Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is the character of a Sino-Hawaiian detective invented by the American writer Earl Derr Biggers .
General
Charlie Chan was the hero of six Biggers novels that appeared between 1925 and 1932. The author asked for his figure a. a. inspired by the life of Chang Apana, who was a Sino-Hawaiian police investigator in Honolulu .
Today the Asian detective is best known as the hero of various films that were made from 1926 onwards as a mixture of crime and comedy. In the vast majority of cases, these are Whodunits with the associated inevitable Red Herrings . Chan's special charm lies in the often novel logic and wisdom with which he solves his cases, which was alien to the Western culture at the time. The obligatory running gag of the "Far Eastern" wisdom, which the always polite and collected Chan gives in the films, is joined by recurring standard sayings such as "Thank you so much!" And "Contradiction, please! ”(“ Contradiction, please! ”).
In most of the films, one of Chan's impetuous and often clumsy sons (son No. 1 to 3) acts as a humorous note. a. serve as a keyword or are included in the rather rare action sequences. Inept lawyers who make Chan's investigation more difficult are self-evident.
The popularity of the Chan films reached as far as China, on the one hand because a Chinese film character was not cast as a villain à la Fu Manchu for the first time , on the other hand because Chan's large family was always played by Chinese actors. In the movie Charlie Chan at the Circus , it can be seen that the Chan family consisted of father Charlie, his wife and 12 children.
In July 2003, US citizens of Chinese origin obtained a ban on broadcasting old films on the US broadcaster FOX because the Asian detective was no longer portrayed as appropriate in the films. The ban was lifted after a few weeks.
The Fox and Monogram (1931-49) film series
The character of Chan first appeared in a silent 10-part serial , a silent film and a sound film in the late 1920s, but only played a subordinate role there and was portrayed by changing actors. Between 1931 and 1942 there was the classic series by Fox and 20th Century Fox , of which four early works are considered lost of a total of 27 films. Until 1937 Charlie Chan was played here by Warner Oland , after his death in 1938 Sidney Toler took over the leading role. As a sidekick , son No. 1 Lee Chan (played by Keye Luke ) came into play in 1935 , who was replaced by son No. 2 Jimmy Chan ( Victor Sen Yung ) three years later, parallel to the lead actor change . Toler's Chan was more humorous than that of his predecessor, which was mainly expressed in sometimes sarcastic comments towards his offspring.
From 1944, the series was continued by the Poverty Row studio Monogram Pictures until 1949 with another 17 films. Chan continued to be played by Toler and after his death from 1947 by Roland Winters , although his performance is generally not considered to be on a par with that of his predecessors. The sons switched within the Monogram films - especially son No. 3 Tommy Chan ( Benson Fong ) - while the humorous element has now largely shifted to Mantan Moreland in the newly introduced role of Chan's chauffeur Birmingham Brown. In the German- dubbed films, the Chan actors Oland and Toler were voiced by actor Klaus Höhne , sons 1 to 3 by Holger Ungerer and Birmingham by Rainer Basedow .
Further adaptations
Synchronized with the film adaptations of Fox and Monogram, there were also some Chinese Charlie Chan films from the late 1930s, which were produced in Shanghai and Hong Kong and in which Chan was assisted by his daughter Manna for a change.
Even in later years there were still films about the detective, the best known is probably Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen ( Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen , 1980) with Peter Ustinov in the lead role. Furthermore, Chan's cases have also been adapted as a radio play, television series, comic strip and cartoon series.
Of the various short-lived comic adaptations of the character, the very first Charlie Chan comic strip by Alfred Andriola , which ran in American newspapers from October 1938 to May 1942, deserves mention: the illustrator was personally chosen by Biggers.
In 1957/58 J. Carrol Naish played the detective in the American-British television series "The New Adventures of Charlie Chan", in which Rupert Davies was also involved, who later became Commissioner Maigret in England . Strangely enough, the 39 episodes of 30 minutes were set in London.
In the television movie The Return of Charlie Chan ( A Well-Kept Secret ), also known as Happiness is a Warm Clue , Ross Martin played the lead role, who in the 1960s as Artemus Gordon in the series " Verrückter Wilder Westen " ( The Wild Wild West ) had become known. The film was shot as a pilot for a possible series in 1971 , but did not air on US television until 1979.
In the cartoon series "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" (1972–1974) by Hanna / Barbera , Charlie Chan was voiced by Keye Luke, who appeared in the old black and white films of the 1930s as the number 1 son Lee Chan was. He was the only Chinese who at least spoke the role of Charlie Chan in western films.
Parodies, tributes and copies
In addition to these adaptations, some of which were parodic, there were other obvious Chan parodies: In the 1960s, for example, B. in two episodes of the television series Get Smart the Hawaiian detective Harry Hoo (dt. Harry Wo ), played by Joey Forman (in the episodes "The Amazing Harry Hoo" / "Who is where?" And "Hoo Done It" / "A South Seas Paradise"). Better known is Peter Sellers ' portrayal of Sidney Wang in the comedy A Corpse for Dessert (1976), which grotesquely appears with an adopted Japanese son.
There is an homage in the animated short film Pierre and Cottage Cheese ( The Electronic Police Officer , 1969) from the Inspector series by Friz Freleng : Charlie Chan, with the unmistakable features of Sidney Tolers, appears at the end of the film.
An obvious copy of Chan is the character of James Lee Wong by Hugh Wiley, whose adventures appeared in the American Colliers Magazine from 1934 to 1938 . From 1938 to 1940, Monogram Pictures produced six Mr. Wong films, five of them with Boris Karloff in the title role. For the last film, Karloff was replaced by Keye Luke, known from the Chan films. The first two Chan films starring Roland Winters were ironically remakes of two Mr. Wong films.
Another fictional detective from Charlie Chan's waters was Mr. Moto , created by John Phillips Marquand for the Saturday Evening Post in 1935 . Between 1937 and 1939, Twentieth Century Fox made eight films with Peter Lorre in the title role. In contrast to Chan and Wong, Moto is Japanese and, at least in the films, a significantly more dynamic character that shows far more physical activity than his colleagues. The movie Mr. Moto and the Betting Fraud (1938) was originally intended as a Chan movie ( Charlie Chan at the Ringside ), which resulted in Keye Luke making a guest appearance here as Lee Chan. Even Mr. Moto and the Mysterious Island (1939) is based on a unverfilmten Chan Screenplay ( Charlie Chan in Trinidad ).
Movie quotes
- Charlie Chan to his son: “ That was more liquid than water, namely superfluous. " (multiple times)
- Charlie Chan: “The reward for stupidity is the hunt for a new job. "
- Charlie Chan: “ Only a foolish mouse builds a nest in a cat's ear. "
- Charlie Chan: “ Sometimes the mouse is more important than the whole elephant. "
Filmography
All US theatrical films
Pre-fox films
| year | title | Director | Chan performer | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | The House Without a Key | Spencer G. Bennet | George Kuwa | 10-part silent film serial , lost |
| 1927 | The Chinese Parrot | Paul Leni | Kamiyama Sojin | Silent film, lost |
| 1929 | Behind that curtain | Irving Cummings | El Park | first sound film |
Fox films with Warner Oland as Charlie Chan
| year | Original title | German title | Director | Chan assistant | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Charlie Chan Carries On | Hamilton MacFadden | The film is lost, only the parallel-shot Spanish version Eran trece with other actors and Manuel Arbó as Chan still exists. | ||
| 1931 | The Black Camel | Death is a black camel | Hamilton MacFadden |
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with Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye (who shot Dracula in the same year ) |
| 1932 | Charlie Chan's chance | John Blystone | Lost, remake of Behind That Curtain | ||
| 1933 | Charlie Chan's Greatest Case | Charlie Chan's master trick | Hamilton MacFadden | Lost, remake of The House Without a Key | |
| 1934 | Charlie Chan's Courage | The Chinese parrot | George Hadden / Eugene Forde | lost, remake of The Chinese Parrot | |
| 1934 | Charlie Chan in London | Charlie Chan in London | Eugene Forde | First film in the series not based on an original Biggers novel. With Ray Milland . | |
| 1935 | Charlie Chan in Paris | Lewis Seiler |
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| 1935 | Charlie Chan in Egypt | Charlie Chan in Egypt | Louis King | with Rita Hayworth in a small role | |
| 1935 | Charlie Chan in Shanghai | Charlie Chan in Shanghai | James Tinling |
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| 1936 | Charlie Chan's Secret | Charlie Chan's secret | Gordon Wiles | Public domain | |
| 1936 | Charlie Chan at the Circus | Charlie Chan at the circus | Harry Lachman |
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| 1936 | Charlie Chan at the Race Track | Charlie Chan at the horse race | H. Bruce Humberstone |
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| 1936 | Charlie Chan at the Opera | Charlie Chan at the Opera | H. Bruce Humberstone |
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with Boris Karloff |
| 1937 | Charlie Chan at the Olympics | Charlie Chan at the Olympics | H. Bruce Humberstone |
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The setting is Berlin, the Hindenburg used by Chan burned 15 days before the premiere. |
| 1937 | Charlie Chan on Broadway | Charlie Chan on Broadway | Eugene Forde |
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For the first time the actor Harold Huber took part, who acted various incompetent law enforcement officers in a total of four films in the series. |
| 1937 | Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo | Charlie Chan in Monte Carlo | Eugene Forde |
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with Harold Huber |
Fox films with Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan
| year | Original title | German title | Director | Chan assistant | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Charlie Chan in Honolulu | Charlie Chan in Honolulu | H. Bruce Humberstone |
|
Layne Tom Jr., who played Charlie Chan Jr. the year before, is featured in the credits as "Tommy Chan" but is referred to in the film as "Number 5 Son". |
| 1939 | Charlie Chan in Reno | Charlie Chan in Reno | Norman Foster |
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| 1939 | Charlie Chan at Treasure Island | Charlie Chan on Treasure Island | Norman Foster |
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| 1939 | City in Darkness | Herbert I. Leeds | As an exception, the sidekick is not a son, but would-be detective Marcel Spivak (secretary of the Paris police chief), played by Harold Huber. With Lon Chaney Jr. in a small role. | ||
| 1940 | Charlie Chan in Panama | Charlie Chan in Panama | Norman Foster |
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| 1940 | Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise | Charlie Chan on a cruise | Eugene Forde |
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Remake of Charlie Chan Carries On |
| 1940 | Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum | Charlie Chan in the wax museum | Lynn Shores |
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| 1940 | Murder Over New York | Charlie Chan - Murder Over New York | Harry Lachman |
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| 1941 | Dead Men Tell | Charlie Chan on the treasure hunt ship | Harry Lachman |
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| 1941 | Charlie Chan in Rio | Charlie Chan in Rio | Harry Lachman |
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Remake of The Black Camel . Last Chan film with Harold Huber. |
| 1942 | Castle in the Desert | Charlie Chan - The Castle in the Desert | Harry Lachman |
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Monogram films with Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan
| year | Original title | German title | Director | Chan assistant | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Charlie Chan in the Secret Service | Phil Rosen |
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| 1944 | The Chinese Cat | Phil Rosen |
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| 1944 | Black Magic | Phil Rosen |
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Alternative title Meeting at Midnight | |
| 1945 | The Jade Mask | Phil Rosen |
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After meeting each other by chance in the previous three films, Birmingham Brown is now officially in Chan's service. Actor Edwin Luke was the brother of Keye Luke. |
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| 1945 | The Scarlet Clue | Charlie Chan - The Bloody Trail | Phil Rosen |
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Public domain |
| 1945 | The Shanghai Cobra | Phil Karlson |
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| 1945 | The Red Dragon | Charlie Chan in Mexico | Phil Rosen |
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| 1946 | Dark alibi | Charlie Chan - An almost perfect alibi | Phil Karlson |
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Public domain |
| 1946 | Shadows Over Chinatown | Charlie Chan - shadows over Chinatown | Terry O. Morse |
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| 1946 | Dangerous money | Charlie Chan - Dangerous Money | Terry O. Morse |
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Public domain |
| 1946 | The trap | Charlie Chan - The Trap | Howard Bretherton |
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Public domain, alternative title Murder at Malibu Beach |
Monogram films with Roland Winters as Charlie Chan
| year | Original title | German title | Director | Chan assistant | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | The Chinese Ring | Charlie Chan - The Chinese Ring | William Beaudine |
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Public domain, remake by Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939). Victor Sen Young's role name inexplicably changes from Jimmy to the name Tommy, actually associated with actor Benson Fong, for the rest of the series. |
| 1948 | Docks of New Orleans | Durwin of Abraham |
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Remake of Mr. Wong, Detective (1938) | |
| 1948 | Shanghai Chest | William Beaudine |
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| 1948 | The Golden Eye | William Beaudine |
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Public domain | |
| 1948 | The Feathered Serpent | William Beaudine |
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The curiosity arose from Keye Luke's return for the last two films that the actor who played the Chan son was six months older than his father's. | |
| 1949 | The Sky Dragon | Lesley Selander |
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Post monogram film
| year | Original title | German title | Director | Chan performer | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen | Charlie Chan and the curse of the dragon queen | Clive Donner | Peter Ustinov |
German cinema and TV titles
Most of the still existing Fox films, as well as some of Monogram, premiered in Germany in 1978 on ARD.
- The House Without a Key (Cinema Title: The Opium Den of Hawaii )
- The Chinese Parrot (cinema Title: The Chinese Parrot )
- The Black Camel ( Charlie Chan - Death is a black camel )
- Charlie Chan in London ( Charlie Chan in London )
- Charlie Chan in Egypt ( Charlie Chan in Egypt )
- Charlie Chan in Shanghai ( Charlie Chan in Shanghai )
- Charlie Chan's Secret ( Charlie Chan's Secret )
- Charlie Chan at the Circus ( Charlie Chan at the Circus )
- Charlie Chan at the Race Track ( Charlie Chan at the Race Track )
- Charlie Chan at the Opera ( Charlie Chan at the Opera )
- Charlie Chan at the Olympics ( Charlie Chan at the Olympics )
- Charlie Chan on Broadway ( Charlie Chan on Broadway )
- Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo ( Charlie Chan in Monte Carlo )
- Charlie Chan in Honolulu ( Charlie Chan in Honolulu )
- Charlie Chan in Reno ( Charlie Chan in Reno )
- Charlie Chan at Treasure Island ( Charlie Chan on Treasure Island )
- Charlie Chan in Panama ( Charlie Chan in Panama )
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise ( Charlie Chan on cruise )
- Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum ( Charlie Chan in the wax museum )
- Murder Over New York ( Charlie Chan - Murder Over New York )
- Dead Men Tell ( Charlie Chan on the treasure hunt ship )
- Charlie Chan in Rio ( Charlie Chan in Rio )
- Castle in the Desert ( Charlie Chan - The Castle in the Desert )
- The Red Dragon ( Charlie Chan in Mexico )
- Dark Alibi ( Charlie Chan - An almost perfect alibi )
- Shadows Over Chinatown ( Charlie Chan - Shadows Over Chinatown )
- Dangerous Money ( Charlie Chan - Dangerous Money )
- The Trap ( Charlie Chan - The Trap )
- Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (cinema Title: Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen )
literature
- Georg Seeßlen : The oriental detectives - Charlie Chan. In: Georg Seeßlen: Murder in the cinema. History and mythology of the detective film. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1981, ISBN 3-499-17396-4 , pp. 165-176.
- Michael Lothar Höfler: Charlie Chan. A black and white era. Independent-Verlag, Berlin 2017, ISBN 978-1549879630 .
- Yunte Huang: Charlie Chan- The untold story of the honorable detective and his rendezvous with American history. Norton, New York / London 2010, ISBN 978-0-393-06962-4 (English).
Web links
- The Charlie Chan Family Home (English; including the scripts of the lost films)
- Fansite about Charlie Chan
- Charlie Chan at Fernsehserien.de
Individual evidence
- ^ " FOX Reconsiders Charlie Chan Ban ( Memento from March 10, 2004 in the Internet Archive )" - engl. Collection of material on the controversy