FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Charming company turn lowly sandwich into rich banquet.”
THIS WEEK, Charlie Chan travels to Reno, Nevada. His mission is to clear the estranged wife of a friend who has been accused of murder. Although all signs point to her guilt, Charlie Chan believes the facts will prove otherwise!
Preceding our Charlie Chan feature, our weekly “extra,” will be another chapter, episode 26) of the 1936 radio dramatization of “The Landini Murder Case,” an adaptation, of Earl Derr Biggers’ “Keeper of the Keys,” the only Biggers Chan Story never to have been made into a film, starring Walter Connolly.
FILM SUMMARY: Mary Whitman has gone to Reno seeking a divorce from her husband, Curtis. While there, she is arrested on suspicion of murdering a fellow guest at her hotel, an establishment that specializes in accommodating individuals who are awaiting finalized divorces. There are many others at the hotel who harbor strong feelings against the victim. At the request of Mary's estranged husband who is a friend of Charlie Chan, the detective travels from his home in Honolulu to solve the murder.
FILM NOTES: The working title of this picture was “Death Makes a Decree,” as it was based on the story of the same name by Philip Wylie. According to materials contained at the UCLA Theater Arts Library, Paul Perez wrote a version of the screenplay in December 1938, but his name does not appear in the final credits. In the Call Bureau Cast Service lists, Sheriff Fletcher's name was originally Foster. Mrs. Russell was named Alice Williamson, and Choy Wong was named Sung Li. According to reviews in Hollywood Reporter and ‘Motion Picture Herald,’ at the time that this picture was produced, this was the most expensive production in the Chan series.
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 Reno.”
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. Once again, good fortune beams her bright smile as our feature IS available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7w30Cv9v58
And, for our Charlie Chan radio drama, you may use this link: https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/crime/charlie-chan/charlie-chan-28-landini
OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our soon-to-conclude April 2018 Poll, located at our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!
NEW BOOK RELEASE! Here is the link at amazon.com to pre-order James Neibaur’s new Charlie Chan book:
This is the link to the softcover version. It is also available in hardcover for an additional $10.
NEXT WEEK: Join us on May 14 when we join Charlie Chan and Number Two Son, Jimmy in “Charlie Chan at Treasure Island,” the film considered by many to be the best entry in the Charlie Chan series!
SO, PLEASE JOIN US this week as we have fun viewing and sharing “Charlie Chan in Reno.”
