Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)

Director:

Louis King

Writers:

Robert Ellis (writer)
Helen Logan (writer)

Release Date:

21 June 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

While investigating the theft of antiquities from an ancient tomb excavation , Charlie discovers that the body of the expedition's leader concealed inside the mummy's wrappings.

Plot Keywords:

Tomb | Mummy | Murder | Sarcophagus | X Ray

Cast

Warner Oland	...	Charlie Chan
Pat Paterson	...	Carol Arnold
Thomas Beck	...	Tom Evans, Archeologist
Rita Hayworth	...	Nayda (as Rita Cansino)
Stepin Fetchit	...	Snowshoes
Jameson Thomas	...	Dr. Anton Racine
Frank Conroy	...	Prof. John Thurston
Nigel De Brulier	...	Edfu Ahmad, Servant
Paul Porcasi	...	Insp. Fouad Soueida
Arthur Stone	...	Dragoman
James Eagles	...	Barry Arnold, Carol's Brother
Frank Reicher	...	Dr. Jaipur
George Irving	...	Prof. Arnold
Anita Brown	...	Showshoes' Friend
John Davidson	...	Chemist Daoud Atrash

Runtime:

73 min | USA:72 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Company:

Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Was the main feature at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood with The Girl from Tenth Avenue (1935) starring Bette Davis and was billed accordingly on the theater marquee. A photo of the theater marquee taken at the time is in the collection of the L.A. Public Library. It shows a matinée crowd exiting to the street.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The name of the deceased high priest can be seen on the inscription on the door of his tomb, in a cartouche - a mistake on the part of the prop department. The cartouches were only placed around the name of a dead king. A priest would never put his name in a cartouche for fear of offending Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead.

Quotes:

Charlie Chan: Most grateful for very able assistance.
Carol Arnold: It was terrible sitting here waiting, wondering how your plan would work out.
Charlie Chan: Courage greatest devotion to those we love.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.103)" (2006)

Two Chan's

Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)

*** (out of 4)

An archaeologist searching for a mummy's tomb winds up missing and is eventually found dead so it's up to Chan to find the secrets. The most interesting aspect is this plays out like a horror film with all the various supernatural elements thrown in. The only downside is some humor, which is aimed at a slave. This type of humor might be expected in this era of film but it's just not funny here and takes away from a pretty solid film.

Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Chan travels to Shanghai where he gets involved with opium dealers. This is the weakest in the series that I've seen so far but like the others you do get Warner Oland giving a wonderful performance as Chan. The biggest problem is the story, which is rather weak. The weak story leads to more physical action but the normal great phrase catches are still here.