As Lou noted, I work on this site "in my spare time," which is sadly in too sort a supply! Both of you gentlemen make great points! I will bring the main issue up at tonight's Chat session and see what the collected thoughts are there in this regard. one of our most active members is also very much into Facebook and, in fact, has already set-up a Facebook site (is that the correct terminology?) linked to this present site. perhaps she can link to the others and that can at least become something of a beginning?
I feel that another reality is that many Charlie Chan fans are "aging out." Younger people, for the most part, have probably never even heard of Mr. Chan, and if they have, any reference may have come by them in the form of a negative snipe in a sociology or a film history class, etc. in college! If we could get one or more of the nostalgia-based cable channels to carry occasional Charlie Chan movies, that could go some way in remedying the situation, perhaps. Anyway...
Yes Rush,
I agree that we may be "aging out." I'm, er, north (way north) of 50 and I first saw a Charlie Chan film on Saturday afternoon TV in Pittsburgh sometime in the mid-60s. At work, I'm one of the oldest people on my floor and tried a non-scientific experiment yesterday: I asked 9 colleagues who I took to all be under 35 if they'd ever seen a Charlie Chan movie or heard the name. Eight of the nine were clueless; "No man, is he on 'Game of Thrones'? "Didn't he do some films with Kurosawa"? "Is that a guy or a chick"? You get the idea.
One fellow said he'd seen "The Jade Mask" and "The Chinese Cat" only because his father had them on DVD. I'm going to lend him three movies and see what he thinks. Recruiting new viewers can be an uphill fight in these "PC" times (and you know what I'm talking about)
I like your term "aging out"! That's a nice way of putting it Jamison. I first saw the Chan films in the early 80's on my local PBS station and have loved them ever since.
I'm going to give some DVDs to my local library in the hopes of sparking some interest in Chan and perhaps offering to do a Friday night showing this winter. Our local arts council has outdoor movies and I may approach them about showing Chan. These films have multiple appeals - art/film/history etc. To see them is to love them.
Janin,
That's a very good idea about donating DVDs to a library. I'm going to approach someone in charge at my neighborhood library and see if they're amenable.
I approached the person in charge of acquiring DVDs and blu-rays at my local library about donating three or four Chan DVDS and two "Saints." She said she appreciated the offer, but no thanks because the films were all in black-and-white and the Chan flicks would probably be "unacceptable" to library members. I tried to get her to say why,exactly, but she hemmed and hawed and I had other places to go.
