Topic: Fans of 1930s and 1940s mystery/detective movie series?

[HomokHarcos]

I remember another user made a post about film serials from the time, are there any mystery fans here? I recently got into them and have been enjoying watching them (hey must as well watch something while I'm waiting for Wheeler and Woolsey). Some of the prominent series from the time include:

Sherlock Holmes
Charlie Chan
Torchy Blane
Philo Vance
The Thin Man


And many, many more series.

[metaldams]

Very casual mystery fan.  I have vol 2 of the Charlie Chan DVD set, but only because it has Charlie Chan at the Opera with Boris Karloff.  They’re not bad movies, but not amongst my favorites.  Even as a Karloff fan, The Mr. Wong series never did much for me.

As far as Sherlock Holmes, I’ve seen very few of the Universal series, which I need to remedy.  I do own a copy of Hounds of the Baskervilles from Fox (as well as Hammer) and dig that film enough.  The Thin Man series, not bad, but again, a casual fan.

But yeah mystery, as well as straight sci-fi is OK, but I’m a bigger fan of straight horror.

[Dunrobin]

My brother and I watch all of the old detective/mystery film series - Charlie Chan, Nick & Nora Charles, Mr. Wong, Mr. Moto,  Nancy Drew, The Lone Wolf, The Falcon, Boston Blackie, Bulldog Drummond, Miss Marple, and of course, my first love, Sherlock Holmes.  It doesn't matter how many times I see them, I love them all. 

[metaldams]

My brother and I watch all of the old detective/mystery film series - Charlie Chan, Nick & Nora Charles, Mr. Wong, Mr. Moto,  Nancy Drew, The Lone Wolf, The Falcon, Boston Blackie, Bulldog Drummond, Miss Marple, and of course, my first love, Sherlock Holmes.  It doesn't matter how many times I see them, I love them all. 

That’s cool.  I wish I had the mystery gene because it’s so close a cousin to horror, but as much as I’ve tried, it just won’t blossom beyond casual.  Even my grandmother was a Murder She Wrote fan, you’d think it’d be in me somewhere.

[HomokHarcos]

That’s cool.  I wish I had the mystery gene because it’s so close a cousin to horror, but as much as I’ve tried, it just won’t blossom beyond casual.  Even my grandmother was a Murder She Wrote fan, you’d think it’d be in me somewhere.

I like horror, mystery and thriller. I admit I can never actually tell who the killer is until they are revealed, but the journey is entertaining. The Black Camel has Bela Lugosi, you might be interested in it.

[metaldams]

I like horror, mystery and thriller. I admit I can never actually tell who the killer is until they are revealed, but the journey is entertaining. The Black Camel has Bela Lugosi, you might be interested in it.

I’m the same way with the killer and the end.  I’ve been discovering Italian horror films lately, and their mystery films are known as “giallo.”  Usually a lot of murders leading up to the mystery reveal which can be quite gory.  I’m warming up to those, so who knows, maybe I will get into more regular mysteries someday.

The Black Camel I’ve seen parts of.  I’ll have to check out the whole thing someday.

[Umbrella Sam]

I like some mystery movie series, particularly Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan, although I haven’t watched many lately. I really should, as I have always liked those series. I also really like some of the classic mystery radio shows from that time as well, particularly THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and BROADWAY IS MY BEAT, which I do still occasionally listen to. I feel the mystery format actually works particularly well in radio; the fact that you can’t see what’s going on really adds an extra level of suspense to the story.

[Dunrobin]

I also really like some of the classic mystery radio shows from that time as well, particularly THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and BROADWAY IS MY BEAT, which I do still occasionally listen to. I feel the mystery format actually works particularly well in radio; the fact that you can’t see what’s going on really adds an extra level of suspense to the story.

When I first got out of the Army in 1975 I lived for a while in a rooming house and couldn't afford a TV, so I listened to the radio a LOT.  My favorite thing every evening before bed was listening to the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. 

[HomokHarcos]

I like some mystery movie series, particularly Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan, although I haven’t watched many lately. I really should, as I have always liked those series. I also really like some of the classic mystery radio shows from that time as well, particularly THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and BROADWAY IS MY BEAT, which I do still occasionally listen to. I feel the mystery format actually works particularly well in radio; the fact that you can’t see what’s going on really adds an extra level of suspense to the story.

I wish I could get into radio dramas, but I have the same problem I do with novels in that I have a tough time visualizing what is being told.

[Dunrobin]

That’s cool.  I wish I had the mystery gene because it’s so close a cousin to horror, but as much as I’ve tried, it just won’t blossom beyond casual.  Even my grandmother was a Murder She Wrote fan, you’d think it’d be in me somewhere.

I've always had a strong streak of curiosity; it bugs me when I don't know how something works.  I'm also pretty good at noticing patterns and like solving puzzles, so I guess it's not really a surprise that I fell in love with mysteries when I was young.

These days I "watch" these series mostly while I am working during the day.  Much like the Stooges, the Marx Brothers, et al, I know them so well that I don't really need to look at the screen to know what is going on, and I love listening to the dialogue while I'm writing code or processing data.

BTW, if anyone is ever looking for a complete list of every Charlie Chan movie every made, here is a Google spreadsheet I made from Wikipedia a few years ago.  (Film titles in italics instead of bold are lost films, and entries with a light blue background are in the Public Domain.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fsqKSOSRkvO02wlhQ_HMpIGkQbkKyZDbYV1wARofdho/edit?usp=sharing

[metaldams]

I've always had a strong streak of curiosity; it bugs me when I don't know how something works.  I'm also pretty good at noticing patterns and like solving puzzles, so I guess it's not really a surprise that I fell in love with mysteries when I was young.

These days I "watch" these series mostly while I am working during the day.  Much like the Stooges, the Marx Brothers, et al, I know them so well that I don't really need to look at the screen to know what is going on, and I love listening to the dialogue while I'm writing code or processing data.

BTW, if anyone is ever looking for a complete list of every Charlie Chan movie every made, here is a Google spreadsheet I made from Wikipedia a few years ago.  (Film titles in italics instead of bold are lost films, and entries with a light blue background are in the Public Domain.)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1fsqKSOSRkvO02wlhQ_HMpIGkQbkKyZDbYV1wARofdho/edit?usp=sharing

I’m the opposite, about the least technical guy you could imagine.  Even as a bass player, I know how to play the thing but am not knowledgeable about gear in the least.

I totally hear you about the way you watch Stooge and Marx movies.  I too have seen them a zillion times, especially The Stooge stuff.  Even if I zone out a minute or do something else momentarily, I can easily jump back in and know what happened.  My brain is now on auto pilot for those movies.

[HomokHarcos]

I watched the Charlie Chan movie Murder over New York this weekend, and none other than Shemp Howard made a cameo appearance.