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Chandu The Magician | |
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Directed by | William Cameron Menzies Marcel Varnel |
Screenplay by | Barry Conners Philip Klein |
Starring | Edmund Lowe Irene Ware Bela Lugosi Herbert Mundin |
Cinematography | James Wong Howe |
Edited by | Harold D. Schuster |
Music by | Louis De Francesco |
Color process | Black and white |
Production company | Fox Film Corporation |
Distributed by | Fox Film Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 71 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Chandu the Magician is a 1932 American pre-Code fantasy horror mystery film and starring Edmund Lowe, Irene Ware, Bela Lugosi and Herbert Mundin. Based on the radio play of the same name, written by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham and R.R. Morgan. [1] The radio series was broadcast from 1932 to 1933, and Fox obtained the rights hoping the film would appeal to a ready-made audience. In 1934 Chandu returned in a twelve part serial, The Return of Chandu , with Bela Lugosi playing the title role. [2]
For three years, Frank Chandler has studied eastern magic with the Yogis in India and is now known by his new identity, Chandu. He now has the power to teleport, astral project, mesmerize, as well as project illusions. With these supernatural abilities he has been entrusted by his teacher to "go forth with his youth and strength to conquer the evil that threatens mankind". Chandu is sent to Egypt to deal with an Egyptian megalomaniac known as Roxor. Roxor kidnaps Chandu's brother-in-law, Robert Regent, an inventor who has developed a death ray whose beams reach halfway round the world. The evil Roxor plots to use the ray to aid his plans for world domination. Chandu must utilise all his psychic abilities to rescue his brother-in-law, and also his sister and their children, whom Roxor has kidnapped in a plot to force Regent into revealing the secrets of his death ray. Chandu's sweetheart Egyptian Princess Nadji is also kidnapped, leaving Chandu with the quandary whom to rescue first. Using his Yogi abilities, Chandu makes daring escapes, including one from a submerged sarcophagus. Eventually he succeeds in rescuing everyone and mesmerizing Roxor long enough to destroy both the death ray and the villain's entire lair. [ citation needed ] [3]
The New York Times called it "whooping entertainment for the children and a series of naïvely juvenile escapades for the grown-ups". [4]
Scared to Death is a 1947 American gothic thriller film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton and Molly Lamont. The picture was filmed in Cinecolor. The film is historically important as the only color film in which Bela Lugosi has a starring role. Lionel Atwill was originally slated to appear in the film, but he was too ill to work, so George Zucco replaced him in the cast. Christy Cabanne completed the film in early 1946, but it wasn't screened until 1947.
The Mummy is a 1932 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed by Karl Freund. The screenplay by John L. Balderston was adapted from a treatment written by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer. Released by Universal Studios as a part of the Universal Monsters franchise, the film stars Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan and Arthur Byron.
Dracula is a 1931 American pre-Code supernatural horror film directed and co-produced by Tod Browning from a screenplay written by Garrett Fort and starring Bela Lugosi in the title role. It is based on the 1924 stage play Dracula by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston, which in turn is adapted from the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. Lugosi portrays Count Dracula, a vampire who emigrates from Transylvania to England and preys upon the blood of living victims, including a young man's fiancée.
The Black Cat is a 1934 American pre-Code horror film directed by Edgar G. Ulmer and starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. It was Universal Pictures' biggest box office hit of the year, and was the first of eight films to feature both Karloff and Lugosi. In 1941, Lugosi appeared in a comedy horror mystery film with the same title, which was also named after and ostensibly "suggested by" Edgar Allan Poe's short story.
The Raven is a 1935 American horror film directed by Louis Friedlander and starring Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi. Billed as having been "suggested by" Edgar Allan Poe's 1845 poem of the same title, excerpts of which are quoted at a few points in the film, it was adapted from an original screenplay by David Boehm. Lugosi stars as a neurosurgeon obsessed with Poe who has a torture chamber in his basement, and Karloff plays an escaped murderer on the run from the police who Lugosi manipulates into doing his dirty work.
Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932 American horror film directed by Robert Florey, based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". The plot is about Doctor Mirakle, a carnival sideshow entertainer and scientist who kidnaps Parisian women to mix their blood with that of his gorilla, Erik. As his experiments fail because of the quality of his victims' blood, Mirakle meets with Camille L'Espanye, and has her kidnapped and her mother murdered, leading to suspicion falling on Camille's fiance, Pierre Dupin, a medical student who has already become interested in the earlier murders.
Renegades is a 1930 American pre-Code film directed by Victor Fleming for Fox Film. It stars Warner Baxter, Myrna Loy, and Noah Beery. Jules Furthman based his script on André Armandy's novel Le Renégat. Fleming shot in the Mojave Desert where the extreme heat proved a severe impediment to the production. Bela Lugosi has a relatively small role as the Marabout, a Rif sheik whom Loy's character manipulates, but his character is important to the story. An uncredited Victor Jory in his film debut plays a Legion officer. Critics mostly acclaimed the film as "a great action picture" and "a box office hit" that had to be held over.
Fifty Million Frenchmen is a 1931 American pre-Code Technicolor musical comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon. The film was produced and released by Warner Brothers and was based on Cole Porter's 1929 Broadway musical Fifty Million Frenchmen.
The Death Kiss is a 1933 American pre-Code mystery film starring David Manners as a crusading studio writer, Adrienne Ames as an actress, and Bela Lugosi as a studio manager. The thriller features three leading players from the previous year's Dracula, and was the first film directed by Edwin L. Marin.
Irene Ware was an American actress. She was a beauty queen and showgirl before appearing in 29 films between 1932 and 1940, and is mostly remembered for her roles as Princess Nadji in Chandu the Magician (1932) with Edmund Lowe and Bela Lugosi, and as Boris Karloff's and Lugosi's leading lady in 1935's The Raven.
The Silent Command is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards featuring Bela Lugosi as a foreign saboteur in his American film debut. The film, written by Anthony Paul Kelly and Rufus King, also stars Edmund Lowe, Alma Tell, and Martha Mansfield. Shot in New York, The Silent Command began Lugosi's career in the American film industry. The film's focus on his eyes, at times in extreme close-up, helped to establish his image for later roles.
Chandu the Magician is an American supernatural radio drama which originally aired from 1931 to 1936. A revival on a different network took place 12 years later, airing from 1948 to 1950. The series was created by Harry A. Earnshaw (1878–1953) and Raymond R. Morgan. The two series portrayed the adventures of Frank Chandler, also known as Chandu, an American who had learned mystical arts, such as astral projection, which he used to fight criminals and villains, including the evil Baron Roxor. Chandu was Steve Ditko's and Stan Lee's inspiration for the more famous Marvel Comics character Doctor Strange.
The Return of Chandu is a 1934 American 12-episode fantasy film serial based on the radio series Chandu the Magician. It was produced by Sol Lesser and directed by Ray Taylor, and starred Béla Lugosi as Frank Chandler.
Oh, For a Man! is a 1930 American black-and-white musical comedy film based on a short story, "Stolen Thunder" by Mary F. Watkins. The original story appeared in The Saturday Evening Post June 7, 1930. Lugosi's character of Frescatti was later added to the screenplay. Well-dressed with a goatee, he resembled his Dr. Benet role in The Invisible Ray (1936) in stills. Since the criminal of the story does not receive just punishment in the end, the producers were years later unable to reissue this film after the establishment of the production code.
The Black Camel is a 1931 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Warner Oland, Sally Eilers, Bela Lugosi, and Dorothy Revier. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the second film to star Oland as detective Charlie Chan, and the sole surviving title of the first five Chan films starring Oland. The Black Camel marked the film debut of Robert Young.
María del Pilar Margarita Casajuana Martínez, known professionally as Maria Alba, was a Spanish-American film actress.
Women of All Nations is a 1931 American pre-Code military comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Victor McLaglen, Edmund Lowe, Greta Nissen and El Brendel. It was the second of three sequels to Walsh's 1926 film, What Price Glory?, with McLaglen and Lowe reprising their roles.
The Devil's in Love is a 1933 American pre-Code drama film directed by William Dieterle and written by Howard Estabrook. The film stars Victor Jory, Loretta Young, Vivienne Osborne, David Manners, C. Henry Gordon and Herbert Mundin. The film was released on July 21, 1933, by Fox Film Corporation.
How to Handle Women is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by William James Craft and starring Glenn Tryon. His first Hollywood film, Bela Lugosi had a brief uncredited role as a diplomatic aide, and Krazy Kat cartoonist George Herriman played himself in a cameo appearance. It also featured Bull Montana, and Cesare Gravina. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film had several working titles: Fresh Every Hour, The Prince of Peanuts, Meet the Prince, The Prince of Knuts and Three Days.
Return of the Ape Man is a 1944 American film distributed by Monogram Pictures. It was directed by Philip Rosen with top-billed star Bela Lugosi and supporting actors John Carradine, George Zucco, Frank Moran, Judith Gibson and Michael Ames.