Role: Paul Gray
Film Presence: Small
Role Type: Anxious, Moody, and Man in Distress
Film Information and Summary: IMDb,
TCM,
Wikipedia
Release Date: September 12, 1934
Douglas Walton's role as Paul Gray
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| Douglas Walton and Drue Leyton in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). |
The London newspapers revealed that Paul Gray (Douglas Walton) committed murder and his innocence appeal was denied. He is expected to be hanged for his crime in three days. While in prison, Paul was playing checkers with one of the officers. Frantically huffing and puffing his cigarette through his mouth and nostrils, he seized the opportunity to make the winning move as he blurted out a "Gotcha!" The officer dully said, "Maybe you did, maybe you didn't," alluding to Paul's actual unpredictable circumstance. Paul's face dropped from what the officer said, and then his sister, Pamela Gray (played by Drue Leyton), came to visit. The siblings rejoiced as Paul asked about the status of his appeals petition. Pamela said they rejected it. The hope from Paul's face disappeared immediately as he looked away in disappointment. Pamela comforted him, saying that he shouldn't give up. She mentioned that Geoffrey Richmond (played by Alan Mowbray) set an arrangement for her to meet the Home Secretary personally and trying to convince them that Paul is not the murderer. Paul looked at his sister lovingly and said that he will wait. He placed his faith on Pamela and her fiance, Neil Howard (played by Ray Milland) who is also his lawyer, to prove his innocence.
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| Douglas Walton with smokey eyes and lipstick in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). |
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| Douglas Walton playing checkers with a cop in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). |
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| Douglas Walton and Drue Leyton in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). They actually look like brother and sister here. |
The Home Secretary refused to help with the case. Witness information all pointed that Paul was the killer as he had a quarrel with the victim shortly before the murder took place. Everyone believed that Paul was clearly the culprit. Everyone, except his sister Pamela--she strongly believed that Paul was not the murderer. Thus, Pamela and Neil went to Charlie Chan (played by Warner Oland) to see if his investigations can prove Paul's innocence. Charlie Chan, an inspector from the Honolulu Police Department, had just recently captured a wanted British criminal in Honolulu and brought him back to London. This is the kind of detective that Pamela needed that can support her brother's case. As the story progressed, Chan gained some clues that the true killer is still out there.
Pamela visited her brother in prison again and Paul ecstatically embraced his sister. He asked if they have found any proof of his innocence. Pamela said that something happened at Geoffrey's home estate and that it is clear that the real murderer is still out there. Unfortunately the evidence is still not strong enough to get Paul out of his predicament. Paul's enthusiasm quickly faded away as he slowly sat down on his bed. Pamela tried to comfort him, but all hope was lost to her brother. He knew he would be hanged in less than two days and thought it would be best for him to be put to death immediately (another suicidal moment for a Douglas Walton character). Pamela tried to ease him. In a fit of rage and panic, Paul shouted, "I got a rope around my neck, and in 40 hours they're going to pull it tight, and my neck's gonna break, and I'll be DEAD! DEAD!" He wanted his sister to leave his cell and never to see him again because he's "already dead." He fell face first on the bed and wallowed in his sorrow. Pamela was deeply upset and left the room.
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| Douglas Walton having a meltdown with Drue Leyton in "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). |
Near the end of the film, it was revealed that Geoffrey Richmond was the actual killer. Paul was proven innocent. Some time after Chan, Pamela, Neil, and Paul were dining in celebration at a fancy restaurant. Being ever so thankful for his release, Paul gave a toast to Charlie Chan, calling him "The greatest detective in the world!"
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| Douglas Walton giving a toast to Warner Oland's Charlie Chan, calling him the Greatest Detective in the World! In "Charlie Chan in London" (1934). |
Watch all of his scenes here. You will not be disappointed :
Performance wise, this is another hidden gem from Douglas Walton. Like in
"The Dark Angel" (1935), it's a small role that ends up being a scene stealer. The desperation of Walton's Paul Gray was well depicted as his mood oscillated between hopeful and morose. He was especially gripping when he had his emotional breakdown in front of Drue Leyton's Pamela. It's not a very well-known part, but it is something worth mentioning.
Also there was a little blip in this movie. Douglas Walton's character was referred to as Paul Gray in the entire film, but the credits listed him as Hugh Gray instead. Oops.
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| Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. |
Watching this film was a rather interesting and oddly satisfying experience. The depiction of the Chinese detective Charlie Chan by the Swedish-not-Asian Warner Oland can be deemed racist and offensive to modern viewers, especially those of Asian descent. Yes, Charlie Chan's portrayal is very stereotypical with his passive manner and "Engrish," but at the same time his character was written to be a brilliant detective that brought down the bad guy and saved the good guys. In an era when the Yellow Peril was used to justify racism towards Asians, the character of Charlie Chan was created by Earl Derr Biggers in the 1920's in order to combat such racist notions. Even for the 1930's, I was amazed that a Chinese character (albeit played by a non-Asian) was the story's protagonist in a setting full of Caucasian characters, and he was the one that end up saving the day. Remember, this was the time when the Chinese Exclusion Act was still being implemented for US immigration--it was repealed in 1943 due to the US needing China as an ally to fight against Japan in World War II. Yes there were a lot of set backs with his characterization, but looking at the big picture, Charlie Chan was quite pro-Asian at the time. And not to mention, DOUGLAS WALTON put a smile on my face when he called Charlie Chan the "GREATEST DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD!" For a scene like that in the mid-1930's, it was extremely satisfying to me.
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