Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933) is an American pre-Code murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel The House Without a Key (1925).
| Charlie Chan's Greatest Case | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Hamilton MacFadden |
| Written by | Earl Derr Biggers (novel) Lester Cole Marion Orth |
| Starring | Warner Oland Heather Angel |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 70 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Oland made a series of Charlie Chan films; along with three others, this one is considered to be a lost film.[citation needed]
Plot
editIn Honolulu's Waikiki, two brothers, Dan (Robert Warwick) and Amos (Frank McGlynn) Winterslip have had a decades-long feud which worsens when Dan announces his engagement to a scandalous, younger woman. When Dan is found murdered in his beachside home, Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) is called on to investigate. As the list of suspects grows, the case becomes increasingly dangerous for both Charlie Chan and Dan’s nephew, John Quincy (John Warburton), who seeks to find his uncle’s killer.[1]
Cast
edit- Warner Oland as Charlie Chan
- Heather Angel as Carlotta Eagan
- Roger Imhof as The Beachcomber
- John Warburton as John Quincy Winterslip
- Walter Byron as Henry Jennison
- Ivan F. Simpson as Brade
- Virginia Cherrill as Barbara Winterslip
- Francis Ford as Captain Hallett
- Robert Warwick as Dan Winterslip
- Frank McGlynn Sr. as Amos Winterslip
- Clara Blandick as Minerva Winterslip
- Claude King as Capt. Arthur Cope
- William Stack as James Eagan
- Gloria Roy as Arlene Compton
- Cornelius Keefe as Steve Letherbee
- Frances Chan as Youngest Chan Daughter
Reception
editThe New York Times reviewer wrote, "As far as the mystery of these particular murders is concerned it is not difficult for the audience to decide on the identity of the slayer, but the manner in which Chan makes his deductions is always interesting."[2]
References
edit- ^ "Charlie Chan in London". The Charlie Chan Family Home. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ "Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933)". The New York Times. October 7, 1933.
External links
edit- Charlie Chan's Greatest Case at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Charlie Chan's Greatest Case at IMDb
- Charlie Chan's Greatest Case at the TCM Movie Database
- Charlie Chan's Greatest Case at AllMovie
- Illustrated Script
- Charlie Chan’s Greatest Case film details at The Charlie Chan Family Home
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