Warner Oland

Warner Oland Trailers

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Warner Oland (born Johan Verner Ölund, October 3, 1879 – August 6, 1938) was a Swedish-American actor most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American characters: the Honolulu Police detective, Lieutenant Charlie Chan; Dr. Fu Manchu; and Henry Chang in Shanghai Express. His family emigrated to the United States when he was 13. He pursued a film career that would include time on Broadway and dozens of film appearances, including 16 Charlie Chan films. After several years in theater, including appearances on Broadway as Warner Oland, in 1912 he made his silent film debut in Pilgrim's Progress, a film based on the John Bunyan novel. As a result of his training as a Shakespearean actor and his easy adoption of a sinister look, he was much in demand as a villain and in ethnic roles. Over the next 15 years, he appeared in more than 30 films, including a major role in The Jazz Singer (1927), one of the first talkies produced. Oland's normal appearance fit the Hollywood expectation of caricatured Asianness of the time, despite his having no definitively proven Asian cultural background. Oland portrayed a variety of Asian characters in several movies before being offered the leading role in the 1929 film, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. It was the first onscreen portrayal of the Fu Manchu character in film. Oland continued to appear onscreen as an Asian, probably more often than any other white actor in the history of cinema. In Old San Francisco, Oland played an Asian unsuccessfully impersonating a white man. Oland was the first actor to play a werewolf in a major Hollywood film, biting the protagonist, played by Henry Hull, in Werewolf of London (1935). Once again, Oland's character was Asian. A box office success, The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu made Oland a star, and during the next two years he portrayed the evil Dr. Fu Manchu in three more films (although the second one was purely a cameo appearance). Firmly locked into such roles, he was cast as Charlie Chan in the international detective mystery film Charlie Chan Carries On (1931) and then in director Josef von Sternberg's 1932 classic film Shanghai Express opposite Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong. The enormous worldwide box office success of his Charlie Chan film led to more, with Oland starring in 16 Chan films in total. The series, Jill Lepore later wrote, "kept Fox afloat" during the 1930s, while earning Oland $40,000 per movie. Oland took his role seriously, studying the Chinese language and calligraphy.

Most Popular Warner Oland Trailers

Total trailers found: 95

Werewolf of London Trailer (1935)

13 May 1935

A strange animal attack turns a botanist into a bloodthirsty monster.

Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' Trailer (1999)

01 January 1999

Starting with "The Wolf Man" (in 1941), Universal Studios made five movies featuring The Wolf Man, a character portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr.

Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back Trailer (1934)

15 August 1934

Bulldog Drummond finds himself immersed in another adventure when he stumbles upon a corpse in the mysterious London mansion of Prince Achmed.

Before Dawn Trailer (1933)

04 August 1933

After the death of a gangster, those familiar with his million dollar stash start mysteriously dying.

Charlie Chan in Shanghai Trailer (1935)

11 October 1935

When a prominent official is murdered at a banquet honoring Charle Chan, the detective and son Lee team up to expose an opium-smuggling ring.

Dishonored Trailer (1931)

04 April 1931

The Austrian Secret Service sends its most seductive agent to spy on the Russians.

The Drums of Jeopardy Trailer (1931)

01 March 1931

A mad doctor is determined to take revenge on the family he believes is responsible for his daughter's death.

The Vagabond King Trailer (1930)

17 February 1930

The story takes place in medieval France. Poet-rogue Francois Villon, sentenced to hang by King Louis XI for writing derogatory verses about him, is offered a temporary reprieve.

The Painted Veil Trailer (1934)

23 November 1934

The wife of a doctor in China falls in love with a diplomat.

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo Trailer (1937)

17 December 1937

Although Charlie and Lee are in Monaco for an art exhibit, they become caught up in a feud between rival financiers which involves the Chan's in a web of blackmail and murder.

Charlie Chan on Broadway Trailer (1937)

22 September 1937

Returning from European exile where she avoided testifying against her criminal associates, a former singer with a tell-all diary is murdered to insure her silence.

Charlie Chan at the Opera Trailer (1936)

04 December 1936

A dangerous amnesiac escapes from an asylum, hides in the opera house, and is suspected of getting revenge on those who tried to murder him 13 years ago.

Charlie Chan at the Olympics Trailer (1937)

21 May 1937

Get ready for a Gold Medal murder mystery! This "tense, thrilling mystery" ('California Congress of Parents and Teachers') pits Charlie Chan against international spies who are using the Berlin Olympic games as the perfect cover.

The Black Camel Trailer (1931)

21 June 1931

Movie star Shelah Fane is seeing wealthy Alan Jaynes while filming in Honolulu, Hawaii, but won't marry him without consulting famed psychic Tarneverro first.

Don Juan Trailer (1926)

06 August 1926

If there was one thing that Don Juan de Marana learned from his father Don Jose, it was that women gave you three things - life, disillusionment and death.

Tell It to the Marines Trailer (1926)

23 December 1926

U.S. Marine Sergeant O'Hara has his hands full training raw recruits, one of whom, 'Skeets' Burns, is a particular thorn in his side.

Daughter of the Dragon Trailer (1931)

24 September 1931

At her Chinese father's bidding, a woman goes to murder an enemy and meets a Scotland Yard detective.

Charlie Chan at the Circus Trailer (1936)

27 March 1936

While visiting the circus with his family, Charlie is recruited by the big top's co-owner to investigate threatening letters that he's received.

Charlie Chan in Egypt Trailer (1935)

04 June 1935

While investigating the theft of antiquities from an ancient tomb excavation , Charlie discovers that the body of the expedition's leader concealed inside the mummy's wrappings.

Shanghai Trailer (1935)

19 July 1935

A New York socialite travels to Shanghai to visit her ailing aunt and falls in love with a Russian banker, who harbors a family secret.

The Romance of Elaine Trailer (1915)

14 June 1915

The heroine had little time for romancing newspaper reporter Walter Jameson, what with Doctor X, alias Marcus Del Mar, threatening American democracy in general and master detective Craig Kennedy's designs for a new torpedo in particular.

Paramount on Parade Trailer (1930)

22 April 1930

This 1930 film, a collection of songs and sketches showcasing Paramount Studios' contract stars, cres

The Horror Show Trailer (1979)

06 February 1979

A history of horror movies.

When a Man Loves Trailer (1927)

21 August 1927

A nobleman studying for the priesthood abandons his vocation in 18th Century France when he falls in love with a beautiful, but reluctant, courtesan.

Charlie Chan in London Trailer (1934)

12 September 1934

Charlie Chan is sought out by Pamela Gray, a desperate young socialite whose brother Paul awaits execution for the murder of a weapons inventor.

Dangerous Paradise Trailer (1930)

13 February 1930

Heyst, a hermit on his own tropical island, plays unwilling host to red-headed stowaway Alma. Danger looms.

Charlie Chan in Paris Trailer (1935)

21 January 1935

Charlie's visit to Paris, ostensibly a vacation, is really a mission to investigate a bond-forgery racket.

Charlie Chan at the Race Track Trailer (1936)

07 August 1936

When a friend of Charlie's is found kicked to death by his own race horse on board a Honolulu-bound liner, the detective discovers foul play and uncovers an international gambling ring.

Stand and Deliver Trailer (1928)

18 February 1928

Our heroine, Miss Velez (despite the fact that she seems to be just along for the ride) is much her usual over-eloquent self (how fortunate she has no sound track!), while Warner Oland makes such an impressive and villainously seedy bandit, he needs no sound track at all.

Complicated Women Trailer (2003)

06 May 2003

Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, until 1934 when the Hays Code virtually neutered film content.

Charlie Chan's Secret Trailer (1936)

10 January 1936

Allen Colby, heir to a huge fortune, is presumed drowned after an ocean liner sinks off the coast of Honolulu.

Mandalay Trailer (1934)

10 February 1934

Abandoned by her lover, a woman becomes the main "hostess" in a decadent nightclub, but tries to put her past behind her on a steamer to Mandalay.

The Avalanche Trailer (1919)

29 June 1919

A woman with a gambling addiction finds that her daughter is threatened by the same tendencies.

Chinatown Nights Trailer (1929)

29 March 1929

Joan Fry, a society woman, falls in love with Chuck Riley, the white-leader of a powerful gang in Chinatown, and he quickly drags her down into the depths with him.

A Million Bid Trailer (1927)

27 May 1927

To satisfy her controlling mother and secure both of their futures, a daughter hesitantly enters a loveless marriage to a wealthy businessman.

The Big Gamble Trailer (1931)

04 September 1931

A gambler, hopelessly in debt, agrees to pay off his debt by allowing his creditor to take out a life insurance policy on him and collecting once the one-year suicide clause has elapsed.

The Jazz Singer Trailer (1927)

06 October 1927

A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer.

How to Break 90 #3: Hip Action Trailer (1933)

23 June 1933

Bobby Jones is playing golf with his buddies, oblivious to the fact that they are being watched by a drunken juggler.

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood Trailer (2019)

13 October 2019

A history of anti-Asian racism and yellowface in Hollywood after the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

Shanghai Express Trailer (1932)

12 February 1932

A beautiful temptress re-kindles an old romance while trying to escape her past during a tension-packed train journey.

The Naulahka Trailer (1918)

14 February 1918

Trying to win the Three C's railroad line for his home town of Topaz, Colorado, Nicholas "Nick" Tarvin journeys to India to secure the famed jewel known as the Naulahka, which he plans to present to Mrs.

Charlie Chan's Greatest Case Trailer (1933)

14 September 1933

When a good-for-nothing man named Dan is stabbed to death and his arm broken, Charlie Chan is on the case.

The Twin Pawns Trailer (1919)

18 March 1919

A drama about twin sisters Daisy and Violet, who grow up unaware of each other's existence, one with their wealthy father and the other with their poor mother.

A Passport to Hell Trailer (1932)

25 August 1932

Just prior to the outbreak of World War I, in the British West African town of Akkra, English woman Myra Carson becomes involved in a scandal and is deported.

Old San Francisco Trailer (1927)

04 September 1927

In San Francisco, a villainous landowner with underworld connections seeks to steal the property of an old Spanish family.

The Faker Trailer (1929)

02 January 1929

Rita Martin, the partner of a phony spiritualist who uses information supplied by her to gull and astonish the rubes, gets work as private secretary to John Clayton, a wealthy man who has just disinherited his worthless son, Frank, and left his entire fortune to his upright stepson, Bob Williams.

Charlie Chan's Courage Trailer (1934)

06 July 1934

Charlie is hired to deliver a pearl necklace to a millionaire at his ranch. When murder intervenes he disguises himself as a Chinese servant and begins sleuthing.

Charlie Chan's Chance Trailer (1932)

24 January 1932

Charlie is the intended murder victim here, and he avoids death only by chance. To find the murderer (since, of course, murder does occur), Charlie must outguess Scotland Yard and New York City police.

Screen Snapshots (Series 22, No. 10) Trailer (1942)

01 January 1942

The edition of Screen Snapshots celebrates 25 years of production. It looks at the content of edition #1, then a tribute to movie people who have died in those 25 years.

The Pride of Palomar Trailer (1922)

26 November 1922

A soldier inaccurately reported as dead returns home to his Spanish family’s estate in California, only to find his father deceased and his ancestral land in the hands of strangers.

Charlie Chan Carries On Trailer (1931)

11 April 1931

Charlie steps in to solve the murder of a wealthy American found dead in a London hotel. Settings include London, Nice, San Remo, Honolulu and Hong Kong.

Riders of the Purple Sage Trailer (1925)

15 March 1925

A Texas Ranger searches for his kidnapped sister.

Dream of Love Trailer (1928)

01 December 1928

A duke has deposed Prince Mauritz's father, so Mauritz spends his time in affairs with a countess, the duke's wife and a gypsy girl Adrienne.

Hurricane Hutch Trailer (1921)

25 September 1921

Story concerns a paper mill, a mortgage and the struggle to obtain the lost formula for making paper from seaweed.

The Mighty Trailer (1929)

16 November 1929

In this melodrama set during WWI, a gangster joins the army and is promoted to major. He then returns from war torn Europe to tell a family that their beloved son had died in his arms during a battle.

The Fatal Ring Trailer (1917)

07 July 1917

A silent movie serial directed by George B. Seitz.

Sailor Izzy Murphy Trailer (1927)

08 October 1927

Izzy Murphy is a street vendor of scents that falls in love with the beautiful woman (Audrey Ferris) whose picture adorns the perfume bottle he sells.

The Yellow Ticket Trailer (1918)

26 May 1918

Anna Mirrel, a young Jewish girl in Czarist Russia, is forced to degrade herself in order to visit her father, whom she believes to be ill.

The Phantom Foe Trailer (1920)

11 October 1920

Janet Dale feels that there is a danger looming over her home but cannot put her finger on what it is.

Twinkletoes Trailer (1926)

28 November 1926

"Twinkletoes" Minasi wants to be a great dancer like her deceased mother. Twink meets Chuck Lightfoot, a noted prizefighter, who falls in love with her at first sight.