OUR CCF MONDAY EVENING CHAT FOR April 8, 2024: “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo”
CHAT NUMBER: 1,250
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Action speak louder than French.”
THIS WEEK: Please join us as we share “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.”
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,” choosing the name you wish to use.
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo” (1937; 71 minutes) Yes, this film IS available online for those who lack a personal copy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBmBxp2142I
FEATURE SUMMARY: Charlie Chan and number one son Lee are passing through Monte Carlo on their way to Paris for an art show in which Lee has a painting. They meet Inspector Jules Joubert, chief of police of Monte Carlo with whom they work to solve the murder of the courier of a wealthy financier, Victor Karnoff, who was carrying a fortune in bonds. Among the many suspects are Savarin, a bitter financial rival of Karnoff, Evelyn Gray, a beautiful blonde without visible means of support, and Al Rogers, a shady bartender who is blackmailing Mrs. Karnoff.
FEATURE NOTES: “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo” was Warner Oland’s last film. He had begun work on “Charlie Chan at the Ringside” in January of 1938, but the production was halted when the actor walked off the set on the 17th of that month. According to news items, there was a dispute between Oland and the studio. Reportedly suffering from a nervous breakdown, Oland spent the month of February in a hospital. In March, having significantly recovered, he signed a contract with Twentieth Century-Fox to make three more Charlie Chan films. It was agreed that the actor would take a break and sail to Europe, and then begin shooting the next Charlie Chan movie, “Charlie Chan in Honolulu,” upon his return. However, Oland contracted a fatal case of bronchial pneumonia while visiting the country of his birth, Sweden, passing away on August 6, 1938.
THIS WEEK’S EXTRAS: Our weekly “extras” are offered to provide enhanced background information for our featured film, hopefully enriching our viewers’ appreciation of each film’s place in actual history, culture, and context.
EXTRA #1: Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHL8lm00ypM
Running time: 9:00
EXTRA #2: Going INSIDE The Monte Carlo Casino In Monaco - 4K Walking Tour Travel Vlog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btJ2aWCJzLM
Running time: 6:16
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 2023 NEWSLETTER is available for your enjoyment at our “Bulletin Board” and “Study” (under the “Charlie Chan” category) at our Charlie Chan Family Home!
OUR APRIL POLL is available on our Bulletin Board or directly at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/72WF3VN
PAST POLL RESULTS: https://charliechan.org/past-monthly-poll-results/
NEXT WEEK: “Mr. Moto’s Gamble,” the film project that began shooting as “Charlie Chan at the Ringside.”
SO… Please join us for what Charlie Chan and Number One Son, Lee encounter murder and intrigue as they stop, presumably briefly in Monte Carlo on the way to Paris, as we say a fondly sad adieu to Warner Oland in “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.”
