This is a pleasant, if dated murder mystery (actually, the murder is not a mystery, but the film's outcome is). It is sad that this little film hasn't been better preserved, since it is a fine example of lower budget film making from the thirties. Film features tons of depression era atmosphere (fancy dress parties, overdressed socialites) and pleasant performances by two fairly well known character actors (Herbert Mundin and Paul Cavanaugh, who portrays a slick gambler cum gigolo with a heart of gold). One major flaw here: the storyline overall is a bit thin to make for a really engrossing crime drama. Still, it is a pleasant diversion and and time capsule-like glimpse into another era. Six out of ten.
8 Reviews
quickie shortie
ksf-25 March 2021
When a bartender tries to stand up for a lady's honor, it leads to murder on board a cruise ship. herbert mundin is Fipps, trying to help Linda, played by helen wood. now we're in flashback, and when Linda tries to describe what really happened, we follow along. the ladies talk about some fun gambling strategies at roulette, but of course, none of the strategies really work out. Charles Cortland (Paul Cavanagh), who may be mixed up with a rough crowd, woos Linda, and admits he's fascinated by her wealth, from the family copper company. things happen very quickly right near the end, and it's all neatly wrapped up in sixty minutes. fun, if you don't take it too seriously. directed by James Tinling. sadly, mundin died very young at age 40, in a car accident, just a couple years after making this film. it's good. could have been even better if they had spent another ten or fifteen minutes on some drama and real detective work in the script, but it's not bad for a shortie.
programmer
blanche-221 April 2008
Paul Cavanagh is "Champagne Charlie" in this 1936 B movie. When a man (Noel Madison) is killed on a ship, two people, Linda Craig (Helen Wood) and a ship's bartender named Fipps (Herbert Mundin) confess to the crime, so the ship's captain has to sort out what happened and why. The story is then told in flashback, concerning the man known as "Champagne Charlie" who was at one time engaged to Linda and had Fipps in his employ. His plan to marry the wealthy Linda was based on the fact that he owed money to some people who had staked him to gamble, the dead man being one, and needed to pay them back.
Paul Cavanagh was a sophisticated, roguishly handsome, smooth-voiced actor who enjoyed a prolific 30-year career in small or supporting roles in films and guest starring roles on television. He is good in this short, thinly plotted film - he was already in his late forties at the time of filming. He went on to become a distinguished-looking white-haired gentleman and acquitted himself well in films such as "The Mississippi Gambler," "Magnificent Obsession" and "The Prodigal." He is really the only reason to see this programmer.
Paul Cavanagh was a sophisticated, roguishly handsome, smooth-voiced actor who enjoyed a prolific 30-year career in small or supporting roles in films and guest starring roles on television. He is good in this short, thinly plotted film - he was already in his late forties at the time of filming. He went on to become a distinguished-looking white-haired gentleman and acquitted himself well in films such as "The Mississippi Gambler," "Magnificent Obsession" and "The Prodigal." He is really the only reason to see this programmer.
"Let's drink to Charlie, he was a good fellow."
classicsoncall8 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
For starters, you'll have to accept a major unbelievable premise for this story to work. The Champagne Charlie (Paul Cavanagh) of the title is an itinerant con man and gambler who's staked by a couple of hoods to win over a society gal and president of a company her father founded, but only shows up for important board meetings to be filled in on what's going on. Before the main story gets under way, the bad guys are already on the hook for two hundred grand for Charlie's bad run at the gambling tables!!! What kind of gangsters operate this way?
The middle part of the film is told in flashback, that's when we learn how the suave and debonair Charlie swept Miss Linda Craig (Helen Wood) off her feet and apparently out of her mind. At the time, actor Cavanagh looked every bit his real age of forty eight, while the pretty Helen Wood was not yet twenty. Already engaged to fellow socialite Tod Hollingsworth (Thomas Beck), I didn't get the fascination for Charlie other than his charm, good looks, conversational ease and breezy manner. Maybe I'm missing something.
The hook in the story is the wrangle between Miss Linda and Charlie's valet Phipps (Herbert Mundin) over who gets to be declared the killer of gangster Gorini (Noel Madison). If I'm the captain of the cruise ship, I'd be pretty skeptical about the idea that Gorini fell on his knife during a struggle with Phipps after Phipps confessed to murder to protect Miss Craig. But that's what they went with to save the day for both. For a minute there as the story about the pendant that Charlie had given Miss Craig's mother years earlier, I was waiting for the bomb to drop that Charlie was her father! For this story at least, it seemed like anything was possible.
The middle part of the film is told in flashback, that's when we learn how the suave and debonair Charlie swept Miss Linda Craig (Helen Wood) off her feet and apparently out of her mind. At the time, actor Cavanagh looked every bit his real age of forty eight, while the pretty Helen Wood was not yet twenty. Already engaged to fellow socialite Tod Hollingsworth (Thomas Beck), I didn't get the fascination for Charlie other than his charm, good looks, conversational ease and breezy manner. Maybe I'm missing something.
The hook in the story is the wrangle between Miss Linda and Charlie's valet Phipps (Herbert Mundin) over who gets to be declared the killer of gangster Gorini (Noel Madison). If I'm the captain of the cruise ship, I'd be pretty skeptical about the idea that Gorini fell on his knife during a struggle with Phipps after Phipps confessed to murder to protect Miss Craig. But that's what they went with to save the day for both. For a minute there as the story about the pendant that Charlie had given Miss Craig's mother years earlier, I was waiting for the bomb to drop that Charlie was her father! For this story at least, it seemed like anything was possible.
Poor
Michael_Elliott28 February 2008
Chamagne Charlie (1936)
* 1/2 (out of 4)
B-film from Fox has a gambler known as Champagne Charlie (Paul Cavanagh) getting behind on debts so he decides to marry a society girl (Helen Wood) so that he can get her money but the poor sap ends up falling in love. There's really not too much to say about this film. Everything from the direction to the screenplay to the actor are rather bland but the film does move pretty well and thankfully only lasts 58-minutes. The film would have benefited more had the screenplay tried something different but you should know how all of this ends.
* 1/2 (out of 4)
B-film from Fox has a gambler known as Champagne Charlie (Paul Cavanagh) getting behind on debts so he decides to marry a society girl (Helen Wood) so that he can get her money but the poor sap ends up falling in love. There's really not too much to say about this film. Everything from the direction to the screenplay to the actor are rather bland but the film does move pretty well and thankfully only lasts 58-minutes. The film would have benefited more had the screenplay tried something different but you should know how all of this ends.
I agree with reviewer's "Let's drink to Charlie" ....
herrick41627 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Yes I too was expecting the same kicker and then i remembered "Soap" hysterical comedy with Kevin Kline and Sally Fields co starring in a soap written (or produced) by Whoopie Goldberg and her cowriter Robert Downey Jr and some other talents including the very young Elizabeth Shue's as the niece who wants to be an actress who comes to live with her famous 'aunt' .... There's a twist in that one along same lines but totally different period, genre-apples to oranges from this 1936 drama and a much better storyline and deep character development that makes you care about these people, in a comedy no less. I love old films, old dramas, mysteries, comedies none of which and any of which apply to Champagne Charlie, a kind of meaningless puff of a film with no memorable take-away or personality, for me anyway, except for one very loyal assistant (understatedly interesting) and some serious crew members and a Captain listening intently to a flashback. One of the few TCM unknowns I'll likely forget in a few days. And after such a review, still not time wasted on a so-so 1936 film-far more watchable than anything so-so in technicolor.
Second thoughts
bkoganbing23 February 2021
Had this been A product from the brand new and rejuvenated 20th Century Fox
studios no doubt Darryl F. Zanuck would have gotten Ronald Colman for the lead title role. But as it was B film with all the lack of trappings thereof we have
character actor Pal Cavanaugh as Champagne Charlie.
Champagne Charlie is a notorious playboy/gambler character in both hemispheres who loves them and leaves them and always for a large settlement. Montagu Love who not to put too fine a point on it 'manages' Cavanaugh for a hefty fee.
The current target is heiress Helen Wood and she falls for Cavanaugh. But there s something about Wood that gives Cavanaugh second thoughts.
Champagne Charlie is a pleasant enough B film. But the title role absolutely begs for better editing, more character development and Ronald Colman.
Champagne Charlie is a notorious playboy/gambler character in both hemispheres who loves them and leaves them and always for a large settlement. Montagu Love who not to put too fine a point on it 'manages' Cavanaugh for a hefty fee.
The current target is heiress Helen Wood and she falls for Cavanaugh. But there s something about Wood that gives Cavanaugh second thoughts.
Champagne Charlie is a pleasant enough B film. But the title role absolutely begs for better editing, more character development and Ronald Colman.
I Stopped Watching, And I Love Old Films
verbusen20 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It looks like most reviewers agree and are all old film buffs to watch this type of film like me, that this is not a particularly good watch. As a matter of fact, I got about 40 minutes out of it's 58 total time and turned it off and went to bed, it was pointless. I recorded this because I was looking for an old film called "Sherlock Holmes" from 1932 that had character actor Herbert Mundin in it, plus whatever other curiosities he appeared in (like this one). So I set my DVR to record his films. Mundin has a large part in the film (still listed last on the title card) but that is probably not a good thing, since he seems to play sub-servant help roles but this one wasn't in a Jeeves or Eric Blore amusing way, perhaps the film needed some of that to make it work for me. I could tell I didn't like this flick when I timed when Charlie gets on the screen is at 19 minutes, so he doesn't show up until into 1/3 of the film's total run time! His introduction is lame, what was that big build up for? I was not impressed. Then there is a scheme where rich people are banking him to gamble for $200,000 in losses during the depression. Just seems so preposterous. And those cabins in the ship look just like a Hollywood mansion. I turned it off. I didn't care how it ended, I wonder if Charlie is really alive and pulling a big con on everyone? Who cares, not me. Champagne Charlie is being played a lot on FX Retro in case you are looking for it. That's a station I never heard of before so I have CC to thank for that; usually finding old movies only on Turner Classic Movies. It's great that the old programming is getting greater access. However, maybe I'll stop watching old flicks if the greater access is all low budget fillers like Champagne Charlie. Not fun at all, 4 of 10.
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