FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Truth is only path out of tangled web.”

THIS WEEK, Charlie Chan, in Paris celebrating the 20th anniversary of the end of the First World War (then referred to as “The Great War”) with fellow members of the Intelligence Service, finds himself caught up in the maelstrom of escalating world events as nations move toward possible war! In the midst of the confusion within a darkened “City of Light,” murder takes center stage…

Preceding our Charlie Chan feature, our weekly “extra,” will be another chapter, episode 30) 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.

OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Charlie Chan in City in Darkness” (1939; 69 minutes) …AND “The Landini Murder Case,” Episode 30 (Radio Drama: 1936; 15 minutes).

FILM SUMMARY: Charlie Chan is in Paris attending the twentieth anniversary gathering of members of the Intelligence Service, who have come together in that city to mark the occasion. There, as the City of Light is darkened by the gathering clouds of impending war, he investigates the murder of a munitions manufacturer who was supplying arms to the enemy.

FILM NOTES: “Charlie Chan in City in Darkness” begins with newsreel-like footage featuring actual European leaders of the moment, including Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Edward Benes (then president of Czechoslovakia), and Neville Chamberlain (then prime Minister of Great Britain, who became famous for his "Peace for Our Time" statement based on the dubious outcome of the Munich Conference which figures at the end of the film via Charlie Chan’s ominous warning).
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 City in darkness.”
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=k-MiQZdu_sI
And, for our Charlie Chan radio drama, you may use this link: https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/crime/charlie-chan/charlie-chan-30-landini

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: At the airport, Marcel Spivak and Charlie Chan react to a tragic moment.



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! “The Charlie Chan Films” Here is the link at amazon.com to order James Neibaur’s new Charlie Chan book, “The Charlie Chan Films”:
https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Chan-Films-James-Neibaur/dp/162933314X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1523727689&sr=1-2&keywords=charlie+chan+film

This is the link to the softcover version. It is also available in hardcover for an additional $10.

I have just begun looking through and reading my copy, and I HIGHLY recommend getting a copy! Though there may be an occasional slight error or so along the way, these are almost to be expected in a fact-filled volume such as this, and will not detract from your enjoyment (that’s what second editions are for!). New information and insights abound, including tidbits gleaned from the author’s 1971 interview(s) with Mantan Moreland! Please, do yourself a favor, and GET THIS BOOK!

NEXT WEEK: Join us on May 28 for “Charlie Chan in Panama,” as enemy agents seek to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet!

SO, PLEASE JOIN US this week as we enjoy the adventure and intrigue that fill “Charlie Chan in City in Darkness.”

Sincerely,
Rush Glick