OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY MONDAY EVENING CHAT FOR April 17, 2023: “Mr. Moto’s Gamble”
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: (Courtesy of Mr. Moto) “To recognize one's faults requires intelligence; to admit them requires courage.”
THIS WEEK: We share the film that began production as “Charlie Chan at the Ringside.” It should be apparent that, regardless of some alterations to accommodate the switch from Warner Oland as Charlie Chan to Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto, that “Mr. Moto’s Gamble” has all of the earmarks of a Chan movie, complete with “Chanisms” stated, in this case, by Mr. Moto.
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.”
FEATURE SUMMARY:
Bad blood exists between Bill Steele and Frankie Stanton, the leading contenders for the heavyweight title, and a grudge match is scheduled. Steele's knockout victory is tainted by his opponent's untimely death, ostensibly from a concussion caused by hitting the canvas. A post-mortem reveals that poison was somehow introduced into a cut above Stanton's eye although it is unclear how and why. (Gabe Taverney, IMdB)
FEATURE NOTES:
“Mr. Moto’s Gamble” began production as the Charlie Chan film "Charlie Chan at the Ringside,” but when Warner Oland walked off of the set, the 20th Century-Fox set out to salvage what could be used from what had already shot, minus the scenes with Warner Oland. The script was rewritten to accommodate Fox's other Asian sleuth, Mr. Moto. Chan's Number One Son, Lee, remained in the film at the orders of producer Sol Wurtzel.
THIS WEEK’S EXTRAS: Please join us earlier before the start of our feature for these extra presentations:
10 Things You Should Know About Harold Huber
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67NZJ036gQw
(Running time: 2:05)
Remembering Slapsie Maxie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGituvyKgZc
(Running time: 2:39)
HOW PROMOTERS DENIED "SLAPSIE MAXIE" ROSENBLOOM HIS TITLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa82nxqC9UU
(Running time: 8:52)
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! Our Message Board has been there for YOU since 2004! Take a trip back in time and take a look at what was happening with your Charlie Chan Family “way back when”! (Go to charliechan.org and use 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...or even three! (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! 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 APRIL POLL, also available on our Bulletin board…or directly at this address: April 2023 Poll Survey
NEXT WEEK: We begin the Sidney Toler era of the Charlie Chan film series with “Charlie Chan in Honolulu.”
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 “Mr. Moto’s Gamble.”
