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Chandu the Magician (film)
Encyclopedia
Chandu the Magician is a 1932 American mystery film
starring Edmund Lowe
as a Magician/Yogi secret agent, Frank Chandler and Bela Lugosi
as the megalomaniac villain Roxor, that he must stop. Based on the radio play of the same name
, written by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham and R.R. Morgan. The radio series ran from 1932 to 1933 and Fox obtained the rights hoping the film would appeal to a ready-made audience. In 1934 Chandu returned in a twelve part serial, The Return of Chandu
, only this time Bela Lugosi
played Chandu.
s in India and is now known as Chandu. He has the power to teleport
, astral project
, mesmerize
, as well as project illusions. With these supernatural abilities he has been entrusted to "go forth with his youth and strength to conquer the evil that threatens mankind." Specifically, an Egyptian villain known as Roxor, played by Bela Lugosi
. Roxor kidnaps Chandu's brother-in-law, Robert Regent, an inventor who has developed a death ray with a range that covers half way round the world. Chandu must use his entire bag of tricks to rescue not only his brother-in-law but his sister and their children, whom Roxor has kidnapped in order to compel Regent into revealing the secrets of the death ray. Chandu's sweetheart Egyptian Princess Nadji also gets kidnapped, leaving Chandu to ponder whom to rescue first. Using his Yogi abilities, Chandu makes daring escapes, including one from an submerged sarcophagus. Eventually he succeeds rescuing everyone and mesmerizing Roxor long enough to destroy the death ray and the villain's entire lair.
who had done exemplary work as art director on The Thief of Bagdad
(1924), employs every special effect trick of the trade, many miniatures, optical effects, dry for wet to create a visually exciting film.
Mystery film
Mystery film is a sub-genre of the more general category of crime film and at times the thriller genre. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of a crime by means of clues, investigation, and clever deduction.The...
starring Edmund Lowe
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
as a Magician/Yogi secret agent, Frank Chandler and Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
as the megalomaniac villain Roxor, that he must stop. Based on the radio play of the same name
Chandu the Magician (radio)
Chandu the Magician, one of the longest running radio adventure serials, was heard on several different networks and aired in two distinctly different series, one in the 1930s and a revival 12 years later in the 1940s and 1950s. The series was created by Harry A. Earnshaw and Raymond R...
, written by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham and R.R. Morgan. The radio series ran from 1932 to 1933 and Fox obtained the rights hoping the film would appeal to a ready-made audience. In 1934 Chandu returned in a twelve part serial, The Return of Chandu
The Return of Chandu
The Return of Chandu is a 1934 American film serial in 12 episodes based on the radio series Chandu the Magician . It was directed by Ray Taylor and starred Béla Lugosi as Frank Chandler...
, only this time Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
played Chandu.
Plot
Frank Chandler had learned eastern magics from the YogiYogi
A Yogi is a practitioner of Yoga. The word is also used to refer to ascetic practitioners of meditation in a number of South Asian Religions including Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.-Etymology:...
s in India and is now known as Chandu. He has the power to teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
, astral project
Astral projection
Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
, mesmerize
Animal magnetism
Animal magnetism , in modern usage, refers to a person's sexual attractiveness or raw charisma. As postulated by Franz Mesmer in the 18th century, the term referred to a supposed magnetic fluid or ethereal medium believed to reside in the bodies of animate beings...
, as well as project illusions. With these supernatural abilities he has been entrusted to "go forth with his youth and strength to conquer the evil that threatens mankind." Specifically, an Egyptian villain known as Roxor, played by Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
. Roxor kidnaps Chandu's brother-in-law, Robert Regent, an inventor who has developed a death ray with a range that covers half way round the world. Chandu must use his entire bag of tricks to rescue not only his brother-in-law but his sister and their children, whom Roxor has kidnapped in order to compel Regent into revealing the secrets of the death ray. Chandu's sweetheart Egyptian Princess Nadji also gets kidnapped, leaving Chandu to ponder whom to rescue first. Using his Yogi abilities, Chandu makes daring escapes, including one from an submerged sarcophagus. Eventually he succeeds rescuing everyone and mesmerizing Roxor long enough to destroy the death ray and the villain's entire lair.
Production
William Cameron MenziesWilliam Cameron Menzies
William Cameron Menzies was an Academy Award-winning American film production designer and art director who also worked as a director, producer, and screenwriter during a career spanning five decades...
who had done exemplary work as art director on The Thief of Bagdad
The Thief of Bagdad (1924 film)
The Thief of Bagdad is a 1924 American swashbuckler film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks. Freely adapted from One Thousand and One Nights, it tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph of Bagdad...
(1924), employs every special effect trick of the trade, many miniatures, optical effects, dry for wet to create a visually exciting film.
Cast (in credits order)
- Edmund LoweEdmund LoweEdmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
as Chandu / Frank Chandler - Irene WareIrene WareIrene Ware was an American Hollywood movie actress of Swedish-Austrian ancestry. Born with maiden name Ahlberg. She was also an American beauty queen, and she was Miss United States for the Miss Universe competition International Pageant of Pulchritude 1929...
as Princess Nadji - Bela LugosiBéla LugosiBéla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
as Roxor - Herbert MundinHerbert MundinHerbert Mundin was an English-born Hollywood character actor. He was frequently typecast in films as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled features and cheerful disposition....
as Albert Miggles - Henry B. WalthallHenry B. WalthallHenry Brazeale Walthall was an American film actor.-Career:Walthall began his career as a stage actor, appearing on Broadway in a supporting role in William Vaughn Moody's The Great Divide in 1906–1908. His career in movies began in 1908, in the film Rescued from an Eagle's Nest, which also...
as Robert Regent - Weldon Heyburn as Abdulah
- June LangJune Lang-Early life:Born Winifred June Vlasek in Minneapolis, Minnesota , she originally trained as a dancer in "kiddie reviews" and went to Hollywood at the urging of her mother.-Career:...
as Betty Lou Regent - Michael Stuart as Bobby Regent
- Virginia Hammond as Dorothy Regent
See also
- The Return of ChanduThe Return of ChanduThe Return of Chandu is a 1934 American film serial in 12 episodes based on the radio series Chandu the Magician . It was directed by Ray Taylor and starred Béla Lugosi as Frank Chandler...
(where Bela Lugosi portrays Chandu) - Bela Lugosi filmographyBela Lugosi filmographyBela Lugosi was in a large number of movies during the course of his career. The following list is believed complete.-1910s:*Nászdal *Az Ezredes *A Régiséggyüjtö *Leoni Leo *Casanova *Lulu...