CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS

CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OLYMPICS (1937), B&W, USA, English, 71 minutes, Fox Film Corporation, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, starring: Warner Oland, Keye Luke, Katherine DeMille, Pauline Moore, John Eldredge, C. Henry Gordon, Jonathan Hale

This is the LAST Warner Oland CHARLIE CHAN film to be released. In 1938 Sidney Toler made his debut. While not my favorite Oland opus (that would have to be CC at the OPERA) this is a delightful movie that I highly recommend.

Before a brief synopsis of the convuluted and overly peopled "plot," I must mention the fantastic opening scene. Once again the camera brings the viewer into the office of Charlie Chan located in the Honolulu Police Department headquarters. Oland, wearing white pants and dress shoes, BUT stripped down to his t-shirt (what we call nowadays a "wife-beater") is vigorously jogging in place - - looking I must say rather fit for a actor of his age and medical history (Oland was an alcoholic and possibly even suffering from the inchoate beginnings of what was then called dementia; though this is totally impossible to discern from his on-screen performance, which per normal is BRILLIANTLY AWESOME!!!)

One immediately thinks this has some tie-in to the Olympics (i.e. running) but it turns out that Chan is merely having to pass his yearly Police physical to remain on the force. There is great inteplay, frivolity and genuine friendship between Oland, Howard Hickman (as the Police Doctor), and Andrew Tombes (as Chief of Homocide E.R. Scott).
Until the movie finally gets rolling and the location changes with Oland leaving Hawaii, Tombes is in most of the scenes with Chan.

We are introduced to another of Oland's children with the introduction of young Charlie Chan Jr. (above on far left) played by Layne Tom Jr. Tom does a superb job of interjecting just the right amount of hi-jinks, precociousness, and comic relief to make up for the absence in the opening scenes of #1 Son: KEYE LUKE. On the far right (above) is Tombes as Inspector Scott.

PLOT SYNOPSIS: Set against the general background of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the movie opens with the Military testing a remote-control electronic brain (called repeatedly a "robot") that will be able to fly Military planes like drones... by remote-control. The device is about the size of small mantel box-clock and is mounted in the cockpit of the test plane. While on maneuvers, a hidden spy emerges from the back of the plane to kill the unsuspecting pilot and fly "off the radar" (had it even been in wide use at the time :) ) to parts unknown. The designer of the "robot" device is Cartwright (played by John Eldredge) and the owner of the device is businessman/entrepreneur Hopkins (played by one of my favorite veteran character actors Jonathan Hale).

Oland is brought into the case when, while on a fishing outing with his son Charlie Jr., they discover on a remote deserted Hawaiian beach the burned out missing plane and signs that the pilot was killed by an unknown assailant, rather than being the thief himself. With the aid of Hopkins and Cartwright, a pair of possible suspects is identified. These suspects, one of whom is an American athlete (and also one of Hopkins' test pilots) Richard Masters (played by Allan Lane) are already on board an Ocean Liner with the entire American Sports Team/delegation on its Atlantic passing to Germany for the Games. Accompanying Masters is the slick Mata Hari-type femme fatale enemy agent Yvonne Roland (played by Katherine DeMille) who is posing as a U.S. Team Supporter and tourist. We also are introduced to Master's real girlfriend, the folksy, homey, Olympian Betty Adams (played by Pauline Moore) AND KEYE LUKE who is also aboard the ship. Luke reprises his sui generis role as #1 Son Lee Chan, and is going to Germany to swim for the American team. Oland is sent by the Honolulu Police to accompany both Cartwright and Hopkins to Berlin. They manage to beat the ocean liner to Hamburg by flying a Clipper Plane to San Francisco where they take another plane to New York where they rendezvous with the giant air ship Hindenburg! Yes, THAT Zeppelin! We're treated to some nice actual aerial footage shot from the Blimp, including a nice shot of the main Berlin Sports Coliseum.

Meanwhile, back on board the ocean liner, Luke is already doing his own sleuthing (not knowing anything about the stolen "robot" however) when he notices that Roland is one suspcious dame and that the equally suspicious Hughes is slinking around up to no good. Hughes is played by the oh-so-wonderful oily and sneaky character actor C. Henry Gordon. This guy just "screams" WEASEL!

Here is businessman Hopkins holding the actual "robot" device while Oland looks on.

A very funny scene takes place (right before Chan leaves Hawaii) when the body of the plane's hi-jacker is discovered in the boarding house of a shrewish old-marm of a biddy! A fun little acting turn is delivered by uncredited actress Caroline Rankin (above) as the fastidious snooty landlady.

Above is a picture of the cabal of spies (including Roland/DeMille) that finally resort to kidnapping Keye Luke in order to force Oland to turn over the "robot." The man at the far right is the leader of the spies (Zaraka played by Morgan Wallace). "Checkmate Mr. Bond" (oops)

The swarthy beauty of Katherine DeMille makes a fine villain in the character of Yvonne Roland (above).

In stark contrast, All-American (Mom and Apple Pie) wholesome Pauline Moore plays girl-friend to Masters, Betty Adams. I found her annoying and loud. However, she lets fly a string of 1930's colloquialisms that's as much fun as Fox's Family Guy doing their hilarious spoof of the "high-pants/fast-talkers" :)

I am such a huge fan of Keye Luke (above) so I was elated when he made his appearance in the films third act (or so). He has a great couple of scenes on board the Ocean Liner before his role sort of recedes into the background. He's not seen till the end once he's kidnapped in Berlin by the enemy spies.

CHANISMS: And also worthy of note, is that Oland does his patented "right hand fingers ginerly pressing the tips of his left finger-tips while pensively musing on a clue" schtick.... YEA!!!!

"Fish in sea like flea on dog...always present but difficult to catch."

"Truth like football...receive many kicks before reaching goal."

"A good hunter never warn tiger of trap."

What's fun is that this is the first Chan movie where Keye Luke gets to do his own "take" on the Chanism. Luke is able to dispense three or four (not quite so good) pieces of proverbial wisdom while on board the Ship.

Some Olympic Observations:

Although the Nazi swastikas were painted out of the frames where they originally would have appeared on the tail fins of the Hindenburg, the infamous "right-handed Nazi hand salute" is seen being done by the hundreds of Hitler Youth (or whatever they were) when the Olympic Flame is brought into the stadium. This is afterall archival footage of the actual 1936 games. This also enables us (and the original movie theater viewers) to see the clips of the magnificent Jesse Owens!

I was also not offended by the somewhat comical character of German Police Inspector Strasser (played by Frederick Vogeding). Strasser is playing a stereotypical Prussian martinet; sort of a cross between the Burgomeister Meister Burger and the German Burgomeister in YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN :) The rapport and professional courtesy exhibited between him and Oland simply bespeaks that not all Germans (even in 1936/7) were Nazis. He even has his own (now famous) catch-phrase which he repeats a couple of times: "These things DO NOT HAPPEN IN BERLIN!" Strasser is simply a teutonic no-nonsense police officer. But of course he doens't have anywhere near the "sense" of Oland!

Although in the actual movie, #2 Son (Charlie Chan Jr./ Layne Tom Jr.) and #1 Son (Keye Luke) never meet, nor share any scenes together, here (above) is a neat Publicity Still of Oland and "his boys."

Which brings me to my final comment. Though this is a fast moving Chan film, and very frenetic at times, with (I think) too many characters and a rather confusing (and too quickly resolved) ending... what makes this last of the Oland Chans so meaningful for me is the loving relationship between the two starring actors Warner Oland and Keye Luke. These men are not acting. They truly had a "Father/Son" or Mentor/Student relationship that just "Lightens Up" the screen whenever they're together in a scene. The photo above is when Luke comes through an open port-hole and is grabbed by Oland and drug inside the state room of one of the spies. Luke doesn't know it's Oland until he gets his feet back on the ground and looks up. "Pop!!!!!! Geee!" The enthusiasm and love expressed in Luke's voice and the look on Oland's face.... Subtle, understated, but powerful.

It was my own "Pop" that first got me to watch a Charlie Chan movie.

I'll have to stop here.

Let the reader understand.