Charlie Chan Annex

The Old Movie Maven's New Home

2006-09-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

CHARLIE CHAN ANNEX

is making a move to

THE OLD MOVIE MAVEN

at http://theoldmoviemaven.tripod.com.

The new website will let you

see who and what is where in the

The Old Movie Maven Magazine

plus notice when each issue

comes out. . . .

Plus extras in the months ahead

as both magazine and websie

will be ongoing projects!

Enjoy!

May Movies

2006-04-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our May movies in Rush Glick's Chat Room* at www.charliechan.info/id17.htm

will be:

May 1 - The Black Camel

May 8 - Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum

May 15 - Charlie Chan at the Circus

May 22 - Shadows Over Chinatwon

May 29 - Charlie Chan's Secret

<<<<>>>>

*Our Chat Room begins at 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern) on Monday nights.

We start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

St. Valentine's Day

2006-02-14T10:40:00.000-08:00

Be My

Valentine?!

Have a

Lovely

Day!!

San Francisco's Old Chinatown, Part 4

2006-02-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO'S OLD CHINATOWN, Part 4

By Commissioner Jesse B. Cook

Former Chief of Police

Part 4*

The lottery drawings: The Chinese have a very large room, with the doors constructed the same way as in the case of a fan tan game room. The far end of the room is partitioned off with wire screens to the full width and about eight feet deep. In back of the screen are two shelves, one of which acts as a counter for four Chinamen. Each Chinaman has a separate window in the screen. O the other shelf are placed Chinese ink pots and brushes, for the purpose of marking Chinese lottery tickets. Every Chinese lottery ticket has 80 characters on it; 40 above the line and 40 below. Each company stamps their own name at the head of the ticket. These tickets are really a Chinese poem, written by a Chinaman while in prison, and later adopted as a Chinese lottery ticket. There is not a thing on these tickets to designate their real use, although they are never used for nay other purpose.

The agents around town had their offices in back of stores where they sell the tickets. Just before the drawing takes place, they present a triplicate copy of each ticket sold to the Chinaman at the window. The duplicate ticket is given the purchaser, while the original is retained by the agent.

The clerk back of the window then figures up the amount that the agent should turn in to cover the tickets sold. If they agree, the clerk accepts the tickets. No receipt are given. The actual taking and accepting of the tickets by the clerk is considered an acknowlegement, as his name appears on all the tickets.

As soon as all the money and tickets are in, the tickets are closed and the lottery is held. In a little package, about 2 inches square, are 80 slips of paper. On each of these slips is a character corresponding to one of the characters on the lottery ticket. The Chinaman sets in front of him a large pan, like the old-time milk pans we used to set for milk to raise cream, and four bowls, each bearing a Chinese number--either one, two, three or four. The small slips of paper are folded into little pellets, brown into the pan and shaken up. The drawing then begins. The first pellet draw is put into bowl No. 1, the next into bowl No. 2, and so on, until there are twenty pellets in each bowl.

The Chinaman then takes another small package containing four little square pieces of paper. On each of these pieces is a figure in Chinese corresponding with the figures on the bowls. The same procedure is then followed as with the pellets. The slip picked from the pan is handed to the clerk, who in turn hands it to a man standing on the shelf in back of him. ; It is opened, in the presence of everybody gathered there. Of course, the bowl bearing the same number is considered the winning bowl, the other three are placed under the counter.

The pellets are then taken from the winning bowl and are pasted on a board in full view. These are winning characters. The Chinese mark the tickets by daubing the characters that agree with the ones on the board, with a brush. After this has been done, they present their tickets, and come back at the proper time to get their reward; that is, whatever they won.

<<>>

*Part 1 was posted 11/12/05.

-Part 2 was posted 1/7/06.

-Part 3 was posted 1/17/06.

<<>>

If you would like to subscribe to Maven's Movie News letter, please email her at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com or write her at

Miss Maven

P.O. Box 54493

Hurst, TX 76054

<<>>

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The Shanghai Cobra Cast

2006-02-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

The Shanghai Cobra is full of the character actors that we love to see in the Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

Unfortunately we don't always know their names . . .

So here's the cast of charaters so you can keep track of who's who!

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown

Benson Fong: Tomy Chan

James Cardwell: Ned Stewart

Joan Barclay: Paul Webb

Addison Richards: John Adams

Arthur Loft: Bradford Harris

Janet Warren: Record Machine Operator

Gene Roth (as Gene Stutenroth): Morgan

Joe Devlin: Taylor

James Flavin: H.R. Jarvis

Roy Gordon: Walter Flether

Walter Fenner: Police Inspector Harry Davis

Andy Andrews: Patolman Outside Joe's

George Chandler: Joe, Coffe Shope Owner

Cyril Delevanti: Detective Larkin

John Goldsworthy: Inspector Mainwaring

Stephen Gregory: Samuel Black

Karen Knight: Switchboard Supervisor

Mary Moore: Rita, Laundry Clerk

Paul Newlan: Big Bank Guard

Diane Quillan: Phone Operator

Jack Richardson: Letter Carrier

Wiliam Ruhl: Mr. Grey

London Dictionary Entries

2006-02-06T10:35:00.000-08:00

We have a few dictionary entries for Charlie Chan in London, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 to 10:00 P.M. [EST] and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30).

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AERODROME (British): Airfield.

The Farnwell AERODROME.

DEUCE: Used as an intensive.

What the DEUCE?

NAPPY: Crazy, unpredictable, potentially dangerous.

The horse Hellcat is NAPPY.

TOM FOOLERY: (1) Foolish, bad behavior.

(2) Something trivial or foolish; nonsense.

If you think I'm going on with this TOMFOOLERY . . . .

<<>>

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Chan in London Bloopers, Etc.

2006-02-04T17:17:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in London has bloopers, questions and other tidbits for the Monday Night Chat Room Crowd at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

We have a blooper in Paul Gray (played by Douglas Walton) being listed in the cast of characters as "Hugh Gray."

Some things that have continued to puzzle me include where was Jerry Garton when everyone else was with Charlie Chan out at the stables reconstructing the crime in the manner of the French police?

Garton said he was in the house and heard Hellcat act up but Pamela Gray (Drue Leyton) told Charlie that she HADN'T heard any noise from the stable the night of the discrepancy.

A blooper or a mistake in continuity?

Captain Hamilton, whom Paul Gray was convicted of killing, had adapted the "Merton Gyroscope Stabilizer" and was developing "a devise to silence warplanes"--How realistic were they?

[SPOILER]

Also . . . how was pepper put into Hellcat's eyes during the hunt with so many people around?

Movie and literary connections:

What did Charlie Chan in London, Paris, and Reno have in common?

What did London have in common with Monte Carlo?

What did London, Olympics and Murder Over New York have in common?

(Answers below!)

Charlie Chan in London was mentioned in the English film, Gosford Park, as well as the name of Alan Mowbray (who played Geoffrey Richmond).

[Alan Mowbray also appeared in the film called "Two Lips and Juleps; or, Southern Love and Yankee Exposure."

Sounds like an early racy movie!]

London also has the distinction in the series in that it was the first movie not based on one of Earl Derr Biggers' books about the rotund Chinese detective.

London also had a tie to another series from the thirties: Tarzan!

Reginald Sheffield, who played Flight Commander King, was the father of Johnny Sheffield who played "Boy" in the jungle series with Johnny Weissmuller.

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ANSWERS:

Charlie Chan told the investigating officers in London, Paris and Reno that if you want a wild bird to sing, do not put him in a cage.

Lake, the groom in London, and All Rogers, the Monte Carlo bartender, are both found dead in their rooms arranged like they had committed suicide.

London, Olympics and Murder Over New York all involve airplane inventions.

<<>>

Do you have any comments, questions or suggestions?

Would you like to see more of Maven's reviews that you won't see here?

You can contact her at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com or at

Miss Maven

P.O. Box 59943

Hurst, TX 76054

<<>>

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Mention this blog your email order and get a discount!

London Cast

2006-02-02T14:05:00.000-08:00

Here we go again with our cast for Charlie Chan in London, our Monday Night Chat Room at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

We have a mixed bag including Ray Milland to E.E. Clive and Mona Barrie to Elsa Buchanan, the hysterical maid Alice Perkins!

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Drue Leyton: Pamela Gray

Raymond Milland: Neil Howard

Mona Barrie: Lady Mary Bristol

Alan Mowbray: Geoffrey Richmond (aka Paul Frank)

Murray Kinnell: Phillips (aka Captain Seton)

Douglas Walton: Paul Gray (incorrectly billed as Hugh Gray)

Walter Johnson: Jerry Garton

E.E. Clive: Detective Sergeant Thacker

Madge Bellamy: Mrs. [Betty] Fothergill

David Torrence: Sir Lionel Bashford

John Rogers: Lake, the groom

Paul England: Bunny Fothergill

Elsa Buchanan: Alice Perkins

Perry Ivans: Kemp

Claude King: Royal Air Force Commandant

Reginald Sheffield: Commander King

Helena Grant: Miss Judson

Montague Shaw: Doctor

Phyllis Coghlan: Nurse

Margaret Mann: Housemaid

Carlie Taylor: Manor Guest

Doris Stone: Manor Guest

Arthur Clayton: Warden

Joe Flores: [Stunts]

Clint Sharp: [Stunts]

Walter Nobles: [Stunts]

Opal Ernie: [Stunts]

Ann Doran: [Stand-in]

Alex Chiva: [Stand-in]

Chan History

2006-02-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

In early February, 1936, Twentieth Century-Fox completed production on Charlie Chan at the Circus.

In early February, 1948, Monogram Pictures began production on The Shanghai Chest.

February 2, 1939, Twentieth Century-Fox completed production on Charlie Chan in Reno.

February 2, 1946, Monogram Pictures releases The Red Dragon.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2006-01-31T21:15:00.000-08:00

gong hay fat choy!

gong xi fa cai!

Charlie Chan History

2006-01-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

In late January, 1931, Fox Films completed production of "Charlie Chan Carries On."

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

In late January, 1937, Twentieth-Century Fox began production on "Charlie Chan at the Olympics."

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

In late January, 1940, Twentieth-Century Fox began production on "Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise."

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

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Would you like to recieve Maven's newsletter, delivered to your email address?

Do you have any comments, questions or suggestions for me?

You can email me at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com or

Miss Maven

P.O. Box 54493

Hurst, TX 76053

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2006-01-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Paris is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and tapes/DVDs start at 8:30.

You might like to check out http://www.eijkhout.net/rad/dance-specific/apache1.html for the history of the Danse Apache that Charlie's assistant, Nardi, does in Le Singe Bleu.

They also have a link telling about the movies using it that mentions Nardi's Apache in Charlie Chan in Paris at http://www.eijkhout.net/rad/dance_specific/apache2.html.

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Charlie Chan History

2006-01-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

Kamiyama Sojin, Charlie Chan in The Chinese Parrot, was born in Sendal, Japan, on January 30, 1884.

This picture of Sojin is from www.geocities.com/lesingebleucafe/Movies/2003/Paris.html.

It mentions that the first three Chan movies were silents, The House Without a Key, The Chinese Parrot and Behind That Curtain.

I don't know if Behind That Curtain started out as a silent but I do have a copy of it as a talkie. It's technically a Chan movie since Earl Derr Biggers' character does appear briefly but it was made over as a vehicle for Warner Baxter!

Charlie Chan History

2006-01-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

Twentieth Century-Fox released Castle in the Desert on January 27, 1942.

The Jade Mask History

2006-01-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

Monogram Pictures releases The Jade Mask on January 26, 1945.

Paris Actors

2006-01-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

We have some great actors in Charlie Chan in Paris, our Monday Night Chat Room at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and starting our tapes and DVDs at 8:30.

They cover the spectrum from Keye Luke (whose movie career included 122 movies over 55+ years) to Thomas Beck (who only made 28 movies--four Chans and one Moto movie).

Plus Lynn Bari, veteran of perhaps the most infamous movie of the series--City of Darkness. She is supposed to be one of the night club patrons in Le Singe bleu.

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Keye Luke: Lee Chan

Thomas Beck: Victor Descartes

Mary Brian: Yvette Lamartine

Erik Rhodes: Max Corday

Murray Kinnell: Henri Latouche

Minor Watson: Inspector Renard

John Miljan: Albert Dufresne

Henry Kolker: Paul Lamartine

Ruth Peterson: Renee Jacquard

Dorothy Appleby: Nardi

Paul McVey: Detective LaVerne

Perry Ivins: Bedell, Lamartine's Secretary

John Qualen: Concierge, Dufresne's Hotel

Lynn Bari: Night Club Patron, Le Singe Bleu

Harry Cording: Gendarme Arresting Yvette

Gino Corrado: Pierre, Waiter

Martin Faust: Airport Cabbie

Richard Kipling: Master of Ceremonies at Le Singe Bleu

Wilfred Lucas: Doorman at Le Singe Bleu

Rolfe Sedan: Bank Teller

August Tollaire: Concierge at Nardi's Hotel

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Chan History

2006-01-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan History was busy today:

The Saturday Evening Post published installments of The House Without a Key (by Charlie's "Daddy," Earl Derr Biggers) between January 24 and February 25, 1925.

(Courtesy of Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info)

Fox Films released Charlie Chan's Chance on January 24, 1932.

(Courtesy of Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info)

A Jitterbuging Skeleton

2006-01-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Birmingham Brown makes mention of a "Jitterbuging" skeleton in The Chinese Cat, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

Well, to quote Rush Glick (our Chat Room Host!), it's:

1) A strenuous dance performed to quick-tempo swing or jazz muxid and consisting of various two-step patterns embellished with twirls and sometimes acrobatic maneuvers.

2) One who performs this dance.

To quote www.history-of-rock.com/jitterbugging.htm:

When the kids on American Bandstand were not Strolling, or Twisting, or Chalypsoing, they were usually Jitterbugging. The Jitterbug was a Philadelphia stapel, and there were many variations as there were Philadelphia neighborhoods. The cance began in the 1920s in the bars of Harlem and took the steps from the Shag and the Charleston. Although dancers did wild improvisational solos as part of the jitterbug, it was essentially a partner dance. In 1927, the solos gave rise to a new variation, the Lindy Hop, named after Charles Lindbergh, who had just made his historic solo flight across the Atlantic. The Jitterbug gained wide popularity in the thirties when Swing [music] was at its peak. During WW II, U.S. soldiers took the dance around the world and it was recognized as quintessentially American.

Even The Wizard of Oz got in the act with a Jitterbug scene that was deleted.

Makes you wonder if the Wicked Witch of the West really wanted to get her hot little fists on the Ruby Slippers to improve her Jitterbug!

The Chinese Cat

2006-01-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

The Chinese Cat is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

But when was the last time we remember Charlie and any of his sons are both accosted in the same movie?!

(Don't you love the trees in the lower left hand corner?! Maybe they were already getting environmentally friendly!)

Jimmy has his mouth open like a fly-trap!

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The Chinese Cat

2006-01-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

We have some things to watch for in The Chinese Cat, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and tapes/DVDs start at 8:30.

Cy Kendall's character, Webster Deacon, is identified as "George" Deacon in the newspaper.

The Chans' hotel room looks out onto the same hall as in The Scarlet Clue. (Courtesy of Jim Mueller)

You might also want to check out this Belgian Poster, courtesy of Rush Glick at www.charliechan.info.

You might notice some differences to what we're used to seeing!

Wondering where to find that elusive title?

Try www.torysmysterymovies.com.

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San Francisco's Old Chinatown, Part 3

2006-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

San Francisco's Old Chinatown

by Commissioner Jesse B. Cook

Former Chief of Police

[This photo of an alleyway in Chinatown is in place of the one I couldn't pull up from the original article.]

In regard to the gambling games in Chinatown--my first trip to Chinatown was in 1889 as a patrolman in a squad. At that time there were about 62 lottery agents, 50 fan tan games and eight lottery drawings in Chinatown. In the 50 fan tan gambling houses the tables numbered from one to 24, according to the size of the room.

The game was played around a table about ten feet long, four feet high and four feet wide. On this table was a mat covering the whole top. In the center of the mat was a diagram of a twelve-inch square, each corner being numbered in Chinese characters, one, two, three and four.

At the head of the table sat a lookout or gamekeeper. At the side was the dealer. This man had a Chinese bowl and a long bamboo stick with a curve at the end, like a hook. In front of him, fastened to the table, was a gab containing black and white buttons. He would scoop down into the sack with his bowl and raise it, turning it upside down on the table. The betting would then start.

After the bets were made, the dealer would raise the bowl and start to draw down the buttons, drawing for buttons at a time. The Chinese would make their bets at the drawing down of the buttons. The dealer would draw down until one, two, three or even four buttons would be left. Sometimes the Chinese would bet that the last four buttons would be all white, all black, or that there would be a mixture of black and white buttons.

The construction of the gambling rooms was very interesting. There was a large door two inches thick, of heavy oak, seasoned and studded with bolts. The door jamb and the outer front were the same, but on the back of the door was a large bar on a swivel with two cleats on each side. When the door was slammed, the Chinese could turn the swivel and lock the door in order to keep the police from entering. Of course, because of the bolts studded on the door, it could not very well be chopped down.

Along side the door was a little room with a window, where the lookout sat. He held the strings controlling, and was there to watch everyone that entered. On entering, you would pass through a hallway about ten feet long, then through another door, either right or left, into a hall of about the same length, which would lead into the game. Three doors generally had to be passed through before reaching the game. the halls were always arranged so that if the police got through the first door, they had to pass through a second door, which, of course, would be locked. By the time they finally got to the game room, all evidence would be removed.

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[Part one was posted on 11/12/05.

Part two was posted on 1/7/06.]

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The Chinese Cat

2006-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

It's time again for The Chinese Cat for our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern time) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

(Charlie Chan and Tommy Chan with Luke Chan as Wu Song!)

Since you can't tell the players without a programme! . . .

[Especially since Jack Norton isn't doing his usual drunk and Luke Chan isn't a Chan but Wu Song!]

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Joan Woodbury: Leah Manning

Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown, Taxi Driver

Benson Fong: Tommy Chan, # 3 Son

Ian Keith: Dr. Paul Rebnik

Cy Kendall: Webster Deacon

Weldon Heyburn: Detective Lt. Harvey Dennis

Anthony Warde (as Anthony Ward): Catlen

John Davidson: Carl Karzoff/Kurt Karzoff

Dewey Robinson: Salos

I. Stanford Jolley (as Stan Jolley): Gannet

Betty Blythe: Mrs. Manning

Jack Norton: Hotel Desk Clerk

Luke Chan: Wu Song

George Chandler: Hotel Doorman

Sam Flint: Thomas P. Manning

Terry Frost: Policeman giving parking ticket

Jesse Owens, Part 3

2006-01-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is the final part of our tribute to Jesse Owens, whose small part in Charlie Chan at the Olympics* doesn't begin to reflect the impact that he and his fellow American athletes had at the 1936 Olympics.

By the end of his sophmore year at Ohio State, Jesse realized that he could be successful on a more competitive level. Jesse entered the 1936 Olympics, which to many are known as the "Hitler Olympics." These games were to be held in Nazi Germany, and Hitler was going to prove to the world that the German "Aryan" people were the dominant race. Jesse had different plans, however, and by the end of the games even German fans cheered for him.

(A shot of the Hindenberg Zepplin without the swastikas brushed out, courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Jesse was triumphant in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash and the broad jump. He was also a key member of the 400-meter relay team that won the Gold Medal. In all but one of these events Jesse set Olympic records. Jesse was the first American in the history of Olympic Track and Field to win four gold medals in a single Olympics.

(Aerial shots of two of the Berlin Olympic Venues)

Plus . . . who can pass up Charlie Chan, our Chinese Hero from the Polynesian Islands of Hawaii, besting Berlin's Best Coppers!

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*Our Monday Night Room Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

Jesse Owens, Part 2

2006-01-15T12:49:00.000-08:00

I am continuing with Part 2 about Jesse Owens for Charlie Chan at the Olympics, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 to 10:00 PM, Eastern time, and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30).

At the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor on May 25, 1935, Jesse set three world records and tied a fourth, all in a span of about 45 minues. Jesse had an ailing back the entire week leading up to the meet in Ann Arbor. He had fallen down a flight of stairs, and it was questionable whether he would be physically be able to participate in the meet. He received treatment right up to race time. Confident the the treatment helped, Jesse persuaded the coach to allow him to run the 100-yard dash. Remarkably, each race timer had clocked him at an official 9.4 seconds, once again tying the world record. This convinced Owens' coach to allow him to participate in his other events. A mere fifteen minutes later, Jesse took his first attempt at the broad jump. Prior to jumping, Jesse put a hankerchief at 26 feet 2 1/2 inches, the distance of the world record. After such a bold gesture, he soared to a distance of 26 feet 8 1/4 inches, shattering the old world record by nearly 6 inches.

Disregarding the pain, Jesse proceeded to set a new world record in the 220-yard dash in 20.3 seconds, besting the old record by three-tenths of a second. Within the next fifteen minutes, Jesse was ready to compete in another event, this one being the 220-yard low hurdles. In his final event, Owens' official time was 22.6 seconds. This time would set yet another world record, beating the old record by four-tenths of a second. Jesse Owens had completed a task that had never been accomplished in the history of track and field. He had set three new world records and equaled a fourth.

[To be continued]

[Jesse Owens' 1936 Olympic Medals]

I'm just tired reading about his records!

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Jesse Owens, Part 1

2006-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

One thing that Charlie Chan at the Olympics* almost glosses over is Jesse Owens.

From www.jesseowens.com/jobio2.html:

James Cleveland Owens was born in 1913 in a small town in Alabama to Henry and Emma Owens. When J.C. was eight, his parents decided to move the family to Cleveland, Ohio. . . . On his first day in class, when the teacher asked his name, she heard Jesse, instead of J.C. He would be called Jesse from that point on. . . .

One day in gym class, the students were timed in the 60-yard dash, When Coach Charlie Riley saw the raw, yet natural talent tha young Jesse had, he immediately invited him ot run for the track team. Although Jesse was unable to participate in after-school practices because of work, Coach Riley offered to train him in the mornings. Jesse agreed.

At Cleveland East Techical High School, Jesse became a track star. As a senior, he tied the world record in the 100-yard dash with a time of 9.4 seconds, only to tie it again while running in the Interscholastic Championships in Chicago. While in Chicago, he also leaped a distance of 24 feet 9 5/8 inches in the braod-jump.

Many colleges and universities tried to recruit Jesse; he chose to attend Ohio State University. Here Jesse met some of his fiercest competition, and not just on the track. The United States was still struggling to desegregate in 1933, which led to many difficult experiences for Jesse. He was required to live off campus with other African-American athletes. When he traveled with the team, Jesse could either order carryout or eat at "blacks-only" restaurants. Likewise, he slept in "blacks-only" hotels. On occasion, a "white" hotel would allow the black athletes to stay, but they had to use the back door, and the stairs instead of the elevator. Because Jesse was not awarded a scholarship from the university, he continued to wrk part-time to pay for school.

[To be continued]

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Please email any questions, comments or suggestions to Maven at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com.

To find any difficult-to-get movies, email www.torysmysterymovies.com.

Mention this blog in your email order and get a discount!

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*Our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

1936 Olympics - Germany

2006-01-13T10:51:00.000-08:00

Our Monday Night Chat Room Movie* will be Charlie Chan at the Olympics.

I did some research in the actual 1936 Olympics as background to help appreciate what was at stake during the period covered in the movie.

In Berlin, dictator Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers felt sure that the Olympics would be the ideal venue to demonstrate Germany's oft-stated racial superiority. He directed that $25 million be spent on the finest facilities, the cleanest streets and the temporary withdrawal of all outward signs of the state-run anti-Jewish campaign. By the time over 4,000 athletes from 49 countries arrived for the games, the stage was set.

[Jesse Owens]

Then Owens, a black sharecroppers's son from Alabama, stole the show - winning his three individual events and adding a fourth gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay. The fact that four other American blacks also won did little to please Herr Hitler, but the applause from the German crowds, especially for Owens, was thunderous. As it was for New Zealander Jack Lovelock's thrilling win over Glenn Cunningham and defending Champ Luigi Beccall in the 1,500 meters.

German won only five combined gold medals in men's and women's track and field, but saved face for the "master race" in the overall medal count with an 89 - 56 margin over the United States. . . .

[From http://www.infoplease.com/ipsa/A0114524.html]

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If you're in the market for a hard-to-find video, try http://www.tory.

Mention this blog in your email order and get a discount!

<><>

*We'll be at www.charliechan.info from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

Charlie Chan at the Olympics

2006-01-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at the Olympics has a great cast of character actors.

We start our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (www.charliechan.info, 8 to 10 PM, Eastern Time) with Katherine De Mille as Yvonne Roland.

She's the infamous "Lady of the White Fox Fur!"

Who can forget Layne Tom, Jr. as Charlie Chan, Jr.?

With the possible exceptions of when he plays Willie Chan?!

And Pauline Moore, who also had such an impact in Reno.

[You have to look for her but she was one of Mae Clarke's bridesmaids in "Frankenstein!"

We also have several repeat performers, including C. Henry Gordon, John Eldredge and George Chandler of "Stew" fame in "Shanghai Cobra!"

Olympics also has two other ladies of note: Teresa Harris as a member of the US Team on the sidelines in Berlin. She's the only black actress in the Chan movies who DIDN'T play a maid!

Minerva Urecal [don't you love her name?] went from playing the Matron in the Girls' Dorm in the Berlin Olympic Village to the housekeeper in "The Trap" (the last Toler Chan).

I just wish we know what part John Carradine played before his scenes were cut out!

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Katherine De Mille: Yvonne Roland

Pauline Moore: Betty Adams

Keye Luke: Lee Chan

C. Henry Gordon: Arthur Hughes

John Eldredge: Mr. Cartwright

Lane Tom, Jr.: Charlie Chan, Jr.

Morgan Wallace: The Honorable Charles Zarakas

Frederick Vogeding (as Fredrik Vogeding): Inspector Strasser

Andrew Tombes: Chief of Homicide E.R. Scott

Arno Frey: Carlos, Zaraka's Henchman

David Horsley: Test Pilot Edwards

Howard C. Hickman (as Howard Hickman): Dr. Burton

John Carradine: (Scenes Deleted)

Brooks Benedict: Thug

Stanley Blystone: New York Policeman

Walter Bon: Polizei Officer

Don Brodie: Radio Announcer

Glen Cavender: Polizei Officer

George Chandler: Ship's Radio Operator

Hans Fuerber: Polizei Radio-Car Officer

Teresa Harris: Black US Team Member Rooting for Jesse Owens

Oscar "Dutch" Hendrian: Miller, Test Plane Hijacker

Selmer Jackson: Navy Commander

Edward Keane: Army Commander

Al Kikume: Uniformed Officer at Microphone/Desk in Police Station

Tommy Klein: Page Boy

Philip Morris: Cop

Virgil B. Nover: (Unknown)

Paul Panzer: German Undercover Officer Posing as Snack Vendor

John Peters: Polizei Radio-Car Officer

Caroline "Spike" Rankin: Miller's Landlady

Perry E. Seeley: (Unknown)

Lee Shuman: Cop

Minerval Urecal: Gang Member Posing as Olympics Matron

Dale Van Sickel: (Unknown)

Emmett Vogan: Ship's Officer

Wihelm von Brincken: Polizei Officer

Billy Wayne: Ship's Steward Guarding Stateroom

Frank Bruno: Footman

Tony Merio: (Unknown)

Louis Natheaux: (Unknown)

Bill Beggs: (Unknown)

Charlie Chan Makeup?!

2006-01-10T12:11:00.000-08:00

I know that Charlie Chan at the Olympics is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time], starting our tapes/DVD's at 8:30).

I couldn't pass up posting several pictures of Warner Oland in several stills that you may never have seen.

So sit back and enjoy!

The Daughter of the Dragon (1931) with Anna May Wong and Sessue Hayakawa:

The Return of Fu Manchu:

Den mystiske Dr. Fu Manchu

A Bonus Murder?!

2006-01-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

How about a Bonus Murder Over New York?

There are one or two things that you might want to keep in mind the next time you watch Murder Over New York, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time] and tapes/DVD's start at 8:30!)

What do MONY have in common with CC in London and CC at the Olympics?

What does MONY have in common with CC at Treasure Island?

Okay . . . the answers:

CC in London, at the Olympics and MONY all involved airplane development research.

As to Treasure Island and MONY, they both have Trevor Bardette as a Hindu.

(Although Shemp Howard as the fake Fakir was much funnier!)

<><>

If you love old movies but aren't sure which ones to get, You might try Maven's new Review List.

You'll get stories and backgrounds on lots of films, including Chan films plus vintage posts.

More are being added often!

Just email Miss Maven for a list or for comments, questions or suggestions at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com.

A great place to find these old movies is at www.torysmysterymovies.com.

Mention Maven's blog in your email order and you may get a discount!

San Francisco's Old Chinatown, Part 2

2006-01-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

[This is the second part of a periodic series by San Francisco's former Chief of Police, Commissioner Jesse B. Cook (1860 - 1938). Part 1 was posted on November 12, 2005.]

We now come to the starting of the so-called "tongs," commonly known as the 'hi-binders." the first tong was the Chee Kung Tong. Every man coming from China became a member of this tong. It was never known to have been in any trouble, for the Six Companies looked after the Chinese and saw that they were properly cared for.

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[The Six Companies looked after the Chinese coming from their respective provinces in China.]

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In the early days, a Chinaman known as "little Pete," whose Chinese name was Fong Jing Tong, was interested in quite a number of slave dens, gambling places and lottery houses. The hoodlum element of Chinatown would make raids on these places and demand tribute money, or blackmail. It became so bad that Little Pete conceived the idea of forming tongs to protect his interests. The first tongs he started were the Bo Sin Sere and the Guy Sin Sere, and the guaranteed him absolute protection.

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About this time there was another Chinaman, Chin Ten Sing, known as "Big Jim," who also had large interests in a great many gambling, lottery and slave houses. He saw the protection that Little Pete was getting, and as he had to turn to his own houses for protection, decided to start some tongs also. Among thm were the Suey Singsa, the Hop Sings and a number of others.

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This proved very successful until the tongs started fighting among themselves over slave girls and gambling games. These wars sometimes lasted for several months.

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At one time, I stood at the corner of Grant Avenue (then called Dupont Street) and Clay street with Patrolman Matheson (now Captain Matheson, City Treasurer), and ed Gibson, then a detective sergeant, talking about two tongs that were holding a meeting to settle their troubles. These tongs began fighting among themselves, and inside of a half-hour there seven Chinamen lying on the streets wounded; one on Waverly Pace, one on Clay Street, two in Spofford Alley, two in Ross Alley, and one on Jackson Street. The one in Waverly Place was shot, the bullet cutting the artery in his arm. Captain Matheson and myself took this Chinaman out of the shop where he fell, and stopped the flow of blood by means of a tourniquet. The physician later told us that if this had not been done the Chinaman would have died.

[To Be Continued]

This article is from The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco at http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/cook.html.

New Yorkese

2006-01-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

Lillian the Librarian here again for Murder Over New York, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time] and tapes/DVD's start at 8:30).

We have several entries into "New Yorkese" or words that we'll find in the movie:

(Canarsie Logo)

CANARSIE (geographic): A part of Brooklyn, New York.

FIFTH COLUMN: A clandestine subversive organization working within a country to further an invading enemy's military and political aims.

GAT (slang): A pistol.

HINDU: (1) An adherent of Hinduism.

(2) A native of India, especially of Northern India.

LAVALIER: A jeweled pendant worn on a chain around the neck.

MUG (as used - informal): The human face.

SPRUNG (slang): To cause to be released from prison or other confinement.

New York Goings-On

2006-01-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

Does Mrs. Chan know about Charlie's goings-on in New York?!

Or any of the other possible hanky-panky goings on?!

(Contributed by William Armstrong to

www.charliechan.info.)

Certainly there were things going on in Murder Over New York, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at wwww.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time], tapes and DVD's start at 8:30).

What WERE the writers thinking when they had Richard Jeffrey going to Ralph Percy's apartment after the dinner party.

Way late after the dinner party.

On "business."

So what would you go to somebody's home that late for business and expect to get paid for it?!

And what did the writers have in mind having Charlie visit not one but two ladies so late that they had both undressed for the night?!

And separately at that?!

If anybody had done that in Fort Worth, TX, in 1939, gossip would have been running rampantly early the next morning!

SHEESH!

<<>>

You can get this movie--and any other Chans--that you're missing from your collection among the many titles at www.torysmyssterymovies.com.

I found titles that I hadn't seen in ages.

Mention my blog and you'll get a discount on your email order.

Can't beat that!

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

2006-01-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

The Charlie Chan Annex is pleased to add another link to our blog.

Tory's Mystery Movies.

The man who runs it is Doug Palmer, with the incomparable Tory, a stately grey schnauzer like the ones that Warner Oland kept!

Doug has sent us a "new" old movie called The Missing Corpse.

Is it a Chan movie?

No.

It does have Chan movie veterans:
J. Edward Bromberg, the editor Murdock in Charlie Chan on Broadway, is Henry Kruger (complete with mustache!).

Archie Twitchell, Carter Lane in Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum, plays Officer Jimmy Trigg under the name of Michael Brandon.

You'll recognize other members of the cast like Frank Jenks, Paul Guilfoyle, Ben Weldon and Charles Coleman as "Eggbert," the butler!

The title of this post, "Button, Button, Who's Got the Button!" is an old saying that fits the plot of this movie.

J. Edward Bromberg threatens Paul Guilfoyle for his coverage of Bromberg's daughter (Lorell Sheldon in her only movie as Phyllis Kruger) in the paper.

Bromberg doesn't get much more satisfaction from his family so he decides to hightail it out of town without telling anybody.

Except for Frank Jenks, his chauffeur, who comes in handy disposing of the dead body of MacDonald in the trunk of Kruger's car.

They spend the rest of the movie hiding the body and then hiding it again after person after person after person keeps finding it.

The only two people who can't seem to find it are the motorcycle cop after Bromberg and the person who did kill MacDonald!

I think we could all use a stiff drink right about now!

<<>>

Thanks, Doug!

Now I know where the corpse is!

<<>>

If you would like this reveiw and would like to check out others from this blog and its sister blog at http://theoldmoviemaven.blogspot.com,

please email Miss Maven for her Maven's Reviews at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com for a list of movies from the twenties through the sixties!

Hey!

You might even get freebies!

Murderous Bloopers!

2006-01-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

New York has bloopers, too!

At least in Murder Over New York is our next Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

Right at the start of the movie, the American Airlines airplane sits on the tarmac with its nose in the air but the camera shots inside show the passengers are all level, parrallel to the ground.

It's either an metaphysical marvel or the writers needed to brush up on their physics lessons!

And when Charlie and Hugh Drake land in New York, the mountains in the background make the airport more likely to be in Los Angeles.

Or (more likely) the Burbank Airport.

Why is there a discrpency between Charlie's flight's scheduled arrival and when they actually land? (Courtesy of Rush Glick.)

When Charlie, Jimmy and Inspector Vance are talking on the tarmac at the New York Airport, you'll notice that where they're standing changes with which camera shot you're watching!

Later, you might notice the fingerprint man knocking over the plane model on the desk with his pencil. (Again, courtesy of Rush Glick!)

Miss Maven

2006-01-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

I am starting a new on-line service for old movie lovers:

I will be selling reviews of old movies based on my blogs,

primarily The Old Movie Maven at http://theoldmoviemaven.blogspot.com,

but to some extent from my blog at Charlie Chan Annex, at

http://charliechanannex.blogspot.com.

Why would anybody want to buy one review, much less more?

I stand on my blogs!

If you've read them then you know that I have always tried to have interesting stuff and told in as funny ways as possible.

If you'd like an order form, you can reach me (as Miss Maven!)

at theoldmoviemaven@yahoo.com.

You can also check out my Maven blog above.

There is an envelope at the bottom of each post for any questions, suggestions, and certainly if you would like an order form!

Happy New Year

From Miss Maven and staff!

Treasure Island Words

2005-12-31T07:43:00.000-08:00

Lillian the librarian looking up Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, our Monday Night Chat Room movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time] and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30).

Enjoy!

ACTUARY: One who calculates insurance and annuity (a sum of money payable yearly or at regular intervals) premiums, reserves and dividends.+

CLAIRVOYANCE: SEE: EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION.

ECTOPLASM: A substance held to produce spirit materialization and telekinesis (the production of motion in objects [as by a spiritualistic medium] without contact or physical means).+

(Ectoplasm)

EXPOSE: 1) To make known: bring to light (as something shameful).

2) To disclose the faults or crimes of.+

EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION (aka ESP): Perception (as in telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition) that involves awareness of information about events external to the self not gained through the senses and not deductible from previous experience.+

LEVITATION: The act or process of levitating: the raising or lifting of a person or things by means held to be spiritual.+

(Levitation)

PRECOGNITION: SEE: EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION.

PRESTIDIGITATION: (aka SLEIGHT OF HAND): 1 a) A conjuring trick requiring dexterity.

1 b) A cleverly executed trick or deception.

2 a) Skill and dexterity in conjuring tricks.

2 b) Adroitnes in deception.+

(prestidigitation, or sleight of hand)

SLEIGHT OF HAND: SEE: PRESTIDIGITATION.

TELEPATHY: SEE: EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION.

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+See Merriam-Webster Dictionary, www.m-w.com.

*See Charlie Chan Family, www.charliechanfamily.info.

Treasure Island Bloopers

2005-12-29T07:54:00.000-08:00

Talk about a treasury of bloopers!

We have them galore in Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

We should start with one of the most interesting bad guys in Chandom, Dr. Zodiac.

The way the movie is set up, we're supposed to believe that he's the Turk (Trevor Bardette), who's in the Zodiac disguise later in the movie.

That won't work in the first scene when Charlie, Rhadini, and Peter Lewis go to Zodiac's house because the Turk doesn't have the time to let them in the house and then get into all that getup.

We now know that Zodiac is played by Gerald Mohr in that scene (and surely in the later one in the theatre since we hear his voice again).

We have no less an authority than Kay Linaker who played the spirit in the seance in the first scene.

Watch for when Charlie walks up to the Zodiac house by himself.

You'll see a black cat cross his path, possibly Puzzums who appeared as "Lucifer" in Charlie Chan's Secret!"

We also get to see a taxi driver who leaves his passengers but doesn't get his money--he just swipes at it!

Charlie, Lewis and Rhadini find Zodiac's vault in the house where all his blackmail information is kept.

Charlie starts a fire in there with only a few files from some of the file cabinets, walks out and closes the door.

Just how much does he expect all those files to burn up when he shuts off the oxygen supply by closing the door?!

And wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall when the fire insurance people show up?!

[Spoiler]

There is a major blooper in the levitation trick.

Everything is fine when Rhadini does it with Eve Cairo.

The next time Rhadini is showing how it's done with Jimmy on the table.

It should be obvious to everybody how it's done when Rhadini lifts the banner in front of the levitation table . . . Jimmy goes down a trap door as Eve Cairo's "stunt dummy" replaces him.

Another possible blooper is the slide that carries Jimmy from the levitation trick to the room below.

If it had a nail (or whatever) to tear a big hole in Jimmy's trousers, why didn't it ever tear a hole in Eve Cairo's evening dresses?

And finally . . .

Jimmy borrows one of Rhadini's jackets to cover the hole in his pants when he has to go onstage to make an announcement for Charlie.

Look at the shoulders on the jacket.

The one on the right side is perceptibly larger to accommodate all the props used in Rhadini's tricks.

Treasure Island Cast of Characters

2005-12-27T11:09:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at Treasure Island is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

The cast a treasure trove of character actors, from Cesar Romero to Fred Kelsey (the lead detective with the busy eyebrows in the cab).

We have Sally Blane, one of Loretta Young's sisters, to Kay Linaker as the Seance Apparition who later went on to co-write "The Blob" and teach at Keene State College!

You can't get more variety than that!

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Victor Sen Yung: Jimmy Chan

Cesar Romero: Fred Rhadini

Douglas Fowley: Peter Lewis

Pauline Moore: Eve Cairo

Donald MacBride: Deputy Police Chief J.J. Kilvaine

Wally Vernon: Elmer Kelner

Douglas Dumbrille: Stewart Salsbury, alias Thomas Gregory

Sally Bane: Stella Essex

Charles Halton: Uncle Redley

Billie Seward: Mrs. Bessie Sibley

June Gale: Myra Rhadini

Trevor Bardette: Abdul, the Turkish Servant

Louis Jean Heydt: Paul Essex, alias Paul Ellison

Fred Kelsey: Lead Detective, with bushy eyebrows in cab and at theatre

John Elliot: Doctor, backstage

Gerald Mohr: Doctor Zodiac

Kay Linaker: Seance Apparition

Honolulu Bloopers?!

2005-12-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

Rush Glick has a blooper for us from Charlie Chan in Honolulu, which is appropriate since he runs our Monday Night Movie Chat Room at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

According to Rush:

In a potentially disastrous slip of the mind, Charlie forgot to have a certain bad guy searched for a gun! Fortunately, this criminal didn't take advantage of Mr. Chan's apparent slip. Of course, always at least a step (or two!) ahead of all of us, Charlie Chan just MAY have unloaded the gun earlier at some opportunity unseen by all of us (just as he had another weapon in the same film)!

There is also a scene with Jimmy and Willie in the Chan living room. I'm always curious who owns the golf clubs in the corner behind them!

Happy Holidays!

2005-12-24T13:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas!

and a

Happy Hanukkah!

We'll get to

New Year's Eve

next week!

Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

Your Honolulu Travel Agency

2005-12-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

Our next Monday Night Chat Room Movie is Charlie Chan in Honolulu (www.charliehchan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time] and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.)

I thought that I would do a little research on traveling on freighters since Charlie--and sons!--end up amid assorted characters on the Susan B. Jennings.

If anybody things that you're sick and tire of the hustle and bustle of the Hoidays, check out http://content.onlineagency.com/c/23/23357/2695046_23357.htm,

"The Cruise People - Canada's Premier Sea Travel Agency"

Here goes:

Passenger freighters carry an average of four to five passengers, never more than twelve.

More than that and they'd need to carry a doctor, too.

The cargo MUST come first and take priority on scheduling itineraries and port stops.

"Container ships [which most freighters are] have short port stops (four to eight hours) while general cargo ships stop longer."

Passengers pretty much schedule their own days as they see fit without the formalities that are normally associated with cruise ships--or at least used to be!

This is perfect traveling for those who don't want or need others to entertain or structure their days and have the health, time and money to do it.

That means that frequently passengers must be under 70 years (and old enough to travel without parents!) and without Fluffy or Fido who may have to be shipped separately.

Facilities can be nice enough, high up enough and with windows to be comparable to cruise ships.

Eating can mean from cabins' sitting areas with refrigerators to dining with the officers in their mess (which can be four to six level, or decks, below without facilities for the handicapped.)

Many have a pantry open all the time for snacks and a passenger area with TV and VCR, stereo, games, cards or talking.

Beverages and other items are often low cost and duty-free.

Most ships have a deck for sitting, taking the sun, reading or watching any marine life that might drop by.

The crews are held to high standards with the latest necessary equipment.
They can often be counted on to advice passengers on ports to even guiding them ashore to the best places.

Passengers are recommended to be careful as they go around the ships until they are used to them to avoid hurt shins and awkwardness gangplanks.

What are the requirements for passenger freighter travel?

Valid passports are required and, in some cases, visas and shots are necessary. You will be sailing in a ship with many stairs to climb and with no doctor on bard. Your physician must sign a form indicating you are healthy enough to do this AND you must have out-of-country emergancy hospital/medical insurance that includes evacuation (sometimes called air ambulance) coverage. Cancellation insurance is not required but is hightly recommended. It is the passenger's responsibility to supply all necessary paperwork before boarding.

You can travel for one week to more than three months around the world.

The Jones Act, however, means that you can't sail between ports in the same country.

Which means you can't travel between New York and Miami, for example.

Cost is pretty much in Euros or pounds that wholesalers convert to the current rates, about Eu 65 to 120 per day.

American and Canadian dollars have gone down to 60% of the Euro.

What's included?

The fare includes passage, all food and accommodation. Most passengers rip the steward. you will need some funds for duty-free purchases and shore trips. Some lines charge separately for port taxes and fees and deviation insurance. [I have no idea what "deviation insurance is and I'm not sure I want to either!] Others build these charges in to the fare.

After going through all that . . . I'm staying home and putting my copy of Honolulu in to watch it with some turkey, dressing and an iced cold Coke!

Chan Movies for January

2005-12-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's about time that we start planning ahead for New Year's and our January Monday Night Chan Rooms!

So here's our New Year's Baby :

And here's our list from Rush Glick at www.charliechan.info

(8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time] and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30):

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January 2 - Charlie Chan at Treasure Island

January 9 - Murder Over New York

January 16 - Charlie Chan at the Olympics

January 23 - The Chinese Cat

January 30 - Charlie Chan in Paris

<><>

See you there!

Honolulu Cast

2005-12-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Honolulu is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

This is the first Chan with Sidney Toler, who took the series and carried on after the untimely death of Warner Oland.

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Toler's Chan is surrounded by all of "his" children except # 1 Son, Lee, who is in New York at Art School.

Charlie still has lots to handle with the rest of his large Chan Klan, starting with # 1 Daughter about to have the Chan's # 1 Grandchild!

(Courtesy of www.philipahn.com)

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Victor Sen Young: Jimmy Chan

Phyllis Brooks: Judy Hayes

John "Dusty" King: George Randolph

Robert Barrat: Captain Johnson

Eddie Collins: Al Hogan

Claire Dodd: Elsie Hillman, alias Carol Wayne

Marc Lawrence: Johnnie McCoy

Richard Lane: Mike Hannigan (alias Detective Arnold)

Layne Tom, Jr.: Willie Chan

Philip Ahn: Wing Foo

Paul Harvey: [Chief] Inspector Rawkins

Arthur Loft: Peabody

Grace Key: Mrs. Chan

Florence Ling: Ling [Number One Chan Daughter]

Iris Wong: Number Two Chan Daughter

Barbara Jean Wong: Number Three Chan Daughter

Faye Lee: Number Four Chan Daughter

Margie Lee: Number Five Chan Daughter

Sinclair Yip: Number Three Chan Son

David Dong: Number Four Son

Frank Dong: Number Five Son

Richard Alexander: Tough Crewman Chomping Cigar as Jimmy Questions Him

James Flavin: Homicide Division Desk Officer

Al Kikume: Police Officer Molokai

Sky Dragon Galley

2005-12-19T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Sky Dragon is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

Since part of the movie is set in the airplane's galley, I'd like to quote Robert J. Serling from his book about Eagle: The Story of American Airlines (St. Martin's/Merek, New York, 1985, page 117):

[Newton K.] Wilson also had a hatful of suggestions about food service and this, too, became his responsibility. He worked with [William] Littlewood's DC-3 design team and was largely instrumental in choosing the plane's galley arrangements. On the DC-2, cold food was stored in a box under a rear coat rack, but C.R. [Smith] was determined to serve hot food on the DC-3s. Wilson and Ernest Fuller, another Littlewood disciple, developed a hot food system that consisted of two-gallon thermos jugs that could keep reasonably warm anything from fried chicken to lobster. On each DC-3, there were four food jugs and six liquid jugs holding two quarts each, and as Wilson himself said, "Basically the two-sized jugs were what we used until the jets came along.

The large food jugs cost $70 apiece and were constantly disappearing from the airplanes. "Theft," Newt recalled wryly, "was a problem. Every pilot had his own jug and you could always find them at pilot picnics." Passenger pilferage was another headache, silverware and blankets being the most frequently stolen items.

(Jane Wyman in 1951's "Three Guys Named Mike")

Sky Dragon Dictionary

2005-12-18T12:11:00.000-08:00

Lillian here again with our Chan Dictionary!

We have some . . . interesting entries for The Sky Dragon, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time], we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30):

BURLESQUE (French): A theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous, often earthy charade consisting of short turns, comic skits and sometimes striptease acts.

FOLLIES: A type of theatrical production usually designed to showcase beautiful women and frequently thin plot lines.

SUPERCEDE: (1) To cause to be set aside.

(2) To force out of use as inferior.

[You try to google something that basically means "to shift" and see if you can do any better!]

TERPSICHOREAN: Of or relating to dancing.

Sky Dragon Cast

2005-12-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

The Sky Dragon is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

It has a great cast of characters with three who went on to make names for themselves in television, Noel Neill (Superman), Elena Verdugo (Marcus Welby, M.D.) and Milburn Stone (Gunsmoke).

Not to mention that # 1 Son, Keye Luke, also had a hit series himself in Kung Fu as Master Po!

Not bad company!

(Villian, villian, Who's the Villain?!)

Roland Winters: Charlie Chan

Keye Luke: Lee Chan

Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown

Noel Neill: Jane Marshall

Tim Ryan: Lt. Mike Ruark

Iris Adrian: Wanda LaFern

Elena Verdugo: Connie Jackson, alias Marie Burke

Milburn Stone: Tim Norton

Lyle Talbot: Andy Barrett

Paul Maxey: John Anderson

Joel Marston: Don Blake

John Eldridge: William E. French

Eddie Parks: Jonathan Tibbits

Louise Franklin: Lena Franklin (maid)

Lyle Latell: Ed Davidson

Steve Pendleton (As Gaylord Pendleton): Ben Edwards, Guard

Frank Cady: Clerk

Bob Curtis: Watkins

George Eldredge: Stacey

Suzette Harbin: Maid # 2

Edna Holland: Demanding old woman passenger

Charles Jordan: Stage Manager

Lee Phelps: Detective at airport gate

Emmett Vogan: Doctor

Joe Whitehead: Stage watchman

2005-12-09T07:59:00.000-08:00

The Charlie Chan Annex will be taking a few days off to take care of an office backlog and to get ready for Christmas.

In the meantime, you all have a

Very Merry

Holiday Season!

Charlie Chan Dictionary

2005-12-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

Lillian here, back with our Chan Dictionary for Dangerous Money, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our vcrs and DVD players at 8:30!

We only have two entries for Dangerous Money:

The first one is

KANAKA: A name used up until the recent past for Pacific Islanders.

[A Kanaka Surfer]

The other is

KANSAS CITY BANKROLL: Slang term for a role of money that is actually a few real bills around strips of cut newspapers fashioned to appear as a big roll of money. This was the term used by Jimmy Chan to describe what "Big Ben: was carrying to impress people.

[A Kansas City Bankroll]

Dangerous Painters?!

2005-12-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan has many passengers traveling with him on the S.S. Newcastle in Dangerous Money, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

One of the subplots involves paintings and one of the artists mentioned specifically is Paul Gauguin, of what is called the "Postimpressionist period."

Gauguin was born in Paris on June 7, 1848 but the family moved to Lima, Peru shortly thereafter, his father dying enroute.

His interest in art began after his mother died and Gauguin moved in with his guardian, Gustave Arosa, who was wealthy enough to enjoy a substantial art collection.

Gauguin specialized in Impressionist paintings and began painting himself on an amateur basis.

Paul Gauguin supported himself in varied jobs while studying painting himself as he studied the works of established artists like van Gogh, Picasso and Degas.

["Making Merry"]

He even stayed with van Gogh for a time in 1887 but the visit was cut short shortly after van Gogh's "ear incident."

Gauguin's painting style switched from Impressionism (where the artists tried to envoke natural scenes by use of dabs or strokes of pure colors to achieve reflected light) to trying to represent the inner soul of those being painted in the style that became known as symbolism.

Gauguin spent most of his life among the natives in Papeete, the capital of Tahiti and Polynesia.

["Ia Orana Maria"]

His paintings during this period became highly valued in the modern era for their reflection of the local primitive lifestyles and incredible colors of the landscapes.

(Courtesy of www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jun/gauguin.html.)

[My thanks to Rush Glick at www.charliechan.info for suggesting Paul Gauguin!]

2005-12-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

We have a dangerous cast in Dangerous Money, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30!

At least two people aboard the S.S. Newcastle can throw knives, there's two blackmailers, and one murderer. . . .

Or is it two? . . .

Or more?

["Who's your Villain?!"]

Well, for starters, we need to identify the possible suspects so here goes!

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Gloria Warren: Rona Simmonds

Victor Sen Young: Jimmy Chan

Rick Vallin: Tao Erickson

Joseph Crehan: Captain Black

Willie Best: Chattanooga Brown

John Harmon: Freddie Kirk

Bruce Edwards: Harold Mayfair

Dick Elliot: P.T. Burke

Joe Allen, Jr.: George Brace

Amira Moustafa: Laura Ericson

Tristam Coffin: Scott Pearson

Ann Douglas: Mrs. Whipple

Selmar Jackson: Ship's Doctor

Dudley Dirckson: Big Ben

Rito Punay: Pete

Elaine Lange: Cynthia Martin

Emmett Vogan: Professor Henry Black

Leslie Dennison: Reverend Whipple

Jerry Groves: Polynesian

Kit Carson: Seaman

Don McCracken: Junior Officer

Tonopah Historic Mining Park, Part 2

2005-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Today is dedicated to a partial tour of the Tonopah Historic Mining Park at www.tonopahnevada.com in honor of the ghost town in Charlie Chan in Reno, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Eastern Time; and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30).

"Hoisting works at the Desert Queen Mine"

"Hoisting works at the Silver Top Mine"

"Hoisting works at the Mizpah Mine"

"Turn of the century mining office re-creation in the Heizer Mineral Exhibit Hall"

"View from the overhanging cage in the 'Underground Adventure' as theBurro Tunnel"

"View from the viewing cage down the Burro Tunnel"

"Control room at the Silver Top hoist room"

"Air dompressor in the Mizpah hoist room"

Tonopah Historic Mining Park, Part 1

2005-12-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Reno* spends part of it's time in Tonopah, Nevada, so shall we take a quick trip there before our Monday Night Chat Room at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Eastern Time)?

From www.tonopahnevada.com/TonopahHistoricPark.htm:

Go Underground at the Tonopah

Historic Mining Park!

The "Underground Adventure" is open!

[Tunnel entrance]

The Tonopah Historic Mining Park is located on the site of the original mining claims which started the rush to Tonopah, making it Queen of the Silver Camps. Belle and Jim Butler's strike in the year 1900 brought the United States into the 20th Century and many mining and processing techniques developed there are still in use today.

The park, encompasses portions of four of the major mining companies and covers over 100 acres. It preserves this rich history and brings it to life with equipment, exhibits, and a self-guided tour. The tour wanders through out the property. All buildings on the property are open for our visitors to enjoy and feel how it was to be working in a turn of the century mining environment. The grounds are constantly changing. New exhibits are being installed and restoration of existing buildings is continuing. All monetary donations go directly to further expanding our exhibit halls and walking tour. . . .

Go Underground at the Mining Park!

The underground tunnel restoration is now complete. It features a walk down a mine tunnel that intersects one of the original discovery stopes. Named the Burro Tunnel, the "Underground Adventure" is not for the faint of heart! At the end of the tunnel, visitors are able to step into a steel viewing cage and down the 500' deep stope. Newly completed projects include the restoration of the Mizpah Mine collar. Visitors can now walk across the top of the richest mine in the Tonopah District and look down the shaft, which is lit with a large spotlight. All the chain link and barbed wire has been removed to maximize our visitors experience. Our black light mineral display has just been greatly expanded and now features short-wave ultraviolet lights which enhance the colors of the display.

To be continued . . .

Reno Divorces, Part 2

2005-12-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

[This is the conclusion of a two part story for Charlie Chan in Reno, from Rush Glick's excellent notes on the movie from the same website as our Monday Night Chat Room, www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Eastern Time). Please join us this week in Reno!]

The results [of changing the laws to be more divorce-friendly] were amazing. According to the Reno Divorce Racket, a special focus magazine on the divorce trade, the first month after Nevada's six-week requirement passed 517 divorce suits were filed and 331 decrees handed down. In 1926 the Nevada courts granted 1,021 divorces. After the lower residency requirement in 1927 the figure almost doubled to 1,953. The 1930 divorces numbered 2,609 and in 1931 the number of divorces almost doubled at 5,260. By 1940 Nevada accounted for 49 out of 1000 divorces in the United States.

[Mary Pickford]

Attorney fees alone brought in $100,000 a month. That does not even consider the hotels, casinos, restaurants and merchants. An estimated $5 million annually was brought to Nevada by the divorce trade, according to Richard Lilliard in his book, "Desert Challenge: An Interpretation of Nevada.

[Jack Dempsey]

Aside from the money brought to Nevada by the divorce racket, Nevada also gained a notoriety for the famous divorces in Reno. Mary Pickford, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., Jack Dempsey, Estelle Taylor, Earl Russell, and Laura B. Corey name just a few of the famous divorces. In Las Vegas, Eddie Fisher, a record star, divorced to marry Elizabeth Taylor, then a young actress noted as one of the most beautiful women in the world.

"Reno no longer plays a role as the divorce capital," [William D.] Rowley said. However. the legend lives on.

<><>

From: "Reno Divorce History," an article by Amber Martin, University of Nevada, Reno.

Reno Divorces, Part 1

2005-12-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Reno, our Monday Night Chat Movie,* touches on Reno being the (then) divorce capital of the world.

Rush Glick has an article by Amber Martin, University of Nevada, Reno, in his very extensive notes on this movie at his incredible website, The Charlie Chan Family (www.charliechan.info):

["Reno Divorce Wife," courtesy

of www.charliechan.info.]

"Reno by 1910 was known as the divorce capital," William D. Rowley, a history professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said. "A divorce capital with a residency requirement willing to be shortened to beat the competition and bring in the famous divorces Reno has become known for.

"From the civil war on, divorce law in the nation started to tighten up. I suppose in reaction to a greater demand to protect Victorian values," Rowley said.

However, the divorce law in Nevada did not change from the law in existence during territorial time until after New York lawyers discovered Nevada quickie divorce in 1898.

In 1913 the progressive movement and morality reform managed to persuade state representatives to chang what had been a six-month residency requirement to a one-year requirement. This put Nevada's quick divorce at the year-long process many other states were at.

The year requirement did not last long with lobbying from business owners and representatives pushing for the residency requirement to be back at six months. In 1915 Nevada's business owners got their wish. The income brought into Nevada through the divorce business caused a push in 1927 for the Nevada residency to be lowered to three months, and in 1931 the requirement went down to six weeks.

Continued tomorrow.

[Charlie Chan and Chief of Police King cut up

on the job, courtesy of www.charliechan.info.]

<<>>
*Our Chat Movie is at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Eastern Time.

2005-12-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Reno is set partly in a ghost town in--Surprise!--Nevada.

You might like to check out the internet before we watch our Monday Night Chat Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time!

You might go to www.ghosttowns.homestead.com where they have a plethora of information, including these factoids:

Saloons far outnumbered schools, churches, and businesses in many western ghost towns. It was common for a town with a population of 20,000 to have 50 saloons.

Upon the abandonment of many western towns, wooden buildings were dismantled and railroad tracks pulled up from the ground so that they could be reused during the establishment of new towns.

Water was more expensive than liquor in many western desert towns.

The most common reason that American communities have become ghost towns is they were either bypassed by transportation routes, their sources of income & water were exhausted, disasters occurred, their post offices closed, or they were not given county seat status.

"Ghost towning" is gaining in popularity as a hobby.

Ghost towns east of the Mississippi River seem to be more susceptible to hauntings and other paranormal phenomena than ghost towns located west of the Mississippi River.

Most American ghost towns are former mining towns or former logging towns.

Many western ghost towns had a Chinatown section.

Although there are hundreds of ghost towns east of the Mississippi River, most American Ghost towns are west of the Mississippi.

California has almost twice as many ghost towns than any other state.

The 1849 California Gold Rush established San Francisco as the west's financial and cultural capital.

The 1859 Colorado Gold Rush created Denver, Colorado.

You can do a google search for "haunted ghost towns" but one that has the haunting of St. Elmo, "off Highway 285 in the heart of the Colorado Rockies," can be found at www.prairieghosts.com/stelmo.html. . . .

Boo!

Another website that has quite a list of its own (including The Alamo!) is at www.legendsofamerica.com/Newsletter-1005-2.html

Just don't expect Sheriff "Tombstone" Fletcher to show up!

2005-11-30T13:35:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Reno has quite a range of character actors, from Slim Summerville to Kane Richmond and Ricardo Cortez to Eddie Collins!

(An interesting lobby card that's possibly Czech;

courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

Here's the cast of credits to see how many you can guess right before our Monday Night Chat at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time:

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Ricardo Cortez: Dr. Ainsley

Phyllis Brooks: Vivian Wells

Slim Summerville: Sheriff Tombstone Fletcher

Kane Richmond: Curtis Whitman

Victor Sen Yung (as Sen Yung): Jimmy Chan

Pauline Moore: Mary Whitman

Eddie Collins: The Gabby Cabbie

Kay Linaker: Mrs. Wayne Russell

Louise Henry: Jeanne Bentley

Robert Lowery: Wally Burke

Charles D. Brown: Chief of Police King

Iris Wong: Choy Wong

Morgan Conway: George Bentley

Hamilton MacFadden: Night Clerk

Arthur Rankin: the Bellhop

Fred Delsey: Reno Desk Sergeant

Virginia Sale: The Maid Who is Missing a Passkey

Stanley Blystone: Lineup Officer

Jimmy Aubrey: Lineup Wiseguy ("Me # 3 Son)

Brooks Benedict: Man in Line-Up

Heinie Conklin: Policeman

Bobby Hale: Undetermined Role

Chuck Hamilton: Policeman

Harry Hayden: Chemistry Professor

Dick Hogan: Jack, College Boy

Al Kikume: Honolulu Policeman

Barbara MacLain: College Girl

Hank Man: "Injured" Con Man/Casino Extra

Imboden Parish: Undetermined Role

Jack Perry: Rough Drunk

Edwin Stanley: Police Chemist

Blue Washington: Man in Line-Up

2005-11-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan in Reno has a few bloopers in it.

You might want to keep an eye out for them during our Monday Night Chat Room Viewing tonight at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

Right at the beginning of the movie, Vivian Wells (Phyllis Brooks) comes out to great Mary Whitman (Pauline Moore)as she's signing the register.

You'll see Dr. Ainsley (Ricardo Cortez) pass by at least twice in the background.

When Mary Whitman and Vivian Wells are seated together at a table in the bar, and you can notice that Wells (Brooks) is smoking a cigarette. Pay close attention to the cigarette during this scene, as you will notice that it goes from just a little stub burnt down to the filter . . . to a full cigarette, etc. . . . etc. (Courtesy of Chad Bennett)

Vivian Wells is wearing a short-sleeved gown during this part of the movie.

How does Charlie know at the end of the movie that the jacket she has on in that scene isn't what she wore at the start of the movie?!

And we never do find out what happened to Jimmy's clothes or to his friend's car, do we?!

2005-11-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

What does Charlie Chan in Paris have in common with Charlie Chan in Shanghai, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time)?

Number One Son, Lee, pops in town on business to help "Pop!"

Shanghai Trivia

2005-11-28T14:30:00.000-08:00

What does Charlie Chan in Paris have in commom with Charlie Chan in Shanghai?

(Both stills are courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

Lee makes sure he's in town on "business" so he can help Pop!

2005-11-27T13:28:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan Sings!

And beautifully as well we know from Charlie Chan in Shanghai, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

Warner Oland, our Chan in Shanghai, helped make history in 1927 as Cantor Rabinowitz to Al Jolson's Jakie Rabinowhitz in "The Jazz Singer."

This was the movie that shot Hollywood kicking and screaming into the "talkie" era and the movies haven't turned back!

Charlie Chan fans are lucky enough to have our own Oland song when Warner Oland sings to the little children traveling with him to Shanghai by ship.

We have an added bonus in that "Princess Ming Lo Fu" refers to another series of films that Oland made--albeit a short one--as Fu Manchu.

<<>>

Princess Ming Lo Fu:

Long the journey, hard the way,

But his heart was gay,

For, was he not a Prince both strong and brave,

Vowed a princess fair to save?

And he slew the dreadful dragon,

Even cut off his seven heads;

And in this cave he found the Princess

Bound in her lowly bed.

Then came they both back to the land

Of the mighty Emperor Fu Manchu,

To claim his reward, the dainty hand

Of lovely Ming Lo Fu."

2005-11-25T10:45:00.000-08:00

Things to look for while watching Charlie Chan in Shanghai, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern Time:

(Courtesy of http://photos1.blogger.com)

Lee tells Charlie that he's in Shanghai for "oil for the lamps of China"--an "in" joke because that was the movie that Lee had just made before starting Shanghai!

Who booby-trapped the presentation box for Charlie and when?

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Is Charlie scary when he slowly walks into the scene where Lee is calling the police after somebody shoots at Charlie in bed?

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Where was Charlie for the hour between when he leaves James Andrews/Russell Hicks rooms and when Andrews/Hicks arrives at Charlie's hotel room?

What kind of exotic dance is that girl doing in The Versailles Cafe?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2005-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving

from Virginia,

Lillian, Etta Kit~~

Now Let's Go

Gobble Till

We Wobble!

Shanghai Cast

2005-11-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

We have a creditable cast in Charlie Chan in Shanghai, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time]).

You know you're in for a good time with the lives of such veterans as Russell Hicks, Halliwell Hobbes and Frederick Vogeding to join Warner Oland as Charlie Chan!

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Irene Hervey: Diana Woodland

Jon Hall (as Charles Locher): Philip Nash

Russell Hicks: James Andrews

Keye Luke: Lee Chan

Halliwell Hobbes: Colonel Watkins, Police Commissioner

Frederick Vogeding (Frederick Vogeding): Ivan Marloff (mistakenly listed as "Burke" in on-screen credits)

Neil Fitzgerald: Unidentified (Script Name: Dain)

Max Wagner: Taxi Driver Henchman

Lynn Bari: Second Hotel Switchboard Operator (?)

Luke Chan: Reporter

Jack Chefe: Reporter

Frank Darien: Bespectacled Tourist in Versailles Cafe

Harrison Greene: Tourist in Versailles Cafe

Charles Haefeli: Crook on Boat

Eddie Hart: "G"-Man

Russell Hopton: "G"-Man

Gladden James: Forrest, Valet

Colin Kenny: Reporter

Eddie Lee: Servant

James B. Leong: Shanghai Police Operator

Torben Meyer: French Diplomat

Moy Ming: Sun Wong

Pat O'Malley: Belden

Jimmy Phillips: Reporter

Regina Rambeau: (?)

Pat Somerset: Reporter

Harry Strang: Chauffeur

Phil Tead: Reporter

Sammee Tong: (?)

David Torrence: Sir Stanley Woodland

Guy Usher: President of Shanghai Chamber of Commerce

Jehm Wong: Richshaw Boy at Dock

Walter Wong: Waiter

Joy Ling (aka Bo Ling): Lee's Telephone Girlfriend

(Courtesy of www.charliehan.info.(

Warner Oland

2005-11-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Here is some Warner Oland trivia for Charlie Chan in Shanghai, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time]) at www.charliechan.info:

Warner Oland was able to show off his singing voice in The Jazz Singer (Al Jolson's father, Cantor Rabinowitz) and at the beginning of Shanghai when he sings to the children.

The irony is that this song refers to another of Oland's Oriental roles as Fu Manchu!

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.net)

"Princess Ming Lo Fu

(Courtesy of www.chalriechan.info)

Long the journey, hard the way,

But his heart was gay,

For, was he not a Prince both strong and brave,

Vowed a princess fair to save?

And he slew the dreadful dragon,

Even cut off his seven heads;

And in this cave he hound the Princess

Bound in her lowly bed.

Then came they both back to the land

Of the mighty Emperor Fu Manchu,

To claim his reward, the dainty hand

Of lovely Ming Lo Fu."

Rush Glick reports that Warner Oland had a schnauser namedShaggedy Ann whom he evidently cherished.

When Shaggedy Ann had puppies, one was apparently named "Princess Ming Lo Fu," certainly based on the title characther of this little song!

2005-11-21T18:44:00.000-08:00

There's good news today!

Not only do we get to watch The Black Camel in Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info as the Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time], we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30). . . .

Rush has posted his schedule of movies for Monday nights in December!!

December 5 - Charlie Chan in Reno

December 12 - Charlie Chan in Dangerous Money

December 19 - The Sky Dragon

December 26 - Charlie Chan in Honlulu

And I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Hanukkah!

Not So Black Camel Trivia

2005-11-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

Here's some not so Black Camel camel trivia!

There are two types of camels:

And some camel humor from http://www.1487th.org:

Black Camel Trivia

2005-11-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

The Black Camel Trivia:

Can you name the three different Chan movies where Charlie drives a car himself?

First is in The Black Camel, right after he's learned how to drive.

Second is in Charlie Chan at the Olympics.

Third (or Second-and-a-half if you want to be picky!) is in The Shanghai Cobra.

We don't actually SEE him driving but Tommy and Birmingham tease him about Charlie's ticket for U-turning. . . .

No, you turn here. . . .

Never mind!

Okay.

I know this still (from www.charliechan.info) doesn't have anything to do with Charlie Chan driving.

I love it because it makes Charlie look like he could be holding Dracula (aka Bela Lugosi) up!

The Chan Children

2005-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

Etta Kit here, back again with a rerun of a post about Charlie Chan's delightful children's appearance in The Black Camel.

(That's our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time].)

Their respectful treatment is amazing as when # 1 Daughter requests "C'mon, Pop, spill the beans!"

And how about when Charlie tries to tell them that he's still working on the case, he gets "Ah, that's a lot of applesauce!"

The Chan sons are just as delightful!

"Ah, baloney!"

Such sweethearts!

2005-11-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

The Black Camel, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie*, has quite a cast.

You know you're in for a special evening when you have the likes of Robert Young (Marcus Welby, M.D.), Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye from Dracula to Mary Gordon, Mrs. Hudson to Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes!

How many of these great character actors can you place by name?

(Charlie Chan [Warner Oland] and Tarneverro [Bela Lugosi] in the lobby of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii)

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Bela Lugosi: Tarneverro

Robert Young: Jimmy Bradshaw

Victor Varconi: Robert Fyfe

J.M. Kerrigan: Thomas MacMaster

Marjorie White: Rita Ballou

Mary Gordon: Mrs. MacMaster

Robert Humans: Chief of Police

Dwight Frye: Jessop

Sally Eilers: Julie O'Neill

Violet Dunn: Anna

Dorothy Revier: Shelah Fane

Richard Tucker: Wilkie Ballou

Otto Yamaoka: Kashimo

Rita Rozelle: Luana

William Post, Jr.: Alan Jaynes

Louise Mackintosh: (Undetermined)

Hamilton McFadden: Movie Director

Melvin Paoa: Hawaiian Beach Boy

Ivy Ling [aka Bo Ling]: Number One Chan Daughter

<><>

*At www.charliechan.info at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).

The Black Camel Bloopers

2005-11-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

It's Blooper Time for The Black Camel, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern Time])!

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

Right off we have Shelah Fane and the Hawaiian boy shifting positions depending on the camera angles.

Keep an eye on her hair color as she leaves the beach and goes into her dressing tent. Julie O'Neill (her secretary) also seems to have hair color changes.

(A good point from Rush Glick: Fane may have been wearing a wig.)

When Julie O'Neill pulls up in her car, she parks behind Alan Jaynes in his, waiting for Shelah. She leaves her tent a few minutes later and goes out and to the right and out of sight instead of straight ahead to his car.

Yet she's in that very car in the next scene.

She gets out of his car for her appointment with Tarnevarro and asks Jane to be early for her party that night.

He promises to come "hours early."

So why does she apparently leave him waiting?

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

We first meet Tarnevarro with Mr. and Mrs. MacMasters who refer to him as Jimmy. We find out later his first name is really "Arthur."

Why?

Tarnevarro tells Charlie Chan that he is not in Honlulu for professional reasons, as in reading fortunes.

He later admits in Charlie's car that Shelah came to him since for that very reason.

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

If Alan Janes really loved Shelah Fane, why does he keep trying to get out of town instead of staying and trying to find her killer? (Courtesy of Becky Truesdale)

Why doesn't Charlie see Tarnevarro or Julie O'Neill picking up the scattered pieces of Danny Mayo's torn picture.

On the second day, Charlie talks to the MacMasters about having talked to them that morning.

Possibly such a scene was made and either deleted or never added.

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info,

contributed by Gene Lue.)

The biggest blooper of The Black Camel??

Why didn't anyone who knew Danny Mayo figure out that Tarnevarro looked so much like him to be brothers?!?!

2005-11-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Some of the images of Hawaii that we DON'T get to see in the location shots of Charlie Chan's The Black Camel is a volcano!

(Kilauea, Hawaii)

One of these shacks could belong to Luana, Mr. Smith's "friend":

How about the Sun Parlor in a 1920's Volcano House?!

How about the exteriour view of the Volcano House"?!

<><>

*Our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).

The Black Camel

2005-11-15T01:40:00.000-08:00

The Black Camel.*

What do you see in your mind's eye?

Warner Oland and Bela Lugosi?

Or Oland's Charlie Chan getting after his assistant Kashimo?!

What about the blue waves of the Pacific Ocean with surfers on their boards, hoping for "the big one" to crest and carry them to the next wave?!

Wouldn't you love to stayed in the beautiful and glamorous Royal Hawaiian Hotel and come away with a Panama Hat like Charlie's?!

I found lots of neat pictures to go with The Black Camel so sit back and enjoy!

(From the postcard:

"This real photo postcard shows

'Air view of Waikiki Beach,

Diamond Head, Moana and

Royal Hawaiian Hotels.'")

<<>>

*It's our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern Time) and we start our tapes/movies at 8:30. Those who don't have our movie are urged to come too since we cover a lot more territory than just the movie!

The Game's Afoot!

2005-11-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

Ever hear of getting a leg (or two!) up?

Or Sherlock Holmes' game being afoot?!

Birmingham Brown doesn't look like he's sure just what is going on in The Golden Eye, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern] and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30).

2005-11-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan and the Golden Eye is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

Good old Charlie gives us a lesson in detecting the good guys from the bad.

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

In case anyone needs a remedial course, here is what a basic Nun's habit looks like (plus what the parts of her clothes are called).

See if you can figure which is fake (the answer is at the bottom of the page).

Exhibit One

(Courtesy of www.gothicgarments.net)

Exhibit Two

(Courtesy of www.return2style.de/)

You might also want to check out The Nun's Story (1959) with Audrey Hepburn and Peter Finch, one of my favorites; or The Sound Of Music, Julie Andrews' 1965 movie.

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You picked right if you chose Exhibit Two!

You win time off for good sleuthing to go watch The Golden Eye!

San Francisco's Old Chinatown, Part 1

2005-11-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

San Francisco's Old Town was an article by Commissioner Jesse B. Cook (1860 to 1938). He began as a beat officer in the late 1880s and became a sergeant in the "Chinatown Squad." Cook became Chief of Police after the earthquake hit in 1906 and later appointed onto the Police Commission.

[You can find this article at http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist9/cook.html.]

There is more to his biography which I will include in future installments of his description of Chinatown's conditions in San Francisco prior to the "Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906" from the perspective of a "Chinatown Squad" member.

San Francisco's Chinatown has been known to me since childhood, when it occupied only Sacramento Street, Kearny Street, and halfway up Stockton Street. One of my early recollections was attendance at the First Baptist Sunday School in 1866. It was then located on the north side of Washington Street, about 100 feet east of Stockton.

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Chinese at that time were coming in from the Orient at about 1,4000 on every steamer. True it is, they had been coming in since 1848, but relatively few at a time. Therefore, there was quite a number of the pioneer Chinese here in the days of the old "gold fever." These Chinese had come on the old Pacific Mail steamers. The customs house officers would search each Chinaman as well as his baggage, and then chalk-mark him with a cross. After a sufficient number had been marked to fill up a good-sized express wagon, it was the custom to throw all baggage onto the wagon and place each Chinaman on top of his belongings. It was a common sight to see these express wagons going west on Brannan (the old Pacific Mail docks were located on First and Brannan Streets) to Third Street, along Third Street of Market Street, crossing Market Street to Kearny, and along Kearny to Sacra mento Street were they would be discharged to go to the different "companies" to which they belonged. Although all of these Chinese were from the province of Canton, they spoke different languages and dialects.

In way of explanation, there were for instance Hock Kah men; they were all barbers. Then again, there were See Yup men; they were all laboring men. The Sam Yups were all business men and they invariably controlled the business of Canton as well as the business in San Francisco's Chinatown. A See Yup man was not allowed to enter into competition with a Sam Yup. It was impossible for the See Yup men to get any goods at all from Canton as the merchants in Canton, China, would only sell to their own people, the Sam Yups.

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There were, of course, other provinces represented by the Chinese Six Companies. The Six Companies looked after the Chinese coming from their respective provinces in China. When sick, the Chinese were cared for by and through the Six Companies. This care lasted up to the time of death, when the Chinese Six Companies saw to it that proper burial was given. In due course, the bones of the Chinese were taken up and shipped back to their homes in China. This is a custom that has endure over the past centuries. The Chinese have a peculiar superstition that if they are not buried in China, it will be very unfortunate for the members of their families and for their descendants.

2005-11-11T10:05:00.000-08:00

Lillian the Librarian here again with our Chan Dictionary entries from The Golden Eye, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [Eastern] and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30).

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ASSAYER: One who examines metallurgic ore or compounds, for the purpose of determining the amount of any particular metal in the same, especially of gold or silver.

(Assayer's equipment)

OPIATE: (1) Any of various sedative narcotics containing opium or one or more of its natural or synthetic derivatives.

(2) A drug, hormone, or other chemical substance having sedative or narcotic effects similar to those containing opium or its derivatives: A natural brain opiate.

(3) Something that dulls the senses and induces relaxation or tupor.

(A poppy)

TETANUS: An acute, often fatal disease characterized by spasmodic contraction of voluntary muscles, especially those of the neck and jaw, and caused by the toxin of the bacillus "Clostridium tetani," which typically infects the body through a deep wound. Also called "lockjaw."

(An example of "lockjaw")

2005-11-10T10:32:00.000-08:00

What do Charlie Chan at the Race Track, Charlie Chan in Reno, Charlie Chan in Rio, Docks in New Orleans, and The Golden Eye have in common?

Charlie Chan smokes in each of them, for one reason or another!

While I'm at it . . . you might enjoy this lobby card from Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info.

Rush has lots of goodies at his website and you can find a link to it in the lower right-hand of this blog among several other great places to check out!

Charlie Chan and the Beverly Hillbillies

2005-11-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Tim Ryan is one of our regulars in our Charlie Chan movies!

(Roland West as Chan and Tim Ryan as "Lt. Mike,"

Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

He played Lieutenant Mike Ruark in The Shangai Chest, The Golden Eye and The Sky Dragon.

He also played the bartender in Dead Men Tell and Foggy in Dark Alibi.

Ryan is also listed in www.imdb.com as contributing "additional dialogue" in Shangai Chest.

Tim Ryan was born in Bayonne, NJ, on July 5, 1899.

He died too young in Hollywood on October 22, 1956, of a heart attack.

(Courtesy of www.nndb.com)

We have a tie to The Beverly Hillbillies since Tim Ryan was married to Irene Ryan (who played Granny in the series) from 1922 to 1942 when they were divorced.

Tim Ryan, a valuable asset in Roland Winters' Charlie Chan movies!

Links!

2005-11-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

The Charlie Chan Annex is pleased to announce a new addition to this blog.

It's a "Links" Section down at the bottom of this page, between "Previous Posts" and "Archives."

We have enjoyed them for sometime and hope you will too!

2005-11-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

The Golden Eye is this week's Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

The cast is a mixed bag because the actors are great but several of them had their scenes deleted from the final cut!

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Plus . . . we have Sam Flint as Dr. Goves and George Spaulding as Dr. Gove (replaced by Sam Flint) and no "s" about it?!

Roland Winters: Charlie Chan

Wanda McKay: Evelyn Manning

Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown

Victor Sen Yung: Tommy Chan

Bruce Kellogg: Talbot Barlett

Tim Ryan: Lieutenant Mike Ruark

Evelyn Brent: Sister Teresa, Nurse

Ralph Dunn: Driscoll

Lois Austin: Mrs. Margaret Driscoll

Forrest Taylor: Manning

Lee 'Lasses' White: Pete

Herman Cantor: (scenes deleted)

Richard Loo: (scenes deleted)

Sam McDaniel: (Undetermined Role) (scenes deleted)

Tom Tyler: (scenes deleted)

Barbara Jean Wong: (scenes deleted)

Edmund Cobb: Miner

Geraldine Cobb: Girl in Riding Clothes

Babs Cox: Bathing Girl

Sam Flint: Dr. Goves

Lee Tong Foo: Wong Fai

Michael Gaddis: Purser

Jack Gargan: Voice from the Darkness

Mary Ann Hawkins: Bathing Girl

John Merton: Miner

George Spaulding: Dr. Grove (replaced by Sam Flint)

Bill Walker: (Undetermined Role)

2005-11-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at the Race Track!*

That has to be one of the most evocative titles in the Chan Canon, what with the glamour, excitement and action of real horse-racing of the Melbourne Cup thrown it!

And for those times you just can't get enough of such things, you might check out the following:

A DAY AT THE RACES . . . What more do I need to say but The Marx Brothers! They try to come to the aid of love birds Allan Jones (who buys a horse he can't afford) and Maureen O'Sullivan (who needs the money Jones spent on the horse to save her business). This is a great entry of the Marx's movies but the best part for me is watching veterinarian Groucho trying to pass as an internist, especially in the scenes with his usually excellent foil, Margaret Dumont.

THE EX-MRS. BRADFORD . . . What do you call a Thin Man movie with William Powell when it isn't a Thin Man movie? There were actually several detective films that Powell did other than the Thin Man series and this is one of them. He was his usual dapper, suave self while finding out how a jockey died in the middle of a race track. And if you can do that, you're dang good!!

A weak link--for me, at least--is Jean Arthur. She and Powell play a couple who divorced because she kept trying to involve him in research for the mystery stories wrote. Her character is so irritating that you can understand why they were divorced. If you can get past the premise that they should have STAYED that way, you can enjoy watching the rest of the movie!

THE GARDEN MURDER CASE . . . This is a Philo Vance movie with Edmund Lowe as S.S. Van Dine's hero. This is only a nominal entry for the horsey set since it starts at a race track and quickly goes to Edgar Hammle's deluxe New York apartment. Gene Lockhart does an excellent job as Hammle, giving everybody around him good reason to do him in. Edmund Lowe does a good job as Vance in an great movie but you may end up with the feeling that they gave him the role because William Powell either wouldn't or couldn't take one more film as Philo.

SARATOGA . . . This is a good behind-the-scenes movie about horse races but has an unfortunate footnote to Hollywood history. Jean Harlow died when the movie was about 90% finished at the tragically young age of 26. She has never really given credit for being such a good comediene plus Harlow was surrounded by the likes of Clark Gable, Lionel Barrymore, Walter Pidgeon, etc., in this movie. It's said that many people watch this movie just to see if they can pick out which scenes have Jean Harlow and which ones have her double, Mary Dees.

Believe me, you don't pay somebody as much as they paid Jean Harlow and then NOT show her face so it's easy to tell which ones were done after her death.

SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN . . . This is William Powell at his best as Nick Charles with Myrna Loy as Nora Charles. The Charles inadvertently become involved in the murder of a jockey when they go to the race track.

Hmmm . . . sounds kind of familiar doesn't it?!

The Thin Man series are simply a must have in any film buff's collection!

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Now go to www.trilloandsuede.com/movielingk.html

. . . or else!

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*Our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info at 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EST) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

Meeting Charlie Chan in the Flesh!

2005-11-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to meet Charlie Chan's real life counterpart last August and decided to post the encounter again over at our sister blog at http://theoldmoviemaven.blogspot.com.

I hope you'll take the time to read it!

(Courtesy of Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info.)

2005-11-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at the Race Track* has a few tidbits for us.

First is that the director, H. Bruce Humberstone is the gambler who gets Charlie and Lee kidnapped.

Plus we have two dictionary entries from Race Track:

The slang "dick" for a detective.

Hunky-dory is another slang word for everything being fine and/or going well.

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*Our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

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A good thing anytime is

www.trilloandsuede.com/movielink.html.

Santa Anita Park, Part 2

2005-11-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Santa Anita Park is the site of the "Santa Juanita Race Track" at the end of Charlie Chan at the Race Track, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 P.M. [EST], we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30).

I thought you might want to know that the record for total among bet in a single day at the park was $36,264,799 on November 6, 1993.

The Santa Anita Foundation has give $27, 200,000 to assorted charitable and benevolent organizations since opening day.

There have been some 120,000,00 people who have been to Santa Anita Park over the last 70+ years.

(Diagram of the 1 1/4 mile track at Santa Anita Park)

Bettors at the park have wagered a total of $43,595,744,634, or almost 43.6 BILLION dollars.

Does anyone have smelling salts because this may be more than I can handle!?!

Santa Anita Park, Part 1

2005-11-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at the Race Track is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EST), we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

The movie winds up at the "Santa Juanita Race Track" that is actually Santa Anita Park.

We go to www.race-track.info/santa-anita-park.html for more information:

Santa Anita Park is a California horse racing landmark located in Arcadia, in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Santa Anita race track opens annually on December 26, with daily racing continuing through late April. The track has a fall meeting that is presented by the Oak Tree Racing Association and this takes place each year from early October thru early November.

Santa Anita Park occupies approximately 320 acres. Its landmark, a 1,100-foot-long Grandstand seats 26,000 guests. The giant Infield area accomodates many thousands more. Behind the scenes are 61 barns, capable of housing more than 2,000 horses and a complete equine hospital.

The track opened its doors for the first time on December 25, 1934. Opening day attendance was placed at 30,777. The inaugural running of the famed Santa Anita Handicap took place on February 23, 1935. It was the nation's first $100,000 race, a staggering purse for a horse race, and that put Santa Anita on the horse racing map. The track was home to the legendary horse Seabiscuit, the winner of the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap.

Racing halted in 1942 during World War II but resumed in 1945. In 1984 the track was the site of the area equestrian events of the Summer Olympics and more than 200,000 people attended the events. On March 3, 1985, the all-time single-day attendance record was achieved when 85,527 people attended the Santa Anita Handicap.

2005-11-01T07:18:00.000-08:00

Charlie Chan at the Race Track is our next Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EST) and we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

It has one of the longest cast of characters in the Chan Canon. Many of them were veteran charater actors, many of whom were in multiple Chans like Gloria Roy and Al Kikume:

Warner Oland: Charlie Chan

Keye Luke: Lee Chan

Helen Wood: Alice Fenton

Thomas Beck: Bruce Rogers

Alan Dinehart: George Chester

Gavin Muir: Bagley

Gloria Roy: Catherine Chester

Jonathan Hale: Warren Fenton

G.P. Huntley (as J.P. Huntley,Jr.): Denny Barton

George Irving: Major Gordon Kent

Frank Coghlan, Jr.: Eddie Brill, Jockey

Frankie Darro: "Tip" Collins, Jockey

John Rogers: Mooney, Ship Cabin Steward

John Henry Allen: "Streamline" Jones

Harry Jans: Al Meers

Sidney Bracey: Ship's Steward

James Eagles: Chick Patten

Robert Ellsworth: Cop

Eddie Fetherston: Reporter

Sammy Finn: Gangster

Neil Fitzgerald: (Undetermined Role)

Paul Fix: Lefty

James Flaven: Detective at Headquarters

Scam Flint: Ship's Captain

Jack Green: Pinkerton Man

Ray Hanson: Third Officer

Eddie Hart: Detective

Sam Hayes: Radio Announcer

Holmes Herbert: Chief Steward, Melbourne Cup

Lew Hicks: Cop

Robert Homans: Judge

Boothe Howard: Ship's Doctor

H. Bruce Huberstone: Gambler

Selmer Jackson: J.L. Lansing, Racing Secretary

Jerry Jerome: Chuck

Colin Kenny: Judge

Al Kikume: Plainclothes Policeman in White Suit

Wilbur Mack: Bookie

George Magrill: Detective

Clyde McAtee: Pinkerton Man

Tome McGuuire: Track Official

Ivan Miller: Wade

Lucille Miller: Secretary

Burce Mitchell: Gateman

Jack Mulhall: Second Purser

William Oakley: Seaman

Pat O'Malley: Track Official

Cyril Ring: Race Track Extra

Leslie Sketchley: Seaman

Larry Steers: Railbird

Harry Strang: Detective

Bobby Tanzel: Gilroy

Forrest Taylor: Man Who Says 'I'll phone Al'

David Thursby: Steward

Harland Tucker: Joe, Gangster

Max Wagner: Joe

Robert Warwick: Police Chief

Billy Wayne: Smithers

Charles Williams: Reporter

Norman Willis: Gangster

David Worth: Detective

Happy Hallowen

2005-10-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

Have a

Spooktacular

Halloween

with no tricks

and lots of treats!

2005-10-30T10:05:00.000-08:00

Charlie and Jimmy Chan . . . leg men?

They are if you check out these pictures from Dead Men Tell, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [EDT], we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30).

2005-10-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

November's Calendar has four more movies to remember on Thanksgiving this year!

We'll be celebrating every Monday night at our Chat Room at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and we start our movies at 8:30.

November 7 - Charlie Chan at the Race Track

November 14 - The Golden Eye

November 21 - The Black Camel

November 28 - Charlie Chan in Shanghai

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Rush Glick's calendar is available anytime at www.charliechan.info.

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I'm also going to be grateful for a good friend, Jonathan Geffner,

all his loved ones this year on November 24th. You can check Jonathan's movie short at

www.trilloandsuede.com/movielink.html.

You'll be grateful, too!

2005-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

You never know what will turn up when you do a google search with a word like "Buccaneer"!

Buccaneer:

Initially hunter's of cattle and pigs on the Island of what is now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Buccaneers got their name from the meaning of the French work "Boucan" (which means barbecue), as they were frequently seen barbecuing their meat on grills (they learned this form of cooking from the Arawakk Indians).

The buccaneers were driven out by the Spanish, and the persecuted hunters banded with groups of runaway slaves, deserters, and other's who hated the Spanish and sought vengeance on their vessels. The word buccaneer soon became common, and by the 17th century was used to describe pirates and privateers who had bases in the West indies.

Corsairs:

The term refers to pirates or privateers who operated in the Mediterranean. The most recognized corsairs were from the Barbary Coast of North Africa. (European crusaders named their Muslim enemies "Barbary Corsairs")

These corsairs were authorized by their governments to prey upon the shipping lanes of Christian countries. The Maltese Corsairs led the fight against the Turks, being led by the Knights of St. John. The Maltese Corsairs initially fought for religion, but after a while the rewards of piracy grew to greater appeal. Soon the Maltese Corsairs were full-fleged pirates with no interest in religious ideals.

Privateer:

A privateer was a pirate who by commission or letter of marque from the government was authorized to size or destroy, a merchant vessel of another nation. The privateer was used as a cheap means of weakening the enemy by frequenting shipping routes (avoiding the costs related to the maintenance and creation of navy.

In theory no Privateer with a letter of marque could be charged with piracy, since it was recognized by international law. However, it was not uncommon for privateers to be changed and prosecuted for piracy by hostile nations. All occurrences of vessels captured by privateers had to be brought before an Admiralty Courts where they were tried to ensure that their plunder was legal game.

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If you enjoy "The Maltese Falcon" then you'll love

www.trilloandsuede.com/movielink.html.

2005-10-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

We have a few bloopers in Dead Men Tell, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [EDT], we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30):

Early in the film, there is a scene with he captain sitting at a desk in an office smoking a pipe. His pipe keeps changing positions depending on the camera angle, an whether he is going shown up close or through the window. (Courtesy of John Cucinotta)

. . . [R]emember when the guy says it was a flying fish . . . . . . . . . well, as far as I knew I have never seen a flying fish in port, only way out at sea. . . . (Courtesy of Evan, formerly of the United States Navy)

The parrot's vocalizations don't match its mouth movements.

2005-10-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

Dead Men Tell is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT), we start our tapes/DVDs at 8:30.

The cast is loaded with old friends, starting with none other than Superman, himself, George Reeves as Bill Lydig on to Lee Tung Foo as the ship's cook/waiter and Tim Ryan in a bit part as the bartender!

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Sheila Ryan: Kate Ransome

Victor Sen Yung: Jimmy Chan

Donald Douglas (as Don Douglas): Jed Thomasson

Kay Aldridge (as Katharine Aldridge): Laura Thursby

Paul McGrath: Charles Thursby, aks Mr. Parks

George Reeves: Bill Lydig

Truman Bradley: Captain Kane of the Suva Star

Etthel Geffries: Patience Nodbur

Lenita Lane: Dr. Anne Bonney

Milton Parsons: Gene La Farge

Stanely Andrews: Inspector Vessey

Ralph Dunn: Policeman with checklist

Lee Tung Foo: Ship's Cook/waiter

Oscar "Dutch" Hendrian: Saloon Dance Extra

Tim Ryan: Bartender

2005-10-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Dead Men Tell is our Halloween movie in our chat room on October 31st at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and starting our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

So I did a google search for "pirate maps" and "treasure maps" and these are just a few!

2005-10-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Charlie Chan's Secret is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info.

Start time is 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and we begin our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

I have posted this movie plus several other Chans and three other series' entries at my sister blog at

The Old Movie Maven http://theoldmoviemaven.blogspot.com.

You even get to see her Aunt Battie today!

So go on over, say "hi" for me and have fun!

Oh! And see you tonight at Rush's Chat Room!

2005-10-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Charlie Chan's Secret* has the character that I have taken as my sometimes "nom de Chan"~~Henrietta Crosman.

She was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on September 2, 1861; and she died in Pelham Manor, New York, on October 31, 1944.

October 31st is ironic since CC's Secret is my favorite movie, especially at Halloween!

Crosman was also the grandniece of song-writer, Stephen Foster.

(As Rosalind in As You Like it)

To quote http://www.bobjanuary.com/foster/sf_17.htm:

. . . Miss Crosman has generally been recognized as a very great actress and records state that As You Like It was perhaps the only Shakespearean Production to gain attention at the time whe was playing it. Miss Crosman has related the following story of Stephen Foster, who often wrote songs which he did not consider good enoght to publish: " 'Uncle Stephen' my mother once asked him, 'why do you take the trouble to write out those ugly things that you tear up almost as soon as you have them on paper?' 'Because' he replied, 'it is the only way I can get them out of my head and make room for something better'."

Henrietta Crossman worked as former leading stage actress and in films for twenty years from 1914. (www.imdb.com)

One photograph has survived that REALLY shakes your image of her as a little old lady (but is too large to post here) can be found at http://theatre.msu.edu/images/ta/Crossman_henrietta-002.jpg.

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*CC's Secret is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

2005-10-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

I can't resist posting this series of stills from Charlie Chan's Secret, our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info (8:00 PM to 10:00 PM [EDT], we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30 PM).

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CHARLIE CHAN, CHEMIST

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(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info.)

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.net.)

2005-10-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

Charlie Chan's Secrets to watch for as we watch Monday Night's Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

Charlie is off the coast of Oahu when he's on the boat looking for Allan Colby at the beginning of the movie.

Charlie flies by the Oakland-Bay Bridge as he goes to San Francisco by clipper.

The scenes outside the windows behind Mrs. Lowell in her home was blank.

Charlie and Fred Gage, Mrs. Lowell's son-in-law, leave the lights on in Colby House when they leave after the seance.

Charlie mentions "atrocious libel on Chaines art"--we don't know whether he's talking about it as art or about what's going to happen to it!

Baxter, the butler, raises the flowers rather high before putting them in the vase just before it's shot like he knew the bullet was coming.

2005-10-20T10:25:00.000-07:00

Charlie Chan's Secret is my favorite Chan film, even with all the bloopers and "howcums"!

It's our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT) and we start our tapes/DVD's at 8:30.

(Courtesy of http://members.aol.com/meow103476/chan/ccsecret.JPG)

Now on to our assorted mix-ups!

How did the killer[s] know when and how Allen Colby would be coming home so as to plot to kill Colby before he reached San Francisco?

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

. . . [A]t the beginning of Charlie Chan's Secret, there are two divers underwater, but only one is brought up, or did I must miss the other one? (Courtesy of RANDLESEKTA)

When the diver brings up Allan Colby's briefcase, it's wet. It's dry in the close-up, as are the papers that Charlie looks over in the boat's cabin. The papers don't look like they've ever even BEEN wet!

(Courtesy of http://newdeal.feri.org/images/g4a.gif)

The bridge being built in the scene where Charlie is headed for San Francisco by clipper is most likely the Oakland Bay Bridge. (Courtesy of Rush Glick)

How come Alan Colby didn't see the panel in the wall open so the murderer could toss the knife and kill him? And how easily could the killer toss the knife through that size of hole in the wall?

When Dick Williams meets Alice Lowell at Colby house, they end up in the seance room where he changes how he rests his arms on the back of a chair, depending on the camera shot used.

When is the short-wave radio set up at Colby House, not to mention the ultraviolet light? How could anyone know that they/he would be needing the light and in that position in that place?

How did Professor Bowen flick the hidden switch to turn on the "ghost music" sent from their apartment for the seance?

How did Allan Colby's body get in the hidden passage-way door during the first seance, how does he stay that way and conveniently fall down the stairs at the right time?

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Does Charlie bring a chemical analysis bag on each case? If he doesn't, then how does he know which ones to bring it on? (Courtesy of Becky Truesdale)

When Charlie comes back to Lowell House after discovering the rifle in the church bell tower, he moves the vase to the table for it to act as a target for the r rifle. Why was there water in it?

Watch the vase after Baxter puts the flowers in it. Freeze the frame when the bullet hits the vase. (Courtesy of Rush Glick)

Watch Baxter when the vase is hit. He is sprayed with water as he turns and jumps into the Inspector's arm. When the camera angle shifts, Baxter is completely dry.

Why wasn't Professor Bowen at least charged with accessory after the fact, if not conspiracy for murder? (Courtesy of Rush Glick)

2005-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Chan Fans, rejoice!

Fellow Chan Fan Jonathan Geffner has news for us about his short movie, Boxford Park, featuring Trillo and Suede.

(Sam Suede and Van Trillo)

To quote Jonathan himself:

Our short film, Oxford Park, is now streaming online at the Con-Can Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of 30 selected from more than 300 entrants to the festival. Visitors to their web site can watch and judge (rank) any or all of the selected short films, including Oxford Park, between now and January, 2006. The film with the highest overall ranking will win a Big Prize.

Here is the link to the Con-Can web site. Click on "Sign up for viewing (free)", then visit the Screening Room and enjoy the films:

http://www.con-can.com/festival/index.html

Oxford Park will also be screening at these upcoming festivals:

Bethel Film Festival in Bethel, CT, on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 7:15 pm, and again on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2:00 pm.

Big Apple Film Festival on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 pm, held at Anthology Film Archives, 332 2nd Ave., NYC.

NYIIFVF Film Festival on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 4:00 at Village Cinema, 2nd Ave. & 12th St., NYC.

Northampton Film Festival, MA, Nov. 9-13. Details to follow.

Oxford Park ahs recently screened at the Bluegrass Film Festival, Louisville, KY, the Twisted Spine Micro Film Festival, Cleveland, OH, and the Golden Lion Film Festival, Swaziland, Africa.

If you have not yet seen Oxford Park, there is the link to the "free" download page on our website:

http://trilloandsuede.com/html/movielink.html

You can also down download on this page our mini-documentary, Two Days in January - the Making of Oxford Park. And click on the Projects page to download our New York Promo video for the Trillo & Suede film and tv project, as well as an outtakes video. All downloads are *free* on our website. If you want the full high-res experience, though, You can bu our dvd at our online store:

http://www.farnfilm.com/acatalog/Movies_and_Music.html

As soon as we can raise sufficient funding, we are planning to shoot "Trillogy" - a three film Trillo & Suede saga set in varied locations. If you like our short - Oxford Park - and might be interested in investing in our feature films - please contact me to discuss it.

(Courtesy of http://triloandsuede.com/Geffnerhome.jpg">

Please forward this email to all your friends. We are trying to spread the word about this project - and our fund-raising campaign - to as many people as possible through "word-of-mouse."

Best Wishes,

Jonathan

Geffner Productions Inc.

mail to: mail@geffner.com

http://trilloandsuede.com/

Can a dummy find justice in a human world?

(Here's our very own Jonathan surrounded by his staff

of hard-working dummies. Aunt Sarh is in the

upper right-hand cornere and Sam is just

below her. Courtesy of http://geffner.com)

Miss Maven guarantees that you'll never

see dummies in the same way ever again!

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Now let's go support Boxford Park and best

of luck to Jonathan, Sam, and Aunt Sarah!

CC's Secret, Part 2

2005-10-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

(Courtesy of www.charliechan.info)

Charlie Chan's Secret* has such an interesting cast that I'm highlighting it again today.

For instance, Herbert Mundin, who played Baxter the Lowell butler, died just three years later in a road accident.

Arthur Edmund Carewe had a distinguished movie career that included Lon Chaney, Sr.'s The Phantom of the Opera; 1927's The Cat and the Canary; and a prominent part in The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).

Carew suffered a stroke after Secret that was debilitating enough that he killed himself.
Jonathan Hale shot himself at the age of 74 over personal problems.
On a not much brighter note is Edward Trevor who played Janice Lowell Gage's husband, Fred. He's listed in www.imdb.com as having been in only two movies besides Charlie Chan's Secret: Way Down East (1935) and The Fighting Judge (1938). No other information on him . . . just the three movies listed.
Francis Ford played the boat captain in Secret. He was the older brother of well-known director, John Ford.
Francis Ford produced, directed AND acted in movies until 1929 when he began acting exclusively.
He also wrote some 23 movies between 1914 and 1928. One that he also acted in was The Chinatown Mystery.
(Neat title, don't you think!)
William Bailey, who played Detective Harris, also played in The House Without a Key with George Kuwa as Charlie Chan in 1927!
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*CC's Secret is our Monday Night Chat Room Movie at www.charliechan.info, 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (EDT), we start our movies/DVD's at 8:30.