TONIGHT our chat film will be: "Black Magic" (aka: "Meeting at Midnight")
August 8, 2016
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “New toot out of old horn.”
August rolls on as we continue along our path which meanders through the Charlie Chan film series! Tonight we share the film which was originally titled “Black Magic” but was later retitled “Meeting at Midnight” (presumably so as not to be confused with the 1949 Orson Welles film also titled “Black Magic”). In this adventure, Charlie Chan works with daughter Frances (played by Frances Chan) as well as Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) who, as fate would have it, just happens to become involved in yet another Chan murder case! He might as well become a full-time member of Chan’s team, which, indeed he will from this one on…!
Also, as has been the case lately, we will be sharing, before our featured film presentation, an “extra.” Tonight, our “bonus” presentation will feature the 20th Century-Fox featurette “Number One Son: The Life of Keye Luke” which can be found on the Fox DVD for “Charlie Chan at the Race Track.” Unfortunately, this featurette is not available online, but we can give a running description of the content to those who lack the video!
OUR PRESENTATIONS: “Black Magic” (“Meeting at Midnight”) (1944); runtime: 65 minutes…AND “Number One Son: The Life of Keye Luke” (2006); total runtime: 14:28.
FILM SUMMARY: A murder occurs during a séance conducted by a fraudulent medium. Birmingham Brown, who happens to be on the premises when the killing occurs as is Charlie Chan's daughter, Frances. Chan finds himself entangled in a dangerous web as he follows the killer's trail of death in a case that has its origins a decade in the past.
TIME: We begin with arrivals and greetings at 7:30 EASTERN TIME. Then, we share our special short “extras” which will be followed at exactly 8:15 when we roll our feature, “Black Magic.”
LOCATION: Our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room, which is accessed at http://www.charliechan.info/id17.html.
IF YOU LACK A COPY OF OUR FILM: Often our features can be found available online, happily, our feature is presently available at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo-7AwC2nRM
OF NOTE: The working titles of this film were “Murder Chamber” and “Charlie Chan in the Murder Chamber.” It was also reviewed as “Charlie Chan in Black Magic.” The film was later reissued as “Meeting at Midnight,” probably so as to avoid confusion following the 1949 release of the Orson Wells film also titled “Black Magic.” Although a ‘Hollywood Reporter’ news item lists Trevor Bardette in the cast, his participation in the completed film has not been confirmed.
PLEASE have a happy Monday, and let’s gather tonight for another Chan-filled evening together!
