USA, 1937
68m
35mm film, black and white, 1.37:1
mono, English
An American borderline horror film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone.
Plot Summary
Opera singer Gravelle seems to be suffering from amnesia but he is in fact an patient at an insane asylum who has recently escaped. Gravelle was incarcerated for murdering fellow singers, including his wife and her lover – and now the bodies are starting to pile up…
Credits
Crew
Director: H. Bruce Humberstone
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
Associate Producer: John Stone
Script: Charles S. Belden, Scott Darling
Story: Bess Meredyth
Character: Earl Derr Biggers
Assistant Director: Sol Michaels
Director of Photography: Lucien N. Andriot
Editor: Alex Troffey
Opera: Carnival by Oscar Levant
Libretto: William Kernell
Orchestrator: Charles Maxwell
Musical Director: Samuel Kaylin
Sound: Harry M. Leonard, George Leverett
Costume Designer: Herschel [real name: Herschel McCoy]
Art Directors: Duncan Cramer, Lewis H. Creber
Cast
Warner Oland (Charlie Chan)
Boris Karloff (Gravelle)
Keye Luke (Lee Chan)
William Demarest (Sergeant Kelly)
Guy Usher (Inspector Regan)
Margaret Irving (Mme. Lilli Rochelle)
Gregory Gaye (Enrico Borelli)
Nedda Harrigan (Mme. Anita Borelli)
Frank Conroy (Mr Whitely)
Charlotte Henry (Kitty Rochelle)
Thomas Beck (Phil Childers)
Maurice Cass (Mr Arnold)
Tom McGuire
Alternative Titles
Charlie Chan en la ópera – Venezuelan title
Charlie Chan in der Oper – German title
Charlie Chan oopperassa – Finnish title
Mord im Opernhaus – Austrian title
Pugnale scomparso, Il – Italian title
References
Periodicals
Classic Images no.281 (November 1998) pp.36-37 – review
Kinematograph Weekly no.1553 (21 January 1937) – review
Monthly Film Bulletin vol.4 no.37 (January 1937) p.12 – credits, synopsis, review
Books
Reference Guide to Fantastic Films by Walt Lee p.62 – credits
