Charlie Chan (series)
“A thousand pardons…”
Charlie Chan stands out from the many detectives populating the
mystery film world because he is a truly a class act. This
Chinese-American sleuth had flawless deduction skills that ensured he
always got his man in the end, and he always cut a stylish figure in
his neatly-cut suit. More importantly, he also had a sharp but subtle
sense of humor that expressed itself in a series of witty sayings that
sounded like ancient Chinese proverbs. The character enjoyed great
popularity in a series of films in the 1930’s and 1940’s as talented
actors like Warner Oland and Sidney Toler made him a fixture at the
movie theaters. In the process, Charlie Chan became one of the most
famous and beloved film detectives of all time.
The character of Charlie Chan was invented by Ohio novelist Earl
Derr Biggers. He got the inspiration for Chan when he read of the
adventures of a Chinese detective in a newspaper while vacationing in
Honolulu. He created the character for the 1925 novel House Without A Key,
and when it became an overnight success, Biggers wrote another five
novels built around the Chan character. All of these novels would be
adapted into Charlie Chan films except for Keeper Of The Keys, which became a Broadway play.
Since the Chan character was so successful in print, it was
inevitable that he would find his way into a film adaptation. The
character first appeared on screen in a 1925 adaptation of House Without A Key.
Played by actor George Kuwa, Chan was limited to a small role and did
not make much of an impression. The character also appeared in The Chinese Parrot and Behind That Curtain.
As before, the character was limited to a small role and was
interpreted by new actors each time (Kamiyama Sojin and E.L. Parks,
respectively).
However, the idea of Charlie Chan as a film character took off when
Swedish character actor Warner Oland was chosen to play the character
in 1931’s Charlie Chan Carries On. Oland had already distinguished himself by playing Al Jolson’s cantor father in The Jazz Singer and the villainous Fu Manchu in a series of films starting with The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu. Charlie Chan Carries On
depicted Oland ‘carrying on’ for a Scotland Yard detective when he is
injured during an investigation, thus allowing the Chan character to
play a more up-front role than in previous adaptations.
Oland’s slick, witty interpretation of the character clicked with audiences and made Charlie Chan Carries On a big hit. The Black Camel
was the next screen outing for Chan, boasting a screenplay by Earl Derr
Biggers himself. It focused on Chan trying to solve the murder of an
actress visiting Hawaii. Clues related to her murder also link to an
unsolved murder from three years ago, and Chan manages to solve both
cases before the story ends. The film also featured legendary horror
actor Bela Lugosi as a gypsy-like psychic who fancies himself as a
rival to Chan.
The Black Camel was another hit and led to Oland being
signed on for a long-term Charlie Chan film series. Oland would appear
in another 14 films, all of which followed a fairly standard plotline:
Charlie Chan happens upon a mysterious murder in an exotic locale like
London or Egypt and sets out to solve it in patient but effective
style. Along the way, the always-cool detective displays his wit
through a series of humorous aphorisms like “Hasty conclusion like hole
in water, easy to make,” and “Murder without bloodstain like Amos
without Andy – most unusual.” These films also benefited from strong
supporting casts featuring familiar faces like Boris Karloff, Leo G.
Carroll, and Lionel Atwill.
The already-fun Chan series became even more entertaining when the character of #1 Son was introduced in 1935’s Charlie Chan in Paris.
He was Chan’s son, a young man who was much more Americanized than his
father and eager to prove himself in the detective department. Needless
to say, the friction he created with his more famous father added some
delightful humor to the series. This character was played by Keye Luke,
who became one of the most successful Chinese-American character actors
and would later become internationally famous in the role of Master Po
on the cult television series Kung Fu.
Warner Oland continued to play the role until he passed away from pneumonia in 1938. His last Chan film was Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo. However, the Charlie Chan role was soon recreated by Sidney Toler in Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
In this case, Chan solves the murder of a man killed on a freighter,
helpped by another new addition to the series, #2 Son (played by Victor
Sen Yung). Meanwhile, Chan’s pregnant daughter is due to give birth to
#1 Grandson at any time. The film deftly blended comedy and mystery,
and Toler’s harder-edged interpretation of Chan helped him make a
distinct impression on viewers. It became a hit and led to further
Toler-led Charlie Chan films.
Sidney Toler would play Charlie Chan in 10 more films for 20th Century Fox. One of the finest Toler entries was Charlie Chan at Treasure Island,
the favorite of many a Charlie Chan fanatic. In it, Chan enlists the
help of Rhadini, a mysterious magician played by Cesar Romero, to solve
the murder of a friend who has been made to appear as if he has
committed suicide. The film benefited from a tight script and a
genuinely surprising ending, plus some nifty footage of the 1939
World’s Fair.
After 1942’s Castle in the Desert, 20th Century Fox sold the
rights for the Charlie Chan series to low-budget film specialists
Monogram Studios. Sidney Toler resumed the Charlie Chan role for
Monogram’s first entry, 1944’s Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.
This film depicts Chan working for the Secret Service, also introducing
#3 Son (Benson Fong) and Birmingham Brown, a perpetually-frightened cab
driver played by African-American character actor Mantan Moreland.
Birmingham eventually became a regular in the series as Chan’s
chauffeur.
When Sidney Toler died of cancer in 1947, Roland Winters stepped in to play the Chan role in The Chinese Ring. He would play Chan in another five films, the last being The Sky Dragon
in 1949. Since then, the Charlie Chan character has lived on in a
number of forms. First up was 1950’s television series called The Adventures of Charlie Chan,
featuring J. Carrol Naish as the famous sleuth. Former “#1 Son” Keye
Luke later lent his voice to the character for a 1970’s Saturday
morning cartoon called The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan.
Charlie Chan was also revived for a 1979 television film, The Return Of Charlie Chan, and parodied in a 1981 feature film comedy called Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen.
There have not been any further Charlie Chan films since this time, but
the classic Charlie Chan films continue to live on through home video
and frequent appearances on television. Mystery fans can rest assured
that Charlie Chan will always live on as an important and popular part
of the mystery genre.
