“People who listen at keyholes rarely hear good of themselves.” (Charlie Chan - “The Golden Eye”)

Greetings! The film we will be viewing together for this week’s Monday Evening Chat and Film Viewing is “The Golden Eye,” starring Roland Winters, with Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown, and Victor Sen Yung as Tommy Chan.

So, 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).

SUMMARY: In San Francisco's Chinatown, an Arizona mine owner named Manning visits a curio shop seeking help from Charlie Chan because he believes that someone is out to kill him. While in the shop, Manning is shot at by an unseen assailant. Later, Chan agrees to help Manning. Posing as a dealer in oriental curios, Chan travels to the Manning home where he finds that Manning has been gravely injured in a mysterious accident in his mine. Very suspicious of the situation, Chan, along with his number two son Tommy and assistant Birmingham Brown proceed with what proves to be a very dangerous investigation.

THE FACTS:
Monogram Pictures Corporation
Distributed: Monogram Pictures Corporation, August 29, 1948
Production: Mid- to late April 1948
Copyright: Monogram Pictures Corporation, August 22, 1948; LP1857
Sound: Western Electric Recording
Film: Black and white
Length: 6,224 feet
Running Time: 69 minutes
Production Code Administration Certificate Number: 13185
Source: Based on the character created by Earl Derr Biggers

Producer: James S. Burkett
Director: William Beaudine
Assistant Director: Wesley Barry
Original Screenplay: W. Scott Darling
Photography: William Sickner
Production Supervisor: Allen K. Wood
Supervising Film Editor: Otho Lovering
Editor: Ace Herman
Musical Director: Edward J. Kay
Art Direction: Dave Milton
Recording: Franklin Hansen
Camera Operator: John Martin (not credited)
Stills: Al St. Hillaire (not credited)
Set Decorations: Raymond Boltz, Jr. (not credited)
Sound: John Kean (not credited)
Makeup: Webb Overlander (not credited)
Hair Stylist: Lela Chambers (not credited)
Screenplay Supervisor: Jules Levy (not credited)
Grip: Grant Tucker (not credited)

CAST:

Roland Winters: Charlie Chan (also posing as "Chan, dealer in Oriental curios")
Wanda McKay: Evelyn Manning
Mantan Moreland: Birmingham Brown
Victor Sen Young: Tommy Chan
Bruce Kellogg: Talbot Bartlett
Tim Ryan: Lt. Mike Ruark (also posing as Vincent O'Brien)
Evelyn Brent: Sister Teresa
Ralph Dunn: [Jim] Driscoll
Lois Austin: Mrs. Margaret Driscoll
Forrest Taylor: Manning
Lee "Lasses" White: Pete
Lee Tung Foo: Wong Fai (not credited)
Michael Gaddis: Pursuer (not credited)
Sam Flint: Man (not credited)
Geraldine Cobb: Girl in Riding Clothes (not credited)
Mary Ann Hawkins: Bathing Girl (not credited)
Aileen Babs Cox: Bathing Girl (not credited)
Edmund Cobb, John Merton: Miners (neither credited)
Jack Gargan: Voice from Darkness (not credited)
Tom Tyler; Gang Member (?) (not credited)
Herman Cantor: Gang Member (?) (not credited)
George Spaulding: Dr. Groves (not credited)
Bill Walker: Gang Member (not credited)

FILM NOTES: The working title of this film was “The Mystery of the Golden Eye.” The opening title card reads: “Charlie Chan in ‘The Golden Eye’”. The Call Bureau Cast Service lists Herman Cantor and Sam McDaniel in the cast, but they do not appear in the finished film that we have available today. Copyright records list George L. Spaulding as Dr. Groves, but the role was played by Sam Flint. Richard Loo, Barbara Jean Wong, and Tom Tyler are also listed in the cast, but they do not appear in the finished 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, new comers 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.

HAPPY NEWS…this week’s film, “The Golden Eye,” IS available at YouTube, at this address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StnQb23Pt-g

NEXT WEEK (Monday, December 14) our featured film will be “The Feathered Serpent.”

Please have a very pleasant and safe Monday, and let’s get together at the Chat for another Chan-filled evening together!

Sincerely,
Rush Glick