Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936)

'Charlie Chan at the Opera' is an apparently well thought of entry in the franchise but of the 4 I've seen its my least favorite. Publicity billed this as Charlie Chan vs. Boris Karloff, but there is very little interaction between the two here. Karloff is a long time amnesic opera star who regains his memory when he chances upon a newspaper photograph of an old associate, in fact his ex wife. He seeks here out, apparently for revenge, but there are other people with reasons to want her dead so when the investable happens Chan's got to sort it all out. This movie is set in San Francisco and one thing I rather enjoyed about it, and about this series as a whole, is it shows some interest in continuity. The reason Chan is in California at all is because of the events of the previous film 'Charlie Chan at the Races', which is directly referenced. My favorite gag in the film is that all the armor wearing extras at the opera are Chinese. William Demarest plays the local less talented police detective with whom Chan must work. The music for 'Carnival', the opera within the movie was written by Oscar Levant. Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone. I was more bored then I should have been. *1/2