Charlie Chan in Honolulu features family shots, ala "Circus" but later of course. Mrs Chan is shown and has dialogue, as they discuss their prospective grandchild at home early in the picture.
Portrayed by ANNIE MAR in "Charlie Chan at the Circus" (1936)
and by GRACE KEY in "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1938)
Jack,
I'm fairly sure that Mrs. Chan has a small speaking role in one of the "lost" Chan movies, according to the scripts that Rush has here at his website.
I think it's at a train station with Number # 1 son as Charlie is about to get aboard but I'd have to double check.
Rush would probably be able to answer better off the top of his head!
Virginia
Although we don't hear much directly from the venerable Mrs. Chan, the redoubtable wife of the master detective often seems present in more subtle ways. She never worked directly on any of Charlie Chan's cases, the fact that Mr. Chan had a strong wife at home had to be of great help, especially when he was thousands of miles away from home at times.
You mentioned how Mrs. Chan cast the deciding vote as "family judge" in the film "Charlie Chan at the Circus." In "Charlie Chan Carries On," she was at the dock with her eldest son, called Henry in this film, to send off her husband as she tries to amke sure he has everything he needs in the way of clothing. At the conclusion of "Charlie Chan's Greatest Case," the entire Chan family is riding in the new family car. Upon seeing a young couple who figured prominantly in the now-solved case in a romantic embrace, Mrs. Chan relates the worthy aphorism, "Two lovers in moonlight cast only one shadow."
Numerous times throughout the series, Charlie Chan makes reference to his wife. In my mind, this shows how important Mrs. Chan's role was in Charlie Chan's life. Although she may not have actually assisted him DIRECTLY on any of his many cases, she certainly was there for him in a much more subtle but most important way.
Thank you for your answers. I hope someday to get the rest of the Charlie Chan movies. I would like to get them on disk, but I still have to buy a DVD player.