Return to Website

The Charlie Chan Family Message Board

Welcome to our Message Board. Please feel free to post your thoughts, questions, or information.

The Charlie Chan Family Message Board
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

Dear Doug,

You bring up some very good possibilities that may one day see the recovery of one or more of the presently "lost" Charlie Chan films. It is a very big world, and, somewhere, in some forgotten corner of some neglected storage room may reside a pringt of "Charlie Chan Carries On" or "Charlie Chan's Chance," "Charlie Chan's Greatest Case," or "Charlie Chan's Courage."

Many of us have faith that this will eventually happen. If, as you suggest, old records could indicate where and when any of these films were sent out to overseas markets, these could, perhaps offer some leads. I would suspect that some of these records may still exist, but, it is also very probable that they have long since been discarded.

Still, it would be worth a try to attempt to comb through any seemingly trivial collections of information.

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

Rush:

By the way, thank you for your great commentary on the DVD sets. I've enjoyed your contributions.

Was the discovery of 'Charlie Chan in Paris' a happy accident, or did someone go looking for that film there?

Is it known who would today own or have rights to the distribution of these lost Chan films if the should ever be found? Perhaps that company could be encouraged to have a bit of official research done on the original distribution of these films worldwide.

It is a reasonable guess that the prints may have remained in the same countries where they were sent. This is not a certainty, but it seems rather likely to me.

Then, letters could potentially be sent to foreign archives that contain some details. For example, "In 1934, 7 reels of 35mm film were sent to XYZ with serial number 123. This is a long time ago, but are those reels perhaps still in your archive?"

Perhaps only the company who would stand to profit in releasing these on DVD (or perhaps a company such as TCM) would have the means to mount such research and inquiries, it seems to me.

Regards,

Doug

Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

Countries formerly behind the iron curtain have proved to be a good source of previously missing films. As these archives have opened up in recent years we've seen the rediscovery some Valentino and Laurel and Hardy material.

Australia was the reportedly the final destination of many films as they toured the globe and about a decade ago some lost films were found there. This is how Steve Rhodes was able to track down the trailer for Charie Chan Carries On. The full film is still missing though.

I am cautiously optimistic that at least one of the films will resurface eventually, but given the unstable nature of the nitrate stock they were filmed on, each passing day makes this more unlikely.

Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

I recall when that trailer was located. I didn't hear anything about it for years and didn't know that it had been restored. I only recently saw the post here that it had been given a public screening in Washington D.C., near where I live. I hope it will appear as a DVD extra somewhere.

If a letter were to be sent to the archives in Prague to ask if any more missing Chans are there besides "Charlie Chan in Paris," I would be happy to translate it into the Czech language!

Re: Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

In any event, with all existing Chan films released on DVD or intended for release on DVD soon and with TCM airing the Chan films, I imagine there might actually be a clear financial incentive for someone to try to locate the missing films. In the past, a financial incentive for locating these films may not have been so apparent. Now, the recovery of a lost film could only serve to increase DVD sales or the attractiveness of airing it on TCM.

The recovery of "Charlie Chan in Paris" and, quite recently, the trailer for "Charlie Chan Carries On" suggests that prints of these lost films could be out there in the world somewhere and may not yet have deteriorated past the point of restoration. I get the impression they were popular films and widely screened worldwide at the time of their release.

It seems an especially opportune time to bring this to remind TCM about the missing Chans as well as notify whichever company would have the right to release them on DVD if they were ever found.

I wonder if a letter has ever been sent to foreign film archives specifically asking to check if any of these four films are still sitting on a shelf somewhere. I don't know much about searching for lost film prints, but maybe a diligent inquiry to the right people would turn up one or more of these films.

Doug Wulf

Re: Re: Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

Hi Doug:

In your last thread you indicate that TCM is airing the Charlie Chan films. Do you happen to know when these will be scheduled? I just checked the TCM website which indicates that these titles are not currently scheduled. Have they recently aired?

Thanks in advance.

- Roy Webber

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

The Feb. 2007 poll question at this website states...

"As TCM is going to air a Charlie Chan film in March, will this modest step lead to MORE Chan on TV?"

I went to the TCM website but the March schedule is not up yet. In any event, I took the poll question posted here as evidence that some Charlie Chan film is in the lineup for March at TCM. TCM has shown the Chan films in the recent past.

Therefore, it seems to me that TCM might be one organization who would perhaps be willing to make some direct inquiries about the lost films. Indeed, there is even a news item on the TCM website about the TCM-sponsored restoration and airing of some previously lost (or at least largely forgotten) RKO films. The link to that story is...

http://www.tcm.com/movienews/index/?cid=156033

TCM makes the statement about these RKO films...

“These six films had slipped through the cracks of film history because the two copyright holders—Merian C. Cooper and Ernest L. Scanlon—had long since passed away,” Karsch said. “As a result, they were languishing in film archives around the world, largely unpreserved. As curators of film history, TCM is proud to take the lead on preserving these films and airing them for classic movie fans of all ages.”

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

Dear Roy and Douglas,

TCM's schedule shows that they will be airing "The Scarlet Clue" on March 6 at 4:15 a.m., Eastern Time. If nothing else, viewers can plan on recording this showing. This small step in returning Charlie Chan to the airwaves should be applauded, I feel, as this could lead to more in the future.

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Lost Chans Worldwide Distribution

It could lead to more in the future, but I'd think that TCM, owning a bucketload of MGM titles in addition to the Warner catalog, would only show the Monogram Chans (see the "Chanthology" DVD set, released by MGM - said Monograms being snapped up by Allied Artists who, in turn were ultimately snapped up by MGM, who, partially anyways in terms of catalog, was snapped up by Turner).

So, unless Turner (TCM) wants to tangle with Fox or they work out some sort of broadcast deal, I don't think we'll be seeing Warner Oland and Sidney Toler in his healthier days on TCM.