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Charlie Chan in Paris
Fox Film Corporation
Distributed: Fox Film Corporation, January 25, 1935
Production: November 12 to mid-December 1934
Copyright: Fox Film Corporation, January 25, 1935; LP5275
Opened:
Astor, New York, N.Y., January 21, 1935
Sound: Western Electric Noiseless Recording
Film: Black and white
Length:
7 reels, 6,413 feet
Running time: 70 minutes
PCA Certificate Number: 507
Source: Based on the character "Charlie
Chan" created by Earl Derr Biggers
Producer: John Stone
Executive Producer: Sol M. Wurzell
Director: Lewis Seiler
Original
Director: Hamilton MacFadden (not credited)
Assistant Director: Eli Dunn
Screenplay: Edward T. Lowe; Stuart Anthony
Story: Philip MacDonald
Contributor on Special Sequences: William Allen Johnston (not credited)
Photography: Ernest
Palmer; Sam Benson (not credited)
Original Photography: Dan Clark (not credited)
Settings: Duncan Cramer; Albert Hogsett
Gowns: Lillian
Musical Direction: Samuel Kaylin
Music: R.H. Bassett (not credited), Hugo Friedhoffer (not credited);
James F. Hanley (not credited); Arthur Lange (not credited);
Desider Josef Vecsei (not credited)
Sound: Eugene Grossman
Dance Doubles:
Betty Bryson (not credited); Fred Wallace (not credited)
Stand Ins: Alex Chivra (not credited); Gladys Howe (not
credited)
CAST:
Warner Oland: Charlie Chan
Mary Brian: Yvette Lamartine
Thomas Beck:
Victor Descartes
Erik Rhodes: Max Corday
John Miljan: Albert Dufresne
Murray Kinnell: Henri Latouche
Minor
Watson: [Inspector] Renard
John Qualen: Concierge
Keye Luke: Lee Chan
Henry Kolker: M. [Paul] Lamartine
Dorothy
Appleby: Nardi (also called Mademoiselle Nardi)
Ruth Peterson: Renee Jacquard
Perry Ivans [Ivins]: Bedell
George
Davis: Roberts (not credited)
Auguste Tollaire: Concierge (not credited)
Louis Nartheaux: Reporter (not credited)
Ed Cecil: Customs Officer (not credited)
Robert Graves: Gendarme (not credited)
Harry Cording: Gendarme (not credited)
Marty Faust: Taxicab Driver (not credited)
Landers
Stevens: Bank Attendant (not credited)
John Dilson: Information Clerk (not credited)
Samuel T. Godfrey: Cashier (not
credited)
Rolfe Sedan: Bank Teller (not credited)
Moore & Allen: Apache Dancers (not
credited)
Gino Corrado: Head Waiter [Pierre] (not credited)
Wilfred Lucas: Doorman (not credited)
Richard Kipling:
Master of Ceremonies (not credited)
Eddie Vitch: Sketch Artist (not credited)
Paul McVey: Detective [LaVerne] (not
credited)
Lynn Bari: Nightclub Patron (not credited)
Gloria Roy (not credited)
Charlie Chan flies to Paris following his case in London (the "Stable Murder Case" as
seen in Charlie Chan in London). Pretending to be on vacation, he is actually working for a London banking house investigating forged bank bonds.
Upon
his arrival at the Paris airport, Chan is confronted by a beggar on crutches wearing dark glasses who asks him for some money
for food. "It is always good fortune to give alms upon entering a city," Chan tells a gendarme as he drops a few coins into
the man's palm. He then places a telephone call to Nardi, a dancer who is working undercover on the same case, and makes an
appointment to meet with her that evening following her performance at the Cafe du Singe Bleu.
Chan first visits Victor
Descartes, whose father is the director of the Lamartine Bank where Victor works as a clerk. Victor's fiancé, Yvette Lamartine,
the bank president's daughter, arrives with two friends, Max Corday, an intoxicated artist, and Renee Jacquard. After Chan
mentions that he must depart for the Cafe, at Corday's suggestion the group accompanies him there.
As Max gets out
of his car, he bumps into the same beggar that Chan had seen earlier at the airport. Corday gives the disgruntled man some
money, calming him down, and then the group enters the Cafe du Singe Bleu. Inside, Nardi performs her "Apache" dance, and
is murdered at its conclusion by a knife thrown by the unseen man on crutches. As she lies dying, she tells Chan that he can
find important information in her apartment.
At the apartment, in Nardi's bedroom, Chan finds a diary containing information
on Albert Dufresne. As he is leaving the building, Chan is nearly hit by a stone block that is dropped from the roof by the
mysterious beggar.
Returning to his hotel room, Chan is pleasantly surprised to find his eldest son, Lee, who
is in Europe on business and has come to Paris to vacation with his Pop. Chan reveals to Lee that he is actually in Paris
to investigate a case, and that his accomplice, Nardi, has been murdered.
The next day, when Yvette Lamartine visits
her father at the bank, Dufresne, her father's trusted assistant, threatens to show Victor a collection of love letters that
she had once written to him. With Lee waiting at the door, disguised as his father's chauffeur, Chan enters the bank in time
to see the office manager, Henri Latouche, having the man on crutches, who is screaming at bank officials about having been
cheated, escorted out of the building. Latouche identifies the man as Marcel Xavier, a shell-shocked, crippled soldier. Chan
meets with Paul Lamartine and Albert Dufresne, and after showing them that bonds that have been issued by the bank are forgeries,
he instructs Lee to follow Dufresne.
That night, as Lee watches from the street, Yvette visits Dufresne, who is in
the midst of packing and who is being secretly being watched by Xavier. Just as Dufresne is handing the love letters to Yvette,
he is shot by the unseen Xavier, who then tosses the gun into the room. Xavier escapes with the bonds that Dufresne had packed,
but Lee follows his taxi. A frightened Yvette grabs the murder weapon off of the floor just as the room is invaded by people
who had heard the shot and her scream. An arriving gendarme quickly arrests her for the murder.
Chan is dining with
Inspector Renard and, when both men receive the news of the killing and that Yvette Lamartine is the suspected murderer, they
hurry to the scene. While Corday and Renee Jacquard are questioned by police, Yvette slips the letters to Chan, who promises
to destroy them. He also lets Yvette know that he believes her to be innocent. Looking about, Chan notices several clues,
including a half of a broken Lamartine bank seal.
Lee returns to the hotel, and when Chan joins him, Lee tells his
father that Xavier got into a limousine after the taxi ride and that it was the same car in which Max and Renee had driven
away from Dufresne's residence.
Chan visits Corday and tells him that he suspects Xavier used his limousine to shed
his disguise. Max, thinking that Chan might suspect him, reminds him that Xavier had bumped into him outside of the Cafe.
Chan then leaves and Max quickly packs the bonds that were taken from Dufresne's room. As Corday tries to leave his apartment,
Chan and Lee stop him, as Chan, with a measure of sarcasm says, "Little keyhole big friend to stupid detective." Chan notes
that the half of the seal that he found at Dufresne's matches that on one of the bonds in Corday's possession and surmises
that Max killed Dufresne, but he still has not found Nardi's killer. While Lee holds Corday at gunpoint, Chan leaves for the
bank.
At the bank, Latouche gives Chan Xavier's address. Victor, appealing to Chan to help Yvette, and greatly encouraged
at the detective's belief in her innocence, drives him to find Xavier. At the address, Chan finds a secret entrance to the
Paris sewers where the two find a room with a printing press and engraving tools and more forged bonds.
CONCLUSION:
In the darkness, Xavier arrives and fires a shot at Chan, apparently seriously
wounding him. However, Xavier is apprehended as the detective had escaped injury by using the effective ruse of a flashlight
tied to a broomstick in the darkness. Chan then pulls off Xavier's hat, wig, glasses, and mask, revealing Henri Latouche.
As Inspector Renard and the police arrive with Lee, Chan explains that Corday and Latouche had both used the disguise so that
both would have an alibi. Corday had murdered Dufresne, their accomplice in the bond forgeries, who had tried to leave town
with their money and bonds, and Nardi was murdered by Latouche.
As Latouche is taken away, Chan tells Inspector Renard
that Yvette Lamartine is his assistant and was sent by him to get important letters from Dufresne. Renard, understanding Chan's
meaning, agrees to release her, stating to the detective that "the age of chivalry isn't dead after all."
NOTES: According to Daily Variety,
Hamilton MacFadden, the original director, was relieved of his assignment after the film was in production one week. Dan Clark,
who did not receive screen credit, was the original cameraman. This was the first film in which Keye Luke played the role
of Lee Chan.
Adapted from: AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE CATALOG - Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American
Feature Films, 1911-1960
CHARLIE CHAN'S APHORISMS:
It is always good fortune to give alms upon entering city.
Young bird must learn to
fly.
Youth tonic for old blood.
Mud turtle in pond more safe than man on horseback.
Joy in heart more
desirable than bullet.
Good detective never ask "what" and "why" until after he's seen.
Kindness in heart
better than gold in bank.
Must turn up many stones to find hiding place of snake.
See Paris, die happy.
Only foolish man waste words when argument is lost.
Perfect
case, like perfect doughnut, has hole.
Optimist only sees doughnut, pessimist sees hole.
Like all detectives, must consider every possibility.
Silence big sister to wisdom.
Hasty conclusion like gunpowder - easy to explode.
Very difficult to explain
hole in doughnut, but hole always there.
Eyes of kitten open only after nine days.
Canary bird
out of cage may fly far.
Faith is best foundation for happy future.
Cannot see contents of nut until shell
is cracked.
Many strange crimes committed in the sewers of Paris.
Grain of sand in eye may hide mountain.
OTHER WORTHY STATEMENTS:
Papers exaggerate importance of humble efforts. (to Victor
Descarte who had congratulated Chan on his recent successful solution to the "Stable Murder Mystery" in London)
(Yvette
Lamartine: "Why, you're not old at all.") Maybe not heart - but joints sometime argue matter.
Attempt on life in last hour indicate this humble person unwelcome in gay city. (to Lee)
Important
fox not know hounds pursue. (to Inspector Renard)
Flowers maybe say something. (to Inspector Renard, regarding
broken flower stem)
Little keyhole big friend to stupid detective. (to Max Corday)
Always carry
spare in case of "blowout." (to Victor Descartes, regarding his extra gun)
Man cannot drink from glass without
touching. (to Victor Descartes)
(Henri Latouche: "You meddling devil!") Honorable ancestors refute suggested
kinship.
REVIEW:
Variety, January 29, 1935
Often the effort to perpetuate a character beyond the life of its creator results in a cheap
imitation of the original, but the Chan stories seem to hold up. In this latest version Chan visits Paris on a forged bond
matter. Of course he solves the mystery, but not until the film has run its length. There's ingenious plotting, well sustained
suspense and a speed of action that holds the picture up for that extra 10 minutes beyond the hour. Picture has been given
a good production, looks important, and has been nicely edited. It will please the whodunit fans.
Novelty gag is that
the menace is a syndicate rather than a single person. Three bank employes [sic] create a mythical Xavier who appears
to be a war veteran beggar. In reality he is any one of the three who may happen to require the disguise. Being in Paris the
trio have their counterfeiting plant in the sewers, which helps the visual effect. Most of the action, however, is laid in
the bank and the upper-world.
Warner Oland holds his own as the Chinaman and Keye Luke does a good job as his college
bred son. Mary Brian is a capital love interest, who, of course, becomes involved, and the others are all up to their assignments.
FILM NOTES:
POSSIBLE DATE: May 13-14, 1934 (Charlie Chan had just come from
his case in London, which was portrayed in "Charlie Chan in London." That film probably takes place in April 1934, as it was
stated that the fox hunters were making their last hunt of the season, which ends that month. In the Lamartine bank, we can
see a number "14" displayed on the wall, probably the day of the present month. In 1934, April 14 fell on a Saturday, a day
that banks were commonly closed, probably even in Paris. May 14, 1934 was a Monday, which seems to fit, meaning that Mr. Chan
arrived in Paris on Sunday, May 13, 1934.)
DURATION: Two days
LOCATION: Paris, France
FRIEND OF CHARLIE CHAN: Inspector
Renard
THE AIRPORT WHERE CHARLIE CHAN ARRIVED IN PARIS: "Aerodrome du Bourget"
THE TYPE OF PLANE USED BY CHARLIE CHAN: Fokker F-10
A Fokker F-10.
THE NAME OF THE AIRLINE: London to Paris Airways
THE AIRPLANE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER: F-AFV1 (painted over the
letters "TWA" on fuselage. TWA, in 1934 stood for Transcontinental & Western Airlines, a Los Angeles-based airline
that later became known years later, under the ownership of multimillionaire Howard Hughes, as Trans World Airlines.)
THE AIRPLANE'S REGISTRATION NUMBER: NC 583K (on tail)
CHARLIE CHAN'S HOTEL: Hotel Mazaran
THE NAME AND ADDRESS GIVEN TO THE TAXI
DRIVER BY CHARLIE CHAN:
"Victor Descartes
Rue de Montespan 117"
THE NOTE THAT WAS
WRAPPED AROUND A STONE AND THROWN THROUGH THE WINDOW OF CHARLIE CHAN'S CAB:
THE TIME OF CHARLIE CHAN'S APPOINTMENT AT THE LAMARTINE BANK:
10 o'clock the next morning
VICTOR DESCARTES' APARTMENT NUMBER: 35
THE
NAME OF THE CAFE WHERE CHARLIE CHAN WAS TO MEET NARDI: Cafe du Singe Bleu
THE NAME OF THE
DANCE PERFOMED BY NARDI: "danse Apache" (Pronounced: "dahns ah-posh")
THE PREVIOUS CASE THAT IS MENTIONED: "Stable Murder Mystery in London" (as chronicled
in "Charlie Chan in London")
THE NAME OF THE GENDARME PLACED ON GUARD IN THE HALL OUTSIDE
OF NARDI'S APARTMENT: Pierre
THE TIME AS CHARLIE CHAN SEARCHED NARDI'S APARTMENT:
12 midnight
THE TEXT OF NARDI'S DIARY PAGE FOUND BY CHARLIE CHAN:
"Tonight, went with Albert
Dufresne, of the Lamartine
Bank, to a gambling house
in
Montparnasse. He lost
ten thousand francs, and is
obviously spending beyond
his income."
THE
REASON THAT LEE WAS IN EUROPE: He was sent on a buying trip by his "big boss."
THE CITY
WHERE LEE WAS WHEN HE HEARD THAT HIS POP WAS GOING TO BE IN PARIS: Rome
THE YEAR THAT THE
BANQUE LAMARTINE WAS FOUNDED: 1882
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT BANK PRESIDENT PAUL LAMARTINE
GAVE TO HIS DAUGHTER YVETTE: 1,000 francs (five 200 franc notes)
THE NAME OF THE STREET
WHERE ALBERT DUFRESNE'S HOME WAS LOCATED: Place LaFayette
THE MONETARY AMOUNT OF THE BONDS
HELD BY ALBERT DUFRESNE: Two million francs
THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER OF CHARLIE CHAN'S
CAR: 78-AG-421
THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER OF MAX CORDAY'S CAR: 28-CG-321
THE LICENSE PLATE NUMBER OF VICTOR DESCARTES' CAR: 25-AF-310
THE LIST OF
THE MEN WHO HAD BEEN SEEN RECENTLY BY NARDI AS READ TO CHARLIE CHAN BY INSPECTOR RENARD:
Emmanuel Casteneda - from the "Argentines"
Paul D'Orville - French financier
Albert
Dufresne - Banker
("...and a half-dozen others.")
MAX CORDAY'S APARTMENT NUMBER: 38
THE BOND NUMBERS READ WHILE BEING CHECKED AT THE LAMARTINE BANK:
C-19337 series M
D31286 series L
THE ADDRESS OF MARCEL XAVIER:
Rue du Pont 17
A PARTIAL LIST OF BOND NUMBERS FOUND BY CHARLIE CHAN THAT WERE WRITTEN BY LATOUCHE
ON THE BACK OF A DRAWING BY MAX CORDAY:
M-102383, P(?)-3423
B-4302, C-1210
B-4303, VO-1214
B-87532, D-143-I
A(?)-17043,
(???)
THE NAME OF THE OFFICER WHO WAS DIRECTED BY INSPECTOR RENARD TO TAKE LATOUCHE AWAY:
LaVerne
GLOSSARY:
aerodrome
- (chiefly British) An airfield equipped with control tower and hangers as well as accommodations for passengers and cargo.
Sign: AERODROME DU BOURGET
Aerodrome
du Bourget - Opened in 1919, Aerodrome du Bourget (today, L'Aéroport du Bourget) was
the first civil airport in Paris. On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindburgh landed his Spirit of St. Louis there following
his famous trans-Atlantic flight.
Sign: AERODROME DU BOURGET
danse apache - (French) Ruffian dance.
Master of Ceremonies: "And
now, ladies and gentlemen, we're going to have that little star, whose interpretation of the danse apache,
I know will thrill you."
Home, James! - A
reference to one's "driver" to get get going. Although the origin of this phrase is uncertain, it was in general
usage by the early 1930s.
Yvette Lamartine: "Home, James!"
ADVERTISEMENT:
Semelroth's Federation Theatre, Dayton, Ohio
April 28-29, 1935
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