Our film for this week’s Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing will be “The Trap” starring Sidney Toler and featuring Victor Sen Yung as Number Two Son, Jimmy For the final time with that name as he will be called “Tommy” for the remainder of the Chan series), and also there’s Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown. In this, the final adventure with Sidney Toler in the title role, we find Charlie Chan and company within the confines (and sometimes at the beach!) of a Malibu beach house; a house full of “interesting” suspects. Which one is the killer?
FILM NOTES: Working titles for “The Trap” were “Murder in Malibu Beach” and “Charlie Chan in the Trap.” This is one of two Chan films in the series proper to have been filmed in large measure on location, the other being “The Black Camel” (1931). “The Trap” marked the final film appearance for Sidney Toler, who died on February 12, 1947. Roland Winters assumed the role of Charlie Chan in the 1947 film “The Chinese Ring.” Also, watch for “the man in the white tee shirt” on the beach who flashes past the camera at the :37 mark during the opening credits!
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. GOOD NEWS…this week our film, “The Trap,” IS available at YouTube! You will find it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLCyIl56d7M
NEXT WEEK (October 28) we will be viewing “Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum,” starring Sidney Toler as we hold our Annual Charlie Chan Family Virtual Halloween Party. Come attired in virtual costume as a character from any film from the Charlie Chan film series, as well as the TV series, “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan.” You may be a human or animal, good or bad, disguised or undisguised. More later…
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 watch “The Trap.”
