Charlie Chan wasn't truly a fictional character. Chan's creator, author Earl Derr Biggers, patterned him after a real-life detective in Honolulu named Chang Apana that he read about in the newspaper in 1919. Biggers had never before heard of an Oriental detective and was intrigued by the concept, so much so that a character for a book began to form in his mind. The character of police sergeant Charlie Chan first appeared in Biggers' novel "The House Without a Key," and was so popular that other novels followed. By the end of the Chan novel series, Biggers had promoted Charlie to Inspector Chan of the Honolulu Police. Later, Chan's film box office success in more than 40 movies in the 1930s and 1940s influenced a more positive perception of Asians in the U.S. The Chinese sleuth's calm, philosophical persona helped turn around much of the negative Hollywood stereotypes of Orientals during this period.

The sagacious Honolulu police detective was portrayed in Twentieth-Century Fox and Monogram Pictures films by E. L. Parks, Sojin, Manuel Arbó, George Kuwa, Denny Delk, Sidney Toler, Warner Oland (who was actually of Swedish birth), Roland Winters, and Peter Ustinov. Ross Martin, of TV's Wild, Wild West fame, played Chan in a 1971 made-for-TV movie. A short-lived Charlie Chan TV series during the late 1950s starred J. Carroll Naish. None of the actors who portrayed him were actually Chinese. Filmgoers could count on the older detective's keen mind and sharp wit. His film dialogue, in halting English, was liberally peppered with incisive (if not enigmatic) maxims from his ancestors, such as:

"Truth, like oil, will in time rise to surface."
"If strength were all, tiger would not fear scorpion."
"Hasty deduction like ancient egg. Look good from outside."
"Necessity mother of invention, but sometimes step-mother of deception."
"Holiday mood like fickle girl - privileged to change mind."
"Mind like parachute - only function when open."
"Only very foolish mouse make a nest in cat's ear."
"Theory like balloon - easy to blow up, quick to explode."

One endearing trademark of the films was that one of Chan's over-eager, bumbling teenage sons always joined him in solving the crime. The bantering between them, a comedic blend of "East Meets West" and "youth vs. maturity," was diverting:

Tommy Chan: "Pop, I've got a case that will knock your hat off!" Charlie Chan: "Can remove hat without assistance, thank you."

Tommy Chan: "My gosh, Pop, are you a mind reader?" Charlie Chan: "If mind not too small."

Charlie Chan, to Tommy: "You should get married and raise large family. Once you have large family, all other troubles mean nothing." (It was established that Charlie had 14 children).

Over the years, the roles of "Number One Son," "Number Two Son," and so on, were played by several respected Oriental film actors, most of whom coincidentally would work opposite David Carradine in the 1970s and 1980s. Keye Luke, who was popular in the role of Lee Chan in many Chan movies, is likely better-remembered decades later for his role in the made-for-TV film and subsequent TV series Kung Fu as Master Po. Luke supplied the voice of Charlie Chan in the Saturday morning TV cartoon The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan. In 1938, Victor Sen Yung, who later played cook Hop Sing on TV's Bonanza, was cast as "Number Two Son," a role he played in 25 Chan films (his character was alternately named James, Jimmy, or Tommy Chan). Sen Yeng played the role of Chuen in the Kung Fu TV drama. Benson Fong, who played Tommy Fong in the 1940s, was later cast as "The Old One" in the Kung Fu: The Movie in 1986. Earlier in the series, Layne Tom, Jr., was introduced as Charlie Chan, Jr. in one film, then Tommy Chan, and in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise, he was Willie Chan. And Keye Luke's brother Edwin appeared in The Jade Mask (1945) as "Number Four Son" Eddie Chan. A bit confusing…

Biggers' original novel was eventually turned into the retitled film Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933). Regrettably, writer Biggers died in 1933, just at the onset of Charlie Chan's international fame on the silver screen.

Author: Vicki McClure Davidson

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