Dear Rush:

It's as if Christmas came 6 months early this week with the arrival of the Charlie Chan Volume 1 collection in my mailbox yesterday! In addition to the special features, I am quite impressed with how well Fox has digitally re-mastered these prints onto DVD, aren't you? You can appreciate this even more after viewing the side-by-side comparison of an original print with the re-mastered version on one of the featurettes. The only negatives are the references to "His Captive Woman", and the mispelling of "Sydney" Toler, but these are minor missteps. It would also have been cool to have a trailer for each of the 4 films in the collection rather than the "CC in London" trailer repeated on each disc, but I presume these are considered lost. What really pleases me much though is that my 12 year old son is getting interested in the Charlie Chan films - and this is a boy who wouldn't even consider watching a black and white movie a few short months ago. I guess he's just been intrigued about understanding why Dad has been so anxious about the pending release of the Fox Chan's on DVD.

I did some homework on Hamilton MacFadden's mother, and yes indeed she was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in the gubernatorial election of 1928. Edith H. MacFadden was a minor party candidate (as you suspected) identified on the Independent Citizen ticket. She garnered only 928 votes out of over 1.5 million votes cast in that election, representing barely one-tenth of 1 percent of the total vote. I believe that Mrs. MacFadden, as well as a Socialist party candidate who also ran that year, were the first female candidates to run for Governor of Massachusetts. I checked future elections, but do not see where she ever ran again. Can't blame her I suppose as she must have been a little disappointed with finishing last in a field of 7 candidates

Have you any more history on Hamilton MacFadden? He seems to have alternated between writing, directing and taking minor roles in films during the '30's and early '40's. I see on IMDB.com that he passed away in 1977, but it doesn't indicate where. Am curious if/why he left Hollywood and perhaps returned to the Bay State?

Thank you so much again - and happy viewing!

Sincerely, Roy

Dear Roy,

Yes, it does, indeed, feel like an early Christmas, doesn't it? After holding our heads a bit low for the past three years following the caving of Fox Movie Channel to the misguided special interest pressure groups, this event is a welcome gust of fresh air. I think that we can also thank the brave folks at MGM Home Entertainment who paved the way by releasing the Chanthology two summers ago. I am sure that Fox paid attention and saw that there is still a magical love of Charlie Chan held by the American public as well as the world community.

Interesting research that you pulled up regarding Hamilton MacFadden's mother! All I have on the junior MacFadden's death is that he passed away in January of 1977. There are probably more details to be found, but, as you may note from information that is readilly available, his trail seems to go silent by the mid-1940s. It is possible that he returned home to Massechusetts, as you suggest. A worthy subject for future research, to be sure!

I think that the set would have had more trailers were they available, as you suggest. A few years ago there was a rumor that the trailer to "Charlie Chan Carries On" existed. It was a pretty well-substantiated rumor, and I think that the folks at Fox just didn't know of its existance. Also, as this film could not appear in the set (except for its Spanish-language sister, "Eran Trece" - which, by the way, is mistranslated as "THEY Were Thirteen" in stead of "THERE Were Thirteen" in the written material). I do know that there are a number of later trailers that DO exist, and those will probably appear in the releases of the next set or sets. Still, it was a treat to have the "Charlie Chan in London" previews, along with the exit music for the movie.

How wonderful that your son is showing an interest in Charlie Chan. Not only will he be watching first-rate detective films, he will also be exposed, in a very concrete manner, snippits of our history from that era.

I am sure that you are having lots of fun, and that is great. I think that we all deserve to enjoy the moment, hoping that it will be followed by more such moments of elation in the near future.

Sincerely,
Rush

Rush, You are a star! Nice job.

Tony

Dear Tony,

"Thank you so much," but, I feel that I was just doing something of my duty to the cause of casting Charlie Chan in the bright light that he deserves, especially so following the savagely negative campaign waged by special interest groups a few years ago. If all of us who appeared onscreen helped in our small way to counter the half-truths and outright falsehoods that have, at the hands of these misguided folks, been heaped upon the memory of the venerable detective, then we have done our part. Now, it is up to all of us to further prove the positivity and continued popularity of Charlie Chan by buying - and enjoying - the DVD set, and letting the powers that be at 20th Century-Fox know that they made the right decision in releasing these fine films. Happily, this seems to be the case from the get-go, as current sales are through the proverbial roof.

Again, thank you, yes, but, more importantly, please enjoy!

Sincerely,
Rush

Some of us have been lucky enough to have known Rush for several years now.

Believe me that, yes, Rush is a star who's finally getting the appreciation that he richly deserves for all the scholorship he's done on The Chan Family Home.

Plus Rush is one of the nicest people I've ever known--and the rest of the family ain't too shabby either!