Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)
1h 8m | PG-13
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
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Video: 720p
Cast
Warner Oland
as Charlie Chan
Boris Karloff
as Gravelle
Keye Luke
as Lee Chan
William Demarest
as Sergeant Kelly
Guy Usher
as Inspector Regan
Margaret Irving
as Mme. Lilli Rochelle
Reviews
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..