortune teller to the stars Tarnaverro, forces a confession from Shela Fane, a movie star making a film in Honolulu. A confession that he witholds from Charlie Chan...

One of the very best of the early Charlie Chan films,'The Black Camel' features Warner Oland in his second outing as the Honolulu detective.With actual filming on Hawaiian locations(one of the few that did)the oriental sleuth tries to solve the murder of an unpleasant and very unpopular young actress,sifting through the usual baffling clues,and investigating one of the finest casts of suspects ever assembled for the series:Murray Kinnell,Victor Varconi,Robert Young,Richard Tucker and(fresh from their triumph in 'Dracula')Dwight Frye and Bela Lugosi!Viewers will also enjoy a look at Charlie's domestic life and huge family.In these earlier Chan films much of the basic plotlines followed the stories of Earl Derr Biggers' novels.

This was the second Chan film to star Warner Oland in the role. It is also the earliest film of the series proper to survive. (1929's Fox film "Behind That Curtain" is still extant, but has Chan in a very minor part and isn't a true Chan film). It was actually filmed in Honolulu and captures that city as it was in the early 30's. Two "Dracula" alumni appear: the great Bela Lugosi, and Dwight Frye who played Renfield in the horror classic and is a butler here. Based on the Earl Derr Bigger's novel, this was later remade as "Charlie Chan in Rio" with Sidney Toler in the lead. This one is better. Sadly, it appears available only on the collectors' film market. It is worth the search and the viewing. Beware of copies with scenes missing!