Chu-Chin-Chow (1923 film)


Chu-Chin-Chow is a 1923 British-German silent adventure film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Betty Blythe, Herbert Langley and Randle Ayrton.

Cast

It is based on the extraordinarily successful stage musical Chu Chin Chow by Oscar Asche, with music by Frederic Norton, that ran in London from 1916 to 1921.
Wilcox had a box office success with Flames of Passion starring imported Hollywood actor Mae Marsh. This enabled him to raise the £20,000 to buy the film rights – a record amount at the time. The cost of making the film was another £20,000.
To save money, Wilcox decided to make the film in Germany. In exchange, Wilcox agreed to distribute Die Nibelungen in Britain.
The film starred American actress Betty Blythe fresh from her scantily clad triumph in 1921's The Queen of Sheba at Fox. Sources state this film had early experimental synchronised sound but this process could only be viewed at the special theaters outfitted for the sound equipment.
The film was shot in Berlin on the studio lot at Steglitz.
This film was released in the United States by MGM two years after its production with a drastically reduced footage count by almost half.

Reception

Wilcox later said the film "was only a moderate success".
A sound film Chu Chin Chow, with the score intact, was made by the Gainsborough Studios in 1934, with George Robey playing the part of Ali Baba, Fritz Kortner as Abu Hassan, Anna May Wong as Zahrat Al-Kulub and Laurence Hanray as Kasim.