FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Fear is cruel padlock.”

GREETINGS! We join Charlie Chan, and Number Two Son, Jimmy, as a live radio broadcast from a crime museum becomes the actual scene of a crime…of MURDER!

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 Wax Museum” (1940; 63 minutes); along with our “extra,” a Charlie Chan radio mystery, “The Landini Murder Case: The Telegram”. (1936; 15 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Escaped killer Steve McBirney vows to get even with Charlie Chan whose testimony was key in his conviction. Recovering from plastic surgery at an eerie wax museum run by Dr. Cream, the killer lies in wait. Chan is lured to the museum through an offer to participate in a live radio broadcast there. Fortuitously escaping a death trap, Chan, along with Number Two Son, Jimmy, investigates the murder of one of the other participants which is connected to a crime that occurred a decade before..

FEATURE NOTES: According to David Robert Cellitti, the wax figure of Charlie Chan (and, perhaps we may assume that the rest of the wax figures used in the film) was made by a studio in Los Angeles called The Stubergh's, which was run by Katherine Stubergh. ‘The late Katherine Stubergh was my mentor. She supplied wax figures for such films as “House of Wax,” “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” “The Frozen Ghost” and many other pictures...including “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.’

CAST (as credited):

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan

Sen Yung: Jimmy Chan

C. Henry Gordon: Dr. Cream

Marc Lawrence: Steve McBirney (also called "Mac")

Joan Valerie: Lily Latimer

Marguerite Chapman: Mary Bolton

Ted Osborn: Tom Agnew

Michael Visaroff: Dr. Otto von Brom

Hilda Vaughn: Mrs. [Joe] Rocke

Charles Wagenheim: Willie Fern

Archie Twitchell: Carter Lane

Edward Marr: Grenock

Joe King: Inspector O'Matthews

Harold Goodwin: Edwards


UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

Walter Bacon: Sidewalk Passerby

Stanley Blystone: Police Officer in Alley

Jimmy Conlin: Tour Guide

David Newell: Courtroom Attorney

Brick Sullivan: Pete

Charles Trowbridge: Judge

Emmett Vogan: Prosecuting Attorney

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id41.html

THIS WEEK’S TERM: automat - A machine from which food or sandwiches is dispensed.

Jimmy Chan: "That's a toothpick from the automat."

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Jimmy Chan tells his Pop that the wax figure in the jail cell display was positioned differently before.



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

IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found online, and this week our good fortune continues as “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum” IS AVAILABLE online! You may access it above at “THIS WEEK’S PRESENTATION” and also at our Chat Room as a link.

OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our APRIL 2021 POLL, right here: May 2021 Poll

OUR APRIL POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: Do you think a Charlie Chan film could be made today?

Yes 75%

No 25%

DO YOU HAVE A POLL QUESTION? You are invited 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/id830.html

NEXT WEEK (June 14): We celebrate Keye Luke’s birthday with “Phantom of Chinatown”

OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY NEWSLETTER for this year!

This is our third annual Charlie Chan Family Newsletter! It contains the work of a number of Charlie Chan Family members and friends. Thank you so much to Lou Armagno, aka, HonoluLou, who has put together and published yet another masterpiece! Please use this link to access this year's newsletter which covers the year 2020. Please enjoy!

AND… DON’T MISS THIS GREAT CHARLIE CHAN BLOG!: AND… DON’T MISS THIS GREAT CHARLIE CHAN BLOG!: A great blog site, The Postman on Holiday, is 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: www.thepostmanonholiday.com

SO, REMEMBER, PLEASE JOIN US for this week’s feature, “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick