FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Caution very good life insurance.”

THIS WEEK: We begin the Sidney Toler era of the Charlie Chan film series with a shared viewing of “Charlie Chan in Honolulu.”

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 in Honolulu” (1938; 68 minutes)

FEATURE SUMMARY:
A murder is committed on the passenger freighter ‘Susan B Jennings,’ as it reaches Honolulu. After a circuitous route to the docked ship, Charlie Chan learns that the murdered man’s identity is a mystery and that secretary Judy Hayes is the only eyewitness to the fatal shooting. The rest of the freighter’s passengers include animal keeper Al Hogan, Mrs. Carol Wayne, psychiatrist Dr. Cardigan, criminal Johnny McCoy, and police detective Joe Arnold, who is taking McCoy back to the U.S. from Shanghai. Another person is murdered and $300,000 has gone missing.

FEATURE NOTES:
This film was the first in which Sidney Toler appeared as Charlie Chan. According to a ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item, associate producer John Stone had chosen Toler to be the successor to Warner Oland, who had played Chan from 1931 until his death in 1938, after seeing him play a Chinese character in the Paramount film “King of Chinatown.” Toler was the thirty-fifth actor tested for the role, with ‘Hollywood Reporter’ noting that others considered for the role included Leo Carrillo, Cy Kendall, and J. Edward Blomberg who appeared in “Charlie Chan on Broadway” (1937). Toler continued to play Chan until his death in 1947. This was also the first film in which Sen Yung played Jimmy Chan. Yung had replaced Keye Luke, who had portrayed Lee Chan in earlier entries in the series. Luke left the series after Oland’s death, when he and Twentieth Century-Fox disagreed on his new contract. According to Hollywood Reporter news items, the search for Luke’s replacement was “frantic,” and led to casting director James Ryan seeking applicants among the Los Angeles university students and Chinatown residents. The ‘New York Times’ had speculated that “Charlie Chan in Honolulu” would cost $300,000 to produce and that Toler would receive $15,000 per Chan film. Many reviewers applauded Toler’s and Yung’s performances and noted that followers of the series would be satisfied with the new actors. The ‘Motion Picture Herald’ review remarked on the novelty of a Chan film being previewed at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and stated that the December 16, 1938 showing was very well received by the “top-ranking executives, the most sought after reviewers and commentators and invited guests” who attended. According to a ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item, Richard Lane was originally signed to play the “romantic lead” opposite Phyllis Brooks. A tribute to Warner Oland appears in the film “Mr. Moto’s Last Warning,” starring Peter Lorre. During that picture’s production in August 1938, the cast and crew learned of Oland’s passing in his native Sweden while on the final leg of a tour of Europe. Oland was set to resume his role as Charlie Chan upon his return in a film that was to have been “Charlie Chan in Honolulu.” In one scene during a quick passing shot over the title “Charlie Chan in Honolulu,” starring Warner Oland, on the bill of the Sultana Theatre of Variety, they placed the banner “Last Day.”

THIS WEEK’S EXTRAS: Please join us earlier before the start of our feature for these extra presentations:

HONOLULU HAWAII 1940s TRAVELOGUE FILM SURFING WAIKIKI BEACH & DIAMOND HEAD

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_UZZD--Q4

(Running time: 10:54)

1930s VINTAGE HAWAII & SURFING MOVIE WAIKIKI BEACH HONOLULU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOj1I9KO4X4

(Running time: 9:16)

Please be prepared to begin our first extra early as they are both lengthy.

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” 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 APRIL POLL, also available on our Bulletin board…or directly at this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K7TZM8B

NEXT WEEK: We will be sharing “Charlie Chan in Reno.”

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 Honolulu.”

Sincerely,

Rush Glick