Dreadfully Boring

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Copyright 5 December 1936 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Palace: 4 December 1936. U.S. release: 8 January 1937. U.K. release: 16 November 1936. 6,175 feet. 68 minutes. Censored to 5,783 feet (64 minutes) in the U.K.SYNOPSIS: Having succesfully wrapped up the race track murder case, Charlie prepares to return to Honolulu. But first he becomes involved in the hunt for a madman who has found his way into the Los Angeles Opera Company during Oscar Levant's "Carnival".NOTES: Number thirteen of the sixteen pictures made by Warner Oland in the series, and the second of three to be directed by Lucky Humberstone (who also directed Sidney Toler in his initial entry, Charlie Chan in Honolulu). Shooting commenced 16 September 1936. This entry gives movie buffs a good look at Nedda Harrigan. Never heard of her? She was married to Walter Connolly from 1923 until his death in 1940. In 1945, she married Joshua Logan. That union lasted until his death in 1988. A stage actress, Miss Harrigan made only fifteen films, but they included The Case of the Black Cat, Thank You Mr Moto, Men Are Such Fools, Devil's Island and Scandal Sheet. Charlotte Henry, of course is Alice in Wonderland, though she was actually twenty years old when she made that movie in 1933. She still seems appropriately under-age in this picture too.COMMENT: Whilst it easily ranks as the most popular of the entire Chan series (thanks mostly to the casting of cult figure Boris Karloff as Charlie's adversary), Charlie Chan at the Opera in at least one significant way rates as the least typical. True, Keye Luke is along to both hinder and assist Pop, and an easily disparaged comic detective (William Demarest) complete with pratfalls has also been cast. Charlie is also allowed a fair quota of his famous aphorisms. What's more, the movie has been lensed on an exuberant budget with lots of action thrills and atmospheric effects in both lighting and sets. But where's the mystery? Gravelle commits all the murders, doesn't he? Well, let me tell you, it came as quite a shock to me to discover (right at the fade-out) that he didn't. Not even one of them. Even the expert compiler of the movie data base credits has obviously been confused by the screenplay's deliberate obfuscations, as he still assigns one murder to the madman even though the screenplay offhandedly explains it away in the last few seconds of the climactic action.Mind you, Frank Conroy often thrusts himself center stage, but he's such an obvious red herring no-one is going to take the slightest notice of him. Besides the movie itself (all but explicitly) shows us Gravelle actually committing the crimes. (Oddly, the VHS cover features a head shot of Oland and a still of Oland with Conroy, but no picture of Karloff at all). Another problem is that the opera itself proves something of a distraction. I'm not referring to the off-stage scenes. Or even to the menace Karloff so slickly infiltrates into his portrait of Mephistopheles. All this material is fascinating. I mean the singing. Good stuff, but it's obviously not Karloff's voice. Humberstone directs with precision. It's all very slick and highly professional. In fact his work is as polished as an "A" picture. But that's also a bit disappointing. He never really lets himself go, as he does so excitingly in C.C. at the Race Track.

Fans of Charlie Chan, Boris Karloff or both should find little to dislike about Charlie Chan at the Opera. Count me as someone who likes Karloff a great deal and gets a fair amount of pleasure watching the Charlie Chan film series. The general consensus is that Charlie Chan at the Opera is one of the best of the series, and it is a consensus that I agree with wholeheartedly. If there is anything that didn't work very well, it was that that Boris Karloff's singing was dubbed very obviously with the sloppy lip synch and the singing voice sounds very little like Karloff when he speaks(Karloff probably did have some singing talent, but there is a lot of truth in what has been said already that he probably wouldn't have been an actor if he was THAT good). Tudor Williams does dub him brilliantly though, the dark velvety quality(that is fairly reminiscent of the great baritone Lawrence Tibbett) of his voice makes him captivating and thrilling to listen to. That aside, the film is very pleasing to look at, well shot with effectively used settings. The Mephistopheles costume was really striking and Karloff looks very imposing(he always did though) in it. The music is grandiose, playful and beautiful, the opera Carnival was composed especially and it is well-utilised and is one that you wish made appearances on the opera stage. Apart from the lip-synch, Karloff is still very good here, he is charismatic and formidable but clearly knows how to have a good time. Warner Oland is spot-on as a character that suits him to a tee, in particular he really relishes his hilariously droll lines and it shows in his sly delivery of them. The dialogue is laugh-out-loud funny, Charlie Chan's lines are like little bon bons and you have to love the nod to Karloff and one of his most iconic roles. All the acting is very good though. The scenes with William Demarest are every bit as fun as those with Karloff and Oland. The mystery parts of the story are well-paced, have good amounts of suspense- not too obvious or predictable- and keeps your "little grey cells"(in the words of Agatha Christie and her immortal creation Hercule Poirot) working, complete with some great atmosphere. Overall, non-stop entertainment from start to finish. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Of all the mystery detectives who made their mark on the big screen, the most easily recognizable was Charlie Chan. Originally created by Earl Derr Biggers, he went on to star in some thirty or forty episodes, Although Warner Oland appears in this film " Charlie Chan, at the Opera " this would become his last as Sidney Tolar would later replace him. Director H. Bruce Humberstone makes much of the great talent he assembles when the late great Boris Karloff plays Gravelle. Keye Luke from 'Kung Fu' fame plays Charlie Chan's son. The story has Karloff playing a dark sinister character who seems quite mad. Escaping from an Insane asylum Gravelle promises to get revenge of the individual who tried to kill him in a fire. Besides the magnificent operatic voices, there is dark drama and intrigue in the film as the audience enjoys Karloff at his best as he matches wits with the great Honnlulu detective when murder and mayhem visit the Opera House. William Demarest makes for an appearance as a police officer. All in all, this is but one of the many movies, which intrigues audiences in the 30 and 40's. Recommended. ****

According to the extended credits on here, Boris Karloff's singing is dubbed by someone named Tudor Williams.He sounds very much like Lawrence Tibbett, the most popular baritone at the Metropolitan Opera in the mid-1930s, and a singer who would have been known to general movie-going audiences then through radio, recordings, and his own movies. One of the other posters mentions that the dumpy costume worn during the performance by Boris Karloff and the baritone he replaces was a costume of Tibbett's. Tibbett's movie studio was Fox, and he made what was probably his most successful movie for them, Metropolitan, the same year as CC at the Opera.Is it possible that "Tudor Williams" was a cover for Lawrence Tibbett?????