“Only make haste when catching flea.” (Charlie Chan – “Charlie Chan’s Greatest Case”)
Our film for this week is “Mr. Moto’s Gamble,” starring Peter Lorre as Mr. Moto with Keye Luke as Lee Chan in the film that began its existence as “Charlie Chan at the Ringside,” a project that was scrapped about a week into shooting due to Warner Oland’s sudden departure from the set. It is suggested that Mr. Oland had suffered a nervous breakdown, as the actor’s life was in turmoil at the time. In this film, we see Charlie Chan’s Number One Son, lee, as he takes a criminology course from the respected detective, Mr. Moto. As with the many cases that he had worked on with his famous Pop, this opportunity to learn some of the finer points in crime detection soon leads to an actual case of murder! In the course of finding the solution, we will hear Mr. Moto state a number of VERY Chan-like aphorisms!
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).
FILM NOTES: “Mr. Moto’s Gamble,” as noted already, was a “retooled” film made in part with scenes that had already been shot for “Charlie Chan at the Ringside.” Warner Oland began shooting “Charlie Chan at the Ringside” in January of 1938, but the production was halted when the actor walked off the set on the 17th of that month. According to news items, there was a dispute between Oland and the studio. In this picture, we can hear a number of aphorisms stated by Moto that were clearly penned for the lips of Charlie Chan. Also, we will see a number of familiar faces in this movie, such as Harold Huber in much the same role that we see him in in “Charlie Chan on Broadway.” Who can you find in this week’s film?
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.
BAD NEWS…this week’s film, “Mr Moto’s Gamble,” is NOT available at YouTube. However, at YouTube, if you search for “Gamble,” you will come across several links to sites offering this film if you sign up with them.
NEXT WEEK (May 4) we will be sharing “Charlie Chan in Honolulu,” the first appearance of Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan, as well as Sen Yung as Number Two Son, Jimmy, not to mention the appearance of the late Layne Tom, Jr. as Tommy Chan!
ADDITIONAL NOTE: For those of us who are in the Southern California region, on May 1-2 the Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo will be showing “Castle in the Desert.” For any who have experienced to Chan film in this intimate setting, I am sure that you can attest to the unique quality of the experience! For more information, please call (310) 322-2592 or visit their website: www.oldtownmusichall.org. Perhaps we could make it a Friday night Chan Family get-together by those of us in the Southern California area?
Please have a happy and safe Monday, and let’s all get together for another Chan-filled evening of fun and sharing as we watch “Mr. Moto’s Gamble.” See you there!
To my great regret, I'm never able to take part in the Monday night revels, but I did see this film about 3 months ago. I had no idea what the background was! There had to be some rewriting, because I daresay Lorre was a little more energetic and physical than Oland seemed to be!
