Babel fish translation has done a bit better. Maybe there is no Number 1 daughter in this after all, but it is difficult to tell which 'female' asks 'Chen Chali' to help.


The singer day often arrives the broadcasting station to make the program. Because always puts on makeup the broadcast, therefore continually broadcasting station's people have not seen its original appearance. In order to celebrate constructs a fifth anniversary, the broadcasting station diligently, finally causes *** Tian to comply in every way in to celebrate the date meets by the real facial features and the audience, the numerous singer fans are not excited already. Is the date benefit day mounts the stage, in the theater the light suddenly extinguishes, regains eyesight when *** Tianyi dies. female asks Chen Chali the father to assist to solve a case. Chen Chali takes over soon, the broadcasting station another female radio announcer is assassinated. Through investigated Chen Chali to send day this plan to recently to become engaged with female Hu Liying, Hu Liying actually in addition had the boyfriend. Chen Chali follows up a clue, has launched the life-and-death fight with the bandit... ...

How exciting. A "new" Chan film. Is this film availble for purchase? I guess it is too much to hope that it would be and also one day be availble for import with English subtitles. But then, maybe some Hong Kong company might be persuaded to make it available in the West.

And not just one "new" Chan film. There appears to have been a series of them made in Shanghai. I'm quite confident now that there were at least six. Two other titles are possibilties, based on the correspondence of the principal cast members, director/screenwriter, and brief descriptions that they were detective films of some sort.

As to whether prints of any of these films today actually survive, that's an entirely separate matter. I have read in various places online that the survival rate of Chinese-made films from the 1930s and 1940s is not so great.

Hopefully, at least one bona fide Charlie Chan film made in Shanghai still exists. We could get a general impression of the whole series if there is at least one example to view. Maybe after we view one, we won't care if any others are found!



I will attempt to learn more soon.