FROM CHARLIE CHAN: Like cotton wool, filial devotion softens weight of parental crown.”

AS WE MEET AGAIN, we find Charlie Chan meeting with his old friend, Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard. What begins as a lighthearted reunion suddenly turns into a murder investigation as Chan “carries on” for his fallen friend who was, himself, on the trail of a ruthless killer who stalked a round-the-world tour group. “Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise” is a “remake” of the “lost” “Charlie Chan Carries On.”

Preceding our Charlie Chan feature, our weekly “extra,” will be another chapter, episode 32) 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’s Murder Cruise” (1940; 67 minutes) …AND “The Landini Murder Case,” Episode 32 (Radio Drama: 1936; 15 minutes).

FILM SUMMARY: Charlie Chan, continuing for a murdered colleague, and assisted by Number Two Son, Jimmy, seeks to uncover the identity of a strangler who strikes multiple times on an around-the-world cruise ship bound from Honolulu to San Francisco.

FILM NOTES: “Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise” is a much looser adaptation of Earl Derr Biggers' novel, “Charlie Chan Carries On” (1930), than was Fox studios' original adaptation, also titled “Charlie Chan Carries On,” from 1931, which was closely scripted to reflect the original Biggers Chan mystery. The working titles of this film were variously “Charlie Chan's Cruise,” “Charlie Chan's Oriental Cruise,” and “Chan's Murder Cruise.” According to materials contained at the UCLA Produced Scripts Collection at the UCLA Theater Arts Library, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan wrote the first treatment for this film, which was followed by a treatment and screenplay written by John Larkin. Their contribution to the final film has not been determined.

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’s Murder Cruise.”

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 is with us as our feature IS available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af2De6_26RM

And, for our Charlie Chan radio drama, you may use this link: https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/crime/charlie-chan/charlie-chan-32-landini

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Charlie Chan shows the 30 silver dimes found in the murdered Mr. Kenyon's hand to the Royal Imperial Hotel house detective and the victim's nephew, Dick Kenyon.



OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our soon-to-conclude June 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.

In spite of a number of publisher-made typos, I recommend getting a copy! These errors 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, as these don't come along every day!

NEXT WEEK: Join us on June 11 as we pay a visit, with Charlie Chan, to Dr. Cream’s Museum of Crime in “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.”

SO, PLEASE JOIN US for our Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing as we share “Charlie Chan’s Murder Cruise.”

Sincerely,

Rush Glick