Our Veterans Day Monday Evening Chat/Film Viewing: "Docks of New Orleans"
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “It is fool in hurry who drink tea with fork.”
THIS WEEK: As we commemorate Veterans Day, Charlie Chan is in New Orleans with Number Two Son, Tommy and assistant Birmingham Brown. While there, on what seems to be an extended stay, the detective soon finds himself involved in a case of mysterious serial deaths.
OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Docks of New Orleans” (1948; 64 minutes) AND we continue our “extra” presentation with another cartoon episode of “The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan,” starring Keye Luke, who provides the voice of Charlie Chan: “The Great Illusion Caper“ (1972; 20 minutes). (Unfortunately, with our online versions of our Chan Clan cartoons seen through YouTube, commercials are sometimes automatically inserted at the beginning and each 5 minutes.)
FILM SUMMARY: Simon Lafontanne, head of a chemical company, goes to consult Charlie Chan who is staying in New Orleans along with his number two son, Tommy, and his chauffeur and assistant, Birmingham Brown. Lafontanne suspects that he has an enemy who is having him followed everywhere he goes. Chan agrees to investigate further just before Lafontanne is nearly kidnapped in front of the detective's residence. The next morning, a pair of Lafontanne's business partners pressure him to sign a clause that has been added to their business agreement whereby, in the event of the death of any of the principals, his share of the profits will go to the remaining partners. A short time later, Lafontanne is found dead in his office, apparently of a heart attack, but Charlie Chan believes otherwise.
FILM NOTES: The film's title card reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘Docks of New Orleans’". Despite the title, the docks are seem only briefly during the credit titles, and, during the opening scene of the film, they are suggested as the ship ‘Presidente’ is being loaded through a cargo door with chemicals from the Lafontanne Chemical Company. Although not acknowledged in the onscreen credits, the film's story was derived from Monogram's 1938 picture, Mr. Wong, Detective. The working title for this movie was “Charlie Chan in New Orleans.”
TIME: We begin with arrivals and greetings at 7:30 EASTERN TIME. Then, we share our “extra” which will be followed at exactly 8:15 when we roll our feature for our Monday evening, “Docks of New Orleans.”
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, happily, this week’s feature IS available for viewing at this link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4ebuhu
For our “extra,” a Charlie Chan cartoon, “The Great Illusion Caper,” you may use this link: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6vh2lp
(Unfortunately, with our online versions of our films and Chan Clan cartoons, commercials might be automatically inserted throughout.)
OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our November 2018 Poll, located at our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!
NEXT WEEK: Please join us on Monday, November 19, as we celebrate the birthday of Boris Karloff with a viewing of “Mr. Wong, Detective.”
SO, PLEASE JOIN US as we enjoy “Docks of New Orleans.”
