"A thousand pardons…"

What James Bond was to espionage, Charlie Chan was to detective work. From a series of popular books written in the 20s emerged a super sleuth, both suave and sophisticated, with a sharp, yet subtle, sense of humor. And like Bond, these literary works found even more popularity once they were transferred to the big screen, with actors Warner Oland and Sidney Toler the respective Sean Connery and Roger Moore of their day. The result was a larger-than-life character, beloved by millions.

Ohio novelist Earl Derr Biggers penned his first Charlie Chan book shortly after a vacation to Hawaii, where he had been intrigued by newspaper accounts of a famous Chinese detective. In 1925, House Without a Key was released and was almost immediately met with acclaim. Five more novels followed, four of which would eventually be depicted in film.  The exception was Keeper Of The Keys, which instead found success as a Broadway play.

House Without a Key was the first book to be made into a movie, the same year in which the novel was published. Actor George Kuwa played the famous detective, although his lines were few and far between, which failed to make a noticeable impression on audiences. The character was also depicted in two non-book-related films, The Chinese Parrot and Behind that Curtain, with Kamiyama Sojin and E.l. Parks playing Chan respectively. Again, without Chan being the focus of the film, few took notice. Charlie needed to be thrust into the spotlight.

This finally happened in 1931, when Swedish actor Warner Oland depicted Chan in Charlie Chan Carries On. Oland was already a familiar face to moviegoers, with starring roles in The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Jazz Singer (playing Jolson’s cantor father.) In this film, Charlie Chan steps in to replace an injured Scotland Yard Detective and solve a mystery. Finally, the character was up-front and personal, and audiences paid attention, turning the film into a hit.

Oland would therefore return in the next offering, The Black Camel. Although not based on a book from the series, the author did pen the screenplay. In the film, an actress has been murdered in Hawaii and Chan, while investigating the case, notices similarities to an unsolved murder three years prior. With his irrepressible charm and masterful skills, Chan is able to kill two birds with one stone and solve both crimes. Iconic horror film actor Bela Lugosi also had a major role in the film, playing a psychic gypsy who is convinced that his skills surpass Chan’s.

With The Black Camel also positively received at the box-office, Oland was signed to a long-term contract, which would lead to appearances in 14 more films as the famous detective. Granted, in each of the films the plot doesn’t vary much – A mysterious murder occurs in an exotic locale that Chan just so happens to be visiting. The detective patiently gathers clues, all the while offering witticisms that read like ancient Chinese proverbs, such as “Murder without bloodstain like Amos without Andy - most unusual" and "Hasty conclusion like hole in water, easy to make."    

In the next film, 1935’s Charlie Chan Goes to Paris, audiences were introduced to a new character, Chan’s “#1 Son.” Determined to be a chip off the ol’ block, the young man’s eagerness and determination often get in the way of dad, leading to plenty of humorous situations. Keye Luke portrayed the young detective offspring, and the exposure gave his career a serious boost, making him on of the most in-demand Chinese-American character actors. (Television fans of the 70s may remember seeing him as “Master Po” in the popular series Kung Fu.)

After starring in Charlie Chan Goes to Monte Carlo, Warner Oland lost a battle with pneumonia in 1938. After his passing, Sidney Toler took over in Charlie Chan in Honolulu, with Chan solving a murder that has occurred aboard a freighter. He is assisted by a new sidekick, #2 Son, who was played by Victor Sen Yung. Chan is equally distracted by #2 son, and the fact that #1 grandson is due to be born any minute. This led to many humorous moments in the film, and audiences gave their seal of approval to the new Chan. As a result, more film opportunities would follow for the new actor.

All in all, Roger Moore, er, Sidney Toler would play Chan in a total of 10 films. Perhaps the most fondly remembered is Charlie Chan at Treasure Island, with Cesar Romero (Batman’s television nemesis, The Joker) playing a strange magician whose help Chan enlists to solve the murder of a friend, who by all appearances, has committed suicide. With a well-written script and plenty of footage included from the 1939 World’s Fair, this film is a must-see for any fan of the storied detective.

20th Century Fox sold the rights for the Charlie Chan films to Monogram Studios. Sidney Toler continued his popular portrayal for the 1944 film, Charlie Chan in the Secret Service. This time around, Charlie is working for the Secret Service, assisted by #3 son, and Birmingham Brown – an always-frightened cab driver portrayed by African-American Actor Mantan Moreland. The popularity of this humorous role, led to the cab driver eventually being hired by Chan as a chauffeur, so he could therefore be included in future films.

Eventually Sideny Toler succumbed to cancer in 1947 and was replaced by Roland Winters – who would play Chan in the next offering, The Chinese Ring, as well as five subsequent films. His last portrayal of Charlie Chan was in 1949, in the film The Sky Dragon. From there, the storied detective moved on to television, with actor J. Carrol Naish playing Chan in the series, The Adventures of Charlie Chan. Twenty years later, Chan would make his animated debut in the Saturday morning kid’s show, The Amaing Chan and the Chan Clan. Former #1 son, Keye Luke, would provide the cartoon voice of Chan.

In 1979, television audiences were treated to a made-for-TV film, The Return of Charlie Chan, and more than thirty years after the last film, the Chan character returned to the big screen, in the 1981 parody, Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen. To date, this is the last time Charlie was seen, either on television or movies. But his memory lives on in the many classic films, which are still regularly shown on television. Much like James Bond, there are only a handful of iconic characters that audiences consistently identify with over decades. And nobody would disagree that Charlie Chan certainly deserves to be on this list. Therefore it is highly doubtful that we have seen the last of Charlie Chan, perhaps the most famous detective to ever be depicted.