This Week's Presentation: "Charlie Chan in the Secret Service"
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Trouble with modern children, they do not smart in right place.”
THIS WEEK: We begin the Monogram Pictures era of the Charlie Chan film series with “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.” In this adventure, we find Charlie Chan performing his wartime duty working for the United States Secret Service. We are also introduced to two Chan siblings: Number Two Daughter, Iris Chan, played by Marianne Quon, and Number Three son, Tommy Chan, brought to us by Benson Fong. This film also matks the introduction of Birmingham Brown, of course, portrayed by Mantan Moreland!
This adventure brings the detective to a murder scene, the Washington, D.C. home of eccentric scientist, George Melton, who has died mysteriously.
OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service” (1944; 65 minutes) …AND “The Landini Murder Case,” Episode 39, our conclusion (Radio Drama: 1936; 15 minutes).
FILM SUMMARY: A scientist, George Melton, is working on an important new invention which will protect Allied shipping from German U-boat attacks. Although he has been assigned Secret Service security protection he is murdered in his Washington, D.C. home. Charlie Chan, now working for the Secret Service in Washington, is assigned to the case. Chan is soon joined by two of his children, Number Three Son, Tommy, second daughter, Iris, as well as Birmingham Brown, the chauffeur of one of the guests. When the autopsy reveals the Melton was electrocuted, Chan must determine who among the numerous suspects is the guilty party.
FILM NOTES: This was the first Charlie Chan film that Sidney Toler made at Monogram Pictures after leaving Twentieth Century-Fox following the cancellation of the Charlie Chan film series at that studio. Toler, who had starred as Chan in many of the Fox films, bought the screen rights to the character from the widow of writer Earl Derr Biggers and continued to star as Chan for Monogram until his death in 1947, after which time Roland Winters assumed the role. This film also marked the beginning of Charlie Chan's work with the U.S. Secret Service for the remainder of the war. Mantan Moreland also made his debut as Birmingham Brown, a character who would become a mainstay of the series for the remainder of its run. Benson Fong appeared for the first time as Number Three Son Tommy, while his sister Iris, portrayed by Marianne Quon, made her sole series appearance in “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.”
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 the Secret Service.”
MY HUMBLE ADMISSION: I hold a special fondness, not shared by many, I admit, for “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service”!
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, and, I am pleased to announce that our feature IS available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUad-bMfSN4&start_radio=1&list=RDXUad-bMfSN4
And, for our Charlie Chan radio drama, you may use this link: https://www.oldtimeradiodownloads.com/crime/charlie-chan/charlie-chan-39-landini-final
OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our soon-to-conclude July 2018 Poll, located at our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!
NEXT WEEK: Join us on July 30 as we share a viewing of “The Chinese Cat.” We also begin our next Charlie Chan radio mystery, “The Baffling Murder of Colonel Willoughby” as an “extra” prior to the viewing of our film!
SO, PLEASE JOIN US for our Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing as we share “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.”
Re: This Week's Presentation: "Charlie Chan in the Secret Service"
I love charlie chan's character a lot. Even there are lots of paintings of charlie chan in my house that I bought from the exhibitions. I am arranging one party and going to use the designer cards having his photo. I have selected that design from https://masterbundles.com/stock-content/vector/country/ and now sending it for printing. I want to make this party special Is there anyone who can suggest me something to make it successful?
