One of the more interesting aspects of viewing Charlie Chan films is to see the numerous famous Hollywood actors that appeared in the series. We are all aware of the great horror stars that appeared in the series, i.e.: Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, Jr., Lionel Atwill, and George Zucco. Some of us can recognize character actors like Leo G. Carroll, George "Superman" Reeves, and J. Carrol Naish in the series.

Ms. Anna May Wong was a unique actress who worked during the golden years of Hollywood film-making. She has a special association with Charlie Chan.

Ms. Wong's association to the series was her appearance in "The Chinese Parrot" (1927 Universal), the second of 47 Chan films. Unfortunately, "The Chinese Parrot" is a "lost" film. No prints of this film are known to exist.

Also, because they appeared together in several Hollywood films, Ms. Wong was a good friend of actor Warner Oland.

On Tuesday, July 5th, we will have the opportunity to see Anna May Wong in one of her more exciting roles. At 10:30 p.m. (ET), on Tuesday, the 5th, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will broadcast "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924) starring Douglas Fairbanks and featuring Ms. Wong. In this film, she played the part of the scantily-clad Mongol Slave.

In 1996, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

In my humble opinion, "The Thief of Bagdad" is one of the finest silent movies to come out of Hollywood's classic era.

Check your local TV listings for this special showing of the classic silent film "The Thief of Bagdad" on TCM. Don't forget to bring your flying carpet.