Re: [ARSCLIST] Oscar Levant-William Kernell Opera 'Carnival'

[Thomas Stern <sternth@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In the US,  six Monogram(Allied) titles are issued by MGM singly and in 
a 'Chanthology' box set:
 The Secret Service; The Chinese Cat; The Jade Mask; Meeting at 
Midnight; The Scarlet Clue; The Shanghai Cobra.
In the UK, six Fox titles are/about to be issued by Orbit Media, also 
offered singly and in a box:
 Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan in Paris, Charlie Chan at the 
Opera, Charlie Chan at the Circus, Charlie Chan on Broadway,
 Charlie Chan in Shanghai.
There is a "Platinum Edition" offered by a web source containing 42 
films on 14 DVD-R's.  I have not seen these, but would like to hear what 
the quality is from anyone who has them.  I've a few early Charlie Chan 
films on bootleg VHS tapes,  purchased many years ago.  The transfers 
are execrable.
 Best wishes, Thomas.


Robert Hodge wrote:

> It's Warner Oland , please. Not Werner.
> Not to be nit picky.
>
> Is this one on DVD?
>
> BH
>
>
>
>  
>
> > > > mrichter@xxxxxxx 11/14/2005 2:03 PM >>>
> > > >        
> Thomas Stern wrote:
>  
>
> > 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.
> >
> >    
> 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.
>
> Copyright @ 1997 by Ken Wlaschin. All rights reserved.
>
> Mike
>