Our Monday Evening Chat/Film Viewing: "Docks of New Orleans"
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Patience - must harvest rice before can boil it.”
This week, we return to our regular route as we continue along together on our CHARLIE CHAN FILM TOUR 2016. For the past two weeks, we have had or annual Halloween party, and have bet, along with Charlie Chan on the Melbourne Cup horse race! This week, we follow Charlie Chan to New Orleans, as we watch Docks of New Orleans, starring Roland Winters. In this adventure, Charlie Chan, with number Two Son Tommy (formerly called Jimmy), and assistant Birmingham Brown, seeks to determine the identity of a killer who uses stealth to eliminate his victims!
As is now our established custom, as we begin arriving at our Chat Room at 7:30 Eastern Time, we begin our evening by sharing, before our featured presentation, an extra, which, this week, will be another “Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan” cartoon!
OUR PRESENTATIONS:
1. “The Great Illusion Caper” (1972; Runtime: 22:00) – found at: http://www.toon.is/the-amazing-chan-and-the-chan-clan-10-the-great-illusion-caper-video_c7cc20a49.html
2. “Docks of New Orleans” (1948; Runtime: 64 minutes) – found at: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ebuhu_charlie-chan-in-docks-of-new-orleans-1948-mystery-film-roland-winters_shortfilms
FILM SUMMARY:
Simon Lafontanne, head of a chemical company, goes to consult Charlie Chan who is staying in
New Orleans along with his number two son, Tommy, and his chauffeur and assistant, Birmingham Brown. Lafontanne suspects that he has an enemy who is having him followed everywhere he goes. Chan agrees to investigate further just before Lafontanne is nearly kidnapped in front of the detective's resodence. The next morning, a pair of Lafontanne's business partners pressure him to sign a clause that has been added to their business agreement whereby, in the event of the death of any of the principals, his share of the profits will go to the remaining partners. A short time later, Lafontanne is found dead in his office, apparently of a heart attack, but Charlie Chan believes otherwise.
NOTES: The film's title card reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘Docks of New Orleans.’" Despite the title, the docks are seem only briefly during the credit titles, and, during the opening scene of the film, they are suggested as the ship ‘Presidente’ is being loaded through a cargo door with chemicals from the Lafontanne Chemical Company. Although not acknowledged in the onscreen credits, the film's story was derived from Monogram's 1938 picture, Mr. Wong, Detective. The working title for this movie was “Charlie Chan in New Orleans.”
TIME: We begin with arrivals and greetings at 7:30 EASTERN TIME. Then, we share our “extra” which will be followed at exactly 8:15 when we roll our featured movie: “Docks of New Orleans.”
LOCATION: Our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room, which is accessed at http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html.
IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found available online. Happily, our feature IS presently available online at: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ebuhu_charlie-chan-in-docks-of-new-orleans-1948-mystery-film-roland-winters_shortfilms
PLEASE have happy day, and let’s get together for another Monday evening celebration of American detective icon, Charlie Chan!
