Our Monday Night Chat for March 4: "Charlie Chan's Secret"
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “If strength were all, tiger would not fear scorpion.”
OUR “NEW” CHAT ROOM: Our NEW Chat Room can be accessed the same way that we accessed our previous version. Just go to our “Chat Room” link at charliechan.info, or use this direct link: http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html
While our “new” Chat Room is not as “fun” as our old Parachat room (sadly, no sound effects!), still, it is proving to be quite functional as far as the “basics” are concerned, and it seems to be working well for the most part.
THIS WEEK: Charlie Chan comes to the aid of an old friend in San Francisco, seeking to prove or disprove if the heir to the Colby fortune is still alive. Danger and mystery lurk in the many hidden passageways of Colby House…
OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Charlie Chan’s Secret” (1936; 71 minutes) AND we have as our “extra” presentation, the NINTH chapter of the 1943 movie serial, “The Adventures of Smilin’ Jack“ (1943; 21 minutes), which features our Number One Son, Keye Luke AND “Pop,” Sidney Toler in supporting roles!
FILM SUMMARY: An ocean liner sinks near Hawaii and Allen Colby, heir to the family fortune, is presumed dead. However, as his is the only body unaccounted for, Charlie Chan, who is seeking proof of Colby's demise, is not so sure. The detective, working for Henrietta Lowell, the sister of Allen's father flies to San Francisco to investigate further. The missing Colby appears at Colby House ahead of him, but is knifed by a hidden killer in the back before seeing anyone. Further events revolve around spiritualist Mrs. Lowell, her family of suspicious characters, and the spooky Colby House, where the body of Allen Colby dramatically turns up during a séance with Chan in attendance.
FILM NOTES: The working title of this film was “Charlie Chan in San Francisco.” In ‘Hollywood Reporter’ production charts, George Schneiderman is listed as photographer and Charles McNaughton as a cast member, but their participation in the final film has not been verified. However, Charles McNaughton is pictured in what appears to be butler's garb in a publicity still for Charlie Chan's Secret. The actor's name is absent from the credits on the still while Herbert Mundin, who played Baxter the butler, is among those listed.
TIME: We begin with arrivals and greetings at 7:30 EASTERN TIME. Then, we share our “extra” presentation which will be followed at exactly 8:15 when we roll our feature for our Monday evening, “Charlie Chan’s Secret.”
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 online. Happily, both our feature as well as our extra are available online. Please use the links provided at our Chat Room.
OUR MARCH MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our new MARCH 2019 POLL, located at our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!
OUR CCF CHAT ARCHIVE: Please take a look at our growing collection of CCF Chat Texts from 2018 and this year: http://www.charliechan.info/id630.html
NEXT WEEK: Please join us on Monday, March 11, as we move on with our Charlie Chan Film Tour for 2019 with “Charlie Chan at the Circus” (1936).
SO, PLEASE JOIN US for this week’s Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing as we continue our group tour through the entire Charlie Chan film series…and more…with our feature, “Charlie Chan’s Secret.”
DOWNLOAD OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY NEWSLETTER: If anyone has yet to access it, Included is a link where you will find a copy of “The Charlie Chan Family 2018 Newsletter” (Issue No. 1), edited by Lou Armagno, whom we know as HonoluLou. Mr. Armagno, as you will see, put together the contributions of a number of CCF members, creating a masterpiece that will be a shining star in Charlie Chan family lore! If, for any reason, you are unable to access the links provided, please view the copy that was placed into our Study at our Charlie Chan family Home: http://www.charliechan.info/id632.html. You may also access “The Charlie Chan family 2018 Newsletter” at this address online: https://thepostmanonholidayhome.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/2018-newsletter-master.1.pdf.
