OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY MONDAY EVENING CHAT FOR October 16, 2023: “The Chinese Ring”
CHAT NUMBER: 1,225
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Man who ride on merry-go-round all the time, sooner or later must catch brass ring.”
THIS WEEK: This week we begin the Roland Winters era of the Charlie Chan film series with a shared viewing of “The Chinese Ring.”
OUR 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.” (You may also register at RumbleTalk, our Chat Room’s host, if you so choose, however this limits you to a specific name.)
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “The Chinese Ring” (1947; 68 minutes) This film IS available online for those who lack a personal copy: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x297j6u
FEATURE SUMMARY: 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.
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.
THIS WEEK’S EXTRA:
The Green Hornet (Chapter 1 - The Tunnel of Terror) (1940)
OUR MESSAGE BOARD: Please consider visiting our Message Board. Feel free to add a message to a post or begin a conversation…or state a thought! Our Message Board has been there for YOU since 2004!
AS ALWAYS, WE BEGIN OUR EVENING at 7:30 Eastern Time with a 45-minute block of time for arrivals and greetings, and the sharing of an extra…or two...or even three! (please 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! Also, at our Bulletin Board you will find a lot more in the form of links to other Chan-related items of possible interest! (PLEASE NOTE: If YOU would like to contribute to our upcoming 2023, it is never too early to develop your offering!)
OUR OCTOBER POLL is available on our Bulletin Board or our Home Page…or directly at this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8CWXFPJ
This month’s poll question: How do you watch Charlie Chan movies?
HAVE YOU PURCHASED THIS, YET?
Our own "HonoluLou," Lou Armagno, has recently published a fantastic, thoroughly researched, well-produced new book focusing on the aphorisms of Charlie Chan as found in the original Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers! A MUST for any serious Charlie Chan fan! To learn more about this book, please visit our BULLETIN BOARD section: https://charliechan.org/bulletin-board/
Thank you so much, Lou, for creating the most unique of Charlie Chan studies!
NEXT WEEK: We continue the Roland Winters era of the Charlie Chan film series with “Docks of New Orleans.” We will continue sharing “The Green Hornet,” a 13-part serial featuring Keye Luke as we share Part 2!
SO… take care, and let’s meet again within the humble yet welcoming confines of our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room, located at charliechan.org, as we share “The Chinese Ring.”
