Our Monday Evening Chat/Film Viewing: "Charlie Chan at the Circus"
Greetings as we reach the end of September…Fall is upon us, and as the first signs of summer’s end are apparent in that slight morning chill and the first falling leaves, we take a brief detour to celebrate the birthday of Warner Oland. Warner Oland was born Johan Verner Ölund on October 3, 1879 in rural village of Bjurholm, Sweden, which is located about 300 miles north of Stockholm. Just after his thirteenth birthday, on October 15, 1892, he emigrated to the United States with his parents, Jonas Ölund, a shopkeeper, and Maria Jojana Forsberg.
Our film for this week’s Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing will be “Charlie Chan at the Circus” starring Warner Oland. This adventure begins as a Chan family trip to the mainland and soon changes to another instance of the venerable family patriarch becoming entrenched in yet another murder case. Not only is Charlie Chan seeking to solve a very puzzling crime, but he and Number One Son, Lee, are trying to save a small-time circus as well!
FILM NOTES: According to ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news items and production charts, June Lang and John Dilson were to be in the cast, but their participation in the final film has not been confirmed. According to another ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item, the film was shot "on location at the Al G. Barnes winter quarters," and a ‘Motion Picture Herald’ pre-release article states that "the Barnes Circus [was] used as a background for production settings." In a mid-1980s interview, Keye Luke mentioned that the winter home of the circus used in the film was in the eastern Los Angeles community of El Monte.
Please join us in our Chat Room which is located at our Charlie Chan Family Home: www.charliechan.info, and use any of the “Chat Room” links to join us. We begin with arrivals and greetings at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and we roll our personal copies of our film exactly 15 minutes later (8:15).
Even if you cannot access a copy of the above-noted film, please do join us anyway, as you will NOT be left out of our ongoing chat and festivities. Also, as is our custom, newcomers are offered the seat of honor at our humble table. Many of our films, such as this week’s entry, may be found available for viewing online through such outlets as YouTube, etc. Again this week we have HAPPY NEWS! A check at YouTube reveals that “Charlie Chan at the Circus” IS available online at YouTube for viewing. You may find it at this address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89MMEVNWBxg
NEXT WEEK (October 7) we will be viewing “Shadows Over Chinatown.”
CC ON DVD: If you have not already done so, please consider ordering your copy of the new “Charlie Chan Collection” Warner Brothers box DVD collection! The best price I have found thus far is from Amazon.com at $28.79 with FREE postage! Hawaii Steve notes that this collection may be purchased at Oldies.com for $21.80 plus postage! So, get yours now!
Take care, have a restful day off, and let’s all get together for another Chan-filled evening of fun and sharing as we celebrate Warner Oland’s birthday and watch “Charlie Chan at the Circus.”
