FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Rising generation sit too much.”

GREETINGS! This week, Charlie Chan, while checking on the security of a store of uranium, quickly becomes involved in a case of murder and espionage, reaching back into his pact!

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 Shanghai Cobra” (1945; 64 minutes); along with our “extra,” a Charlie Chan radio mystery, (1936; 15 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Charlie Chan is sent by the government to investigate several murders connected with a bank where a vital store of radium is kept. A number of employees of the bank have been killed by an injection of cobra venom. Chan remembers a similar case back in Shanghai in 1937, but the suspect in those murders, his face disfigured in an explosion, escaped. Number Three Son, Tommy, and assistant Birmingham Brown help the detective as the trio place themselves in mortal danger as they track down the illusive "Cobra Killer."

FEATURE NOTES: The title card for this film reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘The Shanghai Cobra.’" In “The Shanghai Cobra,” we see an odd one-way video jukebox operated from a distant location. This is very probably an adaptation of the idea of "Soundies," popular during the early to mid-1940s. Soundies, precursors of today's music videos, were viewed on special 16 mm rear-projected machines called Panorams. These machines were located in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, etc.

CAST (as credited):

Sidney Toler: Charlie Chan
Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown
Benson Fong: Tommy Chan
James Cardwell: Ned Stewart
Joan Barclay: Paula Webb (alias Pauline Webster and Paula van Horn)
Addison Richards: John Adams (alias Jan van Horn)
Arthur Loft: Bradford Harris (alias Special Agent Hume)
Janet Warren: Lorraine
Gene Stutenroth: Morgan
Joe Devlin: Taylor
James Flavin: H.R. Jarvis
Roy Gordon: Walter Fletcher
Walter Fenner: Inspector Harry Davis

UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):

Andy Andrews: Police Officer Outside Joe's Coffee Shop
Bob Blair: Corning
George Chandler: Joe Nelson
Cyril Delevanti: Larkin
John Goldsworthy: Manwaring
Stephan Gregory: Samuel Black
Karen Knight: Telephone Switchboard Supervisor
Mary Moore: Rita
Tiny Newlin: Guard
Dianne Quillan: Telephone Operator
Bob Reeves: Police Officer
Jack Richardson: Mailman
Bill Ruhl: Gregory

FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION ON OUR FEATURE: Please go to http://www.charliechan.info/id51.html

THIS WEEK’S TERM: square - (Idiom) To settle or make things right.

Rita: "Forget it. Next time bring your laundry and I'll call it square."

THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: (Attached) Charlie Chan and Inspector Davis find Lorraine, the video jukebox operator.



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. Happily, this is the case this week as “The Shanghai Cobra” 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...

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 30): We will be sharing a viewing of “Dark Alibi.”

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 Shanghai Cobra.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick