The Black Camel

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!

Primitive but fairly engaging Charlie Chan mystery, the first surviving film featuring Warner Oland as the genial Oriental detective: its major draws are the Hawaiian backdrop, the murder investigation centering around Hollywood elite and the interesting cast (including Bela Lugosi as a phony mystic, Dwight Frye as an impulsive butler named Jessup, and a pre-stardom Robert Young forming half of the bland romantic interest). Some of its greatest pleasure, then, derives from the interaction between Oland and Lugosi – but also the former's relentless amiable mocking of his earnest but dim-witted assistant. The surprising denouement is not entirely plausible (though seemingly anticipating Hitchcock's STAGE FRIGHT [1950]) – with a revelation concerning Lugosi's true identity, and where the presence of a second murderer is ultimately established. By the way, the film's title – as explained by Chan – is a metaphor for death when it arrives unexpectedly.

P.S. As was the case recently with HORROR ISLAND (1941), my second attempt at watching THE BLACK CAMEL proved more successful than the first – where the playback had frozen completely three-quarters of the way in…and left me curious about the eventual solution of the case!

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.

The quality of the film isn't the best, the acting is stilted and over the top, but 1931's "The Black Camel," the earliest extant Charlie Chan featuring Warner Oland, makes for fun viewing. Charlie is on his home court of Hawaii, where an actress, Shelah Fane (Dorothy Revier) is found murdered after consulting a psychic (Bela Lugosi) about whether or not she should marry someone she has fallen in love with.

This is only the first murder; another one follows. On investigation, Charlie discovers a connection to the case with a previous Hollywood murder, which went unsolved.

It's an absolute riot to see Bela Lugosi as a psychic named Tarneverro whose real name is Arthur Mayo. Better yet is Robert Young, who looks like he's about 16, as Jimmy Bradshaw. Then there's this nut job (who at one point actually ran onto a scene and scared me), Otto Yamaoka, who plays Kashimo. Kashimo is the forerunner of Lee Chan and Birmingham the chauffeur but he's crazier than a coot with his flapping arms and explosive voice.

We also get a chance to see Charlie at home with his large family, admonishing his son: "Why are you always last in your class? Can't you find some other place?" Son: "They were all taken." This particular entry into the series is steeped in cinematic history: it is the only surviving film out of five films starring Warner Oland that were based on the novels of Earl Derr Biggers; and it was shot in Honolulu in 1931. Back then location shoots were a rarity. Also, Earl Derr Biggers visited the set in Honolulu with a copy of his 1929 novel and gave it to Chang Apana, the real-life Charlie Chan.

Definitely worth seeing, and a neat mystery. There is a gaping hole in the plot; see if you can find it.

The title is based on the saying: "Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate."

With the character loosely based on Chang Apana (1887-1933), a police officer of Chinese heritage, author Earl Derr Biggers wrote six Charlie Chan novels between 1925 and 1932. House Without A Key and The Chinese Parrot were filmed as silents in 1926; Behind That Curtain was filmed, with Chan reduced to a minor character, in 1929. Starring various actors and filmed as individual pieces, none of the films can be described as entries in the series, but in 1931 Fox Studios cast Warner Oland in Charlie Chan Carries On--and with its success Fox Studios discovered a money spinner. Between 1931 and 1942 the studio would create no less than 27 Charlie Chan films, first starring Warner Oland and then starring Sidney Toler.

Charlie Chan Carries On has not survived. The earliest Chan film of the series that still exists is The Black Camel, which is based on the 1929 Diggers novel. The film follows the book quite closely. Shelia Fane (Dorothy Reiver) is an actress who has come to Hawaii to make a motion picture. She has fallen in love with a wealthy man and wants to marry--but she is troubled by something that has occurred in her past. She accordingly sends for psychic Tarneverro (Bela Lugosi), who warns her not to marry--but no sooner does she refuse the marriage than she is found dead, stabbed, in her beachfront home.

Like most of the later Chan films, The Black Camel has a remarkable cast that includes an unexpected number of notables. Bela Lugosi has already been mentioned, and other up-and-comers include Robert Young and character actor Dwight Frye. But this film is very early in the game, and Fox is still tinkering with style and characters; instead of being assisted by a son, Chan is saddled with inept junior officer Kashimo (Otto Yamaoka), a character drawn directly from the Biggers novel. The chemistry is not effective, and although most of the cast offers good performances much the same might be said of the project as a whole.

Part of the problem is the story itself. Apparently suggested by the 1920s murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor, the plot itself is more than adequate, but the "how and why" details of the investigation are awkward. The script itself has an occasional zinger (at one point Chan warns Kashimo that "the wages of stupidity is search for new job!") but by and large it never manages to strike the balance between mystery and comedy for which the series was ultimately famous. It is also a film very much of the early sound era, which is to say visually static, and although it was partly filmed on Hawaiian location one sees little of the islands.

Overall, and while it has its moments, this is really a film best left to Chan fans, who will be interested to see the character at an early stage of development. Unfortunately, however, Chan fans will have a problem latching onto it: it is not presently available on either VHS or DVD and it is seldom broadcast.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer