OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY MONDAY EVENING CHAT FOR JANUARY 30, 2023: “Charlie Chan in London”
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Begin at best place – beginning.”
THIS WEEK we will continue on our journey through the Charlie Chan film series with “Charlie Chan in London.” Can Charlie Chan beat the clock to save a man wrongly convicted of murder from a fast-approaching appointment with the gallows?
THE NEW CHAT ROOM: Go to our “Chat Room” page, and, at the bottom of that page, click on the “Charlie Chan Family Chat Room ENTRANCE” link. You may then enter as a “Guest.” (If you have not used our new Chat Room yet, please make a “test run” ahead of time to see if you have any difficulties.)
If you do have difficulties with anything on Monday evening, please email (charliechanfamily@yahoo.com) or post a message on our Message Board and I will try to reply in hopes of helping you!
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Charlie Chan in London” (1934; 79 minutes)
FOR INFORMATION on our film, go to “Films” at charliechan.org, then scroll down to “Charlie Chan in London.”
FEATURE SUMMARY:
When a young Englishman, Paul Gray, is convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, his sister, convinced of his innocence, asks Charlie Chan, who is visiting London, to investigate and find the real murderer. To that end, Chan visits a large country manor house in England where the killing occurred. There are a number of suspects among the large group of fox hunters who are staying at the manor, and it soon becomes clear that the killer is still actively trying to avoid capture. Charlie Chan must work fast to discover the real murderer’s identity and save Paul Gray from the gallows.
FEATURE NOTES:
This was the first film in the Charlie Chan series that was not based on a particular novel by Chan’s creator, Earl Derr Biggers. The ‘New York Times’ commented that this film, written by Philip MacDonald, a noted detective novelist himself, “maintains the Chan tradition.” “Charlie Chan in London” is the second-oldest film in the Charlie Chan series that we have available to us today for viewing as the intervening three following “The Black Camel” (at this time the oldest existing title in the Charlie Chan series, as the initial picture in the series, “Charlie Chan Carries On” is considered lost as are “Charlie Chan’s Chance” (1932), “Charlie Chan’s Greatest Case” (1933), and “Charlie Chan’s Courage” (1934). “Charlie Chan in London” is referenced in the 2001 mystery film “Gosford Park.” It is mentioned because a fictional Hollywood producer named Morris Weissman travels to Gosford Park to do research on British customs. Actor Alan Mowbray, a cast member in “Charlie Chan in London,” is also mentioned.
THE WEEK’S EXTRAS: Please join us earlier before the start of our features for TWO Extra presentations:
FIRST EXTRA: Pentonville Prison - Victorian prison. Separate system | Crime & Punishment J. CARROLL NAISH TRIBUTE
(Duration: 6:10)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVJ3nK4KTlc
SECOND EXTRA: Inside Burton Constable Hall | Elizabethan English Country House Tour
(Duration: 3:42)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gody6MY0gI8
PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY IF POSSIBLE so that we can hopefully settle into our new Chat Room together, hopefully resolving any issues before our feature is to start at 8:15 Eastern Time!
OUR MESSAGE BOARD: Please consider regular visits to our Message Board, and feel free to add a message to begin a conversation or state a thought! Please remember, the Message Board has been there for YOU since 2004! (Go to charliechan.org and click the
Message Board” link.)
AS ALWAYS, WE BEGIN OUR EVENING at 7:30 Eastern Time with a 45-minute time for arrivals and greetings, and the sharing of an extra or two. Then, at precisely 8:15 ET, we begin running our feature film simultaneously starting our personal or online copies of this week’s feature!
AT OUR BULLETIN BOARD: THE CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY HOME 2022 NEWSLETTER is now available at our “Bulletin Board” at our Charlie Chan Family Home, charliechan.org! Also, at our Bulletin Board you will find a lot more in the form of links to other items of possible interest!
AND, please take a minute to cast your vote on our JANUARY POLL, also available on our Bulletin board!
NEXT WEEK: “Charlie Chan in Paris”
Take care, and I hope to see you at this week’s Monday Evening Chat at our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room at charliechan.org as we share “Charlie Chan in London.”
