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Charles Belden

Writer · Died November 3, 1954, aged 50 · Montclair, New Jersey, USA

Charles Spencer Belden (April 21, 1904 – November 3, 1954) was an American screenwriter and journalist, known for writing screenplays to several Charlie Chan films in the 1930s, notably Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936). His 1932 short story "The Wax Works" served as the basis for the 1933 film Mystery of the Wax Museum. He was married to stage actress Beth Milton in the early 1930s and to actress Joan Marsh who had starred in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937), from 1938 to 1943. He was born in Montclair, New Jersey, and died in the Motion Picture Country Hospital, Los Angeles, at the age of 50. Description above from the Wikipedia article Charles S. Belden  licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 21, 1904
Died
November 3, 1954 (aged 50)
From
Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 37 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Down 48% in 30 days

What are Charles Belden's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
50%
Bonds
25%
Survival
9%
Self
7%
Society
5%
Power
4%
Justice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 4 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 8 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 6 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Warm
6
Dread
3
Thrilling
4
Romantic
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Charles Belden's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Subscription and free streaming for Charles Belden's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

37 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • House of Wax(2005)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • April in Portugal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Writer

  • House of Wax(1953)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Double Deal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Screenplay

  • Million Dollar Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Writer

  • Borrowed Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Screenplay

  • Silent Conflict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Screenplay

  • The Marauders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Screenplay

  • Beauty and the Bandit(1946)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • South of Monterey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Writer

  • The Gay Cavalier(1946)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Strange Mr. Gregory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Screenplay

  • Bullet Scars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Writer

  • Tear Gas Squad(1940)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • On Dress Parade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Writer

  • Kid Nightingale (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Screenplay

  • Torchy Blane.. Playing with Dynamite(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in Honolulu(1938)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Moto's Gamble(1938)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo(1937)

    Screenplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • We Have Our Moments (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Story

  • God's Country and the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Story

  • Charlie Chan on Broadway(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera(1936)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Dracula's Daughter(1936)

    Writers' Assistant

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Dialogue

  • The Widow from Monte Carlo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Writer

  • A Shot in the Dark(1935)

    Adaptation · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Symphony of Living(1935)

    Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sons of Steel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Story · Writer

  • The Ghost Walks(1934)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The World Accuses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Writer

  • Port of Lost Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Writer

  • Fugitive Road (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay

  • Fifteen Wives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Mystery of the Wax Museum(1933)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • A Fool's Advice(1932)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles from 1932 to 2005.

Biggest box office

House of Wax (2005)

$69M worldwide

Highest rated

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

Midcredits 84th

Most popular right now

House of Wax (2005)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing36 of 36: 36 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score47th

By decade

1930s22 · crew1940s10 · crew1950s3 · crew2000s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Charles Belden's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 17; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · writer

The Gay Cavalier (1946)

51st percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937)

Midcredits 84th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Charles Belden's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 23 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 0 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Charles Belden work with?

People who share at least 2 of Charles Belden's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Stone shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers