Castle in the Desert (1942)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Harry Lachman

Writers:

Earl Derr Biggers (characters)
John Larkin (writer)

Release Date:

27 February 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

...a poison arrow whizzes past... as Charlie Chan opens the gate to his most baffling adventure!

Plot:

Charlie Chan investigates apparent poisonings at a mystery mansion in the Mojave Desert.

Plot Keywords:

Charlie Chan | Mansion | Mojave Desert | Historian | Borgias

Cast

Sidney Toler	...	Charlie Chan
Arleen Whelan	...	Brenda Hartford
Richard Derr	...	Carl Detheridge
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Paul Manderley
Henry Daniell	...	Watson King
Edmund MacDonald	...	Walter Hartford
Victor Sen Yung	...	Jimmy Chan (as Sen Yung)
Lenita Lane	...	Lucrezia 'Lucy' Manderley
Ethel Griffies	...	Lily, Mme. Saturnia
Milton Parsons	...	Arthur Fletcher
Steven Geray	...	Dr. Retling (as Steve Geray)
Lucien Littlefield	...	Prof. Gleason
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oliver Blake	...	Hank, hotel manager (uncredited)
George Chandler	...	The Bus Driver (uncredited)
Paul Kruger	...	Servant (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Wilson - Majordomo (uncredited)

Directed by
Harry Lachman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Earl Derr Biggers		characters
John Larkin		writer

Produced by
Ralph Dietrich	....	producer

Original Music by
David Buttolph		(uncredited)
Cyril J. Mockridge		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Virgil Miller

Film Editing by
John Brady

Art Direction by
Lewis H. Creber		(as Lewis Creber)
Richard Day

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
Herschel McCoy		(as Herschel)

Production Management
William Koenig	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hal Herman	....	assistant director
Saul Wurtzel	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Bernard Freericks	....	sound
Harry M. Leonard	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Conrad Salinger	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Key Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Panasonic Disc Manufacturing  transfer

Runtime:

62 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Naming the residents of the isolated castle Manderley is an obvious reference the the mansion of Rebecca (1940) from two years earlier.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The supposed statue of a Medieval executioner sways momentarily, revealing the statue as an actor.

Quotes:

Watson King: [after Jimmy falls down the dungeon stars in a suit of armor] You still alive?
Jimmy Chan: I guess so.
Watson King: [Sarcastically] Just bent, bruised, and bewildered, ay?

Movie Connections:

Follows Charlie Chan's Courage (1934)

`He'll die a violent death, he will, and his murderer shall go unpunished'

Final Fox Chan film leaves us somewhat dissatisfied despite a complicated but enjoyable plot. There is a body within the first few minutes, sufficient suspects, ties to the Borgia family, lots of misdirection and clues, and Chan once again dodging arrows. The characters are marooned in an eerie reconstructed medieval castle (complete with a dungeon in the basement) located in the Mojave Desert. For a change, it is possible to figure out the ending ahead of or along with Chan. $20M is a great incentive for crime.

Sidney Toler does good job at discovering a mystery and solving murder but fails to perform his usual wrap up at the end clarifying all of the loose ends. Son Jimmy (on leave from the Army) assists Pop without resorting to too much comedy. Pop takes US Army Carrier Pigeon No. 13576 with him to the desert but alas, the pigeon succumbs to the poison nightshade. `Man without enemies like dog without fleas.'

Good supporting cast. Ethel Griffies and Milton Parsons return to play small but effective roles. Only a few (unnecessary) racial slurs. Some interesting camera work with the use of shadows to convey danger. By the way, there is a real castle in the desert, Scotty's Castle, now part of Death Valley National Park. And I suspect that hotels in the region now rent rooms for more than $2/night! Recommended.