Monday Night - Happy Birthday Warner Oland: "CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON"
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Every front has back.”
This Monday we begin the month of October with a celebration of the birth of Warner Oland, born on October 3, 1879. In honor of the occasion, we will be viewing the first of the “non-Biggers” Chan adventures, “Charlie Chan in London,” featuring a mystery that the honorable detective must solve before an innocent man is hanged!
Also, as our weekly “extra,” we will be sharing another of the cartoons from the 16-episode cartoon series from 1972 which featured KEYE LUKE as the voice of Charlie Chan, “The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan.” The episode we will be sharing will be the third one, “The Phantom Sea Thief,” which can be found online at: http://watchcartoonsonline.eu/watch/the-amazing-chan-and-the-chan-clan-episode-4-the-phantom-sea-thief/
OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Charlie Chan in London” (1934; 79 minutes) …AND “The Phantom Sea Thief” (1972; 20 minutes).
FILM SUMMARY: When a young Englishman, Paul Gray, is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, his sister, convinced of his innocence, asks Charlie Chan, who is visiting London, to investigate and find the real murderer. To that end, Chan visits a large country manor house in England where the killing occurred. There are a number of suspects among the large group of fox hunters who are staying at the manor, and it soon becomes clear that the killer is still actively trying to avoid capture. Charlie Chan must work fast to discover the real murderer's identity and save Paul Gray from the gallows.
FILM NOTES: This was the first film in the Charlie Chan series that was not based on a particular novel by Chan's creator, Earl Derr Biggers. The ‘New York Times’ commented that this film, written by Philip MacDonald, a noted detective novelist himself, "maintains the Chan tradition."
TIME: We begin with arrivals and greetings at 7:30 EASTERN TIME. Then, we share our special short “extra” which will be followed at exactly 8:15 when we roll our feature for this Monday evening, “Charlie Chan in London.”
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. GOOD NEWS! Our feature, “Charlie Chan in London,” is presently available online at YouTube at this address:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEgbh7i4seI
And, for our Chan cartoon: http://watchcartoonsonline.eu/watch/the-amazing-chan-and-the-chan-clan-episode-4-the-phantom-sea-thief/
OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our September 2017 Poll, located at our Entrance Page (www.charliechan.info)!
SO, let’s gather to celebrate the birthday of Warner Oland, who brought Charlie Chan to life on the big screen!
Re: Monday Night - Happy Birthday Warner Oland: "CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON"
Rush, they chose wisely when they picked mystery author Philip MacDonald to write the script for C.C. in London. He was twice recognized by the Mystery Writers of America ('53 & '56) who awarded him the Edgar Alan Poe Award. His novel "Murder Gone Mad" is considered one of the classic of the Golden Age of Mystery (he wrote it as W.J.Stuart), and John Dickson Carr selected it as one of the "10 Greatest Detective Novels."
However, we're all probably familiar with one of his most recognized novels, and the movie that followed, "Forbidden Planet" (1956) featuring Robbie the Robot!
