I think that Moto spent so much time out of Japan solving cases . . . as I understand it, the Japanese have treated those who have lived outside of Japan any length of time (for whatever reason) to no longer quite Japanese.

Possibly Moto might not be so loyal to his homeland during WWII and, consequently, turned to spying on countrymen.

He might turn to Chan and/or Wong as contacts . . . .

It's an interesting idea to think about!

Virginia

If you'd like to see what a meeting between Charlie, Nick Charles and Sam Spade (and others) would be like, check out the movie "Murder By Death".

Tom

Dear Pete,

This is a topic that is, as you note FULL of interesting possibilities. Virginia's thoughts got my brain going a bit, regarding this idea of "crossovers" involving Charlie Chan.

As we know, Mr. Wong apparently disappeared from the scene when hostilities involving Japan heated up. Now, as Charlie Chan was working for the U.S. secret service during World War II, and, we see Mr. Chan working for the government just prior to the war in "Charlie Chan in Panama." Could it be that Mr. Moto, too, was working for a covert branch of the U.S. government at that time? What a GREAT spy he would be!

As Chan's Number One Son, Lee, worked with Moto in "Mr. Moto's Gamble," there was already a connection made between the two. Chan and Moto could have been in touch through the secret channels that they were involved with, and, perhaps they could have shared an adventure or two behind enemy lines or going after enemy agents working inside the United States. (I feel that he latter scenario would be the more realistic.)

Thank you, again, for offering the thought-provoking topic!

Sincerely,
Rush Glick

Moto and Chan are already linked not just in the genre, but also through genre history. Moto was created by Marquand at the request of the Saturday Evening Post as a replacement for Chan after Biggers died. And as we all know Charlie Chan Ringside was reshot and turned into Mr Moto's Gamble, in a quirky turn of events the film that was to be Mr Moto in Panama was rewritten to be a Charlie Chan film after it was plain that war with Japan was inevitable, it would not do to have a japanese hero.

And that is where the schizophrenia of the whole Moto character becomes problematic. In the movies he is portrayed as a sort of international detective or policeman. But in the books (which are worth reading) Moto is a loyal servant of the Japanese Empire working as a sort of agent provocateur in China and other Asian countries, fully committed to expanding imperial interests in the Pacific Rim. There is much talk about what we would think of as manifest destiny and economic coups. Moto is clear that he would rather do things his way than with brute military force. Moto's loyalty to Japan extends post WW2 in the last book Stopover Tokyo/Mr. Motos Last laugh (note that the film version completely deletes the Moto character)

They even have different first names. So it might be simplest to think of them not as a single character, but rather two different Mr. Moto's, bothers perhaps each serving his own view of justice.

Dear Pete,

Very interesting. Having never read the Mr. Moto books, that side of the character which you note was lost on me! That would make the teaming up that I proposed a bit more difficult, indeed! Perhaps a "Charlie Chan VS. Mr. Moto" would be more like it in that case!

Sincerely,
Rush

Rush,
It could form an interesting triptych of tales. One set in the twenties or early thirties in which they work together as detectives. One set in the late thirties early forties in which they are government agents working against each other. The final tale set in post war Tokyo working together again but with some animosity over the invasion of China or perhaps there could be an explanation of why Jimmy Chan and Mrs Chan stopped being mentioned in the late forties.

As for James Lee Wong, oh the possibilities are endless. In the first film it is made clear by a former acquaintance that Wong changing his name would not be unexpected, and as you note Wong vanishes once hostilities with Japan start. It would be fun to explore two possibilities (1) Wong's elimination by Moto, or perhaps investigated by Chan, or (2) Wong as a japanese born ethnic chinese (a surpressed minority fiercely trying to prove their loyalty) working as an agent for the Japanese who then goes underground when hostilities begin. And what is his relationship to the other Mr Wong (based o Keeler's Sing Sing Nights andnplayed by Lugosi in Mysterious Mr. Wong). Note that William Nigh directed both Lugosi and Karloff as the two different Wongs.

this is a very interesting speculation topic.

For me, I would have liked the idea of seeing Charlie Chan meet up with famous attorney "Perry Mason" on one of the Perry Mason shows. Perry Mason first started in 1957 so the Chan who would have met up with him would have been Roland Winters (if the series carried on). Imagine Sen Yung working with Paul Drake on some detective work. It would have been interesting to see "pop" conversing with Perry on crime scene details. An interesting show it would have been.