Warner Oland
Encyclopedia
Warner Oland was a Swedish American
actor
most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan
.
,
Västerbotten County
, Sweden
. He claimed that his vaguely Asian appearance was due to possessing some Mongolian ancestry, though his known ancestry contains no indication that this was so. When he was thirteen, his family emigrated to the United States
. Educated in Boston, Massachusetts
, he spoke English and his native Swedish, and eventually translated some of the plays of August Strindberg
. As a young man he pursued a career in theater, at first working on set design while developing his acting skills. Trained as a dramatic actor, in 1906, he was signed to tour the country with the troupe led by actress Alla Nazimova
. The following year he met and married the playwright and portrait painter Edith Gardener Shearn. The brilliant woman made an ideal partner for Oland and she mastered the Swedish language, helping him with the translation of Strindberg's works that they jointly had published in book form in 1912.
After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway
as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film
debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan
novel. It would be another three years before he returned to film work with a role in The Romance of Elaine
, an adventure film starring the extremely popular Pearl White
. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adaptation to a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic roles. He made several more films with Pearl White including his first portrayal of an orient
al character in her 1919 film, The Lightning Raider
. Over the next 15 years he appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in 1927's The Jazz Singer
, one of the first talkies produced.
Oland's facial features allowed him to easily play the part of Asian characters; Keye Luke
reported that he needed no makeup
except a "little goatee on his chin". Given Hollywood
's reluctance to hire Asian actors for substantial roles during that period (with only a few reluctant exceptions, such as Anna May Wong
, Sessue Hayakawa
, and Philip Ahn), he portrayed a variety of Asian characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
as the first onscreen portrayal of the title character. A box office success, the film made Oland a star and during the next two years, he portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu
in three more films. Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan
in the 1931 international detective mystery film
Charlie Chan Carries On
and then in director Josef von Sternberg
's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express
opposite Marlene Dietrich
and Anna May Wong
.
Although Oland did act in other films, the enormous worldwide box office
success of his Charlie Chan film led to a Charlie Chan industry, with Oland starring in 16 films in total; the series "kept Fox
afloat" during the 1930s. The actor—who received $40,000 for each movie—took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and calligraphy. Oland was also the first actor to play a werewolf in a major Hollywood film, in Werewolf of London
(1935) as the werewolf who bites the protagonist, played by Henry Hull
.
Despite his wealth and success, Oland suffered from alcoholism
that severely affected his health and his thirty-year marriage. In January 1937 he started filming Charlie Chan at the Ringside. However, a week into shooting his erratic behavior led to his walking off the set and shooting was abandoned. After a spell in hospital, he signed a new three picture deal with Fox to continue playing Chan. At the same time he was involved in a bitter divorce from his wife and his finances were restricted. So too was his ability to go overseas as a legal order prevented him from travelling and moving his assets abroad. About this time he was involved in an incident when, after ordering his chauffeur to drive him to Mexico, he was observed during a rest stop to be sitting on the running board of his car and throwing his shoes at onlookers. The divorce settlement (favouring his wife) was announced to the media on April 2, 1938, and the same day he embarked on a ship out of the country. He turned up in southern Europe, before returning to his native Sweden where he stayed with an architect friend.
In Sweden, Oland contracted bronchial pneumonia, worsened by the apparent onset of emphysema
from years of heavy cigarette smoking and he died in a hospital in Stockholm
. Oland's last film was the unfinished Charlie Chan at the Ringside. Fox reshot Oland's scenes with Peter Lorre
and released the finished picture as Mr. Moto's Gamble
(1938). Warner Oland and his wife had made their primary residence in an historic farmhouse near the town of Southborough, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston. Following cremation in Sweden, his ashes were brought back to the United States by his wife for interment in the Southborough Rural Cemetery.
Swedish American
Swedish Americans are Americans of Swedish descent, especially the descendants of about 1.2 million immigrants from Sweden during 1885-1915. Most were Lutherans who affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America ; some were Methodists...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
.
Biography
He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm MunicipalityBjurholm Municipality
Bjurholm Municipality is a municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Bjurholm.The present municipality has the same territory as the one instituted in 1863, when the municipal system was implemented in Sweden. Between 1974 and 1983 it was, however, part of...
,
Västerbotten County
Västerbotten County
Västerbotten County is a county or län in the north of Sweden. It borders the counties of Västernorrland, Jämtland, and Norrbotten, as well as the Norwegian county of Nordland and the Gulf of Bothnia.- Provinces :...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He claimed that his vaguely Asian appearance was due to possessing some Mongolian ancestry, though his known ancestry contains no indication that this was so. When he was thirteen, his family emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Educated in Boston, Massachusetts
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, he spoke English and his native Swedish, and eventually translated some of the plays of August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
. As a young man he pursued a career in theater, at first working on set design while developing his acting skills. Trained as a dramatic actor, in 1906, he was signed to tour the country with the troupe led by actress Alla Nazimova
Alla Nazimova
Alla Nazimova , was a Russian American film and theatre actress, a screenwriter and film producer. She is perhaps best known as simply Nazimova, but also went under the name Alia Nasimoff.-Early life:...
. The following year he met and married the playwright and portrait painter Edith Gardener Shearn. The brilliant woman made an ideal partner for Oland and she mastered the Swedish language, helping him with the translation of Strindberg's works that they jointly had published in book form in 1912.
After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan
John Bunyan
John Bunyan was an English Christian writer and preacher, famous for writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Though he was a Reformed Baptist, in the Church of England he is remembered with a Lesser Festival on 30 August, and on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on 29 August.-Life:In 1628,...
novel. It would be another three years before he returned to film work with a role in The Romance of Elaine
The Romance of Elaine
The Romance of Elaine is a 1915 silent adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz, Leopold Wharton and Theodore Wharton. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pearl White - Elaine Dodge* Creighton Hale - Walter Jameson...
, an adventure film starring the extremely popular Pearl White
Pearl White
Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...
. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adaptation to a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic roles. He made several more films with Pearl White including his first portrayal of an orient
Orient
The Orient means "the East." It is a traditional designation for anything that belongs to the Eastern world or the Far East, in relation to Europe. In English it is a metonym that means various parts of Asia.- Derivation :...
al character in her 1919 film, The Lightning Raider
The Lightning Raider
The Lightning Raider is a 1919 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. It was the on-screen debut of Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Pearl White as The Lightning Raider* Warner Oland as Wu Fang* Henry G. Sell as Thomas Babbington North...
. Over the next 15 years he appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in 1927's The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
, one of the first talkies produced.
Oland's facial features allowed him to easily play the part of Asian characters; Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
reported that he needed no makeup
Theatrical makeup
In the performing arts, theatrical makeup is used to assist in creating the appearance of the characters that actors portray.-Background:In Greek and Roman theatre, makeup was unnecessary. Actors wore various masks, allowing them to portray another gender, age, or entirely different likeness....
except a "little goatee on his chin". Given Hollywood
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
's reluctance to hire Asian actors for substantial roles during that period (with only a few reluctant exceptions, such as Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was an American actress, the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star...
, Sessue Hayakawa
Sessue Hayakawa
was a Japanese and American Issei actor who starred in American, Japanese, French, German, and British films. Hayakawa was the first and one of the few Asian actors to find stardom in the United States as well as Europe. Between the mid-1910s and the late 1920s, he was as well known as actors...
, and Philip Ahn), he portrayed a variety of Asian characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu
The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu is a 1929 film starring Warner Oland as Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first Fu Manchu film of the talkie era. It was very loosely based on the novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer.-Synopsis:...
as the first onscreen portrayal of the title character. A box office success, the film made Oland a star and during the next two years, he portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
in three more films. Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
in the 1931 international detective mystery 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...
Charlie Chan Carries On
Charlie Chan Carries On
Charlie Chan Carries On is the fifth novel in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers.-Plot summary:Inspector Duff, a Scotland Yard detective and friend of Chan's, first introduced in Behind That Curtain, is pursuing a murderer on an around-the-world voyage; so far, there have been murders in...
and then in director Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg — born Jonas Sternberg — was an Austrian-American film director. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and seven-film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich.-Youth:Von Sternberg was born Jonas Sternberg to a Jewish...
's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express
Shanghai Express (film)
Shanghai Express is a 1932 American film directed by Josef von Sternberg. The pre-Code picture stars Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, and Warner Oland. It was written by Jules Furthman, based on a story by Harry Hervey. It was the fourth of seven teamings of Sternberg and Dietrich.The...
opposite Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
and Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was an American actress, the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star...
.
Although Oland did act in other films, the enormous worldwide box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
success of his Charlie Chan film led to a Charlie Chan industry, with Oland starring in 16 films in total; the series "kept Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
afloat" during the 1930s. The actor—who received $40,000 for each movie—took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and calligraphy. Oland was also the first actor to play a werewolf in a major Hollywood film, in Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London
Werewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
(1935) as the werewolf who bites the protagonist, played by Henry Hull
Henry Hull
Henry Watterson Hull was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London .-Life and career:Hull was born in Louisville, Kentucky...
.
Despite his wealth and success, Oland suffered from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
that severely affected his health and his thirty-year marriage. In January 1937 he started filming Charlie Chan at the Ringside. However, a week into shooting his erratic behavior led to his walking off the set and shooting was abandoned. After a spell in hospital, he signed a new three picture deal with Fox to continue playing Chan. At the same time he was involved in a bitter divorce from his wife and his finances were restricted. So too was his ability to go overseas as a legal order prevented him from travelling and moving his assets abroad. About this time he was involved in an incident when, after ordering his chauffeur to drive him to Mexico, he was observed during a rest stop to be sitting on the running board of his car and throwing his shoes at onlookers. The divorce settlement (favouring his wife) was announced to the media on April 2, 1938, and the same day he embarked on a ship out of the country. He turned up in southern Europe, before returning to his native Sweden where he stayed with an architect friend.
In Sweden, Oland contracted bronchial pneumonia, worsened by the apparent onset of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
from years of heavy cigarette smoking and he died in a hospital in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Oland's last film was the unfinished Charlie Chan at the Ringside. Fox reshot Oland's scenes with Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
and released the finished picture as Mr. Moto's Gamble
Mr. Moto's Gamble
Mr. Moto's Gamble is the third film in the Mr. Moto series starring Peter Lorre as the title character. It was released in 1938. It was originally intended to be a Charlie Chan film called Charlie Chan at Ringside, but Warner Oland, who had played Chan in several previous films, left the set after...
(1938). Warner Oland and his wife had made their primary residence in an historic farmhouse near the town of Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough, Massachusetts
Southborough is an affluent town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It incorporates the smaller villages of Cordaville, Fayville, and Southville. Its name is often informally shortened to Southboro, a usage seen on many area signs and maps. Its population was 9,767 at the 2010...
, a suburb of Boston. Following cremation in Sweden, his ashes were brought back to the United States by his wife for interment in the Southborough Rural Cemetery.
Partial filmography
- Pilgrim's Progress (1912)
- The Romance of ElaineThe Romance of ElaineThe Romance of Elaine is a 1915 silent adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz, Leopold Wharton and Theodore Wharton. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pearl White - Elaine Dodge* Creighton Hale - Walter Jameson...
(1915) - SinSin (1915 film)Sin is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Theda Bara. It was made by Fox Film Corporation when it and many other early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based in Fort Lee, New Jersey at the beginning of the 20th century. The film is now...
(1915) - DestructionDestruction (film)Destruction is a 1915 silent drama film directed by Will S. Davis and starring Theda Bara. The film is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Theda Bara - Fernade* J. Herbert Frank - Dave Walker* James A. Furey - John Froment* Gaston Bell - John Froment II...
(1915) - The Eternal SaphoThe Eternal SaphoThe Eternal Sapho is a 1916 silent drama film directed by Bertram Bracken and starring Theda Bara. The film shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where Fox many early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based there at the beginning of the 20th century. The film is now considered to...
(1916) - The Fatal RingThe Fatal RingThe Fatal Ring is a 1917 action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Pearl White - Violet Standish* Earle Foxe - Nicholas Knox* Warner Oland - Richard Carslake* Ruby Hoffman - The Priestess...
(1917) (serial) - The Lightning RaiderThe Lightning RaiderThe Lightning Raider is a 1919 American action film serial directed by George B. Seitz. It was the on-screen debut of Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Pearl White as The Lightning Raider* Warner Oland as Wu Fang* Henry G. Sell as Thomas Babbington North...
(1919) (serial) - Mandarin's Gold (1919)
- The Witness for the DefenseThe Witness for the Defense (1919 film)The Witness for the Defense is a silent drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Warner Oland, and Wyndham Standing.-Production background:The film is based on a novel by A. E. W. Mason...
(1919) - The Third EyeThe Third Eye (serial)The Third Eye is a 1920 film serial directed by James W. Horne. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Warner Oland - Curtis Steele / Malcolm Graw* Eileen Percy - Rita Moreland* Jack Mower - Dick Keene* Olga Grey - Zaida Savoy...
(1920) (serial) - The Phantom FoeThe Phantom FoeThe Phantom Foe is a 1920 adventure film serial directed by Bertram Millhauser.-Cast:* Warner Oland - Uncle Lew Selkirk* Juanita Hansen - Janet Dale* Wallace McCutcheon Jr...
(1920) (serial) - Hurricane HutchHurricane HutchHurricane Hutch is a 1921 adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz. The film is considered to be lost. The story concerns the search for a lost formula for making paper from seaweed that will save a mortgaged papermill.-Cast:...
(1921) (serial) - East Is West (1922)
- So This Is Marriage?So This Is Marriage?So This Is Marriage? is a drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film was originally released with sequences filmed in Technicolor.-Cast:* Conrad Nagel as Peter Marsh* Eleanor Boardman as Beth Marsh* Lew Cody as Daniel Rankin...
(1924) - The Fighting American (1924)
- Riders of the Purple SageRiders of the Purple SageRiders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :...
(1925) - Don Q, Son of ZorroDon Q, Son of ZorroDon Q, Son of Zorro is the 1925 sequel to the 1920 silent film The Mark of Zorro. It was loosely based upon the 1909 novel Don Q.'s Love Story, written by the mother-and-son duo Kate and Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard. The story was reworked in 1925 into a vehicle for the Johnston McCulley character Zorro...
(1925) - Don JuanDon JuanDon Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
(1926) - Tell It to the MarinesTell It to the MarinesTell It to the Marines is a 1926 silent movie starring Lon Chaney, William Haines and Eleanor Boardman, and directed by George W. Hill. The film follows a Marine recruit and the sergeant who trains him...
(1926) - A Million BidA Million BidA Million Bid is a 1927 drama film directed by Michael Curtiz.An incomplete print of this film, with Italian intertitles, is housed at the Library of Congress.-Cast:* Dolores Costello - Dorothy Gordon* Warner Oland - Geoffrey Marsh...
(1927) - Old San FranciscoOld San Francisco (film)Old San Francisco is a silent movie which was released by Warner Brothers.-Production background:The film was released in a silent version and in a Vitaphone version, with sound-on-disc recording of music and sound effects only. The film was released by Warner Brothers, directed by Alan Crosland,...
(1927) - The Jazz SingerThe Jazz Singer (1927 film)The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
(1927) - The Mysterious Dr. Fu ManchuThe Mysterious Dr. Fu ManchuThe Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu is a 1929 film starring Warner Oland as Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first Fu Manchu film of the talkie era. It was very loosely based on the novel, The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer.-Synopsis:...
(1929) - Paramount on ParadeParamount on ParadeParamount on Parade is a all-star revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Victor Heerman, Lothar Mendes, Otto Brower, Edwin H...
(1930) - The Return of Dr. Fu ManchuThe Return of Dr. Fu ManchuThe Return of Dr. Fu Manchu is the second of three films starring Warner Oland as the fiendish Fu Manchu, who returns from apparent death in the previous movie to seek revenge on those he holds responsible for the death of his wife and child. It was loosely adapted from the novel of the same name...
(1930) - The Drums of JeopardyThe Drums of Jeopardy (1931 film)The Drums of Jeopardy is a 1931 American film directed by George B. Seitz.The name "Boris Karlov" was used from MacGrath's book and for the 1922 Broadway play, but by 1923 with actor Boris Karloff using the similar sounding variation, the film version renamed the character, played by Wallace Beery,...
(1931) - DishonoredDishonoredDishonored is a 1931 romantic spy film made by Paramount Pictures. It was co-written , directed and edited by Josef von Sternberg...
(1931) - Charlie Chan Carries OnCharlie Chan Carries OnCharlie Chan Carries On is the fifth novel in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers.-Plot summary:Inspector Duff, a Scotland Yard detective and friend of Chan's, first introduced in Behind That Curtain, is pursuing a murderer on an around-the-world voyage; so far, there have been murders in...
(1931) - The Black CamelThe Black Camel (film)The Black Camel is a 1931 mystery film, the second starring Warner Oland as the detective Charlie Chan and the sole survivor of the first five Oland/Chan films. It was based on the novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers...
(1931) - Daughter of the DragonDaughter of the DragonDaughter of the Dragon is a movie directed by Lloyd Corrigan, released by Paramount Pictures, and starring Anna May Wong as Princess Ling Moy, Sessue Hayakawa as Ah Kee, and Warner Oland as Dr. Fu Manchu...
(1931) - Charlie Chan's ChanceCharlie Chan's ChanceCharlie Chan's Chance is a 1932 murder mystery film, the third to star Warner Oland as detective Charlie Chan. It is based on the novel Behind That Curtain by Earl Derr Biggers, who also contributed to the film. The film is considered to be lost....
(1932) - Shanghai ExpressShanghai Express (film)Shanghai Express is a 1932 American film directed by Josef von Sternberg. The pre-Code picture stars Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, and Warner Oland. It was written by Jules Furthman, based on a story by Harry Hervey. It was the fourth of seven teamings of Sternberg and Dietrich.The...
(1932) - Charlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest CaseCharlie Chan's Greatest Case is a murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel The House Without a Key....
(1933) - Charlie Chan's CourageCharlie Chan's CourageCharlie Chan's Courage is the fifth film in which Warner Oland played detective Charlie Chan. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film The Chinese Parrot; both are considered lost films.-Plot:Chan is hired to transport a pearl necklace...
(1934) - Bulldog Drummond Strikes BackBulldog Drummond Strikes BackBulldog Drummond Strikes Back is a 1934 American comedy-mystery-adventure film directed by Roy Del Ruth. The film stars Ronald Colman and Loretta Young.-Plot:...
(1934) - Charlie Chan in LondonCharlie Chan in LondonCharlie Chan in London is a 1934 American mystery film directed by Eugene Forde. The film stars Warner Oland as Charlie Chan, with Drue Leyton....
(1934) - The Painted VeilThe Painted Veil (1934 film)The Painted Veil is a 1934 drama film made by MGM. It was directed by Ryszard Bolesławski and produced by Hunt Stromberg from a screenplay by John Meehan, Salka Viertel, and Edith Fitzgerald, adapted from the 1925 W. Somerset Maugham novel The Painted Veil. The music score was by Herbert Stothart,...
(1934) - Charlie Chan in ParisCharlie Chan in ParisCharlie Chan in Paris is the seventh film produced by Fox with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.-Plot:Chan is on his way back from completing the London case -- they always mentioned the previous case -- to go on "vacation" to Paris, but this is just a way to make people think that heis innocently there...
(1935) - Werewolf of LondonWerewolf of LondonWerewolf of London is a 1935 Horror/werewolf movie starring Henry Hull and produced by Universal Pictures. Jack Pierce's eerie werewolf make-up was simpler than his version six years later for Lon Chaney, Jr., in The Wolf Man but, according to film historians, remains strikingly effective as worn...
(1935) - Charlie Chan in EgyptCharlie Chan in EgyptCharlie Chan in Egypt is the eighth 20th Century Fox Charlie Chan film starring Warner Oland in the title role. It was released in 1935. -Plot:Charlie Chan is hired when an archaeologist disappears during the excavation of ancient art treasures in Egypt...
(1935) - Charlie Chan in ShanghaiCharlie Chan in ShanghaiCharlie Chan in Shanghai is the ninth Charlie Chan film produced by Fox with the title character played by Warner Oland.-Plot:Charlie Chan arrives in Shanghai at the behest of the U.S. government to help stop an opium smuggling ring. He receives a warning aboard ship not to stop in Shanghai...
(1935) - Charlie Chan at the Race TrackCharlie Chan at the Race TrackCharlie Chan at the Race Track is the 12th film in the 20th Century Fox-produced Charlie Chan series starring Warner Oland in the title role.- Plot :...
(1936) - Charlie Chan at the CircusCharlie Chan at the CircusCharlie Chan at the Circus is the 11th film produced by Fox starring Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. A seemingly harmless family outing drags a vacationing Chan into a murder investigation.- Plot :...
(1936) - Charlie Chan's SecretCharlie Chan's SecretCharlie Chan's Secret is the tenth Fox-produced film in the Charlie Chan series with Warner Oland as the detective.- Plot :Alan Colby, heir to a vast fortune, reappears after a seven year absence, only to be murdered before he can claim his inheritance. The Lowells have been living off the Colby...
(1936) - Charlie Chan at the OperaCharlie Chan at the OperaCharlie Chan at the Opera is considered by many to be the best Warner Oland Charlie Chan film, probably due to the co-acting of Boris Karloff. This is the 13th film starring Oland as Chan and produced by Fox in 1936.- Plot :...
(1936) - Charlie Chan at the OlympicsCharlie Chan at the OlympicsCharlie Chan at the Olympics is possibly the most topical Charlie Chan film, as it features actual footage from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There is also a scene where Charlie crosses the Atlantic in the Hindenburg...
(1937) - Charlie Chan on BroadwayCharlie Chan on BroadwayCharlie Chan On Broadway is a Charlie Chan film. This is the 15th film starring Oland as Chan and produced by Fox.- Synopsis :It starts out with Chan in this exotic locale . He's there on business, but before he can do anything about his business, someone shows up dead...
(1937) - Charlie Chan at the OlympicsCharlie Chan at the OlympicsCharlie Chan at the Olympics is possibly the most topical Charlie Chan film, as it features actual footage from the 1936 Berlin Olympics. There is also a scene where Charlie crosses the Atlantic in the Hindenburg...
(1937) - Charlie Chan at Monte CarloCharlie Chan at Monte CarloCharlie Chan at Monte Carlo is a 1937 movie directed by Eugene Forde. The main character is Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective. This was the sixteenth and final Charlie Chan film with Warner Oland portraying Chan...
(1937)
Additional reading
- George A. Katchmer Eighty silent film stars, Biographies and filmographies of the obscure to the well known (Jefferson, North Carolina, and London, 1991)
- Hans J. Wollstein Strangers in Hollywood, The History of Scandinavian Actors in American Films from 1910 to World War II (Metuchen, N.J., & London, 1994)