FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Suspicion often father of truth.”

THIS WEEK: Charlie Chan and son, Lee, follow the trail of death surrounding the Sport of Kings which extends halfway around the world. Can a ruthless international gambling ring be stopped before its nefarious plans reach fruition?

THE 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.”

OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” (1936; 70 minutes)

FOR IN-DEPTH INFORMATION on our film, go to “Films” at charliechan.org, then scroll down to “Charlie Chan at the Race Track.”

FEATURE SUMMARY:
Following the suspicious disqualification of his horse, Avalanche, in the Melbourne Cup, Major Kent, a friend of Charlie Chan, returning to the United States with the thoroughbred via steamship, is found kicked to death in the horse’s stall. Chan investigates when the liner stops off in Honolulu. He discovers evidence of foul play, and when the detective uncovers fraud involving another race in Los Angeles, he, along with Number One Son, Lee, seeks to expose an international gambling ring as well as the murderer.

FEATURE NOTES:
The Roxy Theatre in New York billed this film as “At the Race Track with Charlie Chan.” ‘Variety’ reviewed the movie as “Chan at the Race Track.” According to ‘Motion Picture Herald+’ and ‘Liberty,’ some scenes in the film were shot at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California, and the film contained footage of “some of the most spectacular events of the recent racing season.” ‘Motion Picture Herald’ also notes that the film “has a semi-topical significance in as much as a great antipodean horse, Pharlap, brought to this country a few years ago [from Australia], died under circumstances that have never been fully explained.” ‘Liberty’ notes that Technical Director Monroe Liebergold had been a jockey for the well-known horse breeder H. P. Whitney. Although ‘Hollywood Reporter’ production charts list Neil Fitzgerald and John Mooney as additional actors, only Neil Fitzgerald’s participation in the final film has been confirmed.

Horses are, by nature, not loners. It has long been a common practice for thoroughbred racehorses to be paired with a horse known as a companion pony which provides both a source of friendship and support. However, as we see in the case portrayed in “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” of Streamline’s pet monkey, Lollipop, these companion animals are not limited to horses. Other animals, such as dogs, goats, sheep, and, yes, monkeys, have been known to provide companionship to racehorses. In her article “What is a Companion Pony?” Jill Pellettieri notes that the famous horse Seabiscuit had a number of different companion animals and a horse named Pumpkin enjoyed the company of a dog named Pocatell and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo.

THE WEEK’S EXTRAS: Please join us earlier before the start of our feature for this extra week's presentations:

History of Santa Anita Derby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOlE42Ie10U

(Running time: 7:00)

Santa Anita Handicap (1936)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCtmQOBuX_4

(Running time: 1:27)

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 (see above). 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, on 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 MARCH POLL, also available on our Bulletin board…or at this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CN7CSTR

NEXT WEEK: It’s Warner Oland vs. Boris Karloff in “Charlie Chan at the Opera”!

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 at the Race Track.”

Sincerely,

Rush Glick