OUR CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY MONDAY EVENING CHAT FOR October 23, 2023: “Docks of New Orleans”
CHAT NUMBER: 1,226
FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Patience – must harvest rice before can boil it.”
THIS WEEK: We join Charlie Chan, son, Tommy, and Birmingham Brown in the Crescent City as we share a viewing of “Docks of New Orleans.”
OUR CHAT ROOM: Go to our “Chat Room” page, and, at the bottom of that page, click on the “Charlie Chan Family Chat Room ENTRANCE” link. You may then enter as a “Guest.” (You may also register at RumbleTalk, our Chat Room’s host, if you so choose, however, this limits you to a specific name.)
OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Docks of New Orleans” (1948; 64 minutes) Sadly, this film IS NOT available online for those who lack a personal copy.
FEATURE SUMMARY: Simon Lafontanne, head of a chemical company, goes to consult Charlie Chan who is staying in New Orleans along with his number two son, Tommy, and his chauffeur and assistant, Birmingham Brown. Lafontanne suspects that he has an enemy who is having him followed everywhere he goes. Chan agrees to investigate further just before Lafontanne is nearly kidnapped in front of the detective’s residence. The next morning, a pair of Lafontanne’s business partners pressure him to sign a clause that has been added to their business agreement whereby, in the event of the death of any of the principals, his share of the profits will go to the remaining partners. A short time later, Lafontanne is found dead in his office, apparently of a heart attack, but Charlie Chan believes otherwise.
FEATURE NOTES: The film’s title card reads: “Charlie Chan in Docks of New Orleans.” Despite the title, the docks are seen only briefly during the credit titles, and, during the opening scene of the film, they are suggested as the ship ‘Presidente’ is being loaded through a cargo door with chemicals from the Lafontanne Chemical Company. Although not acknowledged in the onscreen credits, the film’s story was derived from Monogram’s 1938 picture, “Mr. Wong, Detective.” The working title for this movie was “Charlie Chan in New Orleans.”
THIS WEEK’S EXTRA:
The Green Hornet (Chapter 2 - The Thundering Terror) (1940)
OUR MESSAGE BOARD: Please consider visiting our Message Board. Feel free to add a message to a post or begin a conversation…or state a thought! Our Message Board has been there for YOU since 2004!
AS ALWAYS, WE BEGIN OUR EVENING at 7:30 Eastern Time with a 45-minute block of time for arrivals and greetings, and the sharing of an extra…or two...or even three! (please see above). Then, at precisely 8:15 ET, we begin running our feature film simultaneously starting our personal or online copies of this week’s feature!
AT OUR BULLETIN BOARD: THE CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY HOME 2022 NEWSLETTER is now available at our “Bulletin Board” at our Charlie Chan Family Home! Also, at our Bulletin Board you will find a lot more in the form of links to other Chan-related items of possible interest! (PLEASE NOTE: If YOU would like to contribute to our upcoming 2023, it is never too early to develop your offering!)
OUR OCTOBER POLL is available on our Bulletin Board or our Home Page…or directly at this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8CWXFPJ
This month’s poll question: How do you watch Charlie Chan movies?
HAVE YOU PURCHASED THIS, YET? IT’S A GOOD ONE!
Our own "HonoluLou," Lou Armagno, has recently published a fantastic, thoroughly researched, well-produced new book focusing on the aphorisms of Charlie Chan as found in the original Chan mysteries by Earl Derr Biggers! A MUST for any serious Charlie Chan fan! To learn more about this book, please visit our BULLETIN BOARD section: https://charliechan.org/bulletin-board/
Thank you so much, Lou, for creating the most unique of Charlie Chan studies!
NEXT WEEK: IF YOU DARE, please consider joining us for our ANNUAL CCF VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN PARTY, as we view “Charlie Chan at the Opera” with BORIS KARLOFF! Also, we will continue sharing our “extra,” “The Green Hornet,” a 13-part serial featuring Keye Luke as we share Part 3!
SO… take care, and let’s meet again within the humble and welcoming confines of our Charlie Chan Family Chat Room (since 2000!), located at charliechan.org, as we share “Docks of New Orleans.”
