Boris Karloff plays an opera baritone (singing dubbed by Rico Ricardi) suffering from amnesia and a desire for revenge. He is suspected of a murdering a woman onstage but detective Charlie Chan (Werner Oland) has his doubts. This was one of the best of the low-budget Chan films based around the Honolulu detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. Oscar Levant composed an imaginary opera called Carnival for this film including overture and arias. The libretto by William Kernell was created around a Mephistopheles costume used by Lawrence Tibbett in Metropolitan. It was given to the Chan picture to be worn on-stage by Chaney in the stabbing scene. Levant discusses this opera in his autobiography A Smattering of Ignorance and there is an analysis of it by Irene Hahn Atkins in Source Music in Motion Pictures. H. Bruce Humberstone directed for 20th Century Fox. Black and white. 66 minutes.This 'opera' composed for the film CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA. Can anyone identify who the actual singers in the film are? Thanks. Best wishes, Thomas.
Mike -- mrichter@xxxxxxx http://www.mrichter.com/