The first criticism is that an Asian actor did not play the part of Charlie Chan. This is not completely accurate since the first movies did feature Asian actors. However, these films were not box office successes. Additionally, the studio felt that just because an actor wasn\u2019t Asian didn\u2019t mean he couldn\u2019t play a particular role. A good actor can play any role.<\/p>\n
Second there is controversy surrounding the portrayal of African\u00a0American characters in the films. They are placed in positions where they are often silly and sometimes\u00a0appear stupid. However, others will defend these portrayals as simply part of the comic relief format always included in the films.<\/p>\n
Comic Relief<\/strong><\/p>\n In Charlie Chan in Honolulu<\/em> on\u00a0board the\u00a0ship\u00a0are a lion tamer and his wandering lion that provide the comedy for this film. In The<\/em> Black Camel<\/em> the assistant policeman, Kashimo, runs around like a fool finding \u2018clues\u2019 to impress Chan. This same format is used when one of Charlie Chan\u2019s children appear in the film as \u201cPops\u201d assistant. The kids are usually following the wrong clues and provide humor as they interfere with the older and wiser parent\u2019s solution of the case. And when African American, Mantan Moreland, appears as Birmingham Brown he is usually frightened by the\u00a0crime and spends his time running from the murder scene and the suspects. This portrayal is not complimentary but follows the same comic relief pattern. The portrayal of African American and Asian characters was influenced by the times and although the times are no excuse they do help to provide an explanation.<\/p>\n A Closer Look at the Films<\/strong><\/p>\n There were three early film versions of Charlie Chan from 1925-1929 each played by a different Asian actor. Then 44 movies were produced from 1931-1949 with three different American actors.<\/p>\n The first two Chan novels were made into silent movies by Path\u00e9 Studios and Universal Pictures and then Fox film Corporation paid a handsome sum for the rights to the third Chan, Behind that Curtain. <\/em>In this film version Charlie is played by E.L. Parks an Asian actor. However, the movie focus is\u00a0on a Scotland Yard inspector and Chan only plays a minor role. In fact Chan doesn\u2019t appear until the very end of the picture in time to nab the bad guy.<\/p>\n Warner Oland The\u00a0fifth Chan novel Charlie Chan Carries On<\/em> was also purchased by Fox and unlike their previous film they did not cast an Asian actor. Instead in 1931 Fox introduced Swedish born actor Warner Oland in the role of Charlie Chan. The film was an immediate success and Fox followed this success\u00a0by purchasing the rights to The Black Camel.<\/em> Oland claimed he had Mongolian heritage and perhaps this was the reason he needed very little make-up to achieve the Chan look. He also had experience playing Asian roles in his previous movie appearances, but these roles were the usual stereotypical evil Chinese villains.<\/p>\n Oland played Chan as a more gentle and self-effacing character downplaying the superior attitude of the Chinese detective in the books. Oland often starred with Keye Luke who played Charlie\u2019s \u201cnumber one son\u201d Lee Chan.\u00a0 Oland\u2019s humor in the role of parent\u00a0helped make the character and the films quite popular.<\/p>\n The Loss of Oland<\/strong><\/p>\n Oland was working on the film Charlie Chan at the Ringside.\u00a0 <\/em>He is said to have told the crew he needed a drink of water and walked away never to appear on the film set again. He returned to his native Sweden for a rest and died there in 1938 after having appeared in 16 Charlie Chan films.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0His last film was changed to Mr. Moto\u2019s Gamble <\/em>starring Peter Lorre. The film footage already shot with Keye Luke playing Lee Chan was kept and new footage was added with Peter Lorre.<\/p>\n Fox thought about doing a \u201cSon of Chan\u201d series featuring Keye Luke in the title role but then decided to look for another Chan. Key Luke\u2019s contract was not renewed for the new Chan films, although he later reprised his role in the last two films with Roland Winters.\u00a0 Sen Young replaced Luke and played number two son, Jimmy Chan.<\/p>\n Finding a New Chan\u2014Sidney Toler Because of Oland\u2019s popularity the studio knew it would be difficult to replace him and they tested thirty-five different actors for the role. Eventually Fox settled on Sidney Toler and produced 11 more Chan films with him through 1942.<\/p>\n Toler was originally a stage actor and knew all about the theatre and even managed several production companies. He had written numerous plays for summer stock theatres and made a good living from the royalties.<\/p>\n Toler\u2019s Chan wasn\u2019t as mild-mannered as Oland\u2019s portrayal and Toler brought back some of the flavor of the detective from the books. The first film featuring Toler was Charlie Chan in Honolulu. <\/em>\u00a0To help the audience accept Toler the setting for this film was Chan\u2019s home state of Hawaii and featured his wife and children.<\/p>\n Fox Drops Out\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Fox decided not to produce any additional Chan films and their last film Castle in the Desert<\/em> didn’t mention Charlie Chan in the title. Toler asked to purchase the film rights and Fox agreed although they maintained part ownership. Toler convinced Monogram Pictures to release the films and he continued to make Charlie Chan films until his death 1947. Toler appeared in 22 films between Fox and Monogram Studios.<\/p>\n Roland Winters<\/strong><\/p>\n Roland Winters was the youngest actor\u00a0to play\u00a0Chan when he took over the role after Screenwriters<\/strong><\/p>\n There were several screen writers for the Chan films but the two most famous were Robert Ellis and Helen Logan who began crafting scripts with Charlie Chan in Egypt. <\/em>They were prolific writers and while writing the Charlie Chan series wrote for Shirley Temple, Jane Withers, Cisco Kid and also penned many Betty Grable musicals to name a few of their movie credits. They established the formula that each of the subsequent Chan movies followed.<\/p>\n The Lost Films<\/strong><\/p>\n There are also four lost Chan films from this era of movies. Whether they deteriorated because of the quality of the film or poor storage we don\u2019t know. There was also a lax studio policy at the time that allowed staff to borrow films for personal use. It is believed that\u00a0some people didn’t return the films unaware they had the only available copy. Whatever the reason these films were lost: Charlie Chan Carries On<\/em> (the first appearance by Warner Oland) Chan Chan\u2019s Chance, Charlie Chan Greatest Case and Charlie Chan\u2019s Courage<\/em>.<\/p>\n The Chan films were\u00a0one of\u00a0Fox\u2019s most successful series attracting major audiences and box office dollars on par with the \u201cA\u201d films of the day. The Chan films also helped to\u00a0keep Fox afloat during the Great Depression.<\/p>\n While there were many adaptations of the Chan stories the films from this period are perhaps the best known. The good news is\u00a0Fox has restored the films\u00a0and they are available on DVD for today\u2019s audiences to enjoy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s generally accepted that Earl Derr Biggers enhanced the image of the Chinese race with his portrayal of Charlie Chan in his books. The character he developed was not the stereotypical evil China man from the underbelly of Chinatown. Instead … Continue reading ![\"Charlie](\"https:\/\/darkandstormynightmysteries.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Charlie-Chan-Carries-On-poster.jpg\")
<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>Toler\u2019s death. He was actually several years younger than Keye Luke who returned as number two son. Winters made six Chan films starting with The Chinese Ring<\/em> and ending with Sky Dragon<\/em> in 1949.<\/p>\n