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The Golden Eye
Monogram Pictures Corporation
Distributed: Monogram Pictures Corporation,
August 29, 1948
Production: Mid- to late April 1948
Copyright: Monogram Pictures Corporation, August 22, 1948; LP1857
Sound: Western Electric Recording
Film: Black and white
Length: 6,224 feet
Running Time: 69 minutes
Production
Code Administration Certificate Number: 13185
Source: Based on the character created by Earl Derr Biggers
Producer: James S. Burkett
Director: William Beaudine
Assistant Director: Wesley Barry
Original Screenplay: W. Scott Darling
Photography: William Sickner
Production Supervisor: Allen K. Wood
Supervising Film Editor: Otho Lovering
Editor: Ace Herman
Musical Director: Edward J. Kay
Art Direction: Dave Milton
Recording: Franklin Hansen
Camera Operator: John Martin (not credited)
Stills:
Al St. Hillaire (not credited)
Set Decorations: Raymond Boltz, Jr. (not credited)
Sound: John Kean (not credited)
Makeup: Webb Overlander (not credited)
Hair Stylist: Lela Chambers (not credited)
Screenplay Supervisor: Jules
Levy (not credited)
Grip: Grant Tucker (not credited)
CAST:
Roland Winters: Charlie Chan (also posing as "Chan, dealer in Oriental curios")
Wanda
McKay: Evelyn Manning
Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown
Victor Sen Young: Tommy Chan
Bruce Kellogg: Talbot Bartlett
Tim Ryan: Lt. Mike Ruark (also posing as Vincent O'Brien)
Evelyn Brent: Sister Teresa
Ralph Dunn:
[Jim] Driscoll
Lois Austin: Mrs. Margaret Driscoll
Forrest Taylor: Manning
Lee "Lasses" White: Pete
Lee Tung
Foo: Wong Fai (not credited)
Michael Gaddis: Pursuer (not credited)
Sam Flint: Dr. Groves (not credited)
Geraldine
Cobb: Girl in Riding Clothes (not credited)
Mary Ann Hawkins: Bathing Girl (not credited)
Aileen Babs Cox: Bathing Girl (not credited)
Edmund Cobb, John Merton: Miners (neither
credited)
Jack Gargan: Voice from Darkness (not credited)
Tom Tyler; Gang Member (?) (not credited)
Herman Cantor: Gang Member (?) (not credited)
George Spaulding (?) (not credited)
Bill Walker: Gang Member (?) (not credited)
In San Francisco's Chinatown, an Arizona mine owner named Manning visits a curio shop owned
by Wong Fai, seeking help from Charlie Chan because he believes that someone is out to kill him. While in the shop, Manning
is shot at by an unseen assailant. Later, Chan agrees to help Manning.
Accompanied by number two son Tommy (Jimmy)
and chauffeur Birmingham Brown, Chan poses as a tourist and checks into the Lazy Y Dude Ranch which is located near to Manning's
"Golden Eye" mine. After his arrival, Chan is met by San Francisco police lieutenant Mike Ruark who is working undercover
for the government. Ruark is there to investigate large amounts of gold ore that are suddenly flooding the market, and after
sharing information, he and Chan realize that the matters that each of them are working on are probably related. Ruark informs
Chan that Manning has been badly injured in a mysterious fall in his mine, he also fills the detective in on how Manning's
mine is suddenly producing so much gold that it is now one of the country's richest.
Posing as a dealer in oriental
curios, Chan goes to the Manning home, where he meets Manning's daughter Evelyn, mine superintendent Driscoll and his wife,
and the local assayer Talbot Bartlett. Chan is also allowed to visit Manning who is unconscious with his head completely wrapped
in bandages.
Returning to the dude ranch, Chan finds assayer Talbot Bartlett, who, years ago, had played on the same
high school baseball team in Honolulu as the detective's number one son. Bartlett tells Chan that he has been assaying some
of the gold coming from the Golden Eye mine. Evelyn Manning, unaware of the mine's recent tremendous productivity, tells Bartlett
that the nursing sister, Sister Teresa, whom Driscoll has hired from the nearby mission, is strange, and uncommunicative.
Pete, an independent miner, who has secretly gained access to the Golden Eye mine via a tunnel dug from his shack,
which is located near the mine, brings a sample of ore for assaying. Bartlett tells him that it is worthless, and, after Pete
admits as to where he obtained it, Chan arranges to meet the miner at his shack to take him to the hidden tunnel. However,
when Chan, Tommy, and Birmingham arrive at the shack, Pete is not there. As the trio enters the mine, they find Pete's body
CONCLUSION:
Later, back at the dude ranch, Lt. Ruark tells Chan
that Driscoll has a criminal record. Chan also discovers that Manning's nurse is a fake. Chan later finds that Driscoll has
been smuggling gold out of Mexico, where the price of gold is much less than in the United States, and selling it at a much
higher price north of the border. With his scheme at stake, Driscoll wants Manning and everyone else out of the way so that
his illegal operation can continue.
When Chan, Tommy, and Birmingham return to the mine, Birmingham stumbles upon
another body that turns out to be Manning. They all return to the Manning house where the detective begins to remove the bandages
from the patient's head. The patient suddenly begins to scream, and Sister Teresa rushes in, gun drawn, just as Chan reveals
the patient to be Mrs. Driscoll. After Evelyn struggles with and subdues Teresa, has to break the news to her that her father
is dead.
Driscoll then enters the room and draws his gun, but Tommy outsmarts him from behind, pretending that he
has a gun. Tommy then tells his father that he has received a telephone call from the Mexican police, informing him that they
have stopped the next shipment of gold at the border. Driscoll tries to escape, but he is shot dead by Bartlett, who is captured
by Chan and revealed as the real brains behind the entire gold smuggling operation.
NOTES: The working title of this film was
The Mystery of the Golden Eye. The opening title card reads: Charlie Chan in "The Golden Eye". The Call Bureau
Cast Service lists Herman Cantor and Sam McDaniel in the cast, but they do not appear in the finished film that we have available
today. Copyright records list George L. Spaulding as Dr. Groves, but the role was played by Sam Flint. Richard Loo, Barbara
Jean Wong, and Tom Tyler are also listed in the cast, but they do not appear in the finished film.
Adapted from: AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE CATALOG - Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American
Feature Films, 1911-1960
CHARLIE CHAN'S APHORISMS:
People who listen at keyholes rarely hear good of themselves.
So much for so much.
Small things sometimes tell very large stories.
Too much familiarity breed carelessness.
Desert present
many mysteries.
Small investigation sometimes brings large amount of knowledge.
Little knowledge sometimes
very dangerous thing.
Willingness to speak not necessarily mean willingness to act.
Little knowledge sometimes
very dangerous possession.
Deer should not toy with tiger.
Dead man cannot walk.
OTHER WORTHY STATEMENTS:
At first think Lieutenant Mike are giving Prohibition Party
kick in teeth. (regarding Lt. Mike Ruark's pretending to be a drunk)
Many needles in this haystack. (to
Tommy [Jimmy] regarding the complexity of the case)
Chan not after Manning, Mr. Manning come after Chan. (to
Talbot Bartlett)
Information very high-grade ore. (to Talbot Bartlett regarding the apparent value of the
information he had given to Chan)
(Lt. Ruark: "Two heads are better than one, you know.") Sometimes debatable
point.
You shout loud enough to wake sleeping dead. (to Birmingham Brown)
REVIEW:
Variety, September 22, 1948
"The Golden Eye," another Charlie Chan meller, is hardly up to the standard of the series. Roland Winters is not
particularly exciting or realistic as the new Charlie Chan. But the plot and direction also to be at fault. Film is of quickie
calibre, strictly for padding out the dualers.
Chan's operations this time take him to a dude ranch and a gold mine
in Arizona. Plot is of a supposedly mined-out shaft that suddenly becomes active. The secret ultimately is revealed of how
the ore was actually smuggled from Mexico, then sold in the U.S. at an exorbitant price.
Winters is too listless
as Chan although he's not helped much by the yarn. Victor Sen Young is acceptable as the detective's ambitious son. Mantan
Moreland, as the chauffeur, provides a few humorous moments, but milks each situation too long. Tim Ryan does well as a police
lieutenant.
William Beaudine's direction is passable.
FILM NOTES:
DATES: Thursday, February 12 (Chinese New Year) -
Sunday, February 15, 1948 (NOTE: Chinese New Year was actually on February 10 in the year 1948)
DURATION: Four days
LOCATIONS: Chinatown, San Francisco, California and
near El Dorado, Arizona (located very near to the Mexican border, possibly south of Tucson)
THE NAME OF THE CHINATOWN CAFE PASSED BY MR. MANNING ON HIS
WAY TO THE CURIO SHOP: Mandarin Cafe
THE FOOD ADVERTISED OUTIDE OF THE MANDARIN CAFE:
Chow mein and chop suey
THE NAME OF THE SHOP VISITED BY MR. MANNING: Wong
Fai Curios
THE NAME OF THE ARIZONA GOLD MINE OWNED BY MR. MANNING:
The Golden Eye
ACCORDING TO WONG FAI, CHARLIE CHAN'S PRESENT LOCATION:
"Chan, at present time, at Chan family on Washington Street, where he bring New Year's greeting to honorable cousin."
THE NUMBER OF THE SAN FRANCISCO HOTEL ROOM SHARED BY MR.
MANNING AND HIS DAUGHTER EVELYN: 604
ACCORDING TO CHARLIE CHAN, THE TYPE OF GUN THAT WAS USED
IN THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF MR. MANNING: "German Manlicher..."
THE NAME OF THE ARIZONA DUDE RANCH WHERE CHARLIE CHAN, SON
TOMMY (JIMMY), AND BIRMINGHAM BROWN STAYED: Lazy Y Dude Ranch
ACCORDING TO MR. MANNING, THE LOCATION OF THE LAZY Y DUDE
RANCH: "...only a half mile from my property."
THE NAME OF THE SONG PARTIALLY SUNG BY BIRMINGHAM BROWN AS
HE PACKED HIS SUITCASE: "Home on the Range"
ACCORDING TO CHARLIE CHAN, HIS QUARTERS AT THE LAZY
Y DUDE RANCH: "...bungalow number 9..."
THE NAME OF THE SONG PARTIALLY SUNG BY LT. RUARK WHILE FEINING
DRUNKENESS ON HIS WAY TO CHARLIE CHAN'S BUNGALOW: "Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie"
ACCORDING TO CHARLIE CHAN, THE LENGTH OF TIME SINCE THE ATTEMPTED
MURDER OF MR. MANNING IN CHINATOWN: "...two days ago..."
ACCORDING TO LT. RUARK, THE CAUSE AND EXTENT OF THE INJURIES
SUFFERED BY MR. MANNING IN HIS SUSPICIOUS ACCIDENT IN THE GOLDEN EYE MINE: "Fell down one of the shafts in the mine.
Badly bruised head and shoulders and a possible skull fracture."
THE NAME OF THE TOWN FROM WHICH MR. MANNING'S DOCTOR HAD
DRIVEN TO CHECK ON HIM: El Dorado
CHARLIE CHAN'S UNDERCOVER IDENTITY ACCORDING TO HIMSELF:
"...Chan, dealer in Oriental curios."
CHARLIE CHAN'S "DELIVERY" FOR MR. MANNING: "...some
objects of jade..."
DOCTOR GROVE'S DESCRIPTION TO CHARLIE CHAN REGARDING MR.
MANNING'S INJURIES: "Multiple contusions about the head and shoulders. It's impossible to tell just how bad without
x-rays."
ACCORDING TO DR. GROVE, THE HEIGHT FROM WHICH MR. MANNING
FELL INSIDE THE GOLDEN EYE MINE: "...about forty feet."
ACCORDING TO JIM DRISCOLL, THE ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR THE CARE OF THE INJURED MR. MANNING: "...I've arranged for a nursing sister from the mission school."
DR. GROVE'S PAIN PRESCRIPTION FOR MR. MANNING: "Mr.
Manning will need to have opiates for several days as soon as he recovers consciousness."
ACCORDING TO TALBOT BARTLETT, HIS FORMER PROFESSION IN HONOLULU:
"...collector of customs..."
ACCORDING TO CHARLIE CHAN, TALBOT BARTLETT'S SPORTS ACTIVITY
IN HONOLULU: "...excellent first baseman who play with number one son on high school baseball team."
THE TYPE OF BUSINESS LOCATED NEXT TO TALBOT BARTLETT'S
ASSAYING OFFICE: General store
THE SIGN PAINTED ON TALBOT BARTLETT'S OFFICE WINDOW:
"TALBOT
BARTLETT
ASSAYER
TESTING ENTERPRISES"
THE RESTAURANT "SUGGESTED" BY EVELYN MANNING TO
TALBOT BARLETT FOR LUNCH: Canton Cafe
TALBOT BARLET'S "NAME" FOR THAT RESTAURANT:
"Ptomaine Louie"
TALBOT BARTLETT'S ASSAY ASSESSMENT ON THE
ORE THAT PETE HAD BROUGHT IN: "Won't bring in more than six dollars a ton."
ACCORDING TO PETE, THE LOCATION OF HIS SHACK: "...at the bottom of Hay Canyon."
THE NAME MENTIONED OF ONE OF THE SMUGGLING GANG MEMBERS WHO HELPED UNLOAD THE TRUCK CARRYING ORE
FROM MEXICO: Pedro
ACCORDING TO CHARLIE CHAN, THE DIFFERENCE IN GOLD PRICES BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES:
"Gold worth seven dollars ounce in Mexico worth thirty-five dollars ounce in United States."
THE NAME OF LT. RUARK'S FRIEND IN THE MEXICAN BORDER PATROL: Captain Gonzalez
GLOSSARY:
assayer - One who examines
metallic ores or compounds, for the purpose of determining the amount of any particular metal in the same, especially of gold
or silver.
Jim Driscoll: "Mr. Bartlett,
the local assayer."
bonanza
- (1) A rich mine, vein, or pocket of ore. (2) A source of great wealth or prosperity.
Lt. Mike Ruark: "...the way the gold was flowing into San Francisco, it's a bonanza."
opiates - (1) Any of various sedative
narcotics containing opium or one or more of its natural or synthetic derivatives. (2) Drugs, hormones, or other
chemical substances having sedative or narcotic effects similar to those containing opium or its derivatives: a natural
brain opiate. (3) Things that dull the senses and induce relaxation or torpor.
Dr. Grove: "Mr. Manning will need to have opiates for
several days as soon as he recovers consciousness."
pin -
(slang) To attribute a crime to someone.
Jim Driscoll: "You're not going to pin
all this on me, Chan!"
Prohibition Party - A minor U.S. political
party organized in 1869 that advocated prohibition.
Charlie Chan: "At first, think Lieutenant Mike are giving Prohibition Party
kick in teeth."
ptomaine - A term for food poisoning
that is no longer in scientific use; food poisoning was once thought to be caused by ingesting ptomaines. (
Talbot Bartlett: "Yeah, 'Ptomaine Louie's.'"
tetanus - An acute, often fatal disease
characterized by spasmodic contraction of voluntary muscles, especially those of the neck and jaw, and caused by the toxin
of the bacillus Clostridium tetani, which typically infects the body through a deep wound. Also called lockjaw.
Charlie Chan: "Possibly you were anticipating tetanus?"
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