CHAT NUMBER: 1,228

FROM CHARLIE CHAN: “Smart fly keep out of gravy.”

THIS WEEK: It’s Melbourne Cup time again! This is the night that we watch Charlie Chan at the Race Track, and, over the course of the evening, we will be handing out the names of the horses that are participating in the actual Melbourne Cup race that will take place about an hour following our Chat. When the results are in, we will know who holds the “winning ticket” and is thus the winner of this year’s coin, a 1936 silver half-dollar which commemorates the wager made by Charlie Chan in our movie!

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,” choosing the name you wish to use.

OUR FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” (1936; 70 minutes) Good news, this film IS available online for those who lack a personal copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ruan0GvDpeY

FEATURE SUMMARY: Following the suspicious disqualification of his horse, Avalanche, in the Melbourne Cup, Major Kent, a friend of Charlie Chan, returning to the United States with the thoroughbred via steamship, is found kicked to death in the horse’s stall. Chan investigates when the liner stops off in Honolulu. He discovers evidence of foul play, and when the detective uncovers fraud involving another race in Los Angeles, he, along with Number One Son, Lee, seeks to expose an international gambling ring as well as the murderer.

FEATURE NOTES: The Roxy Theatre in New York billed this film as “At the Race Track with Charlie Chan.” ‘Variety’ reviewed the movie as “Chan at the Race Track.” According to ‘Motion Picture Herald’ and ‘Liberty,’ some scenes in the film were shot at Santa Anita Racetrack in Arcadia, California, and the film contained footage of “some of the most spectacular events of the recent racing season.” ‘Motion Picture Herald’ also notes that the film “has a semi-topical significance in as much as a great antipodean horse, Pharlap, brought to this country a few years ago [from Australia], died under circumstances that have never been fully explained.” ‘Liberty’ notes that Technical Director Monroe Liebergold had been a jockey for the well-known horse breeder H. P. Whitney. Although ‘Hollywood Reporter’ production charts list Neil Fitzgerald and John Mooney as additional actors, only Neil Fitzgerald’s participation in the final film has been confirmed.

Horses are, by nature, not loners. It has long been a common practice for thoroughbred racehorses to be paired with a horse known as a companion pony which provides both a source of friendship and support. However, as we see in the case portrayed in “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” of Streamline’s pet monkey, Lollipop, these companion animals are not limited to horses. Other animals, such as dogs, goats, sheep, and, yes, monkeys, have been known to provide companionship to racehorses. In her article “What is a Companion Pony?” Jill Pellettieri notes that the famous horse Seabiscuit had a number of different companion animals and a horse named Pumpkin enjoyed the company of a dog named Pocatell and a spider monkey named Jo-Jo.


THIS WEEK’S EXTRAS:

Phar Lap - Racing Hall of Fame (Running time: 4:56)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPqatOLnxiU&t=22s


PHAR LAP TRIBUTE (Running time: 5:19)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-pe5e0F86s


Pharlap Wins Melbourne Cup (Running time: 1:46)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yEYRlYkOQQ


100 - 1 Winner (1936) (Running time: 2:29)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLIUXagvuFo



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 remains 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 NOVEMBER POLL is available on our Bulletin Board or our Home Page…or directly at this address: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/32XPZGP

This month’s poll question: I am thankful for…

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT? SANTA SAYS: “GET IT!”

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: “Docks of New Orleans” starring Roland Winters.

SO… Please join us for our Annual Melbourne Cup Night as we watch “Charlie Chan at the Race Track.” Happy wagering!

Sincerely,
Rush Glick