How Does A Detective Find the Missing Fans of Charlie Chan?

[Chris Ellis]

Hi Old Movie Fan: I have the DVDs of the Motos so have images of your former posters! Never collected 16 mm films though -- when I rediscovered these films I watched on TV as a youth I started amassing VHS via trades and the grey market and still have many of those. I had most of the Moto lobbies at one time too but also have divested myself of many of those. My better half did not tell me to get rid of them but they do fill up an awful lot of space (I cannot imagine what it would be like of one collected 16 mm and larger posters too) and I got tired of trying to find certain cards when stacked in the closet (and binders of 150 cards can be quite heavy to lug around so it was time to start selling). Anyway, I do love all these series detective films. Here is the next Chan card...Chris.

[OldMovieFan]

Hi Chris,

Actually it was the films that were mine and yes my spare bedroom walk in  closet was  full of posters and cards.  I had  6000 plus films at one time.  It's down now  as we do  DVDS and streaming mostly now. LOVE  the cards keep  them coming.  Like  John it makes me want to start again. 

[Chris Ellis]

Sorry, I misread the post...but having your Moto films used they must have been good copies! Here is a bonus card with the Chinese Parrot...Chris.

[Chris Ellis]

Over the years I have only seen two copies of the title card for Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) and one of those was in quite poor condition. Any cards from this title are as rare as those from the lost films (perhaps related to this film being lost for many years?) and certainly rarer than Chan in London cards. Paris cards also  are often in poor condition and I actually have not seen one of the scene cards. I do not really have a good image -- this is the best I can do.

[Chris Ellis]

Here is the title lobby card for the next entry, which many see as the best film in the series, Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935).

[Chris Ellis]

I also really like the glass slides for these films, which I think are actually much rarer than lobbies...so post one here for Egypt...I have seen it in two colours with either a grey as here or yellow background. Often, but not always, the slides have the same image as the title card.

[OldMovieFan]

Boy Chris,

These are some lovely examples of how much enjoyment and entertainment one can obtain from collecting.  A Big TYSM for sharing with us these fine images.  I've been doing lots of work in our house, so I've not had the chance to see them till now.

Oldmoviefan

[Chris Ellis]

Hi: Glad you like them oldmoviefan...here is the next title card for Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935). Know what you mean about yard work and such -- been out there a lot lately moving soil! Chris.

[Chris Ellis]

And here is another bonus of a rare scene card from Shanghai, which I really like, showing Keye Luke in disguise!

[Chris Ellis]

I already posted an image of the Charlie Chan's Secret title card above so on to Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936). This is the most unusual title card in the whole Oland/Toler Fox series as it is of a different design being like a scene card but with an enlarged credits box and a separate "20th Century Fox" logo unlike the small credits on the other seven scene cards. Why Fox did this I do not know but it is not unprecedented as comparable "title cards" occur on other films from the company such as in the Inspector Hornleigh series film "Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday" (1939).

[Chris Ellis]

For comparison, here is a scene card from Circus...

[Ed Kasprowicz]

Hi friends... My apologies for going missing for so long. My grandson used my computer for a school assignment, and everything on it disappeared. Somehow, it all ended up on his 7th grade laptop at his school. He doesn't have a clue as to how this could have happened. All the tech people at school could do was to delete it.

On the subject of lobby cards, many dvd's come with what passes today as lobby cards. And since my son works at NY States best library, in charge of all CD, DVD, general media purchases, he brings home all the ones that I'd be interested in. While they're not the wonderful artistic works of the 1930's and 40's, they're still pretty nice, and fun to look at. And, of course, they're free, since there's no way to actually "lend" them out with the dvd's. I just finished my winter jigsaw puzzle season, where I build a bunch of thousand piece, railroad themed puzzles. While I do that, I always run a Chan, Holmes, Moto, or Universal horror film in the background. So, in essence, Ive just rewatched the Chans for maybe the 25th time. And, you know what? I'm still surprised at who the villain turns out to be in many of them, lol.

...Ed K.

[Chris Ellis]

Hi Judge Ed: So good to hear from you and that you a have been "carrying on"...been wondering where you had disappeared to...trust you are very well!! I think the cards in the DVDs are called "backer cards"....sometimes people list them for sale on ebay in the lobby card section. Cheers, Chris.

[Ed Kasprowicz]

It's good to be back, Chris! I have from time to time, piped in with comments on the Charlie Chan, and Sherlock Holmes groups on facebook, where I appear as "Chip Kasprowicz". I like facebook because it allows me meet a lot of new people with common interests. So, besides the mystery themed groups, I'm involved with a few Lionel Trains groups, The Steamtown group, and a few others. It also allows me to post photos and funny stories about my grandsons, and other friends and family members. ...Ed K.

[Chris Ellis]

Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936) title lobby card....