Today I had the great honor to meet both Noel Neill and James Hong, two very nice people. I asked the former if she had any recollections regarding the filming of "The Sky Dragon." She told me that she recalled very little from the making of that movie. She went on to state that "you come in and shoot all of your scenes in a day, and then go." Ms. Noell said that she really didn't get much opportunity to get to know any of the other actors/actresses in the film. This made sense, especially when considering Monogram Pictures' very tight budgets. Shooting schedules were probably very tight in order to save money.

Regarding the Superman DVD set for the first season of the series that is set to be released sometime in the future, Noel Neill said that, as she was not Lois Lane for that initial season, that she was not connected at all with this release. However, Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen, did work on the release and will appear.

James Hong was a very kind gentleman who graciously answered the question that I asked him regarding "The New Adventures of Charlie Chan. I asked why some shows took place in London. He told me that these shows were shot there simply because the producer thought it would be nice. My feeling is that this was also done to help sell the show to British TV. Mr. Hong seemed proud of his portrayal of Charlie Chan's number one son, Barry in that series, but I didn't geet too deep with him on this, as he was very busy signing photos for other fans. Hopefully, I will be able get in touch with him to ask him more questions. As I walked away from his tabble, I thought how perfect James Hong would be for the role should a new Charlie Chan film ever be shot. He certainly didn't show his 75 years...

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Great information Rush! Thank you so much for asking our questions and getting back to us. It is much appreciated.

I'm sure Mr. Hong appreciated you remembering a role that most people probably have forgotten about. He has his own website (www.jameshong.com) and his list of credits is indeed quite lengthy. It appears that one can e-mail him through that website. Your suggestion that he could play Chan is an excellent one.

Steve

Hey Thanks Rush!! James Hong has been a favorite of mine as far as character actors. I've seen him show up in many a show including M*A*S*H and, I believe The Lois And Clark series.

I agree with Steve about the "forgotten role". Too often people talk about his present career and not much about when he first began.

Chris M.

Dear Chris,

There was a definite sparkle in his eyes when I brought up the Chan TV show. I think he has fond memories of that show. He told me that he has some pictures of himself as "Number One Son" Barry Chan, and that these could be had via requests made through his Website (www.jameshong.com). He will probably bring them to the next signing he attends, hopefully in April.

My meeting with Mr. Hong has inspired me to purchase the rest of the TV series. I watched an episode that included him the night before going to L.A. to see him, and, when I briefly described the episode, he recalled it very well. As I understand, Mr. Hong is actively involved in producing films today. Wouldn't it be nice to have HIM produce, and star in, a Charlie Chan remake? (Lucy Liu, please step aside. Perhaps you could play Chan's number one daughter? )

At the signing event, Mr. Hong's son and daughter accompanied him to help out. Like their father, they were very appreciative and cordial individuals.

Sincerely,
Rush