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Public Domain Movies (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds) — Page 2

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It’s strange to think about how different film history would have been without B-movie schlockmeister Roger Corman. Though his own films as a director were rarely any good, he was directly responsible for launching the careers of actors like Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, Sylvester Stallone, and William Shatner. And as a producer he gave a chance to several young aspiring directors such as Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, James Cameron and in the case of the film below, Francis Ford Coppola.

Dementia 13 (1963)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtFQCuuNDLU - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel (1 hour 14 mins - 1080p)

Synopsis:
Shocked by the death of her spouse, a scheming widow hatches a bold plan to get her hands on the inheritance, unaware that she is targeted by an axe-wielding murderer who lurks in the family’s estate.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola & Jack Hill (reshoots)

Cast: William Campbell, Luana Anders, Bart Patton & Patrick Magee.

Trivia:
• The film’s title appears on a theater marquee in the Coppola-produced George Lucas film American Graffiti (1973), even though the film was set in 1962, before the theatrical release of Dementia 13.
• Corman wanted a cheap Psycho copy with a Gothic setting, and Coppola quickly wrote a screenplay. Although he was given total directorial freedom during production, he found himself at odds with Corman after filming was completed, resulting in Corman bringing in director Jack Hill to film additional sequences.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

And the colourized version if you wish to dabble in such things:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f-jadVuel0

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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Here’s a somewhat forgotten British pre-code horror film starring Boris Karloff. Despite the title, the plot has heavy ties to Egyptian mythology and was likely made as an attempt at capitalizing on the success of the 1932 Universal film The Mummy which also starred Boris Karloff.

The Ghoul (1933)
https://youtu.be/Ykor2AjjIzU?t=17 - from the Safehouse Horror YouTube channel (1 hour 20 mins long - 1080p)

Synopsis:
An Egyptologist returns from the dead to take revenge on those who have violated his tomb.

Directed by T. Hayes Hunter.

Cast: Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger & Ralph Richardson.

Trivia:
The film was considered to be a lost film until a murky, virtually inaudible subtitled print was located in communist Czechoslovakia in 1969. In the early 1980s, a disused and forgotten film vault at Shepperton Studios, its door blocked by stacked lumber, was cleared and inside they found the nitrate camera negatives of the film in perfect condition.

IMDB link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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Another bat-themed horror film, though somewhat more on the nose this time as it stars Bela “Dracula” Lugosi (as he was so often referred to in marketing of the time). Despite it’s ridiculous plot, the film is considered one of Lugosi’s better films for the so called “poverty row studios” that dominated his late career.

The Devil Bat (1940)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVzHNeafl5Y - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel (1 hour 8 mins - 720p)

Synopsis:
A mad scientist develops an aftershave lotion that causes his gigantic bats to kill anyone who wears it.

Directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Cast: Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren & Dave O’Brien.

Trivia:
The film was re-released in 1945 on a double bill with the Lon Chaney Jr film Man Made Monster (1941).

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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A 1942 B-movie double feature of sorts starring Bela Lugosi and directed by Wallace Fox.


The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjQ7Z1DWsIc - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel (1 hour 2 mins - 1080p)

Synopsis:
A scientist, aided by an old hag and her two sons, kills virginal brides, steals their bodies, and extracts gland fluid to keep his ancient wife alive and young.

Directed by Wallace Fox.

Cast: Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters & Tristram Coffin.

Trivia:
In a scene from Bowery at Midnight an advertising poster for The Corpse Vanishes can be seen outside the doors of a cinema.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


Bowery at Midnight (1942)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ty70RjD-0 - from the PizzaFlix YouTube channel (1 hour 1 min long - 480p)

Synopsis:
Kindly soup kitchen operator and professor of criminology Karl Wagner uses his soup kitchen as a front for a criminal gang who commit a series of daring robberies and murders. When things get out of hand, Wagner kills his henchmen, who wind up as zombies in the cellar of the soup kitchen.

Directed by Wallace Fox.

Cast: Bela Lugosi & John Archer.

Trivia:
The Los Angeles Times called it “maybe the farthest fetched of the Bela Lugosi films”, adding “but judging from the squeals of the youngsters who made up most of the audience in the afternoon such tales can’t simply be brought from too great a distance to please them.”

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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Imgur

Black Dragons (1942)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXJamhA22S4 - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel (1 hour 1 min long - 720p)

Synopsis:
It is prior to the American entry into World War II, and Japan’s fiendish Black Dragon Society is hatching an evil plot with the Nazis. They instruct a brilliant scientist, Dr. Melcher, to travel to Japan on a secret mission. There he operates on six Japanese conspirators, transforming them to resemble six American leaders.

Directed by William Nigh.

Cast: Bela Lugosi & Joan Barclay.

Trivia:
The film was rushed into production following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The original working title was ‘The Yellow Menace’.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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ZkinandBonez said:

The “original” Jurassic Park. This stop-motion dinosaur film (which predates even King Kong) is something of a forgotten milestone in cinema.

The Lost World (1925)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGQfgjCXDoU - from the Classic Movie Central YouTube channel (1 hour 42 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.

Directed by Harry O. Hoyt.

Cast: Bessie Love, Lewis Stone & Wallace Beery.

Trivia:
This was the first feature-length film to feature stop motion animation as the primary special effect. The effects were done by Willis O’Brien who would in 1933 work on the original King Kong.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Another fun watch! Admittedly some unfortunate parts due to the time period, but the story was well-done and I can even see where the Jurassic Park sequel drew inspiration.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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Two more silent classics, this time a pair of comedies by two of the greatest entertainers of all time; Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton.


The Gold Rush (1925)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srnlg2b7y7M - from the Rick Deerfield YouTube channel (1 hour 17 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
A prospector goes to the Klondike in search of gold and finds it and more.

Directed by Charlie Chaplin.

Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Georgia Hale & Mack Swain.

Trivia:
Chaplin drew inspiration from photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush as well as from the story of the Donner Party who, when snowbound in the Sierra Nevada, were driven to cannibalism or eating leather from their shoes. Chaplin, who believed tragedies and comics were not far from each other, decided to combine these stories of deprivation and horror in comedy.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

And the colourized version if you wish to dabble in such things;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaVNPZNKX7k


The General (1926)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m33VfG6-4vQ - from the FEATURE FILM YouTube channel (1 hour 18 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
When Union spies steal an engineer’s beloved locomotive, he pursues it single-handedly and straight through enemy lines.

Directed by Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton.

Cast: Buster Keaton & Marion Mack.

Trivia:
In 1963, Keaton said that “I was more proud of that picture than any I ever made. Because I took an actual happening out of the…history books, and I told the story in detail too”. With changing tastes and a re-evaluation of his works, audiences and critics would later agree with him, and it is now considered a major classic of the silent era. In 1989, The General was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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NeverarGreat said:

ZkinandBonez said:

The “original” Jurassic Park. This stop-motion dinosaur film (which predates even King Kong) is something of a forgotten milestone in cinema.

The Lost World (1925)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGQfgjCXDoU - from the Classic Movie Central YouTube channel (1 hour 42 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
The first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.

Directed by Harry O. Hoyt.

Cast: Bessie Love, Lewis Stone & Wallace Beery.

Trivia:
This was the first feature-length film to feature stop motion animation as the primary special effect. The effects were done by Willis O’Brien who would in 1933 work on the original King Kong.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Another fun watch! Admittedly some unfortunate parts due to the time period, but the story was well-done and I can even see where the Jurassic Park sequel drew inspiration.

And the similarities are especially interesting seeing as the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were almost done with stop motion instead of CG. I suppose it’s quite appropriate that both the first feature film to use stop motion for the majority of its effects and the first film to use CGI for the majority of its effects were both dinosaur films. It just goes to show how fascinated we are with the concept of dinosaurs. The two films also do a really good job at showcasing the changing trends of the sci-fi genre in terms of how the dinosaurs are brought into the modern world within the plot, with Jurassic Park being more of a true science fiction story and The Lost World going for more of a science fantasy approach.

I also find the film quite fascinating when you compare the stop motion to Willis O’Brien’s improved effects in King Kong less than a decade later and of course when compared to the work of his protégé, Ray Harryhausen, throughout the 50’s and 60’s.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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Here’s a really great film that I didn’t realize was in the public domain until recently (hence why I didn’t post it earlier). Not only is it Marlon Brando’s one and only film as a director, but it’s also a film with a pretty interesting production history. Had the original writer/director team not been fired then film history as we know it would have turned out quite different.

One-Eyed Jacks (1961)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tztjihfZbC8 - from the ARF YouTube channel (2 hours 21 mins long - 720p)

Synopsis:
After robbing a Mexican bank, Dad Longworth takes the loot and leaves his partner Rio to be captured, but Rio escapes and searches for Dad in California.

Directed by Marlon Brando.

Cast: Marlon Brando, Karl Malden & Katy Jurado.

Trivia:
• The film was originally planned to be directed by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay by Sam Peckinpah, but studio disputes led to their replacement by Brando and Guy Trosper.
• Kubrick’s involvement in the pre-production of the film is quite evident in the casting as the film features actors Timothy Carey and Elisha Cook Jr., both of whom starred in Kubrick’s 1956 film The Killing, with Carey also appearing in Paths of Glory in 1957. Actor Slim Pickens would later star in Kubrick’s 1964 film Dr. Strangelove.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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 (Edited)

One of the first sci-fi serials made in response to the success of Flash Gordon in 1936, as well as one of the earliest cinematic adaptation of the Atlantis legend and the first to make it an underwater civilization.

Undersea Kingdom (1936)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9I_TZR-9_M - from the Cult Cinema Classics (3 hour 36 mins long - 720p upscale)

Synopsis:
Following a suspicious earthquake, and detecting a series of signals, Professor Norton leads an expedition, including Lt Crash Corrigan and Reporter Diana Compton, in his Rocket Submarine to the suspected location of Atlantis. Finding the lost continent they become embroiled in an Atlantean civil war between Sharad and the usurper Unga Khan who wishes to conquer Atlantis and then destroy the upper world with earthquakes generated by his Disintegrator.

Directed by B. Reeves Eason & Joseph Kane.

Cast: Ray “Crash” Corrigan, Lois Wilde & Monte Blue.

CHAPTER INDEX:
Chapter 1: Beneath the Ocean Floor
Chapter 2: The Undersea City
Chapter 3: Arena of Death
Chapter 4: Revenge of the Volkites
Chapter 5: Prisoners of Atlantis
Chapter 6: The Juggernaut Strikes
Chapter 7: The Submarine Trap
Chapter 8: Into the Metal Tower
Chapter 9: Death in the Air
Chapter 10: Atlantis Destroyed
Chapter 11: Flaming Death
Chapter 12: Ascent to the Upperworld

Trivia:
• The star of the serial is Ray “Crash” Corrigan, using that screen name for the first time in Undersea Kingdom. The name was created to sound similar to “Flash Gordon”, in one of many similarities. Formerly a stunt man – he was the person swinging on vines in Tarzan the Ape Man – Corrigan went on to use this screenname for the rest of his career in serials and B-Westerns.
• In 1966 scenes from the serial were edited into a 100-minute television film titled Sharad of Atlantis

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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 (Edited)

Here’s an interesting serial that’s unique both for it’s connection to Star Wars and for being one of the last movie serials produced before TV destroyed public interest in genre entirely.


Radar Men from the Moon (1952)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSfb6HwSVWRfTYr3LwbWA6mNm17ozO-lj - from the ARCHIVE MOVIES YouTube channel (playlist - total runtime of 2 hours 35 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
Strategic targets on Earth are being destroyed by an unknown weapon. Government security head Henderson suspects it’s an “atomic ray” originating from the moon! He assigns Commando Cody, scientist and man of action with a secret flying suit, to investigate.

Directed by Fred C. Brannon.

Cast: George Wallace, Aline Towne & Roy Barcroft.

CHAPTER INDEX:
Chapter 1: Moon Rocket
Chapter 2: Molten Terror
Chapter 3: Bridge Of Death
Chapter 4: Flight To Destruction
Chapter 5: Murder Car
Chapter 6: Hills Of Death
Chapter 7: Camouflaged Destruction
Chapter 8: The Enemy Planet
Chapter 9: Battle In The Stratosphere
Chapter 10: Mass Execution
Chapter 11: Planned Pursuit
Chapter 12: Death Of The Moon Man

Trivia:
• Clone Trooper Commander Cody from Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith is named after the protagonist of this serial named Commando Cody.
• Commando Cody is also confirmed to have been one of the main inspirations for the The Rocketeer.
• A repainted Juggernaut vehicle from Republic’s much-earlier Undersea Kingdom serial is reused here as Retik’s lunar tank.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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 (Edited)

One of several superhero movie serials in the 1940’s, but the first theatrical release connected to a Marvel character (the next would be over 40 years later in the 1970’s) and the only one in the Public Domain.

Captain America (1944)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL131E945B584E2D74 - from the TheAvengersCaptain YouTube channel (playlist - total runtime of 4 hour 4 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the arch-villain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Directed by Elmer Clifton & John English.

Cast: Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray & Lionel Atwill.

CHAPTER INDEX:
Chapter 1: The Purple Death
Chapter 2: Mechanical Executioner
Chapter 3: The Scarlet Shroud
Chapter 4: Preview of Murder
Chapter 5: Blade of Wrath
Chapter 6: Vault of Vengeance
Chapter 7: Wholesale Destruction
Chapter 8: Cremation in the Clouds
Chapter 9: Triple Tragedy
Chapter 10: The Avenging Corpse
Chapter 11: The Dead Man Returns
Chapter 12: Horror on the Highway
Chapter 13: Skyscraper Plunge
Chapter 14: The Scarab Strikes
Chapter 15: The Toll of Doom

Trivia:
• The Captain America costume was really grey, white and dark blue as these colours photographed better in black and white.
• Republic, the production company of the serial, was notorious for making changes in their adaptations, though this occurred with Captain America more than most. Timely Comics (later Marvel Comics), the owner of Captain America, was unhappy with the omission of Steve Rogers and the lack of an army setting.
• The role that made Dick Purcell famous turned out to be his last, and in fact he died a few weeks after filming was completed, before the film serial was released to enormous success. According to film historian Raymond Stedman, the strain of filming Captain America had been too much for his heart, and he collapsed in the locker room at a Los Angeles country club on 10 April 1944, shortly after playing a round of golf.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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As a bit of a follow up to the Fleischer studios first animated feature; Gulliver’s Travels, and the Superman cartoon, here is their “Color Specials” trilogy of Arabian Nights themed Popeye the Sailor shorts.


Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIwUpvf2jXY - from the 8thManDVD.com™ Cartoon Channel YouTube channel (16 mins long - 1080p upscale)

Synopsis:
The legendary sailors Popeye and Sindbad do battle to see which one is the greatest.

Directed by Dave Fleischer & Willard Bowsky.

Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Gus Wickie & Lou Fleischer.

Trivia:
• This short was the first of the three Popeye Color Specials, which, at over sixteen minutes each, were billed as “A Popeye Feature.”
• It was nominated for the 1936 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons, but lost to Walt Disney’s Silly Symphony: The Country Cousin.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves (1937)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miw_Jw7j2sE - from the 8thManDVD.com™ Cartoon Channel YouTube channel (17 mins long - 1080p upscale)

Synopsis:
Popeye the Sailor, accompanied by Olive Oyl and Wimpy, is dispatched to stop the dreaded bandit Abu Hassan and his force of forty thieves.

Directed by Dave Fleischer & Willard Bowsky.

Cast: Jack Mercer, Mae Questel, Gus Wickie & Lou Fleischer.

Trivia:
• It was produced while Fleischer competitor Walt Disney was entering the final months of production on his first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
• It made full use of Fleischer Studios’s multiplane camera, which they had been experimenting with for some time.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv7IH291KBo - from the 8thManDVD.com™ Cartoon Channel YouTube channel (21 mins long - 1080p upscale)

Synopsis:
Working in the story department of Surprise Pictures, Olive Oyl writes a script based on the story of Aladdin, casting Popeye as the thief and herself as the Princess.

Directed by Dave Fleischer & Dave Tendlar.

Cast: Margie Hines, Jack Mercer & Carl Meyer.

Trivia:
According to the film’s press release, its making involved two hundred colors and twenty-eight thousand individual, full-color drawings; the press release also mentions 3D animation, but such footage was never used in the final version. However, a glimpse can be obtained in a Popular Science short (see Bonus Video below), which documents the film’s making, and reveals a sculpted model of the castle being photographed.

Bonus Video:
The Making of a Popeye Cartoon (1938)

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

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 (Edited)

The Charlie Chan detective mysteries has something of a bad reputation that have prevented them from seeing modern home video releases, and considering how all of them (apart from two lost silent films) star Caucasian men playing an Asian character, it’s not hard to see why these films can feel quite awkward by modern standards. However, I don’t think this simple dismissal gives the now dead franchise the respect it actually deserves. Think about it. In a time rampant with yellow peril stories where Asian characters were largely relegated to villains or the submissive manservant, one author decided it was necessary to create an Asian hero for the general public. And so did Fox Studios.

From the early 1930’s to the late 1940’s there was a minimum of one Charlie Chan film per year. Clearly audiences could not get enough of this character. Even the still well known Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone only managed to produce 14 films between 1939 and 1946. Other contemporaries like Mr. Moto or the Crime Doctor were lucky to reach ten films. Charlie Chan managed a staggering 46 films in less than two decades, and was quickly given a TV series in the 1950’s before eventually loosing public interest by the 1960’s.

Charlie Chan was a classic detective in the tradition of Hercule Poirot (who didn’t get a proper film adaptation until the 70’s). He was always the smartest person in the room. He was always one step ahead of everyone. He was charming, wise, and there was always a heavy emphasis on what a good family man he was, and the films often featured one of his many, many sons, who were thankfully always played by actual Asians. Yes, there were silly cliches, like how Chan frequently quoted Chinese proverbs (though this trope was more common with the latter two of the three actors), and his accent could be a fair bit over the top at times (again, especially in the later films). And the black supporting characters, especially during the tenure of the latter two actors again, such as Chan’s cowardly chauffeur Birmingham Brown, can be absolutely cringy to watch nowadays. But all in all I believe Charlie Chan the character, especially Warner Oland’s portrayal in the 1930’s, deserves at least some respect, despite the fact that we now know better than to do a lot of the things done in these movies.

Are the actual films any good though, as far as murder mysteries go? Well, the early films are pretty solid over all, though unfortunately the public domain films are mostly from the latter years of the franchise when they had fallen into firmly established tropes and clichés.


Charlie Chan’s Secret (1936)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB16-tmRgAE - from the CiNENET YouTube channel (1 hour 12 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
The heir to a huge fortune is presumed drowned, then shows up murdered.

Directed by Gordon Wiles.

Cast: Warner Oland, Rosina LawrenceCharles Quigley.

Trivia:
• The tenth Charlie Chan film produced by Fox in only five years.
• The only public domain film from the series starring Warner Oland.

IMDb link
Wikipedia link


The Scarlet Clue (1945)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wPXJFx0bPA - from the FEATURE FILM YouTube channel (1 hour 4 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
Charlie discovers a scheme for the theft of government radar plans while investigating several murders.

Directed by Phil Rosen.

Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland & Ben Carter.

Trivia:
The 16th Charlie Chan film starring Sidney Toler and the 32nd film overall (not counting silent movies).

IMDb link
Wikipdia article


Dark Alibi (1946)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN-zv3f7guE - from the Timeless Classic Movies YouTube channel (1 hour 1 min - 480p)

Synopsis:
A public defender enlists Charlie to exonerate one of his clients, an ex-con falsely accused of bank robbery and murder, scheduled for execution in nine days.

Directed by Phil Karlson.

Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland & Ben Carter.

Trivia:
The 19th Charlie Chan film starring Sidney Toler and the 36th film overall (not counting silent movies).

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

And the colourized version of you wish to dabble in such things;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r5rrl4ONp0


Dangerous Money (1946)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgEElXjTKgU&t - from the Inter-Pathé YouTube channel (1 hour 6 mins - 240p)

Synopsis:
A treasury agent on the trail of counterfeit money confides to fellow ocean liner passenger Charlie Chan that there have been two attempts on his life.

Directed by Terry O. Morse.

Cast: Sidney Toler, Gloria Warren & Victor Sen Yung.

Trivia:
The 20th Charlie Chan film starring Sidney Toler and the 35th film overall (not counting silent movies).

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


The Trap (1946)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpIW54mN5Fk - from the Timeless Classic Movies YouTube channel (1 hour 8 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
When a troupe of showgirls with their impresario and press agent vacation at a Malibu Beach resort, two of them are garroted. Charlie takes on the case assisted by Number Two Son Jimmy and faithful chauffeur Birmingham Brown.

Directed by Howard Bretherton.

Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland & Victor Sen Yung.

Trivia:
The 22th Charlie Chan film starring Sidney Toler and the 38th film overall (not counting silent movies).

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


The Chinese Ring (1947)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn8Jir3hW5o&t - from the Timeless Classic Movies YouTube channel (1 hour 7 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
Soon after a Chinese princess comes to the US to buy planes for her people, she is murdered by a poison dart fired by an air rifle.

Directed by William Beaudine.

Cast: Roland Winters, Warren Douglas & Mantan Moreland.

Trivia:
• The 1st Charlie Chan film starring Roland Winters and the 41st film overall (not counting silent movies).
• The plot is nearly identical to Mr. Wong in Chinatown, a 1939 film starring Boris Karloff. That film was also an adaptation of Scott Darling’s script for the 1931 film Murder at Midnight.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


The Golden Eye (1948)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK6uzbyk3Ik - from the Inter-Pathé YouTube channel (1 hour 07 mins - 240p)

Synopsis:
Chan discovers a conspiracy when a low paying gold mine seemingly starts to become profitable, and attempts are made on the owner’s life.

Directed by William Beaudine.

Cast: Roland Winters, Wanda McKay & Mantan Moreland.

Trivia:
The 4th Charlie Chan film starring Roland Winters and the 45th film overall (not counting silent movies).

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

Author
Time

Another bat film, plus a gorilla one for good measure.


The Bat (1959)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td3OM8jbBJQ - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube chanel (1 hour 20 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
A crazed killer known as “The Bat” is on the loose in a mansion full of people.

Directed by Crane Wilbur.

Cast: Vincent Price, Agnes Moorehead & Gavin Gordon.

Trivia:
The Bat was distributed in 1959 on a double bill with the British Hammer film The Mummy.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article


The Gorilla (1939)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP1xlXj76Mw - from the Cult Cinema Classics YouTube channel (1 hour 6 mins - 480p)

Synopsis:
When a wealthy man is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the mansion just as the investigators arrive.

Directed by Allan Dwan.

Cast: The Ritz Brothers, Lionel Atwill & Bela Lugosi.

Trivia:
The death of the Ritz Brothers’ father caused production of the film in January to be delayed. Fox placed a $150,000 suit against the Ritz brothers for a breach of contract as the film was stated to start production on January 30, but was halted when the Ritz Brothers did not show up. By March, the film began shooting again with the Ritz brothers returning to the film. The Gorilla became the last film made for Fox by the Ritz brothers.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Here’s another highly esteemed film that I would have posted earlier if I had known it was in the public domain.

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BtAjHx0SwA - from the FEATURE FILM YouTube channel (1 hour 59 mins - 1080p)

Synopsis:
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.

Directed by Otto Preminger.

Cast: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak & Eleanor Parker.

Trivia:
Preminger decided to release the finished film prior to submitting it for a Code seal of approval. In early December 1955, the PCA denied the film a Code seal, and the decision was upheld upon appeal to the MPAA. As a result, United Artists resigned from the MPAA that same month (although the company re-joined a few years later). The National Legion of Decency also showed disagreement with the PCA ruling by rating the film as a “B” meaning “morally objectionable in part for all”, instead of a “C” meaning “condemned”, which was the rating normally given to films that were denied a Code seal. Large theater circuits including Loews also refused to ban the film and instead showed it despite the lack of a Code seal. As a result of the controversy, the MPAA investigated and revised production codes, allowing later movies more freedom to deeply explore hitherto taboo subjects such as drug abuse, kidnapping, miscegenation, abortion, and prostitution.

IMDb link
Wikipdia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

One of very few public domain Disney shorts and an uncharacteristically spooky one at that in time for Halloween (though of course most of the films I’ve posted in this thread are quite Halloween appropriate).


The Mad Doctor (1933)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPW70q4w5pw - from the Laser Time YouTube channel (6 mins long - 720p upscale)

Synopsis:
Mickey must save Pluto from a mad doctor’s lair.

Directed by David Hand.

Cast: Walt Disney, Billy Bletcher & Pinto Colvig.

Trivia:
The short’s horror overtones made it unusual for a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Some theaters refused to show it, believing it to be too scary for kids. At one time, for this reason, it was banned entirely in the United Kingdom, as well as Nazi Germany.

IMDb link
Wikipedia article

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.