FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Man who ride tiger cannot dismount.”

NOTE: PLEASE vote in our OCTOBER Poll! The poll can be reached at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMXNNJ3

GREETINGS: This week we begin the Roland Winters chapter of the Charlie Chan saga with a shared viewing of “The Chinese Ring.”

OUR CHAT ROOM is located at: http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html

WE BEGIN OUR EVENING at 7:30 Eastern Time with a 45-minute time for arrivals and greetings. During this time, we also have the opportunity to engage in open dialogue along with one or more “extras” that relate in some way to our feature presentation(s). Then, at precisely 8:15 ET, we begin our feature film simultaneously starting our personal or online copies of this week’s feature!

THIS WEEK’S PRESENTATION: “The Chinese Ring” (1947; 68 minutes)

FEATURE NOTES: The title card on this film reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘The Chinese Ring’." The film's working titles were “The Mandarin's Secret,” “The Red Hornet,” and “Charlie Chan and the Chinese Ring.” ‘Independent Film Journal’ reviewed the picture as “The Red Hornet.” Although Call Bureau Cast Service lists Valerie Ardis as "Stenographer," the Variety review and studio production files list Charmienne Harker in the role. This film marked the first Charlie Chan film to star Roland Winters, who was chosen to replace Sidney Toler who had died earlier in 1947.

FEATURE INTRODUCTION: Mei Ling, a Chinese princess, arrives in San Francisco aboard the boat ‘Shanghai Maid,’ and, several weeks later, visits Charlie Chan at his home. She gives Chan's butler and assistant, Birmingham Brown, an ancient Chinese ring, and while she is momentarily alone, an assailant kills her by shooting a poison dart through the window. As she is dying, the princess is able to write "Capt. K" on a piece of paper, but is unable to finish the full name. Chan, with the help of Number Two Son, Tommy, and Birmingham, soon finds himself in the midst of international intrigue and danger as he seeks to discover the identity of the mysterious Captain K and the murderer of Princess Mei Ling.

CAST (as credited):

Roland Winters: Charlie Chan

Warren Douglas: Sergeant Bill Davidson

Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown

Louise Currie: Peggy Cartwright

Victor Sen Young: Tommy Chan

Phillip Ahn: Captain Kong

Byron Foulger: Armstrong

Thayer Roberts: Captain James J. Kelso

Jean Wong: Princess Mei Ling

Chabing: Lilly Mae Wong

George L. Spaulding: Dr. Hickey


UNCREDITED CAST (alphabetical):
Leon Alton: Detective

Jimmy Base: Detective

Paul Bryar: Sergeant

Spencer Chan: Chinese Officer

Thayer Cheek: Chinese Boy

Kenneth Chuck: Chinese Boy

Thornton Edwards: Hotel Clerk

Lee Tung Foo: Butler (also the voice of the Apartment Manager)

Charmienne Harker: Stenographer

Jack Mower: Ballard

Joseph C. Naecisse: Dock Worker

Cap Somers: Dock Worker

Richard Wang: Hamishin


THIS WEEK’S IMAGE: (Attached) Upon her arrival at Charlie Chan's San Francisco home, Princess Mei Ling has Birmingham Brown take her ring to the detective prove her identity.



IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FEATURE: It is available online through a link provided at our Chat Room Page!

THIS WEEK’S EXTRAS:

EXTRA NUMBER ONE:

Yes, there were Chinese Princesses in recent history. In our movie this week, we have Barbara Jean Wong as Princess Mei Ling. Here we present a real-life Chinese princess, Princess DeLing…

“Rare Footage of Chinese Princess Deling Calling for Peace Between US and China” (1:39)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeabjxPQkLU


EXTRA NUMBER TWO:

Interesting information about Isabel Rosario Cooper whom we know as “Chabing” in two Charlie Chan films, including “The

Chinese Ring.” The fact that we are sharing it is not to be taken as the desire to tarnish the image of either Gen. MacArthur or Chabing. Their relationship is a part of lesser known history, good or otherwise…

“Douglas MacArthur's Secret Affair with a Filipino showgirl” (6:00)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En0W4Wriod4



EXTRA NUMBER THREE:

And, to wrap up our extras for this week, we have a short visyal tribute to Barbara Jean Wong, who plays a princess in “The Chinese Ring,” appearing also in “Charlie Chan in Honolulu” and “The Trap”…

“Barbara Jean Wong Tribute” (2:50)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OqXY_hIQPM


MIKE IN DC’s GREAT CHARLIE CHAN QUIZ, PART 6…THE ANSWERS!

Part VI: “Keep eyes open and mouth shut.” (Charlie Chan on Broadway) – 12 pts.

Keeping with Charlie’s “open and shut” advice to his son, here is a two-part quiz consisting of six opening and six closing scenes from some of Charlie’s cases (Eleven cases in all, two are represented by both a first and last scene). Name the films for one point each.

Divers find a briefcase bearing the initials A.C.
A shabbily-dressed man is furtively taking photos of ships.
A criminal is sentenced to be executed on Dec. 10 and responds, “Thanks, your honor. I won’t have to do any Christmas shopping.”
A fashionably dressed woman consoles a prisoner in Pentonville Prison.
“Yessir, it’s the biggest little city in the world”
Charlie jogs in place, touches his toes and is pronounced fit for duty.
“Excellent clue, but like last rose of summer—bloom too late.”
Charlie is kicked in the rear by Number Two Son, who makes yet another “dummy” move.
“Gee pop. Now I got a war on my hands!”
“If family continue to increase may consider generous offer.”
“Think fourteen quite sufficient—maybe more later.”
Birmingham Brown snaps his fingers and cries, “Abracadabra.”
The ANSWERS:

12 points…

Keeping with Charlie’s “open and shut” advice to his son, here is a two-part quiz consisting of six opening and six closing scenes from some of Charlie’s cases (Eleven cases in all, one is represented by both a first and last scene). Name the films for one point each.

1. Charlie Chan’s Secret

2. Charlie Chan in Panama

3. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum

4. Charlie Chan in London

5. Charlie Chan in Reno

6. Charlie Chan at the Olympics

7. Charlie Chan at the Opera

8. Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum

9. Charlie Chan in Rio

10. Charlie Chan’s Secret

11. Charlie Chan at the Circus

12. Meeting at Midnight


NEXT WEEK: THE GREAT CHARLIE CHAN QUIZ, PART 7!

OUR MONTHLY POLL: Please take a moment to cast your vote in our OCTOBER 2022 POLL, right here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DMXNNJ3

LAST MONTH’S POLL RESULT: To see our SEPTEMBER 2022 Poll result as well as ALL of our polls going back to 2003, please use this link: http://www.charliechan.info/id93.html

NEXT WEEK (October 24): Please join us for our Annual Virtual Halloween Party as we pause along our journey through the Charlie Chan film series to gather within the temporarily horrific confines of our Chat Room to pay homage to that darker side of life! Again, it’s time once again for our annual Charlie Chan Family Virtual Halloween Party! Come virtually costumed as a character – human or animal (or even inanimate!), good or evil! Come incognito, signing in as your character, awaiting that magical moment at the end of our feature when we unmask, revealing our true identities!

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

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 link:

https://thepostmanonholidayhome.files.wordpress.com/2021/12/2021-newsletter-lou-final.pdf

AND, FINALLY, REMEMBER: PLEASE JOIN US for this week’s features from, “The Chinese Ring.”

AS ALWAYS… THANK YOU SO MUCH…

Sincerely,

Rush Glick