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OUR CCF MONDAY EVENING CHAT AND FILM VIEWING FOR AUGUST 9 “The Jade Mask”

FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “No barber shave so close but another barber find some work to do.”

GREETINGS! This week we pay a visit to an eccentric inventor who is hated by everyone in his household. When he is murdered, Charlie Chan is called to solve the case with assistants Number Four Son, Edward, and Birmingham Brown, who’s now officially a part of the Chan team!

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: “The Jade Mask” (1944; 66 minutes); along with our “extra,” a Charlie Chan radio mystery, (1936; 15 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Charlie Chan is assigned by the government to investigate the murder of Harper, an eccentric scientist who had been experimenting with a formula that could turn wood into a substance as hard as steel. Chan, with Number Four Son, Edward and Birmingham Brown in tow finds himself in a strange mansion that is teeming with an odd assortment of suspects, virtually all having a possible motive to do away with Harper. Several additional murders occur as the detective closes in on his quarry.

FEATURE NOTES: The working title of this film was “Mystery Mansion.” The title card on the print reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘The Jade Mask.’" Early ‘Hollywood Reporter’ production charts include Russell Simpson in the cast, but it is unlikely that he appeared in the released film. The ‘Variety’ review mistakenly identifies Edwin Luke's role as Tommy in the accompanying list of credits. Edwin Luke, who played Edward Chan in this picture, was the younger brother of actor Keye Luke, who had previously played son Lee Chan in numerous films in this series.

CAST (as credited):

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan
Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown
Edwin Luke: Eddie Chan (also called Edward)
Hardie Albright: Walter Meeker
Frank Reicher: Harper
Janet Warren: Jean Kent
Cyril DeLevanti: Roth
Alan Bridge: Sheriff Mack
Ralph Lewis: Jim Kimball
Dorothy Granger: Stella Graham
Edith Evanson: Louise Harper
Joe Whitehead: Dr. Samuel R. Peabody
Henry Hall: Inspector Godfrey
Jack Ingram: Lloyd Archer
Danny Desmond: Bellboy

UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

John Breen: False Police Officer
Lester Dorr: Michael Strong

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id47.html

THIS WEEK’S TERM: Dictaphone - A trademark used for a machine that records and reproduces dictation for transcription.

Charlie Chan: "Recording Dictaphone."

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: Charlie Chan tells Michael Strong not to touch the body of the deceased Roth.



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/id48.html

IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found online, and again, this week we are blessed with good fortune as “The Jade Mask” 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 AUGUST 2021 POLL, right here: August 2021 Poll

OUR JULY POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: Which film do you think has the best scene(s) with the Chan family?

“The Black Camel” 11%

“Charlie Chan at the Circus” 72%

“Charlie Chan in Honolulu” 17%

OUR CCF CHAT ARCHIVE: Please take a look at our growing collection of CCF Chat Texts from previous years and this year: Charlie Chan Family Chat Archive - 2021

NEXT WEEK (August 16): We will be sharing a viewing of “The Scarlet Clue.”

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, “The Jade Mask.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick