Rush:

As to how I started initially, I searched Google for some website that would be something similar to a Chinese version of the Internet Movie Database. I couldn't find that immediately, but I did find this website...

http://www.mtime.com/

I typed in 'Charlie Chan' and pressed a button that I supposed was for searching. Try it yourself...

It takes you to this page...

http://www.mtime.com/search/movie?Charlie%20Chan

The some Tolands and Olands are listed, most with accompanying pictures of the DVD covers. However, just below Charlie Chan in London, you see Charlie Chan Breaks the Conceal Down (listed twice).

There are two variants of the title in Chinese:

陈查礼大破隐身术

and

陈查理大破隐身术

Both titles are a 1941 film. They are the same movie.

Try Google translation... These titles translate to:

Chen Zha ceremony for the stealth big break

and

Charlie Chan broken stealth operation

respectively.

The first has the translated description:

"Thieves used a stealth operation crime, Chen Zha ceremony Detective help cracking a case."

The second has the translated description:

"Chen Zha ceremony this time is cracked by the use of stealth in a theft case."

Names are sometimes translated in the Rush Glick format or the Glick, Rush format. So, the name of the actor that seems to play Charlie Chan (顾梅君) is either written as Gu Meijun or Meijun Gu in the translations.

Hope this is of assistance!

Doug

Try copying and pasting this into a Google search...

陈查

Those symbols simply mean 'Charlie Chan'.

(陈查理 can be Charlie Chan also. The extra character doesn't seem to do much.)

The first website that comes up is that unknown film from 1948.

Unfortunately, it didn't work when I asked Google to translate the page, so I viewed the page directly in Chinese and copied and pasted the entire text of the page into the Translate Text window. I just did a 'select all' and copied it over to the translation window.

A long line of text shows up to include the title:

Charlie Chan and Combating of Enemy Overlord (1948)

This film also goes by a couple of variant titles by the way.

There is no way that these are translated Monogram films. These are Chinese-made films featuring Charlie Chan. They seem to be part of a trend at that time to make Chinese versions of western films. The term for this trend was translated as 'europeanized'.

There is a Chinese Tarzan movie and a Chinese Snow White and maybe a Chinese Shirley Temple, if I understood what I was seeing correctly. There is a page that seems to list about a dozen Chinese films made based on characters or stars in American films.

Unfortunately, www.imdb.cn (Chinese internet movie database) is actually of no help. It just lists the same films as on the U.S. version of IMDB.

Dear Douglas,

I am fascinated with the information that your Herculean efforts are uncovering. Hopefully, some conclusive proof will be unearthed which will verify that these films actually exist or, at one time, existed.

I have tried to do as you say and translate some of the pages, but, sadly, not too much information seems to appear in a readable form. As time allows, I will try to check out more of the material that you have offered. In the meantime, I applaud your work in this regard.

(Bowing) Thank you so much...

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Here's another translation of the plot via Babel Fish Translation...

Chen Chali, Chen Meina the father female is held to search observes the strange robber burglary case which in the society occurs one after another, Chen's friend Xiao Youqin also positively gives the help. One day, the Chen father female on invitation attends the human relations to spend the graceful cloud birthday banquet, the strange robber burglary case occurs once more, the money puts in the safe cabinet the precious jewelry to vanish into thin air, a servant is also killed. Attends banquet Jia Yi and Lu Shaoting two average per person has the suspicion, who but actually doesn't have the evidence determination is. The Jia righteousness girlfriend week lunar corona has the improper behavior, but they do not know the circumstances of the matter. Qian Manyun accidentally discovered the week wears the jewelry the jewelry which loses with own very much to like. The Chen father female goes to the reconnaissance actually almost to be in danger. Latter Chen Chali invents to be possible to break the stealth eyeglasses, is about to actually how all not to be able to find with the time eyeglasses, the case falls into the deadlock, Xiao Youqin extremely is also disappointed. Latter beautiful elegantly finds out an idea, the father female two people supposes the trap, finally caused the stealth robber walks into a trap.