| Welcome to the Charlie Chan Page! |
|
|
| Please accept this lei as an honored guest and enjoy your stay! |
| Becky Truesdale's Watercolor |
|
|
| In the Chinese Manner |
Welcome to the Charlie Chan Annex!!
Maven has been a great fan of the
rotund Chinese detective from Hawaii, both in the movies and original books, for years.
Please keep checking back for more
goodies as they are added!
AND TO QUOTE WALTER WINCHELL:
Sex can’t
be important in films.
Remember,
the world’s leading film attractions remain
Charlie Chan,
Boris Karloff and Shirley Temple.
Note from Charlie Laghostie:
Maven and I would like
to thank Douglas Wulf over on Rush Glick's Message Board* for bringing to our attention how to translate "Charlie Chan" into
Chinese (traditional - we aren't sure just what dialect it's supposed to be!):
陳查理
| A Chinese Watercolor by Maven's Mother |
|
For those who wonder about the watercolor at the
top of Maven's home page . . . it was done by Maven's late and honorable Mother who learned to do watercolors in the Chinese
manner by Allison Stilwell Cameron. Cameron learned it while her father, General Joseph ("Vinegar Joe") Stilwell was
stationed in China in the thirties.
And if you run out of Christmas Carols,
try our own version in honor of Charlie Chan!
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHAN-DOM!
by Maven
Lowel (2010)
On the first day of Chan-dom, my true love gave to me . . . # One Son on the top of the
Charlie Chan Tree.
On the second day of Chan-dom, my true love gave to me . . . Two Sons wrapped in Charlie
Chan Family Tree and One Son on top of the Charlie Chan Family Tree.
On the third day of Chan-dom, my
true love gave to me . . . three Sons Hanging in the Chan Family Tree, Two Sons wrapped in the Chan Family
Tree and # One Son in the Chan Tree.
On the fourth day of Chan-dom, my true love gave to me . . . four Chan Daughters
stacking dishes on the dining table, three Sons hanging in the Chan Family Tree, Two Sons wrapped in the Chan Family Tree
and One Son on the top of the Chan Tree.
On the fifth day of Chan-dom my true love gave to me . . . FIVE CHAN
ACTORS ringing the bells for dinner, four Chan Daughters stacking dishes, three Sons hanging from the Chan Family
Tree, two sons wrapping round Chan Family Tree and one Son on the top of the Chan Tree.
On the sixth day of Chan-dom
my true love gave to me . . . six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories . . . and FIVE CHAN ACTORS. . . four Chan daughters,
three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons wrapped up in the Chan Tree and One Son in the top of the Chan Tree.
On
the seventh day of Chan-dom my true love gave to me . . . seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories,
and . . . FIVE CHAN ACTORS . . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons wrapped in the Chan
Tree and One Son in the top of the Charlie Chan Tree.
On the eighth day of Chan-dom my true love gave to me .
. . eight modes of transport, seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories, and . . . FIVE CHAN ACTORS
. . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons wrapped in the Chan Treeand One Son in the top of
the Charlie Chan Tree.
On the ninth day of Chan-dom my true love gave to me . . . nine oversea countries where Charlie
traveled, eight modes of transport, seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories, and . . . FIVE CHAN
ACTORS . . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons wrapped in the Chan Tree and One Son in the
top of the Chan Tree.
On the tenth day of Chan-dom, my true love gave to me . . . ten Chan assistants, nine oversea
country Charlie traveled, eight modes of transport, seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories, and
. . . FIVE CHAN ACTORS . . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging, two Sons wrapped and One Son in the top of the Chan
Tree.
On the eleventh day of Chan-dom, my true love gave to me . . . 11 cities in the Americas that he saw, ten Chan
assistants, nine oversea countries Charlie traveled, eight modes of transport, seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr
Biggers Chan Stories, and . . . FIVE CHAN ACTORS . . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons
wrapped in the Chan Tree and One Son in the top of the Chan Tree.
On the twelfth day of Chan-dom, my true love gave
to me . . . twelve Charlie Chan Maps, eleven cities in the Americas he saw, ten Chan assistants, nine overseas countries Charlie
traveled, eight modes of transport, seven Charlie Chan Movie Eras, six Earl Derr Biggers Chan Stories, and . . . FIVE CHAN
ACTORS . . . four Chan daughters, three Sons hanging in the Chan Tree, two Sons wrapped in the Chan Tree and one Son
in the top of the Chan Tree.
| Warner Oland, the Actor Who Made Charlie Chan |
|
| A,merica's Favorite Chinese Detective |
Good news: They range from Charlie Chan's Secret (1936)
to Charlie Chan in The Golden Eye (1948).
Bad news: Each listing comes with a picture of Sidney Toler except
for Roland Winter's with The Golden Eye.
Scary News: Too many people commenting on the pictures can't
tell the difference between Toler's pictures and Warner Oland and Roland Winters in some of the film.
Ever think about the various fashions in the Charlie
Chan movies?! Two that are frequently mentioned are the Panama hats and certain . . . furs! Here are a few thoughts
that those of us at The Old Movie Maven have enjoyed!
| Panama Hats |
|
| From Newt at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel |
Panama Hats
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
| The Infamous White Fox Fur Lady |
|
| Katherine de Mille as Yvonne Roland with George Chandler as the Ship's Radio Operator |
| Katherine de Mille in a Non-White Fox Fur |
|
| With Warner Oland as Charlie Chan |
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
And here is an article from way back
when that a fellow Charlie Chan fan wrote for Maven about furs in the movies . . . since we've had so much fun with the infamous
"White Fox Fur" lady herself, Katherine de Mille, in Charlie Chan at the Olympics!
Fashion in Film: Furs - Part 1
Fashion in Film: Furs - Part 2
| A Stone Martin Fur |
|
| A Stone Martin Stole |
|
********************************
| A Real Chinese Charlie Chan? |
|
The One Remaining Piece of "An Orphan"
An
Orphan (1929): A 1929 Shanghai Movie, about a woman's hard life
and subsequent heroic rescue. Silent, B&W, with original Chinese and English intertitles/ There is some question
as to what year it was made. There is no question that it is a Chinese silent!:
http://www.archive.org/details/anorphan
About the Movie "An Orphan" (1929)
White Rose Woo and Her Time
Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) in the REAL China?!
And Conversely We Have Charlie Chan in China
CHARLIE CHAN: A Hero of Sorts
| Warner Oland as Charlie Chan Singing to Children |
|
| On the Way to Shanghai |
Chinatown My Chinatown [1929]: This is an early Screen Song Cartoon by Max Fleischer and
definitely predates Political Correctness! It was released originally by Paramount and taken from an old NTA print.:
A Quickie Update for Charlie Chan
Fans!
Gilbert Martines has an interesting new
addition to his Chan Blog at http://detectivecharliechan.blogspot.com/ about Chang Apana's family . . . family that I hadn't been aware of - or at least didn't
remember!
Need I say that Gilbert's continued book project
is one more indication that interest in all things Chan . . . up to and including Chang Apana . . . is still going strong?!
Maven is pleased to bring this interview with
author Yunte Huang talking about his Charlie Chan biography to Matt and Rush Glick over at www.charliechan.info.
Thanks, you all!
Hello
Everyone!
I just came across the following link which will allow you to watch Yunte Huang, author of "Charlie Chan:
The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History" on C-SPAN.
It's a one hour spot
and can be accessed on the right side of the screen. I haven't had a chance to view it yet, but thought our honorable family
here may be interested.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/295806-1
Yunte Huang talked about
the life and times of Hawaii detective Chang Apana (1871-1933) and cultural impact that the fictional character based on him
produced. He spoke at D.G. Wills Books in La Jolla, California.
How else to start a new school year than with a "pop" quiz?!
Saturday,
June 11, 2005
I
have something new today: a Charlie Chan Trivia Quiz, courtesy of
www.mysterynet.com/charlie-chan/trivia.
1. Which of the three of the following actors portrayed Charlie Chan in the
movies?
0 Warner Oland
0 Sidney Toler
0 J. Carroll Naish
0 Roland Winters
0
Ho Chi Minh
0 Peter Lorre
2. How many children did Charlie Chan have?
0 Two
0 Six
0 Fourteen
0 Siamese Twins
3. What was the first Charlie Chan movie?
0 Charlie Chan Takes a Chance
0 Charlie Chan in Honolulu
0 Behind That
Curtain
0 Charlie Chan Takes Two with Eggroll
4. Which one of these Charlie Chan movies was adapted from an Earl Derr Biggers
novel?
0 Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
0 The Black Camel
0 The Chinese Ring
0
Charlie Chan Does the Hula
5. Which other Asian detective followed in the movie tradition of Charlie
Chan?
0 James Lee Wong
0 Judge Dee
0 Mr. Moto
0 Lo Fat
posted
by Virginia at 6/11/2005 03:30:00 PM |
The Review is also now here at:
GIving Charlie Chan a Second Chance
It's a review of a new book on Charlie
Chan, "Giving 'Charlie Chan’ A Second Chance" by Maureen Corrigan.
It's a rather long article but Maven
has something of a problem with it at the get go . . . a sentence in the first paragraph: “The actor who played
Charlie Chan in that and 40 other films was Warner Oland; like Sidney Toler, the actor who succeeded him in the role, Oland
was Caucasian — Swedish, in fact!”
To Maven’s count, there were
forty + films. Out of those forty + were sixteen made with Warner Oland, twelve
still available and four early ones considered to be among the Holy Grail of Lost Films.
Maven is no great shakes at math .
. . well . . . shaking numbers in frustration is about the only thing she can do well with them . . . but twelve plus four
does NOT add up to forty . . . unless you get certain political pundits in here for the math which would just muddle things
up BIG TIME!
Yunte Huang, the author, describes Chan as: But
to many Asian Americans, he remains a pernicious example of a racist stereotype, a Yellow Uncle Tom, if you will; the type
of Chinaman, passive and unsavory, who conveys himself in broken English.
Maven remembers 2003 when Fox Movie Channel had a Charlie Chan Festival which hailed wide
and far by Chan Fans everywhere.
It didn’t last long.
Why? Precisely because Asian Americans were
pretty much calling for the boycott because they said that to many Asian Americans, he remains a pernicious example of a racist
stereotype, a Yellow Uncle Tom, if you will; the type of Chinaman, passive and unsavory, who conveys himself in broken English.
For starters, a “chinaman” is a seller of China. Charlie Chan is Chinese. Now who’s the racist?!
Chan is “passive and unsavory.”
Right, with 14 kids and traveling all over the world by every conceivable mode of transportation
available at that time and standing up for – yes, the law – but to protect the innocent, bring down criminals
and put them away. One could make a case for Charlie that he’s like the
Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, Dudley Do-right . . . trying always to do right.
If Chan was doing anything “unsavory” then please explain exactly what it is
that he’s doing because “unsavory” smacks of underhanded and/or illegal activities and most people associate
Charlie Chan with anything BUT underhanded and/or illegal activities.
And to do “write” at that!
This “unsavory” business is on a par with Charlie speaking in “broken
English”. If this is the kind of stuff you’re arguing, Maven is wasting
her time – still – since she brought up in 2003 the fact that many Caucasians whose families have been in the
United States of America for generations STILL don’t speak as well as Charlie Chan does.
Maven recommends at least reading the review for yourself as she believes in informed censorship
. . . check out the book and the review and decide for yourself whether the book is worth paying your hard-earned for.
And thanks again to Diana at Rush’s Message Board!
| Chang Apana |
|
|
| As Played by Carey Tagawa |
NEWS FLASH FOR
CHARLIE CHAN FANS!
There had been news some little while ago about
Jill Lepore writing about Chang Apana, said to be Earl Derr Biggers' insperation for his Charlie Chan.
Ms. Lepore is now in The New Yorker about
our honorable - and favorite! - Chinese detective, Charlie Chan, is now available in The New Yorker magazine.
Thanks to fellow Chan Fan Bill Lutters about
the story, Maven has pulled all four parts together . . . all ready for the reading at this link that includes a video!
CHAN THE MAN - On the Trail of the Honorable Detective
-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-
What’s not to love, besides being an interesting spotlight on some Hollywood
stars, however briefly?! Not to mention that Frankie Darrow was in at least one
Charlie Chan . . . at the Race Track?!
Interviewed Hollywood on Parade Stars . . .
This Clip is from an earlier Hollywood
on Parade series. Every star is interviewed including Helen Kane, Billie Dove, Jimmy Durante, Ben Lyons, Bebe Daniels, Frankie
Darrow & Anna Mae Wong and others. shared by BoopBoopaddoop
http://www.archive.org/details/InterviewedHollywoodOnParadeStars
A NEW AND IMPROVED CHAN
IN SAN FRANCISCO MAP!
Godwinshelley (from Rush Glick's chat
room at http://charliechanfamily.tripod.com/id17.html) has gone and improved on perfection with a Chan
map of San Francisco, according to Earl Der Biggers' Behind That Curtain . . . with pictures!
Maven considers this a "shouldhave" for lovers of Biggers'
books and movies!
Many thanks to Godwinshelley from
Charlie Chan fans everywhere!
Charlie Chan in San Francisco . . . wiith Pictures (Click to Save)
A
CHARLIE CHAN MYSTERY WEEKEND
In Beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii
Maven is pleased
to announce a dream of a weekend . . . in Honolulu no less . . . for Charlie Chan fans everywhere,
Steve
Fredrick (http://stevestoursandfilms.vpweb.com/) has pulled together a weekend of a "interactive tour
[that] visits Chan-related crime sites, Chang Apana's former police station, coffee shops, gambling houses, movie theatres,
and the residence of "Number One Son"!"
For more information
on this incredible Charlie Chan chance just check out the flyer:
Charlie Chan Mystery Tour
An Orphan (1929): "A 1929 Shanghai movie, about a woman's hard life and subsequent
heroic rescue. Silent, B&W, with original Chinese and English intertitles." Maven is quoting archive.org because she frankly doesn't speak or write Chinese in any
of its dialects!:
http://www.archive.org/details/anorphan
"An Orphan" (1929) - More about the movie.
Did you know that Charlie Chan's Number
1 Son* did the murals inside of Grauman's Chinese theatre? Maven hasn't found photographs yet but more about Grauman's
Theatre can be found on Maven's front page at THE OLD MOVIE MAVEN . . . The Website.
*This was Warner Oland as Chan and Keye Luke as Lee Chan.
The Jazz Singer (1927 - silent) - This is Al Jolson's version that turned Hollywood upside
down. . . . Why? Because audiences were so taken with hearing AND seeing Jolson that all the studios and movie
theatres across the country had to change over to the new technology. Turns out however bad a talkie was at this point
it trumped most of the silents of the time.
Of special interest to Charle Chan fans, this is
the film where Warner Oland spoke his first word, "STOP!" at just under 42 minutes.:
Maven is tickled
that she has such great sources! And they're all over the place!
A fellow Charlie Chan fan in Conneticut,
Tom Salemme, sent a Chan article to Bill Lutters in Florida who was kind enough to send it to Maven.
It's about the TCM SPOTLIGHT COLLECTION of four
of the Monogram Chans that have just been released on DVD:
Dark Alibi, Dangerous Money, The Trap (with Sidney Toler)
and The Chinese Ring (the last one being with Roland Winters).
Thank you all so much, Tom and Bill!!
A Charlie Chan Article Discovered by Tom Selemme and Courtesy of Bill Lutters
Anyone for some Chinese clips?!
Pat Suzuki Doing "How High the Moon":
Pat Suzuki on "What's My Line":
This clip has Sammee Tong doing Bing
Crosby:
Here are some interesting links for Maven's
fellow Chan fans
about our favorite detective!
Hot Dog!
I've found an item about Mantan
Moreland with Jack Hill
discussing Chaney, Jr., and Mantan Moreland is
at
We have added a new page to the architecture
section:
Royal Hawaiian Hotel
It has not only hosted celebrities from Hollywood
but itself has appeared in such movies as the Charlie Chan entry The Black Camel (1931)!
Then
you're in for a treat: A nightclub outing that could have been in a scene of a Charlie Chan movie . . . at least during
the Monogram era. The later part of the clip will make you think of I Love Lucy , , , Lucy and Ricky doing
Cuban Pete. . . . It's certainly different! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=719x3uY6QCc&feature=related
Maven is happy to announce that she has begun a new Chan story: Charlie Chan,
Inc.
Yes,
it has Charlie plus as many of the kids as Maven can manage including Lee, Tommy, Frances and Gloria. . . .
Yes, Gloria. She's
one of the younger Chans who is unnamed in the books and movies!
Maven has posted
the prologue to the story and the first chapter so . . . check it out at CHARLIE CHAN, INC.!
Maven may have come across
the first horror movie made in China, in 1937 . . . Song at Midnight and directed by Ma-Xu Weibang. The Chinese
title is Ye ban ge sheng:
Aw, heck, let's enjoy this all year if only to
use as a memory aid!
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHAN-DOM!
Frank Westmore makes
Shirley MacLaine into a Japanese geisha, believe it or not, at
Shirley MacLaine as a Geisha according to Frank Westmore
MAGIC IN MOVIES . . .
There has been magic in the movies
since George Melies made his seminal
A Trip to the Moon
(1902)
. . . But what of . . . magic . .
. the illusions of Magicians . . . as they have practiced it over the millenium?!
Maven has been very lucky to get an
interview with a couple who know . . . and inspired this page in Maven's website.
Rich and Karen Rogers have not only
practiced that fine art but strive to spread the tradition of Houdini and Harry Blackstone in their website at www.moviesandmagic.com. This on top of being fellow Chan Fans!
Please enjoy their interview!
Rick and Karen Rogers
| "The Chinese Parrot" (1927) |
|
| With Sojin as Charlie Chan and Anna May Wong |
In case you haven't read it lately . . . and always
a good way to prepare for one of the Chan spooky movies and/or Halloween:
CHARLIE CHAN . . . Psychic?
Maven has added the marriage of Hamilton MacFadden,
director of several early Charlie Chan films, and his co-star in The Black Camel, Violet Dunn, over in
You won't believe who else is over there!
What does Charlie Chan have
to do with horror/science fiction movies?! That is beyond the fact that both Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff were in early
entries in the series?! Try Maven's page
at
The Chan - Horror-Sci Fi Link!
And if that's not enough . . . :
Bela Lugosi's "Wong" Turn
| "The Amazing Chan and Chan Clan"" |
|
| Episode 1 - "The Crown Jewel Caper" |
| "The Return of Charlie Chan" (1973) |
|
| Episode 5 - To Catch a Pitcher |
HAWAII STEVE'S DVD REVIEWS
"Hawaii" Steve Fredrick
has kindly written two reviews about subjects near and dear to us. Charlie Chan, of course.
One is "The Return of Charlie
Chan," the 1973 Ross Martin incarnation. The other is an episode of "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" cartoon, one
of a collection called "Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s, Volume One" (2009).
Hawaii Steve's DVD REVIEWS
And be sure to check out his page at this site
at
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Maven has received a recommendation
of Hawaii Steve's
Charlie Chan Tour by Lou Arnagbo,
Hawaii. . . .
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
| Soundies |
|
| The Music Videos of the Forties |
SOUNDIES:
'Soundies' were an early version of
the music video, displayed on a Panoram (a coin-operated film jukebox) in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, factory lounges and
amusement centers during the early-mid 1940's.
For Charlie Chan Fans . . .
Dorothy Lamour - The Moon Of Manakoora,
1943
[This is from The Hurricane
[1937] that also had Layne Tom, Jr., as Mako]:
A Hawaiin Hula Song:
Tony Pastor and Henry "Riggs" Guidotti
on
drums doing the "Hawaiian War Song":
| Warner Oland |
|
| In "Charlie Chan's Courage: (1934) |
HOTCHA!!
Maven has scored another one!
Check out a synopsis with Warner Oland in the new Charlie Chan film!
Charlie Chan's Courage at Paramount
<>O<>O<>O<>O<>O<>O<>
For lovers of vintage mysteries and
those made into movies:
"A Bizarre Musical Number From
1934" is the title of a clip on Youtube.com that has "Philo Holmes" (played by Charles Jubels) and Watkins (Franklyn Pangborn).
It's from a film called My Grandfather's Clock (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025538/fullcredits#cast).
The clip
is at
And this clip looks like it came from
the same movie . . . either part or maybe at the end?!
The Mills Brothers sing "My Little
Grass Shack."
What a great way to get ready for
a Charlie Chan movie!
http://ia300010.us.archive.org/3/items/MillsBrothers-21-30/MillsBrothers-MyLittleGrassShackInKealakekuaHawaii1933.mp3
Here's a link to the Mills Brothers
singing "Nagasaki" from 1937.
What does it have to do with Charlie
Chan?
Maybe not much but why not here as
well as any place on this website with a name like "Nagasaki"?!
| Raul Roulien |
|
| Click on His Picture to Hear Him Sing "Orchids in the Moonlight" |
Charlie Chan Carries
On (1931) is, of course, one of the
"lost Chans." Fortunately, we
at least have the
Spanish language version
in Eran Trace (1931).
But American audiences couldn't be
denied a talent!
Raul Roulien went from playing Max
Minchin with his
party entertainment in Eran Trece
to a starring role in
Flying Down to Rio
(1933): Orchids in the Moonlight
(click on the picture or on the link
here
(with Delores del Rio; just don't
ask Maven
to be able to translate the introduction!).
Roulien was in a clip also from 1931:
"You're So Delicious"
Warning: It's immediately followed
by another number,
Janet Gaynor singing "Sweet and Cute"
from 1931.
<<<<>>>><<<<>>>><<<<>>>>
Maven is pleased to announce
that she has an interview with Oden Fong, # 1 son of Benson and Maylia Fong! He is a pastor at the Cavalry Chapel out
in California. Read more right here!
Oden Fong
A new page has been added
to Maven's Charlie Chan Annex:
You'll find some of Kurt Schmidt's
old CCMB Archives and Chan Soundbytes!
| "Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture" (1949) |
|
Boston Blackie's Chinese
Venture (1949)
This is the last entry in a very enjoyable series with Chester Morris as Boston Blackie. But what will
interest Charlie Chan fans is the number of Chan Faces you'll find in this movie!
Joan Woodbury (from Opera, Broadway and The Chinese Cat) is older but not any nicer in this movie.
Philip Ahn (Charlie's son-in-law in Honolulu) owns a Curio Shop in New York's Chinatown. Benson
Fong (just one of Charlie's numerous Chan Clan!) is the clerk in Ahn's shop. Victor Sen Yung (ANOTHER
one of Charlie's kids!) plays a ticket taker at a movie house in Chinatown.
Maylia . .
. okay, so she wasn't any a Charlie Chan movie but she married Benson Fong and they lived happily ever after with five kids!
That would have
been a great series all by itself!
This movie
was set in New York's Chinatown - or Columbia's equivalent! - but you might want to check out an article about SAN FRANCISCO'S OLD CHINATOWN that includes a segment about the tours that the Chinese
used to give to their "underground" - which is fun to know while watching the Chinatown Tour in the movie!
| Marjorie White |
|
| Rita Ballou in "Black Camel" (1931) |
For Charlie Chan Fans of Black
Camel
(1931) . . . Marjorie White
was Rita
Ballou in that Chan entry.
Now Chan
Fans have a chance to see her singing
andcavorting with Bert Wheeler
in Diplomaniacs (1933)!
Plus an extra treat with Marjorie
White:
Rush Glick has a great
post on his message board about another of Marjorie Whites roles, in Just Imagine. It's a 1930 goodie about what
it might be like in New York City fifty years!
The start of the movie:
Rip Van Winkle, circa 1980:
Insta-Babies:
A musical number:
| Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight (1945) |
|
| With Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan and Frances Chan as . . . Frances Chan |
Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight (1945)
Maven was checking old files and came
across these links for the Toler/Chan film, Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight (1945), with Frances Chan as . . . tada!
. . . Frances Chan!
The first link is to the complete movie
on the internet for those who don't have it on vhs tape or dvd. The others are to help make it an even more enjoyable time!:
| Rita Cansino in Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935) |
|
| Before She Became Rita Hayworht |
| Joan Broadway |
|
| AKA Marie Collins from Charlie Chan on Boradway (1937) |
Maven has come across a double-link to the Charlie Chan Series!
. . . . Rita Hayworth (billed as Rita
Cansino) is doing a very sultry dance in the 1935 Dante's Inferno with Spencer Tracy. Maven hadn't thought it
contained the entire dance because she remembers Cansino's very long hair coming undone. . . . Just think of all those
bobby pins all over the dance floor! But this seems to have the full segment and no bobby pins. Maybe she had
better luck than Maven does with her bobby pins!*
That video is that
"Rita Cansino" made Dante's Inferno right after she made Charlie Chan in Egypt.
Plus the music sounds suspiciously
like the music that Joan Woodbury (as Marie Collins) danced to in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937).
*You can find more about Dante's
Inferno (1935) at http://claudia79.tripod.com/inferno.html. Then watch this clip of Rita Hayworth
as Gilda in the 1946 movie of the same name . . . . You'll never think of long gloves in the same way again!
Plus more about long gloves at Maven's
ETTA KIT
<O> <O> <O> <O>
<O> <O> <O> <O>
Maven posted on two other websites about
what Warner Oland and Boris Karloff had in common and got a quick answer from Steve Fredrick (CHARLIE CHAN: Hawaii Steve and the Charlie Chan Tour) at www.charliechan.info. Unfortunately for Maven, he thought up a lot more answers
than she had!:
(1) In the movies, they both became stereo-typed by playing popular
fictional characters.
(2) They both wore make-up to create these famous
characters.
(3) They both began their film careers during the
silent era.
(4) They both became movie icons during the 1930s.
(5) They both worked with Bela Lugosi.
(8) They both made movies shot in Hawaii.
(9) Last but not least, they both played Fu Manchu
in the movies.
And more Karloff/Oland
similarities from Steve:
(1) Both actors were born in a foreign country, but achieved their
great success in the USA.
(2) Both actors died in their respective home countries, i.e.: Karloff
in England and Oland in Sweden.
(3) Both actors appeared in films with the beautiful Myrna Loy.
(4) Both actors appeared in films with the equally beautiful Valerie
Hobson.
Plus an excellent point from Rush Glick:
The way the question was worded with 'apart from the Chan series'
sort of negates this answer, but another point of comparison is that both played Chinese detectives in the movies with Oland
as Chan and Karloff as Mr. Wong (with Keye Luke taking over this role for one movie serving as another point of connection).
| Warner Oland as Charlie Chan |
|
| With an Austrailian Poster With a Koala Bear |
Maven just came across this photograph of Warner Oland in his guise as Charlie
Chan. He's holding what may be a travel poster for Australia, with a Koala bear.
Maven rather wonders why
unless it's part of a publicity campaign for Charlie Chan at the Race Track, which starts in Australia but has nothing
to do with Koala bears!
Unless the Koala cuties
look better on posters than the Melbourne Cup cuties?!
| Warner Oland |
|
And then there's . . . Warner
Oland (Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu) seen "behind the scenes" with W. C. Fields in a Bobby Jones' Short!
Don't believe me?!?! :-)
| The Kentucky Derby (1922) |
|
| Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936) |
|
| Click on the Pictures for Recipes to Go with These Movies |
Maven has added to her
page MOVIES: What to Watch When in honor of America's triumvirate of horse racing:
The Kintucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes:
THE AMERICAN TRIPLE CROWN OF THE HORSE WORLD
| Squidoo - www.squidoo.com |
|
| Click on Squidoo to Go to Another Chan website |
It has a lot
of Chan information that you might find elsewhere (including this one) but it has sections that Maven hasn't seen,
such as adding posters and Chan radio shows for sale.
It also a link
to a Charlie Chan T-shirt for sale on ebay (as of this writing.)
Squidoo also
has sections on Chan's impact on television, children's cartoons, etc. . . .
Nice
site!
| The Black Camel |
|
| Is Available Again |
Enjoy!
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| Thousand Hand Guan Yan |
|
You are not going to believe this video that Maven
was sent. Everyone of the 21 dancers in this show are deaf. Incredible!
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Maven came across an article that she wrote about
the first Chan fan gathering in Texas . . . back on February 3, 2003!
The Chinese New Year in Texas
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THE ADVENTURES OF CHARLIE CHAN
RADIO SHOW!!
The episode is called "The Curious
Bride of the Sea Witch"!
| Warner Oland's Portrait |
|
| By Imogen Cunningham |
| Warner Oland as a Werewolf in |
|
| "Werewolf of London" (1935) |
HOTCHA ALERT
TO CHARLIE
CHAN FANS!!!!
We now have the beginning clip to Werewolf in London
(1935) that has Warner Oland's first appearance in the movie . . . and as a werewolf no less!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uxEoTKv9_M
Friend Evan in Nevada - Maven doesn't know what she'd do without
him and his family! - let her know about a website that his daughter Earianedd discovered:
| Eleanor Powell |
|
| "Honolulu" (1939) |
| A Very Young Robert Young |
|
What does
Eleanor Powell doing a hula have with Charlie Chan's The Black Camel (1931)?!
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| The Mills Brothers |
|
Maven remembers hearing The Mills Brothers on the
radio and television only to go on and find them in movies. Whatever venue they played, these brothers were always worth
listening to!
Maven now has a KAY LINAKER page that you might want check out!
| Bela Lugosi |
|
| "The Black Camel" |
| The Joss House |
|
| Mendocino, California |
My cousin
Maven came across a Joss House in her research . . . . It's at 45160 Albion Street, Mendicino, CA. I don't know
if my namesake, Mr. Chan, ever visited one but it sure is interesting to look at!
| Daffy Duck in |
|
| "Blame It on the Samba" (1948) |
Just for the heck of it . . . and
if you need help to stay warm! . . . how about a little Donald Duck in Blame it on the Samba (1948). Is it
the best Donald Duck cartoon that Maven can come up with? No, but it is cute and catchy, especially if you want a cartoon
to go with Charlie Chan in Rio (1941) . . . ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hkJr3bOFOE&feature=related
| Scotty's Castle in Death Valley |
|
| Possible Inspiration for "Charlie Chan in Castle in the Desert" (1941) |
I am tickled about Maven has posted
three articles on her COSTUME DESIGNERS page about Paramount's Edith Head, Orry-Kelly (think Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca (1942) and Travis
Banton (he designed clothes for Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express [1932] with Warner Oland). I hope you
enjoy them!
I have discussed this page with my cousin Maven. . . . We
are re-naming the "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" page in the New Year so please make note of the new name:
"THE CHARLIE CHAN FAMILY COOKBOOK"
Want some sample recipes? Click on the links below:
CHARLIE CHAN COOKBOOK: Mrs. Chan's Stew - Perfect for "The Shanghai Cobra"!
CHARLIE CHAN COOKBOOK - Chop Suey - THE Dish for Chan Fans!!
CHARLIE CHAN COOKBOOK - Eggnog - with Spirits
CHARLIE CHAN COOKBOOK - Eggnog - With Ice Cream Substitution
| Marvin Miller |
|
| Click on the Picture to See His Volkswagon Commercial as Charlie Chan |
This clip seems to be unavailable for the time being, darn it!
The actor playing the rotund Chinese detective is one Marvin Miller,
who had become . . . frankly . . . rotund in the old-fashioned way just like Charlie Chan!
Miller had played in such other detective series as The Phantom
Thief (1946, Boston Blackie) as Dr. Najino; Forbidden Planet (1956, Robby the Robot); and as Michael Anthony
in The Millionaire (1955 - 1966).
And if his voice sounds familiar . . . it should because Miller
did a lot of voice-over roles such as in The Deadly Mantis (1957).
WHAT DO CHARLIE CHAN, BORIS KARLOFF, SHIRLEY TEMPLE AND SEX HAVE IN COMMON?!
| Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess |
|
| Doesn't She Remind You of Chan's Chinee Cat?! |
Doesn't this statue of Bast, the Egyptian Cat Goddess, remind you of the statue in Charlie
Chan in The Chinese Cat?!
While we're at it, how about some cat bloopers?!
Warner Oland used his role as Charlie
Chan to help get out the vote in Pennsylvania in 1935 so that people could see their favorte actors/movies on Sunday!
Warner Oland as Charlie Chan in the 1935 Pennsylvania Referendum
| Wild Life, Chan Style |
|
|
| From Dangerous Money |
Charlie Chan movies do have some wild life of one sort or
another. One that has stuck in the minds of many Chan Fans is the turtle with the flashlight on its back in Dangerous
Money (1946). It's on the screen briefly but it does appear twice . . . . Why? . . . Beats the
heck out of Maven but it's fun to watch for it, regardless of what you think of the rest of the movie!
| Charlie Chan, in the Fashion of . . . Wax Museum |
|
| By Taylor Schultz(C) |
| Another View of Charlie |
|
| By Taylor Schultz(C) |
You
can see more of
Taylor's
work at
his
page here
at
| Charlie's Ready for His Close-up |
|
| By Taylor Schultz(C) |
| Warner Oland Who Made |
|
|
| Charlie Chan Famous on the Screen |
Maven came across a rather unique
look on Warner Oland at the end of his career . . . interesting, especially for Halloween . . . .
CHARLIE CHAN . . . PSYCHIC?!
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Maven has been proud to know another one
of the best-known Charlie Chan Scholars - Steve Rhodes, from Australia. Steve
has written quite an interesting look at Warner Oland, who made Charlie Chan famouson the silver
screen.
Warner Oland Insights - by Steve Rhodes
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| Warner Oland's Portrait |
|
| By Imogen Cunningham |
| Henry Hull in a Little-Scene Still from |
|
| "Werewolf in London" (1935) |
"The 'original theatrical trailer' provided as
a bonus feature on the DVD is actually the re-edited 1935 trailer, with only Henry Hull and Valerie Hudson identified by name,
and a Realart re-release title card prepared for the 1951 re-issue. Scenes with Warner Oland are prominently featured,
but his name never appears a typical attempt to disguise the age of the film, since Oland had been dead for many years
by the time it was re-leased."
| Warner Oland as a Werewolf in |
|
| "Werewolf of London" (1935) |
| Henry Hull in the Title Role of |
|
| "Werewolf of London" (1935) |
"Release."
"Re-release."
"Re-issue."
Maven wonders wht Universal
calls it when a movie has been released so many times that everybody has forgotten how often!
Maven always wants to
laugh at this makeup of Warner Oland as a werewolf in Werewolf of London . . . . What were they thinking
about at Universal?!?!
Did they really need Oland
to look like this to make Henry Hull's makeup look better and/or more frightening?!
And it says something
about Oland and Hull's acting that they could keep from laughing their heads off in this scene!
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| Keye Luke |
|
| # 1 Chan Son |
| Keye Luke with David Carradine |
|
| "Kung Fu" (1972 - 1975) |
One of Keye Luke's best-known
roles was as Charlie Chan's #1 Son, Lee, not to mention as Master Po in the television series Kung Fu (1872 - 1975).
Some might
remember Luke in such movie series as Lionel Barrymore's Dr. Gillespie movies--the Dr. Kildare series after Lew Ayres left.
Luke also played Lee Chan in Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938), a make over of Charlie Chan at the Ringside,
the never-finished last film of Warner Oland.
| Keye Luke, Harold Huber and Peter Lorre in |
|
| "Mr. Moto's Gamble" (1938) |
Keye Luke was also a surgeon in the Japanese Embassy in Germany during World War II in Invisible Agent (1942), albeit
briefly in a scene with . . . Peter Lorre.
Blink and you'll miss
Luke taking out the hooks from Jon Hall's net-covered body.
What would Papa Chan have
said if he knew # 1 Son ended up a bad guy during WWII?!?! And with Chan's cinematic rival, Moto, at that?!?!
| Boris Karloff as Gravelle in |
|
| "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (1936) |
| Oland & Karloff on Charlie Chan at the Opera Set |
|
| Courtesy of www.charliechan.info |
Don't you just love this sketch of Boris Karloff from Charlie
Chan at the Opera (1936)?!?! And be sure to check their pages here at
I've been going through old issues of The Old
Movie Maven and came across an article that might just pique your interest in Warner Oland as . . . Werewolf, courtesy
of Jack Pierce!
JACK PIERCE AND HIS WEREWOLF MAKEUP
Want to read reviews of the Charlie Chan movies?! Check 'em out!
CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT (1935)
BEHIND THAT CURTAIN (1929)
There is a review of "The Black Camel" (1931) at this link to Maven's THE OLD MOVIE MAVEN Blog. Just click here and then scroll
down to read it.
| James Hong . . . Click on Picture for An Interview |
|
| Among Several Other Actors |
| Sammee Tong - A Bit Player in Shanghai - 1935 |
|
| Click on Photo to See "Bachelor Father" (1957 - 1962) |
Two Charlie Chan actors had international movie ties,
as it were.
Sammee Tong was one of the locals who brings the disguised Keye Luke to Charlie's
hotel room in Charlie Chan in Shanghai [1935]) and James Hong was # 1 son to J. Carroll Naish's Charlie in the British
TV series, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1957).
They both lent their voices to the American version of GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTER:
Tong was the voice of Dr. Yamane and Hong did voice-overs for both Serizawa and Ogata.
You can check out more about them at their Internet Movie Database pages:
For those of you who can't get enough
of our favorite detective, this is a link to a project that Maven was part of several years back, over at Rush Glick's www.charliechan.info - A handful of us got together and wrote a Chan
script set between Warner Oland's last Chan movie and Sidney Toler's first one . . . and complete with Lee and Jimmy both!
CHARLIE CHAN AT COLLEGE
Plus an article by Rush from several
years back:
CHARLIE CHAN AT THE TECHNOLOGICAL EDGE by Rush Glick
Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu . . . together?!
Yep!!
Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu
AND FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW WHAT
CHARLIE CHAN'S SAN FRANCISCO WAS LIKE BACK IN THE DAY, CHECK THIS ARTICLE OUT:
Enjoy these introductions from the American
Classic Movie Channel back in the day before they started airing movies chock full of commercials!
AMC Introduction - Charlie Chan at the Opera
AMC Introduction - Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
AMC Introduction - Murder Over New York
Not to mention Rush Glick's website that
has more about the Charlie Chan movies than you thought was ever available!
| Just Click on Rush Glick's Icon |
|
|
| To go to Rush's Website |
This is one of Maven's favorite
sites, because this is where you'll find her most every Monday night, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM (Eastern)
and we start watching our own tapes/DVDs of the Chan Movie of the
week at 8:30 (Eastern). Please come by, whether you have
the Chan
Movie of the Week or not, because we cover a wide area of topics besides Charlie Chan! And Maven is lucky enough to have an article by the proprietor (and good friend) Rush Glick!
Rush also has the scripts to the
four Lost Charlie Chan movies with Warner Oland:
Charlie Chan Carries On
This Chan film is based on the Earl Derr Biggers story
of the same name about an around-the-world trip that is plagued by . . . murder!
Charlie Chan's Chance
This is the second film version of Behind That
Curtain and the first one to feature Chan as Earl Derr Biggers originally intended in a story where murder occurs in
San Francisco against the backdrop of the Far East, missing persons and no one is who they seem.
Charlie Chan's Greatest Case
Based on the first Charlie Chan story - The House
Without a Key - that introduced our favorite Chinese detective in a story where New England stoicism meets the laid-back
Hawaiian Islands.
Charlie Chan's Courage
Charlie Chan goes undercover in the desert in a case
that is clearly for the birds as it's based on Earl Derr Biggers' original story, The Chinese Parrot.
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| Kurt Schmidt's Link to His Message Board |
|
|
| www.charliechan.net |
Maven isn't the only Chan Fan who gets her daily fix on Kurt's
Message Board at http://forum.charliechan.net and you can get Maven's interviews with both Kurt and Rush over on her INTERVIEWS page.
|
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