FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Begin at best place - beginning.”

GREETINGS! This week we begin our yearlong journey through the films of Charlie Chan with “Behind That Curtain.” Although Mr. Chan, played by E.L. Park, only appears at the film’s concluding scenes, we are treated to something of a bonus in the form of a very early screen performance by BORIS KARLOFF, who will later be featured in “Charlie Chan at the Opera.”

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: “Behind That Curtain” (1929; 91 minutes).

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Eve Mannering, daughter of a wealthy Englishman, marries Eric Durand, a fortune hunter, who kills the investigator hired by Eve's father to examine his past. Upon discovering the plot, Eve leaves him and joins an old family friend on a desert expedition from India to Persia. Later, fearing that she will implicate him in her affairs, Eve deserts him and travels to San Francisco.

FEATURE NOTES: The novel “Behind That Curtain,” by Earl Derr Biggers, was originally published serially in ‘The Saturday Evening Post’ between March 31 and May 5, 1928. “Behind That Curtain,” a film in which Charlie Chan appears only at the climactic moments at the close of the picture, was later remade as “Charlie Chan's Chance” (1932).

TRIVIA: E.L. Park’s daughter, Ivy Bo Ling, appears as the Chans’ Number One Daughter in “The Black Camel” and as Lee Chan’s romantic interest in “Charlie Chan in Shanghai.”

CAST:

Warner Baxter: [Col.] John Beetham

Lois Moran: Eve Mannering

Gilbert Emory: Sir Frederic Bruce

Claude King: Sir George Mannering

Philip Strange; Eric Durand

Boris Karloff: Sudanese Servant

Jamiel Hassen: Habib Hannah

Peter Gawthorne: Scotland Yard Inspector

John Rogers; Alf Pornick

C. Montague Shaw: Hilary Galt

Finch Smiles: Galt's Clerk

Mercedes De Velasco: Nunah

E.L. Park: Charlie Chan

Kathrin Clare Ward: Eve Mannering's Landlady (not credited)

IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FEATURE: Often our features can be found online. GOOD NEWS! “Behind That Curtain” is available through the link provided at our Chat Room.

OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our JANUARY 2022 POLL, right here: January 2022 Poll

OUR DECEMBER POLL RESULT:

QUESTION: With the advent of commercial television broadcasts in the late 1940s, could the Charlie Chan series at Monogram Pictures have continued with theatrical releases?

Probably 77%

Probably not 23%

NEXT WEEK (January 10): Please join us as we continue our Charlie Chan Film Tour 2022 with a shared viewing of “Eran Trece,” the Spanish language version of the "lost" "Charlie Chan Carries On."

AND, AS ALWAYS… 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

OUR 2022 CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY NEWSLETTER!

This year’s Charlie Chan Family Newsletter, chronicling the year 2021, is now available! Thank you so much, Lou, for your continued, masterfully hard work and dedication! It can be accessed at the following address: https://thepostmanonholidayhome.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/2021-newsletter-lou-final.pdf

YOUR COLLECTED THOUGHTS ON OUR CHAT ROOM:

Last week, the issue of how to best use our “meet and greet” time before our Weekly Chat feature film came up. To follow up on this, I sent the following email massage our to our CCF members. Following my message, I have presented the responses received, minus any names connected with the messages. Please read through the following content, and we can use this week’s “meet and greet” to discuss these thoughts and ideas:

Dear Chan family Members and Friends,

The question has come up regarding the presentation of the "extras" before our feature films that have been our custom for some years. What are your thoughts, please?

Originally, the early, 7:30 PM, eastern time start was for people to casually arrive and say "hello" and engage in small talk, etc. before the start of our movie at 8:15. Then, the thought of adding an "extra" into the mix at that time was mentioned and then adopted. However, the number of persons arriving to hear or watch the extras has not been large in recent times, and, as has been mentioned, an "extra" added each evening can make the evening a lengthy commitment for anyone desiring to take in the entire mix!

So...

Should we keep things as they are, at least for now"

Should we eliminate the presentation of an "extra," and go to an 8:00 Eastern Time "start" for arrivals and greetings" as it was at one time, and start our movies at the usual 8:15 eastern?

Should we eliminate the "extras" and simply have a lengthy "arrivals and greetings" time?

Should we have "occasional" "extras" with an earlier start for "arrivals and greetings"?

What are your thoughts, please! They ARE important!

Thank you so much, everyone!

Sincerely,

Rush



COLLECTED RESPONSES:

I like the extra, but am not always in a position to join in so I'm good with whatever workes for everyone else.

__________

Have you considered an occasional night of only extras? Maybe run a couple special features from a box set or a YouTube feature about Mantan or Keye Luke.

I hate to drop the extras completely, but admit they are not as exciting as our feature films.

__________

I obviously enjoy the “extras” and feel even if others don’t want to partake in them, they can, and should be encouraged to join the room, even if it’s to catch up.

There are times we have a limited number of people, but that’s always been the case over the years.

Either way, I’ll respect any decisions that are made and will show up for an “extra” or just to catch up with everyone. I really wouldn’t loose too much sleep over the decision.

__________

I'd suggest going to 1 "extra" per month... say on the first Monday so it's clear for all... and then go to 8pm EST arrival/chat time for normal weeks , and film at 8:15.

The value of the extras as I experience them is not so much in following another story line on radio or in a serial, but just in seeing a little something "extra" once in awhile. Even with the serials you could just pick out a single chapter with Keye Luke, or Sidney Toler in it... as a one off.

__________

We like things as they are (with the weekly "extras"). For those that can't stay the full time (like us last week) it was at least a chance to hang for a part of the evening.

That being said, we think the radio shows are much less interesting than the serials or other shorts that have video. For us, they turn into "background noise" as we try to see what's going on in the chat and maybe munch on dinner.

We'd therefore be open to not-every-week extras--maybe do a weekly serial, then have a break for a few weeks, etc.

Or...

Maybe there could be a wider variety of "extras?" It might be fun to have something like a show-and-tell (pictures, etc) from your collection--or a few pics from Steve's Hawaii tours--or from Lou's collection? Or just a group discussion about the evening's film (no media)?

Or...

Maybe a Charlie Chan trivia quiz (this could span several evenings--or the entire year...maybe the first Monday of each month could be a quiz). Several of us could team up to make the quiz so it wouldn't all be on one person to do it. The quiz could start easy (Who was Ming Toy?), move to things like "who killed Nardi?" and maybe the pro level could be stuff like "What was the headline of the London Post on April 2, 1934?" With 5-10 questions, it could fill 15 or so minutes, then there could be some downtime/chat until the feature started. (People "arrive" around 7:30, quiz at 7:45; chitchat at 8:00; feature at 8:15)

There would be Chan trivia mixed in with hellos, puns from Angel, news about Hounder's mom and the other usual stuff--which to me would be a feature, not a bug. :)

__________

Dear Rush, I know that many of you go waaaay back and thoroughly enjoy the chats. However, I agree that it is a loooooong evening. So my vote is:

Should we eliminate the presentation of an "extra," and go to an 8:00 Eastern Time "start" for arrivals and greetings" as it was at one time, and start our movies at the usual 8:15 eastern?

__________

Since I have never been able to come early for the “extras” I would vote for returning to the simpler meet-and-greet format staring around 7:30 or 7:45. I like chatting with everyone before the movie. It could also be the time to share again the material Rush puts together in the email each week.

__________

In my more recent visits to the Chat Room, I have observed members "dropping in" for a quick "hello" and not staying for the film presentation. My concern is about the length of time at the chat room. Personally, I like the EXTRAS, but not if the EXTRAS take away from the feature presentation.

In my opinion, two and a half hours in the Chat Room is too long.

If the Chan movie is short (61 to 65 min.), add an EXTRA to fill out the program. If the Chan film is long (behind that curtain), consider omitting the EXTRA.

__________

I did a little digging this afternoon,and here’s a couple of thoughts re: videos.

What comes to mind immediately is that Keye Luke played Kato (the primary Tonto-like sidekick in The Green Hornet serials (1940 and 1941, which ran 13 chapters and 15 chapters respectively) which meant that he is in virtually every chapter with a good amount of dialogue and action... could be fun to drop a chapter in every once in awhile.. and no need to have to have them play "back to back".... over time could get to the "final chapter" as you wished.

He also is the 2nd lead in Lost City of the Jungle with Russel Hayden (1946, 13 chapters) so again lots of episodes to choose from.

Smiling Jack is the only film that he and Sidney Toler appeared in together.. so a chapter or two where they both appear would be fun.

And finally — at least for now, is a real one-off that I think folks might particularly enjoy/appreciate. Warner Oland is the main oriental villain, Baron Huroki, in an early (1917) silent serial, Patria. I have a copy of this…it was restored by my friend Eric Stedman who runs The Serial Squadron, and portions of it… including one 18 minute segment of chapter 2— is up on youtube. This was a build-up film to our American entry into WWI when we thought that we might have to deal with the Japanese.

Well for me I am in arizona and right now it is 2hours difference. which makes it 6pm my time. I love the format as it is since I never heard the broadcast before and it would be nice to listen to them and chat with people. Those are my thoughts.

__________

So, there we are! Let’s dialogue on the possibilities between 7:30 and, say, 8:10 PM Eastern Time!

AND, FINALLY, REMEMBER, PLEASE JOIN US for this week’s feature, “Behind That Curtain.”

THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick

As a "Prequel" to Monday's (tomorrow) film, take a visual current-day walk (similar to what Charlie took in the novel) compliments of Brenda McNeal inside The 2020 Charlie Chan Family Home Newsletter (pgs 7-14):

https://thepostmanonholidayhome.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/2020-newsletter-final-1.pdf

Aloha Rush,

Thank you for providing us with insight into how the family feels about the EXTRA features added to the chat room.

Because we have a collective group of members, you received a collective group of responses. Like our group, the responses are a "mix-ed bag" of thoughts and ideas. Some responses are intelligent while other thoughts are off-the-wall.

The really BIG question to ask the family is: "WHY DO YOU ATTEND THE CHARLIE CHAN CHAT ROOM ON MONDAYS?"

It is my understanding that the movie "Behind That Curtain" (1929 Fox Films) is the oldest excisting film in the Charlie Chan series. In 2022, the film is 93 years old. It is the dinosaur of Chan films. When it creaks, please squirt some oil on it.

Thank you so much.

Hawaii_Steve

HA HA! Steve's right about it being the old man (or old maid) of the Chan film. Like the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz it's squeaking out: "Oil Me."