The first Charlie Chan movie that still exists is this offering. The title is based on a saying about a black camel kneeling at a doorstep as a sign of death. No camels in the movie which takes place in Honolulu. An actress has been murdered. She has been weighing the possibility of marrying a man and has been dissuaded by a mystic, played by the great Bela Lugosi. This film is filled with wonderful character actors. One of them, Dwight Frye, played Renfield, the madman, who is Dracula's henchman in the most famous of the films. Chan faces racism and avoidance. He must suffer respect from the rich populace. He is a master of precision, despite having an idiot partner who just gets in the way. One great line I loved has to do with his son, who is failing at school. When asked why he is last in his class, he replies that all the other positions were already taken. This is an entertaining, multi-layered whodunnit. There are some rather suspect events. For example a man is shot and lies dying in his bed. The law goes to extract information from him, but no-one makes the slightest effort to get a doctor. Off to a good start.
Review of The Black Camel
