Beach Party Blogathon: The Black Camel (1931)

Beach Party blogathon!  Our hostesses for this June 8 - 12 cruise along coastal cinema are Ruth of Silver Screenings and Kristina of Speakeasy.  Check here for the sunny line-up.

When I read the Nancy Drew mystery The Secret of the Golden Pavilion as a young girl I longed to visit Hawaii.  Later on when I read Earl Derr Bigger's The House Without a Key my fondest wish was to visit Hawaii in the 1920s.  I imagine the closest I'll ever get to that far-fetched whim is in watching the 1931 Charlie Chan feature The Black Camel.

Bela Lugosi and Dorothy Rivier

The lighting in this moody scene is stunning.

Earl Derr Biggers novels are very entertaining in the Golden Age mystery mode with a strong sense of place and depth of characterizations.  The continuing popularity of the novels and the films derived from them are a testament to their audience appeal.  The Black Camel has a lot going for it in its exotic location, a backstage murder with a hint of the occult, and the beloved character of Chan.

Quiet on the set!

Dorothy Rivier and Hamilton MacFadden

In Charlie Chan's film history Earl Derr Biggers novels The House Without a Key was filmed in 1926, The Chinese Parrot in 1927 and Behind That Curtain in 1929.  The Inspector was played by George Kuwa, Sojin Kamiyama and E.L. Park respectively.  Warner Oland first took on the character in 1931s Charlie Chan Carries On.  20th Century Fox showed great confidence in the success of their series when they sent the company of The Black Camel on location to Honolulu. The director of Charlie Chan Carries On and The Black Camel was Hamilton MacFadden, who cast himself as the director of the movie withinin the movie.  The veteran of seven Broadway shows had signed with the studio the previous year.

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Honolulu newspapers tout the exciting news that Hollywood star Shelah Fane (Dorothy Revier) and an entire film company from Hollywood is filming on the island.  Adding to the allure is the story that a shipboard romance has developed between the glamorous star and young millionaire Alan Jaynes (William Post Jr.).  Shelah is desperate to marry Allan, but a secret in her past is holding her back.  She feels compelled to consult "psychic to the stars" Tarneverro (Bela Lugosi) unaware that this trusted confidante is motivated by secrets of his own.

Robert Young and Sally Eilers

It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

Shelah's assistant Julie (Sally Eilers) is concerned for the star's state of mind, but is happy to be distracted by tourist board P.R. man Jimmy (Robert Young).  1931 was Young's first year in the movies.  He has a breezy naturalism and will make a strong impression as Helen Haye's son in the autumn release of The Sin of Madelon Claudet.  Shelah's entourage also includes a butler, Jessop (Dwight Frye) and a maid, Anna (Violet Dunn).  Ms. Dunn was, at the time of the filming, married to director Hamilton MacFadden.

The gang's all here - and they're not happy about it.

The company from Hollywood hasn't shaken the suspicion surrounding the unsolved murder case of leading man Denny Mayo.  Many in this troupe were involved in that three year old scandal including Huntley Van Horne (C. Henry Gordon), Wilkie Ballou (Richard Tucker) and his outspoken wife, Rita (Marjorie White).  Meet the Canadians:  Ms. White was born in Winnipeg and Ms. Dunn in Toronto.

Luana causes excitement at the hotel.

As guests await Shelah's grand entrance for dinner, her body is discovered in a beachside pavilion.  Her ex-husband Robert Fyfe (Victor Varconi), an actor appearing at a local theatre, comes under suspicion.  Complicating the investigation is a beach bum/artist, "Smith" (Murray Kinnell) and his companion, Luana (Rita Rozelle). At the Royal Hawaiin Hotel we are also treated to tourists Mr. and Mrs. MacMaster (J. M. Kerrigan and Mary Gordon), who get to soak up the sun and provide valuable information to the authorities.

Inspector Chan has a large and inquisitive family.

The death of the film star Shelah Fane is of great interest to the press and to Inspector Chan's movie crazy kids.  It is a perplexing case for the Inspector as many of the principals involved have their own reasons for impeding the investigation.  However, the worst impediment may be Chan's unwanted assistant Kashimo (Otto Yamaoka).  In the book and film, Kashimo is annoying to the Nth degree.  It would not be until 1935 with the introduction of Number One Son Lee (Keye Luke) that Fox would hit on the perfect Chan sidekick. 

Hamilton MacFadden makes great use of the local scenery placing as many scenes as are logically possible on the beach or at the hotel, with great views of Diamond Head.  We even get to see Charlie's fabled home on Punch Bowl Hill.

Dorothy Rivier in an elegant dress with draped cape.

Sally Eilers in a fetching black one piece with geometric design cover-up.

To die for!

One thing I have noted in the Chan pictures at 20th Century Fox is that the fashion is divine.  The ladies always look appropriately contemporary and truly lovely.  The famous Dolly Tree is said to be the costumer in charge on The Black Camel.

The Black Camel is a fascinating look at a screen adaption of a popular novel, plus we are treated to one of Hollywood's earliest forays into location shooting in the talkie era.  We also get to see one of Warner Oland's earliest performances in the role of the Chan character.  In the later films we will see how much he progressed and become one with the persona.  For personal wish fulfillment we are tantalizingly close to visiting Hawaii in another decade.

Hamilton MacFadden (in white)
Charlie Chan in Rio

If I really could go back in time, I might have tea with Earl Derr Biggers and ask him about one of the plot points that has always bothered me concerning the clue of the ripped out newspaper photos.  If it didn't bother Biggers or his editors, it probably shouldn't bother me, but there it is.  Ten years hence when the story was reworked for Charlie Chan in Rio with Sidney Toler, they dispensed with the bothersome issue of everybody that mattered already knowing what Denny Mayo looked like.   

Charlie Chan in Rio is a fine entry in the series with cinematography by Joseph MacDonald (My Darling Clementine) and a song by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren (They Met in Rio).  One of its featured actors is our director of The Black Camel, Hamilton MacFadden.  However, "Rio" despite its setting is strictly studio-bound.  If we're having a beach party, the movie we want to see is The Black Camel.