FROM “CHARLIE CHAN”: “To recognize one's faults requires intelligence; to admit them requires courage.” (Courtesy of Kentaro Moto)
This week as we continue along on our Charlie Chan Film Tour 2017, we have reached the ending of an era of the Charlie Chan series. “Mr. Moto’s Gamble” began production as “Charlie Chan at the Ringside.” During the early stages of filming, things were not right with Warner Oland, who finally left the set never to return. Suffering from a probable nervous breakdown, the actor fairly soon recovered, going on a European tour which would conclude with a visit to his native Sweden. The plan was that the actor would rejoin Keye Luke and begin filming “Charlie Chan in Honolulu,” as “Ringside” had been salvaged and retooled into “Mr. Moto’s Gamble.” Sadly, however, this was not to be as Oland contracted bronchial pneumonia while in the country of his birth, Sweden, passing away on August 6, 1938.
As mentioned, “Mr. Moto’s Gamble” was created by the salvaging of all usable scenes from “Charlie Chan at the Ringside” and the adapting of the script to accommodate the change in main character.
As we watch this picture, it is interesting to hear Mr. Moto uttering aphorisms that were clearly intended for Charlie Chan! One further sadness is the almost certain fact that all “Ringside” footage of Warner Oland is lost to us. Would it not have been a valued experience to see Mr. Oland as Charlie Chan one last time?
As is our custom, we begin arriving at 7:30 Eastern Time, we will be sharing, before our featured presentation, an “extra” in the form of a vintage Charlie Chan continuing radio drama! Following our “extra,” we will
collectively run our feature at 8:15!
OUR PRESENTATIONS:
1. “The Landini Murder Case” (part 26) radio program (1936; Runtime: 14:36)
2. “Mr. Moto’s Gamble” (1938; Runtime: 72 minutes)
FEATURE SUMMARY: Bad blood exists between Bill Steele and Frankie Stanton, the leading contenders for the heavyweight title, and a grudge match is scheduled. Steele's knockout victory is tainted by his opponent's untimely death, ostensibly from a concussion caused by hitting the canvas. A post-mortem reveals that poison was somehow introduced into a cut above Stanton's eye although it is unclear how and why. Gambling might seem to be the motive as several of the principle suspects, gamblers Clipper McCoy and Nick Crowder, Stanton's shady manager Jerry Connors, and fight promoter Philip Benton, all seemed to have made wagers on the fight. Benton's spoiled daughter and female reporter Penny Kendall are vying for the affections of Steele, who is now slated to fight for the championship against pugnacious Biff Moran. Lt. Riggs of New York Homicide and Moto, who were spectators at the fight, go on the trail of the murderer following the autopsy results. Moto's prime suspect is a shadowy character named John Howard, who collected on huge bets in four different Midwestrern cities after the Stanton fight. Discovering his real identity will be a key to Moto's TKO of the killer. (Synopsis by: Gabe Tavenery
FILM NOTE: Warner Oland began production on “Charlie Chan at the Ringside” in January of 1938, but the production was halted when the actor walked off the set on the 17th of that month. According to news items, there was a dispute between Oland and the studio.
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 (EDT) when we share our featured presentation “Mr. Moto’s Gamble.”
LOCATION: Our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room, which is accessed at http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html.
IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FEATURE: Often our features can be found available online. GOOD NEWS! Our feature for this week, “Mr. Moto’s Gamble,” is available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0QdJggaGTs Also, our “extra” can be found at: https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/crime/charlie-chan/charlie-chan-26-landini
NEXT WEEK: “Charlie Chan in Honolulu” with Sidney Toler and Victor Sen Yung.
PLEASE accept this invitation share part of your Monday evening as we enjoy “Mr. Moto’s Gamble”!
