The Black Camel
The unsolved secrets of Hollywood disclosed under the romantic spell of Hawaiian moonlight
1931 | 71m | English
Popularity: 1.0 (history)
| Director: | Hamilton MacFadden |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Earl Derr Biggers, Hugh Stanislaus Stange |
| Staring: |
| Movie star Shelah Fane is seeing wealthy Alan Jaynes while filming in Honolulu, Hawaii, but won't marry him without consulting famed psychic Tarneverro first. Enter inspector Charlie Chan of the Honolulu Police, investigating the unsolved murder, three years earlier, of a Hollywood actor. | |
| Release Date: | Jun 21, 1931 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Hamilton MacFadden |
| Writer: | Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Earl Derr Biggers, Hugh Stanislaus Stange |
| Genres: | Crime, Mystery |
| Keywords | hawaii, murder, whodunit, psychic, movie star, police inspector, honolulu, hawaii, asian man, unsolved murder |
| Production Companies | Fox Film Corporation |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 20, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Warner Oland | Charlie Chan |
| Sally Eilers | Julie O'Neil |
| Bela Lugosi | Tarneverro |
| Dorothy Revier | Shelah Fane |
| Victor Varconi | Robert Fyfe |
| Murray Kinnell | Archie Smith |
| William Post Jr. | Alan Jaynes |
| Robert Young | Jimmy Bradshaw |
| Violet Dunn | Anna the Maid |
| J.M. Kerrigan | Thomas MacMasters |
| Mary Gordon | Mrs. MacMasters |
| Rita Rozelle | Luana |
| Otto Yamaoka | Kashimo |
| Dwight Frye | Jessop the Butler (uncredited) |
| C. Henry Gordon | Huntley Van Horn (uncredited) |
| Hamilton MacFadden | Val Martino (uncredited) |
| Richard Tucker | Wilkie Ballou (uncredited) |
| Marjorie White | Rita Ballou (uncredited) |
| James Wang | Wong (uncredited) |
| Robert Homans | Chief of Police (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Barry Conners | Screenplay, Dialogue |
| Philip Klein | Screenplay, Dialogue |
| Earl Derr Biggers | Novel, Original Story |
| Ben Carré | Art Direction |
| Daniel B. Clark | Director of Photography |
| Hamilton MacFadden | Director |
| Hugh Stanislaus Stange | Adaptation |
| W.W. Lindsay Jr. | Sound Recordist |
| Joseph H. August | Director of Photography |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| William Sistrom | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 3 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Trending Position
Warner Oland is "Charlie Chan" in this engaging marriage of the occult with the vanities of Hollywood stardom. "Sheila Fayne" (Dorothy Revier) is an actress being pursued by the wealthy "Alan Jaynes" (William Post). Before she will commit to his ardour, she consults her psychic medium "Tarneverro" ( ... Bela Lugosi). Instead of a simple yeah or nay, though, he raises the spectre of the death of her erstwhile co-star "Danny Mayo" and next thing we know "Chan" is investigating a far more recent murder. Loads of possible culprits; some eerily lit settings, a bit of gently cerebral humour and the sight of his assembled family at a dinner table that would have made even the "Walton's" blush all helps the mystery develop nicely. Lugosi is effective as the clearly dubious mystic, and there's an early turn from the handsome Robert Young to look out for, too. It's well directed, written and the suspense builds nicely. Oland presents a "rotundness" of spirit with his performance; his frequent adages delivered with his tongue in his cheek - and I enjoyed this.