FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Sharp wit sometimes much better than deadly weapon.”

GREETINGS, as we reach the end of the 20th Century-Fox era of the Charlie Chan film series with a shared viewing of “Castle in the Desert.” Nostalgia aside, we are cheered by the fact that the series resumes with the upcoming Monogram Pictures era!

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: “Castle in the Desert” (1942; 63 minutes); along with our “extra,” a Charlie Chan radio mystery, “The Landini Murder Case: The Second Bullet”. (1936; 15 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: A guest is murdered at Manderley Castle, a medieval reconstruction located in the middle of the Mojave Desert, which is owned by wealthy historian Paul Manderley and his wife, Lucy, who is a descendent of the notorious Borgia family. Charlie Chan, who was summoned to the castle earlier, and Number Two Son, Jimmy, away on leave from the U.S. Army, quickly get to work trying to unravel the mystery.

FEATURE NOTES: Although an August 15, 1941 ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item stated that John Larkin would write the screenplay for this film based on an original story by producer Ralph Dietrich, no other contemporary source confirms Dietrich's contributions to the picture as a writer. According to a studio press release and another ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item, Janis Carter was originally cast as Brenda Hartford. The ‘Variety’ review erroneously lists the film's running time as 51 minutes. “Castle in the Desert” was the last Charlie Chan film produced by Twentieth Century-Fox. Although the official copyright date for Castle in the Desert is February 27, 1942, the on screen date reads "MCMXLI" (1941). After Sidney Toler obtained the film rights to the character from the widow of Earl Derr Biggers, he continued to make Chan films at Monogram Pictures.

CAST (as credited):

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan
Arleen Whelan: Brenda Hartford
Richard Derr: Carl Detheridge
Douglas Dumbrille: [Paul] Manderley
Henry Daniell: Watson King (also known as Jim; alias Cesare Borgia)
Edmund MacDonald: Walter Hartford
Sen Yung: Jimmy Chan
Lenita Lane: Lucy Manderley (formally known as Lucia and Princess Lucrezia della Borgia)
Ethel Griffies: Madame Saturnia (also called Lizzie)
Milton Parsons: [Arthur] Fletcher
Steve Geray: Dr. Retling
Lucien Littlefield: [Professor] Gleason

UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

Oliver Blake: Hotel Owner
George Chandler: Bus Driver
Paul Kruger: Servant
Tex Phelps: Townsma
Oliver ********* Hank
Eric Wilton: Wilson
FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id45.html

THIS WEEK’S TERM: Borgias - An Italian family, influential from the 14th to the 16th century, that included the son and daughter of Pope Alexander VI. Cesare (1476-1507), a religious, military, and political leader, was the model for Machiavelli's “The Prince.” Lucrezia (1489-1519), the Duchess of Ferrara, was a patron of learning and the arts.

Professor Gleason: "Aren't you descended from the famous Borgias?"

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Jimmy Chan and Madame Saturnia arrive at the gate to Manderley Castle.
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



TRIVIA: It is interesting to note that Victor Sen Yung's life would soon share a parallel with that of Charlie Chan's Number Two Son, Jimmy, as he would soon be joining the U.S. Army Air Forces for the duration of World War II.

IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found online, and this week our good fortune again smiles as “Castle in the Desert” 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: July 2021 Poll

OUR JUNE POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: Have you watched all 40 of the existing movies from the Charlie Chan film series proper (those that were produced by Fox, 20th Century-Fox, and Monogram Pictures)?

Yes 87%

No 13%

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 (July 19): We will be sharing “Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.”

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, “Castle in the Desert.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick

Some interesting facts on Wikipedia about the House of Borgia:

Especially during the reign of Alexander VI, they were suspected of many crimes, including adultery, incest, simony, theft, bribery, and murder (especially murder by arsenic poisoning). Because of their grasping for power, they made enemies of the Medici, the Sforza, and the Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola, among others. They were also patrons of the arts who contributed to the development of Renaissance art.

The Borgia family stands out in history as being infamously steeped in sin and immorality, yet there is evidence to suggest that this one-dimensional characterization is a result of undeserved contemporary critiques.