Charlie Chan

Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was seen as an attractive character, portrayed as intelligent, heroic, benevolent, and honorable - a stark contrast to the common depiction of Asians as evil or conniving that dominated Hollywood and national media in the early 20th century.

However, in later decades critics increasingly took a more ambivalent view of the character. Despite his good qualities, Chan was also perceived as reinforcing condescending Asian stereotypes such as an alleged incapacity to speak idiomatic English and a tradition-bound and subservient nature. No Charlie Chan film has been produced since 1981, though the character has been featured in several radio programs, two television shows, and comics.

The Stars

The character of Charlie Chan was brought to life on the big screen by a number of actors over the years. Swedish actor Warner Oland played the role in 16 films for Fox, often with Keye Luke as Chan’s “Number One Son”, Lee Chan. Oland’s “warmth and gentle humor” helped make the character and films popular, with the Oland Chan films being among Fox’s most successful.

When Oland passed away in 1938, Fox hired another white actor, Sidney Toler, to play Charlie Chan. Toler’s Chan was less mild-mannered than Oland’s, adding some of the vigor of the original books to the films. Toler was frequently accompanied by his Number Two Son, Jimmy Chan, played by Victor Sen Yung.

After Fox decided to produce no further Chan films, Toler purchased the film rights and produced 11 more Chan films through Monogram Pictures, with a reduced budget. Toler was later succeeded by Roland Winters for six films.

Key Dates

• Charlie Chan first appeared in Earl Derr Biggers’ 1925 novel The House Without a Key, though the character was not central to the story and was not mentioned on the dust jacket. Biggers went on to write six novels featuring the character, with the last being Keeper of the Keys in 1932.
• The first film to center mainly on the character of Chan was 1931’s Charlie Chan Carries On, starring Warner Oland. Oland would go on to play the role in 16 films for Fox through 1938.
• After Oland’s passing, Sidney Toler took over the role, producing 11 Chan films through Monogram Pictures from 1944 to 1947. Toler was then succeeded by Roland Winters, who played the role in six films.
• In addition to the novels and films, Charlie Chan has also been featured in several radio programs, television shows, and comic books over the decades. On radio, the character was heard in series on the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC between 1932 and 1948.

Other Information

A stage adaptation of Keeper of the Keys was produced on Broadway in 1933, running for 25 performances. In television, The New Adventures of Charlie Chan starring J. Carrol Naish aired in 1956-57, while an animated series called The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan was produced by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s.  Over the decades, various comic book publishers have produced Charlie Chan titles, including Prize Comics, Charlton Comics, DC Comics, Dell Comics, and Gold Key Comics. The character has also been the subject of controversy, with some seeing him as a positive role model and others arguing he reinforces offensive stereotypes.