Friday, November 21, 2014

Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936)

Warner Oland is Charlie. The movie begins with Charlie and his large family going to the midget dancing team of Tim and Tiny (George and Olive Brasno). There Charlie meets Paul Stanton, who had asked him to help with a problem. He has been getting unsigned threatening letters. There are undertones of conflict all through the circus performers. Then Caesar the gorilla gets loose and things start hopping. Charlie's #1 son Lee (Keye Luke) is dashing around trying to be a detective, too. He gets locked in a cage by the Chinese contortionist that he is trying to romance. A large snake is released into Charlie's car on the circus train.

A trapeze lady is wounded by a gunshot. While a medical team is brought in to operate, Caesar is released again. As he tried to break into the medical tent, he is shot, but the operation had been an attempt to trap the murderer. It turns out the murderer was in a gorilla costume when shot.

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Oland with the Brasnos

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