FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “When player cannot see man who deal cards, much wiser to stay out of game.”

GREETINGS! This week, we celebrate the annual running of the famous Melbourne Cup horse race, we continue along together on our CHARLIE CHAN FILM TOUR 2020. For 21 years years now the Melbourne Cup has provided us an evening of fun and a very real-time connection with Charlie Chan and Number One son, Lee, as they take part in a very real way in the intrigue and life threatening dangers present amidst the darker side of the Sport of Kings! As we watch our film for this week, “Charlie Chan at the Race Track,” we will be drawing at random the numbers of each of the 24 horses taking part in the actual race. Each person in attendance will receive at least one, probably two numbers. As the results of the race in Melbourne come in later, we will know who holds the “winning ticket.” The person holding the winning number will receive a commemorative 1936 U.S. silver half-dollar, honoring Charlie Chan’s 50-cent bet placed on Avalanche as seen in our movie!

The plot behind “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” itself has historical connections. It was very probably inspired by the true account of the famous New Zealand race horse, Phar Lap (the 1930 winner of the Cup), and his mystery shrouded demise in 1932 which received international coverage.

OUR CHAT ROOM: Our Chat Room can be accessed the same way that we accessed by going to our “Chat Room” link at charliechan.info, or use this direct link: http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html

THIS WEEK’S PRESENTATION: “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” (1936; 70 minutes) along with our “extra,” the FIFTH episode of “The Adventures of Smilin’ Jack” with Keye Luke…and Sidney Toler! (1943; 21 minutes).

FEATURE SUMMARY: Following the suspicious disqualification of his horse, Avalanche, in the Melbourne Cup, Major Kent, a friend of Charlie Chan, returning to the United States with the thoroughbred via steamship, is found kicked to death in the horse's stall. Chan investigates when the liner stops off in Honolulu. He discovers evidence of foul play, and when the detective uncovers fraud involving another race in Los Angeles, he, along with Number One Son, Lee, seeks to expose an international gambling ring as well as the murderer.

FEATURE NOTES: The Roxy Theatre in New York billed this film as “At the Race Track with Charlie Chan.” ‘Variety’ reviewed the movie as “Chan at the Race Track.” According to ‘Motion Picture Herald’ and’ Liberty,’ some scenes in the film were shot at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California, and the film contained footage of "some of the most spectacular events of the recent racing season." ‘Motion Picture Herald’ also notes that the film "has a semi-topical significance in as much as a great antipodean horse, Pharlap, brought to this country a few years ago [from Australia], died under circumstances that have never been fully explained." Liberty notes that Technical Director Monroe Liebergold had been a jockey for the well-known horse breeder H. P. Whitney. Although Hollywood Reporter production charts list Neil Fitzgerald and John Mooney as additional actors, and only Neil Fitzgerald's participation in the final film has been confirmed..


CAST (as credited):
Warner Oland: Charlie Chan
Keye Luke: Lee Chan
Helen Wood: Alice Fenton
Thomas Beck: Bruce Rogers
Alan Dinehart: George Chester
Gavin Muir: Bagley
Gloria Roy: Catherine Chester
Jonathan Hale: Warren Fenton
G.P. Huntley, Jr.: Denny Barton
George Irving: Major [Gordon] Kent
Frank Coghlan, Jr.: Eddie Brill
Frankie Darro: "Tip" Collins
John Rogers: Mooney
John H. Allen: "Streamline" Jones
Harry Jans: Al Meers


UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

Sidney Bracey: Waiter
James Eagles: Chick Patton
Bob Ellsworth: Police Officer
Eddie Fetherston: Reporter #2
James Flavin: Detective
Sammy Finn: Gangster
Neil Fitzgerald
Paul Fix: Lefty
Sam Flint: Ship's Captain [Captain Blake]
Jack Green: "Blackton" Man
Bobby Hale: Race Track Patron
Ed Hart: Detective
Holmes Herbert: Melbourne Cup Chief Steward
Lew Hicks: Police Officer
Ray Hanson: Third Officer
Sam Hayes: Track Announcer
Robert E. Homans: Judge
Boothe Howard: Ship's Doctor [Dr. Johnson]
H. Bruce Humberstone: Gambler
Selmer Jackson: J.L. Lansing
Jerry Jerome: Chuck
Josephine the monkey: Lollipop
Colin Kenny: Judge
Al Kikume: Detective
Wilbur Mack: Gangster
George Magrill: Detective
Clyde McAtee: "Blackton" Man
Tom McGuire: Track Official
Ivan "Dusty" Miller: Captain Wade
Lucille Miller: Secretary
Bruce Mitchell: Gateman
Jack Mulhall: Second Purser
Billie Oakley: Seaman
Pat O'Malley: Track Official
Cyril Ring: Race Track Extra
Les Srechley: Seaman
Harry Strang: Detective
Larry Steers: Railbird
Bobby Tanzel: Gilroy
Forrest Taylor: Photo Booth Worker
David Thursby: Steward
Harlan Tucker: Gangster
Max Wagner: Joe
Robert Warwick: Honolulu Police Chief Inspector
Billy Wayne: Smithers
William Wayne: Seaman
Charles Williams: Reporter #1
Norman Willis: Gangster
David Worth: Detective


FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id59.html

TRIVIA: Horses are, by their nature, not loners. It has long been a common practice for thoroughbred racehorses to be paired with a horse known as a companion pony which provides both a source of friendship and support. However, as we see in the case in “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” of Streamline’s pet monkey, Lollipop, these companion animals are not limited to horses. Other animals, such as dogs, goats, sheep, and, yes, monkeys, have been known to provide companionship to racehorses. In her article “What is a Companion Pony?” Jill Pellettieri notes that the famous horse Seabiscuit had a number of different companion animals and a horse named Pumpkin enjoyed the company of a dog named Pocatell and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo

TERM OF THE WEEK: two bits - (Idiom) Twenty-five cents.
Detective: "Hey, Mack, loan me two bits and I'll owe you a dollar."

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Lee, posing as a laundry worker with his delivery truck, listens as his Pop gives him quick instructions just before the race.



For a viewing of more than 500 images from ALL films in the Charlie Chan series, please visit our Gallery: http://www.charliechan.info/id448.html

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, OUR FEATURE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE! (SOMETIMES there are occasional 5-second commercial intrusions. If so, after the 5 seconds, click on “Skip Ad”.)

FOR DETAILED INFORMATION on this week’s features and more, please visit: http://www.charliechan.info/id30.html

OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our November 2020 POLL, found as you scroll down our Entrance Page (http://www.charliechan.info/index.html)!

OUR OCTOBER POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: Which is your favorite of Jimmy Chan's "case crush" girlfriends?

Choy Wong (Charlie Chan in Reno) 27%

Lili Wong (Charlie Chan in Rio) 53%

San Toy (The Trap) 20%

Please cast your vote in our NOVEMBER Poll!!

DO YOU HAVE A POLL QUESTION? Please feel free to suggest a Monthly Poll question! Send your ideas to: charliechanfamily@lyahoo.com.

OUR CCF CHAT ARCHIVE: Please take a look at our growing collection of CCF Chat Texts from previous years and this year: http://www.charliechan.info/id630.html

NEXT WEEK: “Docks of New Orleans,” with Roland Winters as Charlie Chan!

AND… DON’T MISS THIS GREAT CHARLIE CHAN BLOG!: Continuing strongly in 2020, great blog site, The Postman on Holiday, offered by our own Charlie Chan and Earl Derr Biggers expert, Lou Armagno which is: "A place to explore all things surrounding Detective Charlie Chan, his creator Earl Derr Biggers, and their connection with Hawaii, Cleveland, and mystery fiction." Updated each month, it can be found at this address: thepostmanonholiday.com

SO, REMEMBER, PLEASE JOIN US for this year’s celebration of the Melbourne Cup with a showing of “Charlie Chan at the Race Track! Who will be this year’s winner of the coveted 1936 SILVER HALF-DOLLAR?

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick