Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen


1h 35m 1981

Brief Synopsis

Masterful sleuth Charlie Chan is called out of retirement when a detective asks for his help in solving a series of murders in San Francisco. Now with his grandson at his side, Chan matches wits against his nemesis from the old days, the Dragon Queen, who seems to be responsible for the crimes.

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Crime
Release Date
1981

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 35m

Synopsis

Masterful sleuth Charlie Chan is called out of retirement when a detective asks for his help in solving a series of murders in San Francisco. Now with his grandson at his side, Chan matches wits against his nemesis from the old days, the Dragon Queen, who seems to be responsible for the crimes.

Crew

Ray Alba

Sound Effects Editor

Denny Arnold

Stunt Man

David Axelrod

Screenplay

Gene Bartlett

Makeup

Gary Baxley

Stunts

Alan Belkin

Executive Producer

Bruce Bisenz

Sound

Norman Blankenship

Stunts

Stan Burns

Screenplay

George Burrafato

Location Manager

Jim Carberry

Location Manager

Jimmy Casino

Stunt Man

Tom Chatlos

Stunt Man

E.c. Chen

Set Designer

Roydon Clark

Stunt Man

Erik Cord

Stunts

Vince Deadrick

Stunt Man

Ted Duncan

Stunts

Pamela Eilerson

Assistant Director

Rafael Elortegui

Assistant Director

Hill Farnsworth

Stunts

Donna Garrett

Stunt Man

Victor Goode

Sound

Alvin Greenman

Script Supervisor

Gene Grigg

Special Effects

Ted Grossman

Stunts

Walter Hannemann

Editor

Donald Hansard

Post-Production Coordinator

Clifford Happy

Stunt Man

Marguerite Happy

Stunt Man

Jodi Harrison

Stunts

Eddie Hie

Stunt Man

Richard Huchings

Camera Operator

Rene Inouye

Production Assistant

Sam Jones

Set Designer

Mary Keats

Hair

Yangi Kitadani

Stunts

Edmond L Koons

Camera Operator

Michael F Leone

Executive Producer

Jeff Lohmann

Production Assistant

Paul Lohmann

Director Of Photography

Brad R Loman

Wardrobe Supervisor

Shirley Loney

Stunt Man

Anne Mcculley

Set Decorator

David Mcgough

Costumes

Doug Metzger

Assistant Director

Elly Mitchell

Production Coordinator

John Moio

Stunt Man

Sam Moore

Props

Arthur Morton

Original Music

Joseph Musso

Visual Effects

Roberta Newman

Costumes

Jill Okura

Other

Joseph G Pacelli

Set Designer

Jon Pare

Assistant Director

Beau Pease

Camera Operator

Guy Polzel

Key Grip

Samuel E Price

Special Effects

Jocelyn Rickards

Costumes

Walter Robles

Stunts

Joel Schiller

Production Designer

Bert Schoenfeld

Sound Effects Editor

Charles Schram

Makeup

Jerry Sherlock

Producer

Jerry Sherlock

From Story

Bonnie Slepak

Wardrobe Supervisor

Herbert Spencer

Original Music

Lynn Stalmaster

Casting

David Stump

Production Assistant

Jerry Summers

Stunt Man

Theodore Tabura

Production Assistant

Phil Tucker

Editor

Jack Verbois

Stunts

Tim Wade

Cinematographer

Skip Ward

Stunt Man

Kim Washington

Stunts

Richard Washington

Stunt Coordinator

Jim Wilkerson

Stunts

Fred L Williams

Makeup

Patrick Williams

Music

Gwen Williford

Production Assistant

Dianne Lynn Wilson

Stunts

Danny Wong

Stunts

Eddie Wong

Stunts

Mike Wood

Special Effects

Mark Yerkes

Stunts

John Zane

Unit Production Manager

Joy Zapata

Hair

Film Details

MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Crime
Release Date
1981

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 35m

Articles

Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)


Sir Peter Ustinov, the witty, multi-talented actor, director and writer whose 60-year career in entertainment included two Best Supporting Actor Oscars® for his memorable character turns in the films Spartacus and Topkapi, died of heart failure on March 28 at a clinic in Genolier, Switzerland. He was 82.

He was born Peter Alexander Ustinov on April 16, 1921 in London, England. His father was a press attache at the German embassy until 1935 - when disgusted by the Nazi regime - he took out British nationality. He attended Westminster School, an exclusive private school in central London until he was 16. He then enrolled for acting classes at the London Theater Studio, and by 1939, he made his London stage debut.

His jovial nature and strong gift for dialects made him a natural player for films, and it wasn't long after finding theatre work that Ustinov moved into motion pictures: a Dutch priest in Michael Powell's One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1941); an elderly Czech professor in Let the People Sing (1942); and a star pupil of a Nazi spy school in The Goose Steps Out (1942).

He served in the British Army for four years (1942-46), where he found his talents well utilized by the military, allowing him to join the director Sir Carol Reed on some propaganda films. He eventually earned his first screenwriting credit for The Way Ahead (1944). One of Sir Carol Reed's best films, The Way Ahead was a thrilling drama which starred David Niven as a civilian heading up a group of locals to resist an oncoming Nazi unit. It was enough of a hit to earn Ustinov his first film directorial assignment, School for Secrets (1946), a well paced drama about the discovery of radar starring Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Richard Attenborough.

After the war, Ustinov took on another writer-director project Vice Versa (1948), a whimsical fantasy-comedy starring Roger Livesey and Anthony Newley as a father and son who magically switch personalities. Although not a huge hit of its day, the sheer buoyancy of the surreal premise has earned the film a large cult following.

Ustinov made his Hollywood debut, and garnered his first Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as an indolent Nero in the Roman epic, Quo Vadis? (1951). After achieving some international popularity with that role, Ustinov gave some top-notch performances in quality films: the snappish Prinny in the Stewart Granger vehicle Beau Brummel (1954); holding his own against Humphrey Bogart as an escaped convict in We're No Angels (1954); the ring master who presides over the life of the lead character in Max Ophuls's resplendent Lola Montez (1955); and a garrulous settler coping with the Australian outback in The Sundowners (1960).

The '60s would be Ustinov's most fruitful decade. He started off gabbing his first Oscar® as the cunning slave dealer in Spartacus (1960); made a smooth screen adaptation by directing his smash play, Romanoff and Juliet (1961), earned critical acclaim for his co-adaptation, direction, production and performance in Herman Melville's nautical classic Billy Budd (1962); and earned a second Oscar® as the fumbling jewel thief in the crime comedy Topkapi (1964).

He scored another Oscar® nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category for his airy, clever crime romp Hot Millions (1968), in which he played a con artist who uses a computer to bilk a company out of millions of dollars; but after that, Ustinov began taking a string of offbeat character parts: the lead in one of Disney's better kiddie flicks Blackbeard's Ghost (1968); a Mexican General who wants to reclaim Texas for Mexico in Viva Max! (1969); an old man who survives the ravaged planet of the future in Logan's Run (1976); and an unfortunate turn as a Chinese stereotype in Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Still, he did achieve renewed popularity when he took on the role of Hercule Poirot in the star laced, Agatha Christie extravaganza Death on the Nile (1978). He was such a hit, that he would adroitly play the Belgian detective in two more theatrical movies: Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment With Death (1988); as well as three television movies: Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Murder in Three Acts, Dead Man's Folly (both 1986).

Beyond his work in films, Ustinov was justifiably praised for his humanitarian work - most notably as the unpaid, goodwill ambassador for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Since 1968, he had traveled to all corners of the globe: China, Russia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Kenya, Egypt, Thailand and numerous other countries to promote and host many benefit concerts for the agency.

Ustinov, who in 1990 earned a knighthood for his artistic and humanitarian contributions, is survived by his wife of 32 years, Hélène du Lau d'Allemans; three daughters, Tamara, Pavla, Andrea; and a son, Igor.

by Michael T. Toole
Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)

Sir Peter Ustinov (1921-2004)

Sir Peter Ustinov, the witty, multi-talented actor, director and writer whose 60-year career in entertainment included two Best Supporting Actor Oscars® for his memorable character turns in the films Spartacus and Topkapi, died of heart failure on March 28 at a clinic in Genolier, Switzerland. He was 82. He was born Peter Alexander Ustinov on April 16, 1921 in London, England. His father was a press attache at the German embassy until 1935 - when disgusted by the Nazi regime - he took out British nationality. He attended Westminster School, an exclusive private school in central London until he was 16. He then enrolled for acting classes at the London Theater Studio, and by 1939, he made his London stage debut. His jovial nature and strong gift for dialects made him a natural player for films, and it wasn't long after finding theatre work that Ustinov moved into motion pictures: a Dutch priest in Michael Powell's One of Our Aircraft is Missing (1941); an elderly Czech professor in Let the People Sing (1942); and a star pupil of a Nazi spy school in The Goose Steps Out (1942). He served in the British Army for four years (1942-46), where he found his talents well utilized by the military, allowing him to join the director Sir Carol Reed on some propaganda films. He eventually earned his first screenwriting credit for The Way Ahead (1944). One of Sir Carol Reed's best films, The Way Ahead was a thrilling drama which starred David Niven as a civilian heading up a group of locals to resist an oncoming Nazi unit. It was enough of a hit to earn Ustinov his first film directorial assignment, School for Secrets (1946), a well paced drama about the discovery of radar starring Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Richard Attenborough. After the war, Ustinov took on another writer-director project Vice Versa (1948), a whimsical fantasy-comedy starring Roger Livesey and Anthony Newley as a father and son who magically switch personalities. Although not a huge hit of its day, the sheer buoyancy of the surreal premise has earned the film a large cult following. Ustinov made his Hollywood debut, and garnered his first Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as an indolent Nero in the Roman epic, Quo Vadis? (1951). After achieving some international popularity with that role, Ustinov gave some top-notch performances in quality films: the snappish Prinny in the Stewart Granger vehicle Beau Brummel (1954); holding his own against Humphrey Bogart as an escaped convict in We're No Angels (1954); the ring master who presides over the life of the lead character in Max Ophuls's resplendent Lola Montez (1955); and a garrulous settler coping with the Australian outback in The Sundowners (1960). The '60s would be Ustinov's most fruitful decade. He started off gabbing his first Oscar® as the cunning slave dealer in Spartacus (1960); made a smooth screen adaptation by directing his smash play, Romanoff and Juliet (1961), earned critical acclaim for his co-adaptation, direction, production and performance in Herman Melville's nautical classic Billy Budd (1962); and earned a second Oscar® as the fumbling jewel thief in the crime comedy Topkapi (1964). He scored another Oscar® nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category for his airy, clever crime romp Hot Millions (1968), in which he played a con artist who uses a computer to bilk a company out of millions of dollars; but after that, Ustinov began taking a string of offbeat character parts: the lead in one of Disney's better kiddie flicks Blackbeard's Ghost (1968); a Mexican General who wants to reclaim Texas for Mexico in Viva Max! (1969); an old man who survives the ravaged planet of the future in Logan's Run (1976); and an unfortunate turn as a Chinese stereotype in Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981). Still, he did achieve renewed popularity when he took on the role of Hercule Poirot in the star laced, Agatha Christie extravaganza Death on the Nile (1978). He was such a hit, that he would adroitly play the Belgian detective in two more theatrical movies: Evil Under the Sun (1982) and Appointment With Death (1988); as well as three television movies: Thirteen at Dinner (1985), Murder in Three Acts, Dead Man's Folly (both 1986). Beyond his work in films, Ustinov was justifiably praised for his humanitarian work - most notably as the unpaid, goodwill ambassador for United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Since 1968, he had traveled to all corners of the globe: China, Russia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Kenya, Egypt, Thailand and numerous other countries to promote and host many benefit concerts for the agency. Ustinov, who in 1990 earned a knighthood for his artistic and humanitarian contributions, is survived by his wife of 32 years, Hélène du Lau d'Allemans; three daughters, Tamara, Pavla, Andrea; and a son, Igor. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States 1981

Released in United States 1981