Review of Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937) by Art S — 12 Jun 2013
He's at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in fact, and surprisingly there is no mention of Nazism anywhere in the film, even though Charlie Chan rides the Hindenberg across the Atlantic to get there and German police work hand-in-hand with him, often trumpeting their well-known efficiency.
Surprisingly, ethnic stereotypes are pretty mild in this film; Chan himself, played by Swede Warner Oland, is barely Asian at all, except for his unrecognizable accent and fortune cookie witticisms. And his son, Lee, played by Keye Luke, is thoroughly All-American (even winning a gold medal swimming for the USA at the end of the picture -- sorry for the spoiler).
Other Charlie Chan films featuring his servant Birmingham seem a bit more racist (as I recall). The main focus here, of course, is the mystery -- someone has murdered in order to steal a top-secret macguffin that could be used for military purposes.
There is a long list of suspects, some easily confused, but Charlie does manage to save the day. Reputedly one of the better films in the series and that could be true.
This review of Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937) was written by Art S on 12 Jun 2013.
Charlie Chan at the Olympics has generally received positive reviews.
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