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
Four Classic Chan Films

Currently, the Riverview Theater, in Minneapolis, is hosting a unique film series, "The Best of Alfred Hitchcock." For the months of April and May, the theater presents four classic mystery films, and two bonus films, directed by the Master of Suspense.

For our imaginary theater, let's replace Mr. Hitchcock with Mr. Chan. At our theater, we have the opportunity to select four films for our special series, "The Best of Charlie Chan." Of the 41 Chan films currently available, what four films would you select for our "Best of ..." series? Remember, you can only select four films from the Charlie Chan film series (1929-1949).

After we hear from a few Chan family members, I will add my four Chan picks.

Re: Four Classic Chan Films

Aloha Steve,

What a great and fun idea! Without getting into my reasoning, unless so desired, below are my top four Chan's:

1-The Black Camel
2-Charlie Chan at the Circus
3-Charlie Chan at the Opera
4-Charlie Chan at Treasure Island

I would go out of my way to see any of the above, but make no mistake, the only bad Chan is no Chan :-)

I look forward to hearing from our other "family" member favorites!

Imagine "if" someday we could arrange our "family" to view a Charlie Chan double feature together in a historic theater?

Matt

Re: Four Classic Chan Films

Dear Steve and Matt,

First, Steve, great idea!

Next, Matt, I can only agree with the choices you offer to Steve's theater of our imagination!

I love "The Black Camel" for its freshness and as it is the earliest example we have of Warner Oland's "take" on Charlie Chan. Also, being on location in and around Honolulu was something that would be unique to this film! In fact, there were no other location films until "The Trap," really, which saw parts being shot in Malibu. And, there's Bela Lugosi, too!

"Charlie Chan at the Circus" has always had endearing quality for me. The fact that we see the entire family, including Mrs. Chan, in a couple of good, solid scenes shows a lot of what made the Chan character of the big screen such a hit with fans - and still does! He is, besides being a master crime-solver, a loving and doting father. His human side is allowed to shine. Keye Luke is great in this one, too, being both the big brother and the able, though distracted, son of the world-renowned detective.

Oland and Luke are in perfect sync and in high gear in "Opera." The pairing at their peak. And...Boris Karloff. This is the film that was said to have turned the heads of some at Fox as being a "B" picture that outdid some of their "A" efforts!

"Charlie Chan at Treasure Island." This one is VERY often the top-rated choice of Charlie Chan fans in polls for the best film in the series. What a way to round out a film offering at our imaginary theater! Sidney Toler and Victor Sen Yung at the top of their game in a film that has a bit of everything. I only wish that back in the "old days" of AMC's showings of Chan films that Cesar Romero had been asked to introduce this one and that we could have that on tape!

I suppose that if backed into a corner and forced to make a change in this worthy line-up, I might substitute "Charlie Chan in Paris" with "Charlie Chan at the Circus" - though this would cause me heartfelt pain - as this is our first glimpse of Keye Luke as Number One Son, Lee, and we see how well he and Warner Oland "clicked" immediately!

Great question, great films, gentlemen...

Sincerely,
Rush

Re: Four Classic Chan Films

It would be great to see Charlie Chan in a theatre, up on the big screen! As for what four movies, that's really hard to choose!

While I definitely agree with Charlie Chan in Paris, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, and The Black Camel....I would have to add one of my all time favorite Chan films: Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum. There's nothing like being trapped in a spooky Wax Museum on a stormy night with a murder at large! This movie is one of my first Chan films and what made me a Chan Fan. I do love "at the Circus" also but then I guess I just can pick just four

My Four Classic Chan Films

Thank you folks for your replies to "the Best of Charlie Chan." Like other family members, I found it tough to select only four Chan films for our special movie theater.

Like so many other fans, I like "The Black Camel" (1931) because of the same reasons mentioned by Rush. Personally, I feel that Oland's best performance as Chan is in "Charlie Chan's Secret" (1936). I like the structure of "Secret" too.

My Chan choices feature films that include story elements from the original Biggers' novels, and magical whodunit moments that only the movies can provide us. I have selected the following four titles:

1. "Charlie Chan in Shanghai" (1935) with Warner Oland and Keye Luke. This film contains one nice scene after another. As a viewer, I believe Oland and Luke as father and son.

2. "Charlie Chan at the Opera" (1936) with Oland, Karloff, Demarest, and Luke. From the principle players to the minor actors, this great film is full of fun dialogue and quirky characters.

3. "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" (1938). Sidney Toler is fresh to the role of Chan and he appears to be enjoying himself throughout the film. Toler's joyful experience in playing Chan jumps off the screen and into our hearts. This film always brings a smile to my face.

4. "Dead Men Tell" (1941) with Sidney Toler and Sen Yung. Where "CC at the Wax Museum" fails in creating suspense, "Dead Men Tell" hits it on the mark with perfectly timed thrills and chills. "Wax Museum" has all the elements going for it (trapped guests at a spooky place with a unknown murderer among them!), but, in my opinion, the film just bumps around in the dark. There are no great chills. "Dead Men Tell" has the same elements, and brings great atmosphere and suspense to the viewer. There are a couple truly scary moments with Black Hook.

From a fan of Charlie Chan films, I would love to see these four vintage films on the big screen. The big screen is where all great movies need to be seen.

Re: My Four Classic Chan Films

An interesting point, Steve: The big screen is where all great movies need to be seen."

I've never had an opportunity to se evenone of them on the big screen, anyone here done so? I think it would be great to have a series organized, but here in Columbus, there's just no chance...

Re: My Four Classic Chan Films

Hi tenman,

Like so many "baby-boomers," I was introduced to the films of Charlie Chan via commercial television during the 1960s and 1970s.

During the 1970s, I saw "Dracula" with Bela Lugosi, "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff, "King Kong" with Fay Wray, and a couple of Marx Brothers films on the big screen. But I do not remember seeing a Charlie Chan film in a movie theater.

If you go to Past Monthly Poll Results on this website, and scroll down to June 2011, you will find the answer to your question.

A couple of years ago, I found the film rental company that holds the 35mm film prints of the Charle Chan series. At that time, I was told that there were about six titles availabe for rental in the 35mm film format. The film prints were made from the film negatives about 40 years ago. Due to rental use, some of the prints have a lot of splices to them. This means that there are jumps in scenes and missing sections in the rental prints.

Instead of renting a 35mm print, the film company representative recommended renting a DVD copy of a Chan title. The company also rents 16mm prints and DVDs of several Chan titles.

Most Chan film run around 70 minutes. Four 18 minute film reels make up a complete Chan film. Given the costs of 35mm film stock and printing fees, it would cost somewhere between $2,000 to $4,000 to create a new print of a Chan film. Based on my past expereince in printing reels of my own films, this is my guess.