Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone

Writers:

Paul Burger (story) and
Earl Derr Biggers (characters)

Release Date:

21 May 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

DEATH FIRES THE STARTING GUN!...and you'll be breathless at the finish!

Plot:

When a strategically important new aerial guidance system is stolen, Charlie traces it to the Berlin Olympics, where he has to battle spies and enemy agents to retrieve it.

Plot Keywords:

Berlin | Olympic Games | Enemy Agent | Asian Stereotype | Father Son Relationship

Cast

Warner Oland	...	Charlie Chan
Katherine DeMille	...	Yvonne Roland
Pauline Moore	...	Betty Adams
Allan Lane	...	Richard Masters
Keye Luke	...	Lee Chan
C. Henry Gordon	...	Arthur Hughes
John Eldredge	...	Mr. Cartwright
Layne Tom Jr.	...	Charlie Chan Jr
Jonathan Hale	...	Mr. Hopkins
Morgan Wallace	...	Honorable Charles Zaraka
Frederick Vogeding	...	Inspector Strasser (as Fredrik Vogeding)
Andrew Tombes	...	Chief of Homicide E. R. Scott
Arno Frey	...	Carlos, Zaraka's Henchman
David Horsley	...	Test Pilot Edwards
Howard C. Hickman	...	Police Doctor (as Howard Hickman)

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #3090) (original rating) | USA:G (re-rating) (1968)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - 3911 S. Figueroa Street, Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Stock footage of the dirigible Hindenburg was retouched, frame by frame, to blot out the swastikas emblazoned on the airship's tail.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Charlie Chan, Jr. enters a room where his father and another officer are, Chan, Jr. says, "Pop, here are some cut-up tea and sandwiches," when what he really means is, "Pop, here are some cut-up sandwiches and tea."

Quotes:

Inspector Strasser: [clearly embarrassed] Mr. Chan, I apologize! It's impossible. Things like this cannot happen in Berlin!

Movie Connections:

Followed by Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940)

Enjoyable, politically-incorrect fun

The Olympics of the title are the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in case you don't know. This is a fine mystery, one of the best of the Charlie Chan series, but the viewer must be prepared for some embarrassing moments. These mostly center around the able assistance provided to Charlie Chan by the Berlin police in helping to track down the culprit. It was not particularly controversial at the time, but one world war later it is a little uncomfortable to listen to the great detective praising the efficiency of the German polizei, and hear the head of that organization declaring of some mishap, "Ziss cannot happen in BERLIN!" Apart from that, it is an enjoyable film.