Charlie Chan at the horse race

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Movie
German title Charlie Chan at the horse race
Original title Charlie Chan at the Race Track
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1936
length 70 minutes
Rod
Director H. Bruce Humberstone
script Robert Ellis ,
Helen Logan ,
Edward T. Lowe Jr. ,
Lou Breslow ,
Saul Elkins
production John Stone
music Samuel Kaylin
camera Harry Jackson
cut Nick DeMaggio
occupation

Charlie Chan at the Race Track (Original title: Charlie Chan at the Race Track ) is a 1936 crime film directed by H. Bruce Humberstone , which is about a case of the Chinese-born police officer Charlie Chan invented by Earl Derr Biggers . The film was produced by 20th Century Fox with Warner Oland in the title role and Helen Wood and Thomas Beck in other leading roles.

action

After jockey "Tip" Collins fouls another horse on the leading horse Avalanche at a horse race in Melbourne , Avalanche is disqualified. Major Gordon Kent, who gave the horse to the internationally known American sportsman George Chester as a present for the wedding with his daughter Catherine, believes that a major fraud ring is behind the blatant foul. Major Kent then sent a telegram to his old friend Charlie Chan asking the detective to meet on his boat in Honolulu before continuing to the United States. During the trip, however, Kent dies after apparently being kicked by Avalanche in the horse stable.

When the ship arrives in Honolulu, Chan leads an investigation into Kent's death and determines, based on the position and shape of the blood spatter in the stable, that the horse could not have kicked the major. He also reveals to his superior and the ship's captain a piece of a ship's winch, the twin part of which is missing and which can leave the same mark as a horse's hoof. Chan's boss suggests that the detective travel with the ship to investigate the now alleged murder.

On board the ship, George Chester receives a typewritten message warning him to compete with Avalanche in a race in Santa Juanita. Chan's son Lee, who, contrary to his father's wishes, had also boarded the ship as a cabin boy, later discovers that the message was written on the typewriter of Major Kent's competitor, Warren Fenton. At Chan's direction, Lee ensures that a number of other passengers also receive messages: Fenton, who offered Chester $ 20,000 for the horse; Bruce Rogers, Major Kent's assistant, who fell in love with Fenton's daughter Alice; the player Denny Barton, who also loves Alice Fenton but was rejected by her, and again George Chester.

Then a fire breaks out in the front part of the ship where the Avalanche stable is located. After the fire has been brought under control, Chester believes it is a new warning. However, Chan finds evidence that the fire was started as a diversionary. Chester demands his gun, and when it is brought to him, it is apparently accidentally discharged and injures Charlie Chan's leg.

In the port of Los Angeles , Chan notices that the monkey from “Streamline” Jones, “Lollipop”, who had previously caused an outbreak of violence on the ship Avalanche , is now also driving Fenton's horse “Gallant Lad” to such an outbreak. This time the presence of the monkey Avalanche doesn't seem to bother.

Now Charlie Chan realizes that the purpose of the fire on board the ship was a diversion to swap the two horses. The supposed horse of Fentons could now win the race with high chances. The horse swap, which also included using a black dye to cover up a white mark on Gallant Lad's nose, was staged by Avalanche's trainer , Bagley, who works with a betting gang.

On the day of the race, Charlie Chan and his son Lee are kidnapped by members of the gambling gang. However, they manage to escape, so they return to the race. While Lee Chan starts a diversionary maneuver, the detective in the stable switches the horses again. Bagley notices the swap and tries to warn the gamblers, but is arrested. When the race begins, the racetrack employee Al Meers, who works with the gambling gang, swaps a timing device on the three-quarter mark on the racetrack and replaces it with a device that is connected to an arrow that is fired at the leading horse. When the lead Avalanche passes the timing, the horse is hit by the arrow, but wins the race anyway before collapsing after the finish line. When Avalanche is besieged by a crowd , someone removes the arrow.

Charlie Chan, announcing the horse is fine, gathers Denny, Bagley, Meers, Chester and Fenton in the race organizer's office. When the arrow is found in Fenton's pocket, he accuses Denny of having put it there. Chester, in turn, accuses Fenton of always wanting to buy Avalanche and of the winch murder of Major Kent after Kent noticed the horse was exchanged.

Chan points out that only himself, his superior, the ship's captain and the killer knew about the wind. He goes on to say that he had suspected Chester all along because Chester, who had suffered significant betting losses, did not need his glasses to read the first threatening letter. However, he needed his glasses to read the second threatening letter that Lee Chan had typed because Chester had written the first letter himself and thus knew its contents. He had sent the threatening letter to himself to divert attention from suspicions against himself. Chan also discovers a fresh blood stain from the arrow in the lining of Chester's pocket.

After Chester is taken away, Fenton confesses that he had known about the horse swap all along and tells the race organizer that he wants to remove his stable from the track. Bruce Rogers, in turn, says that he won enough money in the race to buy a house for himself and Alice, which leads the detective to say: "A good wife is the best furniture in a household" ('Good wife best household furniture' ). When Lee Chan rushes in at the end and explains that he had found an important piece of evidence, Chan explains: "Save this for the next case, please" ('Save for next case, please').

background

The film, which premiered on August 7, 1936, was directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, who also played an uncredited supporting role in the film . Aaron Rosenberg , who was only 24 years old at the time, worked as his assistant director , who was later nominated as a film producer at the 1963 Academy Awards for Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) for the Oscar for best film and in 1964 also a nomination for the Laurel Award for best Producer received.

As in other films in the series, Keye Luke plays here as son No. 1, Lee Chan, his father's assistant and remains in this position in subsequent productions for 20th Century Fox , before Sidney Toler , alongside the "new" Charlie Chan a new assistant is introduced to Charlie Chan in Honolulu in 1938 with Victor Sen Yung as No. 2 son, Jimmy Chan. Leading actor Thomas Beck had previously appeared in both Charlie Chan in Paris and Charlie Chan in Egypt , made in 1935, and also played again in Charlie Chan in the opera, also filmed in 1936 . Supporting actress Gloria Roy also appeared in several earlier and later films in the series.

As in numerous other films in the series, the screenplay came from Robert Ellis and Helen Logan, among others. Duncan Cramer , who was nominated in 1955 and 1956 for a Primetime Emmy Award for best art direction in the series Four Star Playhouse , also worked as a set designer in the production of the film . Herschel McCoy , who was nominated for an Oscar for best costume design in both 1952 and 1954 , was responsible for the costumes . Harry M. Leonard , who was nominated for the Oscar for the best special effects at the 1946 Academy Awards, also worked as a sound engineer .

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 man with a gun is like a thunderstorm - he never strikes twice in the same place" ('Man with gun like lightning - never strike twice in same place')
  • "A useless conversation is like a boat without an oar - it does not reach any place" ('Useless talk like boat with no oar - get no place')
  • “A hasty conclusion is like an air balloon - easy to inflate, easy to pop” ('Hasty conclusion like toy balloon - Easy blow up, easy pop')
  • " Confucius says: 'No man is poor who has a worthy son'" ('Confucius say, "No man is poor who have worthy son"')
  • "The truth is sometimes like the stab of a cruel knife" ('Truth sometimes like stab of cruel knife')
  • "When a player cannot see man who deal cards, much wiser to stay out of the game."
  • "A man who flirts with dynamite sometimes flies with the angels" ('Man who flirt with dynamite sometime fly with angels')
  • "A rabbit runs very fast, but sometimes the turtle wins the race" ('Rabbit run very fast, but sometimes turtle win race')

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