Why do we refer to the "four" missing Chan films (the ones with Warner Oland) when the two earlier silent ones are also missing?

They would be interesting to watch and definately have a place in Chandom but I'd have to put Oland's first on a must have list.

Prefering Oland doesn't have anything to do with it, of course.

Virginia

*views script*

Uh, could someone translate this for me?

Dear Virginia,

Yes, you are correct. The silent Chan films are also missing. When the four "lost" Chans are mentioned, what is really meant is that these are the SERIES films that are missing. The Charlie Chan SERIES, of course, began with "Charlie Chan Carries On," when Warner Oland took on the title role, which, unlike the previous personifications, immediately captured the movie-going public's imagination and led to more and more films.

It would be interesting to see these "other" lost Chans. However, I believe that we would ultimately be a bit disappointed with the way Charlie Chan was actually little more than a supporting character in these first movies. To get a feeling for what one of these early efforts was like, may I suggest reading "Charlie Chan's Number One Movie," which can be found in the "Charlie Chan" section of our Study. This article contains a synopsis of the ten-chapter serial, "The House Without a Key," filmed in 1926.

Sincerely,
Rush

Rush,
Thanks again!
Virginia