The House on Punchbowl Hill



















 

 

The Charlie Chan Family Bulletin Board

Welcome to our Bulletin Board.  In this section of our Charlie Chan family Home we post current information on events, releases, etc. that relate to Charlie Chan.  If you would like us to include some Chan-related item of interest that we may have overlooked, please mail us the information.

 
 

A CHARLIE CHAN WEEKEND IN HONOLULU:

 
 

CHARLIE CHAN ON ONLINE RADIO:

On Tuesday, July 6, film maker Harvey Chertok will discuss his documentary on the films of Charlie Chan on online radio's "Dave White Presents." The 90 minutes of variety entertainment will also include an interview with musician David "White Bird" LaFlamme and TV’s Green Hornet, Van Williams.

 

The show debuts twice on the 6th over www.KSAV.org. On Wed., July 7, it will become available for 24/7 download access at www.audioentertainment.org/dwp. For further details, check out the Dave White Presents Facebook page.

 

So bring along your Number One son, daughter, friends and foes and join us for 90 minutes of the "predictably unpredictable" on Dave White Presents!

 


Dr. Wesley Britton

 
 

 FROM 20TH CENTURY-FOX:
 
Charlie Chan the International Investigator

A DVD collection of 18 Charlie Chan films, including:
The Black Camel
Charlie Chan in London
Charlie Chan in Paris
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Charlie Chan in Shanghai
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
Charlie Chan at the Opera
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
Charlie Chan at the Circus
Charlie Chan's Secret
Charlie Chan on Broadway
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Charlie Chan in Honolulu
Charlie Chan in Reno
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
Murder Over New York
 
This 18-disc set does not contain the extra features that are an integral part of the original 20th Century-Fox DVD releases.  At this time, there is a very limited availability of this set.  Costco is one outlet that carries it at present ($49.99) along with other online sellers such as Oldies.com ($69.98) and .  Please beware of sellers charging too much due to scant availability.

 

AND, FROM THE NOSTALGIA MERCHANT:
 
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan

A 10-disc DVD collection of all 39 episodes of the 1958 Charlie Chan television series starring J. Carrol Naish as Charlie Chan and James Hong as his Number One Son.
 
This DVD set costs $36.95 and can be ordered directly from The Nostalgia Merchant.

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
STILL ON DVD FROM 2OTH CENTURY-FOX...

CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION, VOLUME 1...
 
The films included are:
 
Charlie Chan in London
Charlie Chan in Paris
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Charlie Chan in Shanghai
and Eran Trece (the Spanish-language version of Charlie Chan Carries On with English subtitles!) plus many extras!

 
 

Charlie Chan Collection, Volume 2

 
CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION, VOLUME 2...
 
The films included are:
 
Charlie Chan at the Opera
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
Charlie Chan at the Circus
plus many extras!

 
 
 

CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION, VOLUME 3...
 
The films included are:
 
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
Charlie Chan on Broadway
Charlie Chan's Secret
The Black Camel
plus many extras!

 
 
 
 
 

CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION, VOLUME 4...
 
The films included are:
 
Charlie Chan in Honolulu
Charlie Chan in Reno
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
City in Darkness
plus many extras!

 
 
 
 
 

CHARLIE CHAN COLLECTION, VOLUME 5

The films included are:
 
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
Murder Over New York
Dead Men Tell
Charlie Chan in Rio
Charlie Chan in Panama
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
Castle in the Desert
plus extras!

 
 

Steve Fredrick's Charlie Chan Mystery Tour:

From: The Honolulu Advertiser (March 27, 2009)

Walking tour visits 31 sites with ties to fictional character

By Dave Dondoneau
TGIF Editor

Starting this Sunday, fans and historians can spend three hours hitting the pavement and playing detective in Chinatown with historian Steve Fredrick on his Charlie Chan Mystery Tour

Fredrick will lead participants to 31 sites that have a documented history associated with the fictional detective's adventures. He will even take you to the Chinatown neighborhood of Honolulu policeman Chang Apana, who some historians believe inspired writer Earl Derr Biggers to create his Chan character.

"As a historian I pride myself as being as accurate as possible," Fredrick said. "Out of 31 Charlie Chan-related sites that the tour visits, all are confirmed except for five locations. These five sites take us to within a building or two of the exact location."

The premise behind Fredrick's tour: The world-famous detective is missing, and nobody knows where he is. Your job is to hit the pavement with Fredrick and find out what's happened to him. Cost is $35 per person, and you'd best bring sunblock and wear some good walking shoes.

"By means of a series of clues and historical notes, the tour guests visit the sites frequented by Chang Apana, Earl Derr Biggers, and the cast and crew of the movie 'The Black Camel,' " Fredrick said. "It's a two-mile walk through downtown Honolulu and the Aloha Marketplace."

The tour visits the sites of former police stations, coffee shops, gambling houses, movie theaters, and the residence of Number One Son, Chan's fictional first-born.

Chan has been one of the most memorable characters in detective history. However, the character also has been criticized over the years by some who considered it to foster and perpetuate offensive racial stereotypes.

From: Lou Armagno, Postal Affairs Manager, Pacific Air Forces

 
 

A Charlie Chan TV commercial for Volkswagen (circa 1968)

Take a look at a TV commercial made by Volkswagen to advertize its classic Beetle, circa 1968, featuring Charlie Chan!

 
 

A lantern that shed light on Charlie Chan...and others that could have...

Upon viewing Charlie Chan's Secret, Chan fan and lantern collector and expert, George Burl, graciously contributed the following images of vintage lanterns.  One example is seen in the above-mentioned film, while two others are of related interest.

Urlich's lantern. Charlie Chan's Secret. It's called a Dietz D-Light, circa 1912.

This is Swedish, Primus 1001, circa 1930, Warner Oland's homeland.

Coleman lantern L220, circa 1928. Popular in movies from the Charlie Chan era, 1930's and later.

"These lanterns are similiar, but not exactly the same as those appearing in the Charlie Chan movie, Dead Men Tell. They are both ship lanterns and from that period and earlier. Both are from the 1920's and earlier but were still used on ships in the 1940's when the movie was made:"

This is a Perkins Nr 21 Anchor lantern. Lantern is made of brass.

This has a Perkins glass but no manufacturer name. Assume its Perkins, too. Made of galvanized metal.

 
 

Sidney Toler's Gravesite:
 
Some time ago, Mark Bernard searched out Sidney Toler's grave marker at Highland Cemetary in Wichita, Kansas.  Here are three of the pictures that he has graciously shared with us that document his visit.

 
 

"Thank you - so much..."

"Thank you - so much."

A profound debt of gratitude to those who have contributed items of interest to this humble museum...

 
 

OUR RECENT ADDITIONS:

Please take a look at all of the new material that is currently being added to our Study.  If you have not visited this room recently, you will find new additions on Earl Derr Biggers, Charlie Chan, Warner Oland, and MORE...

Please look for the many new images, among about a thousand, that are continually added to our Gallery.
 
Please visit our Charlie Chan Glossary. This source offers definitions to slang, both of obscure and well-known meaning, notable places, people, and things that are mentioned or seen in Charlie Chan movies.

 
 

"The Charlie Chan Chanthology" continues to sell...

"Charlie Chan Chanthology"

 Since its release in the summer of 2004, the sales of MGM Home Entertainment's Charlie Chan Chanthology, a six-DVD box set, have remained phenomenal.  All starring Sidney Toler, the titles in the set represent the first six Chan films that were produced by Monogram Pictures after the company took over the series in 1943. Titles in the set are: CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE (1944), THE CHINESE CAT (1944), MEETING AT MIDNIGHT (aka BLACK MAGIC) (1945), THE JADE MASK (1945), THE SCARLET CLUE (1945) and THE SHANGHAI COBRA (1945).  This marks the first commercial release of Charlie Chan movies on DVD.
 
You may still order The Charlie Chan Chanthology at amazon.com (with FREE postage available!) as well as through other outlets including eBay, where it can be found with great regularity (often at a very low price!).

 
 

Please request Charlie Chan movies at TCM:

Since the unfortunate fiasco revolving around Fox Movie Channel's (FMC) scuttled showing of Charlie Chan movies during the summer of 2003, the general consensus among fans of the venerable detective is that our best hope for any showings in the near future rests with Turner Classic Movies (TCM).  Our hopes have been rewarded of late with showings, including a mini-matathon last year (2008), although sporadic.  So, please take a moment to suggest a Charlie Chan movie be shown on TCM, and, in fact, please do so with regularity!  (You may suggest a specific film, or you may also suggest "Any Charlie Chan movie.")  Together we have made a difference...

 
 

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