Charlie Chan on Treasure Island

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Charlie Chan on Treasure Island
Original title Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1939
length 74 minutes
Rod
Director Norman Foster
script John Larkin
production Edward Kaufman
music Samuel Kaylin
camera Virgil Miller
cut Norman Tolbert
occupation

Charlie Chan on Treasure Island (Original Title: Charlie Chan at Treasure Island ) is a crime film directed by Norman Foster in 1939 , which is about a case of the Chinese-born police officer Charlie Chan invented by Earl Derr Biggers . It is about the fact that the novelist and friend Chans, Paul Essex, appears to have committed suicide on a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco . At the International Golden Gate Exhibition on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay , Chan, with the support of his "son No. 2" Jimmy Chan, investigates a strange mystic named Dr. Zodiac, who blackmailed his customers according to the detective's findings. The film was produced by 20th Century Fox with Sidney Toler in the title role and Cesar Romero and Pauline Moore in other leading roles.

action

Charlie Chan is accompanied by his son Jimmy on a flight from Hawaii to San Francisco. Jimmy, afraid of the strong storm the plane gets into, promises his father (Pop) that he will take a train immediately after their arrival to resume his studies at a college . Chan then says to his son: “Don't let clear clouds change your restless thoughts tomorrow” ('Do not let fair skies tomorrow change restless mind'). Also on board the plane is Charlie Chan's friend, the writer Paul Essex, who recently completed a mystery novel about a false mystic. Essex is harassed by insurance actuary Thomas Gregory, who cunningly read a radio message intended for Essex.

As the plane prepares to land in San Francisco, it is discovered that Paul Essex is dead and believed to have committed suicide. Chan reads the radio message warning of the dire consequences of ignoring Zodiac commitments. At the airport, Chan delivers the tragic news to Paul's wife Stella. While on board the plane, Jimmy notices that Paul Essex's briefcase, which also contains the manuscript of the novel, has disappeared. Both Chans suspect that this is now in the hands of Gregory, who is followed by Jimmy Chan, while Charlie Chan wants to call a taxi. Suddenly he is pushed into a taxi to be kidnapped. The master detective finds out about the alleged "kidnappers" who are actually police officers in plain clothes.

When he arrives at Police Headquarters, Chan is greeted by his old friend, Deputy Commissioner JJ Kilvaine, and introduced to reporter Pete Lewis, another Chan's acquaintance, as well as the magician Fred Rhadini, whom Chan met at a performance a few years ago, and the magician borrowed the detective's watch for a magic trick and returned it to him "in pieces". Rhadini, who runs Rhadini's magic temple at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay, and Lewis declare that they are on a "crusade" against false clairvoyants . Your main target is an individual to act as Dr. Zodiac is known to have been the mastermind behind the suicides of three of his customers. Chan, who suspects Paul Essex is the fourth victim of Dr. Zodiac is, declares, “In my humble opinion, suicide induced by blackmail is murder” ('In humble opinion, suicide induced by blackmail is murder').

Chan goes to Dr. Zodiacs and is accompanied by Pete Lewis and Fred Rhadini, who poses as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley . At the door, the three ask to consult the heavily disguised spiritualist . While Rhadini and the reporter mistake Zodiac for a fake, Chan warns them to be careful about the clairvoyant's apparently psychological delusions.

Later that evening, Chan attends a party Rhadini throws in honor of the World's Fair and is intrigued by the mind-reading skills of Eve Cairo, Rhadini's assistant and friend of Pete Lewis. In the further course of the celebration, a knife is thrown at Chan by an invisible attacker, which just missed its target.

After the party, Chan returns to Zodiac's mansion, again with Pete Lewis and Fred Rhadini. Upon entering the apparently abandoned building, the three discover that Jimmy Chan is also there. Then the information is found that Dr. Zodiac had used Zodiac to blackmail his customers, and Chan ensures that all records are burned, stating: "Please keep the flames secrets that have made so many unhappy people" ('Am asking flames to keep secrets of many unfortunate people ').

The next day, Chan decides to give Dr. Using Zodiacs to trap him. Rhadini poses a public challenge to Zodiac to test his clairvoyant powers in his theater. Zodiac accepts the challenge and appears in an exceptionally dramatic disguise. When Rhadini lets Eve Cairo hover over the audience, Dr. However, Zodiac murdered. When the mask is removed, the victim is identified as the servant of the medium, Abdul the Turk.

Deputy Chief Kilvaine informs Chan that Gregory, who is also in the audience, is actually insurance detective Stewart Salzbury, who is currently investigating the suicides. As they work together, they help to recreate the levitation trick in which Abdul was murdered. This time, instead of Eve Cairo, Jimmy Chan is positioned on the floating table. When Rhadini demonstrates the trick again, the wizard is stabbed in the shoulder with a knife. Chan then hires Eve Cairo's mind-reading talent to identify the attacker and murderer. While interviewing Eve, Chan explains that Dr. Zodiac is not dead and still in the theater. Suddenly a hand appears with a gun. The gunman is overwhelmed and found out that it is Rhadini, the real Zodiac, who used Abdul as the medium to fool the police into believing he was dead. Chan demonstrates how Rhadini used his wand as a blowpipe to murder Abdul. He then wound himself with the knife to divert suspicion.

After Rhadini was arrested and taken away, Jimmy, who was standing next to his father, fell through a trapdoor on the stage. Chan then looks into the audience and smiles with obvious satisfaction as the curtain falls and the case is resolved.

background

The 22nd of 47 Charlie Chan films, which should also appear under the title Charlie Chan at the World's Fair (Charlie Chan at the World's Fair), was from April 17 to May 13, 1939 with a budget of 120,000 US dollars and had its world premiere on September 8, 1939 in the USA.

The Golden Gate International Exposition , which lasted from February 1939 to October 1940 , formed the background for some scenes in the film, in which John Carradine and Joyce Compton were originally to play the other leading roles. Carradine can be seen at least briefly on a wall photo. The voice of Dr. The original Zodiac came from the famous radio announcer Gerald Mohr .

It is occasionally assumed that the figure of the prestigious Dr. Zodiac had inspired the so-called Zodiac killer , a serial killer who murdered five people in the San Francisco area between December 1968 and October 1969.

Film bug

When approaching San Francisco, the unfinished eastern wing of the Bay Bridge can be seen briefly . However, the bridge opened on November 12, 1936, over two years before the Golden Gate International Exposition .

Before landing in San Francisco, Chan and other passengers explain that they have to go through customs. Even though Hawaii was not yet a state in the United States , it was already under US jurisdiction, so passengers who flew from there to the US mainland did not have to go through customs.

Quotes

As in the other films in the series, Charlie Chan emphasizes his work with quotes that are reminiscent of Chinese proverbs . The always polite and calm-looking Chan thanks him as usual with a “Thank you so much” ('Thank you so much'). In addition, his “contradiction, please!” ('Contradiction, please!') Often appears when he wants to express his differing views.

Chan's sayings in this film include:

  • "A scholar in the family is better than two detectives" ('One scholar in family better than two detectives')
  • “Only diligent workman can survive Hawaiian hospitality”
  • "Sad news sometimes correct itself the next day" ('Unhappy news sometimes correct self next day')
  • "It is impossible to miss someone who will always be in heart" ('Impossible to miss someone who will always be in heart')
  • "Sometimes black magic and blackmail are close together" ('Sometimes black magic very close to blackmail')
  • “Do not challenge supernatural unless armed with sword of truth”
  • “Even curtains can have ears” ('Even draperies may have ears')
  • "If you order music, you have to be willing to pay for the violinist" ('If request music, must be willing to pay for fiddler')
  • “To destroy a false prophet, must unmask him before eyes of believers”
  • "A father who depends on his son is happy or foolish from his point of view" ('Father who depends on son is happy or foolish according to son')
  • "Great happiness follows great pain" ('Great happiness follows great pain' - Eve Cairo reading Charlie's Chan's thoughts)
  • "You don't need a brass band to commit a simple burglary" ('Do not need brass band to commit simple burglary')
  • "A man's favorite pastime is to fool himself" ('Favorite pastime of man is fooling himself')
  • "If you befriend a donkey, you have to expect to be kicked" ('If befriend donkey, expect to be kicked')
  • "Crime never solved by books"
  • “A swollen head sometimes gives the police more cooperation than a criminal mistake” ('Swelled head sometimes give police more cooperation than criminal mistake')
  • "Obvious clues like tricks in magic: Usually they turn out to be deceptive" ('Obvious clues, like tricks in magic, usually prove deceptive')

Web links