Honorable Chan Society;

I was just wondering (here we go with the hat thing again), did anyone notice in "Castle in the Desert" that when Honorable Chan step from the taxi that brought him to the towns only hotel, that when he steped from the taxi his white hat was creased or "dented" in the back of his hat and the next scene, seemingly by magic the dent was gone. Hollywood magic I guess, sort of like the guns that seem not to run out of bullits, etc.

Also, I was wondering if (and it may have already been discussed somewhere here) but it seems after Sidney Toler purchased the rights to the name and the movies, that a happier, more playful and sometimes more friendlier to sons, daughters and servants seemed to emerge. Not reflecting anything wrong with Honorable Mr. Chan in any other pictures, but in my humble opinion, he seemed to have more time for laughter (not always dry humor), but he seemed to interact more with Moreland, Willie Best and others and even making the observation he may have made a mistake or did something wrong lending him to have a more "human touch" than in previous movies.

Please do not get me wrong, I am not criticising anyone, just trying to make an observation of my own.

Even though the quality and sometimes the scripts were not as well written with the "Monogram Pictures" (believed to be the mecca for "B" pictures in those times ... look at all their wonderful westerns they made), but for me I like their work.

One other thing, a sort of a question. I have been nearly exclusively watching the Charlie Chan movies and very little other things on televisions, but without going back and watch those again yesterday and Thursday of which I watched around 12 Charlie Chan movies. I heard a phrase that said, "It's wonderful what doctors know, it's what they don't know that will kill you." Now this sounds like something that the Honorable Charlie Chan would say, but I did see a little other television in the last three days and I was wondering if anyone recognizes that saying and if it indeed came from Mr. Chan in one of those 12 shows starting back the 12 before "Shadows Over Chinarown" and more than likely just 6 back. If he said it, I could not find it in our Aphorisms list.

I am still watching for the phrase "Feet's don't fail me now." which was a question asked last August and I have wracked my humble brain. I know I have seen it somewhere and know the phrase and movie exists, but my thinking is that it was not said by anyone in a Charlie Chan film, although I can be wrong. Mantan Moreland nearly says it in several pictures and is similiar, but not the same. The exact phrase was said by someone, but my mind is not as sharp as it used to be. I keep thinking it was Lou Costello in one of their horror flicks, but I will figure it out after all the Honorable Charlie Chan was not the only detective around. I am retired after 38 years as Captain of Detectives and Chief of Police so I know a thing or three. LOL

Anyway, I love you guys. Have a great weekend.

Ken Miller

Dear Ken,

Your lengthy post deserves a longer response than I can give at the moment. I will try to do so later, if I may.

I will say, though, that you have provided our resident "Blooper Snooper" Virginia with another one regarding the dent in Mr. Chan's hat that magically vanishes.

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Dear Ken,

I now have a few minutes to get back to your observations as promised!

First, as i noted earlier, the self-repairing dent in Charlie chan's hat is probably best shelved in the minor bloopers department. The scene where he emerges from the taxi/bus and the following one where he is outside the vehicle could have been shot an hour apart (or more!). This would have been plenty of time for the props person to have noticed the dent and fix it, no one realizing that it appeared on camera with the dent.

Now, with regard to Charlie Chan's more humorous and thus "kinder" attitude toward his children in the Monogram era of the series, I feel that this can be ascribed to that studio's injection of a more lighthearted feel into the movies. From the start, especially whith the inclusion of Birmingham Brown, the Monogram Chans had definite moments of pure comedy which were far less subtle than anything Fox ever added for a chuckle.

I simply believe that this was an integral part of the Monogram "formula." Along with this, Charlie Chan was allowed to crack a joke on occasion, often at the expense of a son (usually Tommy) or daughter. We can note that even when Mr. Chan might make something of an acidic comment to one of his offspring as well as Birmingham, that, as he walks away, he has a smile on his face, showing that he didn't really mean it.

Sidney Toler shopped the on-screen rights for the Charlie Chan character around following the end of the series at 20th Century-Fox. It was, of course, Monogram Pictures who decided to accept Toler's offer. With that, Charlie Chan took on a different "feel." I do not feel that Mr. Toler had much of a say in how the character would be portrayed. This was the decision of the studio, I am certain, although they probably gave the venerable actor some degree of creative freedom, allowing him to do what he had done so well at Fox.

Now as for the aphoristic statement made by Sheriff Mack in "The Jade Mask": "It's wonderful what doctors know, it's what they don't know that will kill you." This was a Sheriff Mack "original" which was never uttered by Charlie Chan in any film. I think that Sheriff Mack is one of the more interesting supporting characters to appear in any Chan film, and he said a few other appropriatly funny things during this movie.

Thank you for your patience as it took me this long to reply sufficiently to your original post!

Sincerely,
Rush

Thank you so much.