FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Only very clever man can bite pie without breaking crust.”

GREETINGS! Our film for this week is the oldest surviving film from the Charlie Chan film series. “The Black Camel” is unique as it was filmed in part on location in and around Honolulu and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and the opening scenes were shot at Kailua Beach, which is on the other side of the island of Oahu, a location that looks much the same today! In this film we can see how Warner Oland was still developing his “take” on Charlie Chan.

OUR CHAT ROOM: Our Chat Room can be accessed the same way that we accessed by going to our “Chat Room” link at charliechan.info, or use this direct link: http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html

THIS WEEK’S PRESENTATION: “The Black Camel” (1931; 71 minutes); along with our “extra,” a Charlie Chan radio mystery, “The Baffling Murder of Col. Willoughby” (Part 3). (1936; 15 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Hollywood star Shelah Fane, who is in Hawaii shooting a film on location, is murdered in her beach house in Waikiki. Detective Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police Department is called on to investigate. "Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. Tonight black camel has knelt here," Chan tells the assembled suspects.

FEATURE NOTES: The novel “The Black Camel,” by Earl Derr Biggers, was originally published serially in ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ between May 18 and June 22, 1929. Sources conflict concerning the release date of the film. According to information in the Twentieth Century-Fox Records of the Legal Department at the UCLA Theater Arts Library, some scenes were shot in Honolulu, where some of the film's music was also recorded.

CAST (as credited):

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan
Sally Eilers: Julie O'Neill
Bela Lugosi: Tarneverro
Dorothy Revier: Shelah Fane
Victor Varconi: Robert Fyfe
Murray Kinnell: Smith
William Post, Jr.: Alan Jaynes
Robert Young: Jimmy Bradshaw
Violet Dunn: Anna
J.M. Kerrigan: Thomas MacMasters
Mary Gordon: Mrs. MacMasters
Rita Rozelle: Luana
Otto Yamaoka: Kashimo

UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

Dwight Frye: Jessop
C. Henry Gordon: Huntley Van Horn
Robert Homans: Chief of Police
Bo Ling: Number One Chan Daughter
Hamilton MacFadden: Movie Director Val Martino
Louise Mackintosh: Librarian
Melvin Paoa: Hawaiian Beach Boy
Richard Tucker: Wilkie Ballou
James Wang: Wong
Marjorie White: Rita Ballou
(Unknown): Miss [Diana] Dixon
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id20.html

TRIVIA: 16mm prints of this film become available to television stations in the early 1950s. In later years, this film was rarely seen and was apparently not included in 20th Century-Fox's film packages syndicated to television stations. (IMDb)

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Charlie Chan with his assistant, Kashimo, outside of the detective's Punchbowl Hill home, overlooking Honolulu, in a moment not seen in our film.



For a viewing of more than 500 images from ALL films in the Charlie Chan series, please visit our Gallery: http://www.charliechan.info/id448.html

IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found online. GOOD NEWS, “The Black Camel” IS AVAILABLE online!

OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our January 2021 POLL, found as you scroll down our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!

OUR DECEMBER POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: Which of these "warm locale" Fox Charlie Chan films would you choose to view to ease the chill of a winter's day?

The Black Camel 20%

Charlie Chan in Egypt 12%

Charlie Chan in Shanghai 0%

Charlie Chan in Honolulu 28%

Charlie Chan in Panama 28%

Castle in the Desert 12%

Please cast your vote in our JANUARY Poll!

DO YOU HAVE A POLL QUESTION? Please feel free to suggest a Monthly Poll question! Send your ideas to: charliechanfamily@lyahoo.com.

OUR CCF CHAT ARCHIVE: Please take a look at our growing collection of CCF Chat Texts from previous years and this year: http://www.charliechan.info/id630.html

NEXT WEEK: TWO episodes from “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan”

OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY NEWSLETTER this year!

This is our third annual Charlie Chan Family Newsletter! It contains the work of a number of Charlie Chan Family members and friends. Thank you so much to Lou Armagno, aka, HonoluLou, who has put together and published yet another masterpiece! Please use this link to access this year's newsletter which covers the year 2020. Please enjoy!

AND… DON’T MISS THIS GREAT CHARLIE CHAN BLOG!: AND… DON’T MISS THIS GREAT CHARLIE CHAN BLOG!: Continuing strongly in 2020, a great blog site, The Postman on Holiday, is offered by our own Charlie Chan and Earl Derr Biggers expert, Lou Armagno which is: "A place to explore all things surrounding Detective Charlie Chan, his creator Earl Derr Biggers, and their connection with Hawaii, Cleveland, and mystery fiction." Updated each month, it can be found at this address: www.thepostmanonholiday.com

SO, REMEMBER, PLEASE JOIN US for this week’s feature, “The Black Camel.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick