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The Charlie Chan Family Message Board

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The Charlie Chan Family Message Board
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Re: Re: Keye Luke

If I may add my humble opinion to the mix. If you seen the Oland films with Keye in them, you will notice a very strong chemistry between the two actors. Almost as if Father and Son in real life! To me, a new actor in the role of Charlie Chan called for a different offspring, thereby different actor (or actress as in a couple of the Monogram films). The way Toler portrayed Chan with a more acid-like tongue, called for a son who got into trouble a little more often. Like "Reno" for example. For Charlie to see his own son in a police line-up! Lee, being the oldest, was a little more on the responsible side...I did say "little more" but you see what I mean.

Roland Winters, on the other hand, seemed a mix of Oland and Toler's Chans with his own to boot which I think worked well to have Lee return. You will notice in "Sky Dragon" our film on the 30th a similar kinship he had with Warner Oland but doesn't seem quite as close. Perhaps if Winters and Luke were allowed to continue, as I've read somewhere they were planning many more films, I believe the bond would have been a good one and even allowed Winters to be appreciated more as Charlie Chan.

Re: Keye Luke

It has occured to me that from a career perspective Keye Luke may have been better off not doing the post Oland Chan films.

By playing in a variety of other pictures he got wider exposure than he would have otherwise and probably honed his acting skills even more. As a result he was able to make a comfortable living as a character actor well into his 80s.

Sen Yung, by contrast, never enjoyed that kind of career success post Chan even taking his Bonanza years into account.

Steve

Re: Re: Keye Luke

You actually can see Sidney Toler & Keye Luke acting
together in "The Adventures Of Smilin Jack" A very
good serial from Universal....I believe made in late
1942 or early 43....It's the only known pairing of the two actors to my knowledge...highly recommened