I just wanted to ask if it was possible to update the "K" Karloff section and add Karloff's appearance in "Behind That Curtain" as a Sudanese Servant to his list there.
I know it's not considered a "classic" Chan and you do have him listed in the "other" Chan listing for "Behind That Curtain". Yet, it would be nice to know he made two appearances in Chan films in his particular listing.
Godwin,
I have considered Behind That Curtain part of the Chan Canon but that's one Chan Fan's opinion!
Curtain not only has Karloff but it's the earliest Chan movie made from Earl Derr Biggers' books that is still avaialable. It is also a period piece in Hollywood History in that it's an excellent example of how the studios were in flux in this transitional period between silents and talkies worth watching as we know them today.
It's interesting to watch this and then The Black Camel to compare them.
What makes it even more interesting is Karloff in Curtain and Lugosi in Camel and Oland still growing in making Chan his own to boot.
During the intervening time between your post and now, I have given thought to the point(s) you mentioned. To list Karloff's contribution in "Behind That Curtain" would also require that I list all participants in that film. Also, I would then feel compelled to add that movie to the rest of the detail informational pages for the films in the series proper. In other words, we would now consider "Behind That Curtain" as a part - in fact the beginning - of the Charlie Chan series proper.
The Charlie Chan that we all know appeared first in the person of Warner Oland in "Charliwe Chan Carries On." E.L. Park, who appeared as Chan in "Curtain" is not much more than an afterthought, appearing for a few minutes with very limited lines. Sadly, as had been the case up until "Charlie Chan Carries On," "Charlie Chan" only played small roles, beginning with the silent adaptations. In this way, "Behind That Curtain" continued that trend of the story being more important than Mr. Chan.
I hope that you will understand why, with the above said, that I still do not consider "Behind That Curtain" to be a part of the Charlie Chan series. It, along with the appearance of Boris Karloff, remains an interesting novelty, I feel, alongside, say, the brief glimpse of Benson Fong, the future Number Three Son, Tommy, in "Charlie Chan at the Opera." Also, as I think about it, a fairly convincing argument could be made for the inclusion of "Eran Trece," the Spanish-language version of "Charlie Chan Carries On."
However, as our poll from last month indicated that most people want our Chats/Film Viewings to run in chronological order, we can begin our next journey with a viewing of "Behind That Curtain." I hope that this rather lengthy explanation serves to explain my perspective on the issue you brought up.
I understand you want to be complete when you list films. It can be a big task and, after all, you take pride in this page and want to be accurate.
I respectfuly and humbly request you consider adding a small Editor's note to the Karloff section. It could just mention his appearance in the early film "Behind That Curtain" which also contained a short reference to the character Charlie Chan. That way you may not have to do all the other inclusions.
Again, I understand if you choose not to include it. You like to keep a clean and complete Charlie Chan webpage. This might clutter it a bit.
