Re: OUR ANNUAL CCF VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY, October 25: “Charlie Chan at the Opera”
Great fun tonight at the Chan Family Halloween Party. Wonderful silly characters by one and all of the guests. Love the jokes, even the bad puns. A great turnout.
As for the film, "Chan at the Opera" is by far one of the best. The scenes between Karloff and Oland are spellbinding. With a great supporting cast, and a rich script, it doesn't get any better.
For the past three weeks, we have had the opportunity to see three different actors play Charlie Chan. A chance to compare performances and interpretations.
On October 11th, we viewed two episodes of the Chan TV series with J. Carrol Naish. On October 18th, we watched Roland Winters in his first Chan film. Tonight, we saw Warner Oland in the role that made him an international movie star.
It has been several years since I have watched the above-mentioned films and TV episodes. Mr. Naish and his constant pointing of his finger are annoying to me. After speaking with James Hong, I do not believe the father and son relationship at all.
For me, Mr. Winters does not have a complete understanding of the character. It's his first film as Chan. Maybe he gets better in the later films. I don't know why the producers selected him to carry on the role.
