The character of Charlie Chan was created by Earl Derr Biggers. In 1919, while visiting Hawaii, Biggers planned a detective novel to be called The House Without a Key. He did not begin to write that novel until four years later, however, when he was inspired to add a Chinese-American police officer to the plot after reading in a newspaper of Chang Apana and Lee Fook, two detectives on the Honolulu police force. Biggers, who disliked the Yellow Peril stereotypes he found when he came to California, explicitly conceived of the character as an alternative: "Sinister and wicked Chinese are old stuff, but an amiable Chinese on the side of law and order has never been used.
In 1931 Warner Oland began starring as Charlie Chan. Oland starred in sixteen Chan films for Fox, often with Keye Luke, who played Chan's "Number One Son", Lee Chan. Oland's "warmth and gentle humor" helped make the character and films popular; the Oland Chan films were among Fox's most successful. By attracting "major audiences and box-office grosses on a par with A's" they "kept Fox afloat" during the Great Depression.
Oland died in 1938, and the Chan film, Charlie Chan at the Ringside, was rewritten with additional footage as Mr. Moto's Gamble, an entry in the Mr. Moto series, another contemporary series featuring an East Asian protagonist; Luke appeared as Lee Chan, not only in already shot footage but also in scenes with Moto actor Peter Lorre. Fox hired another white actor, Sidney Toler, to play Charlie Chan, and produced eleven Chan films through 1942.
When Fox decided to produce no further Chan films, Sidney Toler purchased the film rights. Producers Philip N. Krasne and James S. Burkett of Monogram Pictures produced and released further Chan films, starring Toler. films (1944–1949) Black comedic actor Mantan Moreland played chauffeur Birmingham Brown in 13 films (1944–1949) which led to criticism of the Monogram films in the forties and since; some call his performances "brilliant comic turns", while others describe Moreland's roles as an offensive and embarrassing stereotype. Toler died in 1947 and was succeeded by Roland Winters for six films. Keye Luke, missing from the series after 1938's Mr. Moto rework, returned as Charlie's son in the last two entries.
This collection includes 42 complete Charlie Chan films in a 14 DVD set. It comes packaged exactly as pictured with each disc cushioned in a protective sleeve for safe shipping. Customed labeled, interactive menus, ideal for gift-giving. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! Please note; these movies were filmed long before HDTV, and most before television even existed, therefore they are best viewed in the 4:3, standard TV format.
MOVIE TITLES:
Disc 1:
Charlie Chan in Behind That Curtain
Charlie Chan in Eran Trece (in Spanish)
Charlie Chan in The Black Camel
Disc 2:
Charlie Chan in London
Charlie Chan in Paris
Charlie Chan in Egypt
Disc 3:
Charlie Chan in Shanghai
Charlie Chan's Secret
Charlie Chan at the Circus
Disc 4:
Charlie Chan at the Racetrack
Charlie Chan at the Opera
Charlie Chan at the Olympics
Disc 5:
Charlie Chan on Broadway
Charlie Chan in Monte Carlo
Charlie Chan in Honolulu
Disc 6:
Charlie Chan in Reno
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness
Disc 7:
Charlie Chan in Panama
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
Disc 8:
Charlie Chan in Murder Over New York
Charlie Chan in Dead Men Tell
Charlie Chan in Rio
Disc 9:
Charlie Chan in Castle in the Desert
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service
Charlie Chan in the Chinese Cat
Disc 10:
Charlie Chan in Meeting at Midnight
Charlie Chan in the Jade Mask
Charlie Chan in the Scarlet Clue
Disc 11:
Charlie Chan in the Shanghai Cobra
Charlie Chan in the Red Dragon
Charlie Chan in Dark Alibi
Disc 12:
Charlie Chan in Shadows over Chinatown
Charlie Chan in Dangerous Money
Charlie Chan in the Trap
Disc 13:
Charlie Chan in the Chinese Ring
Charlie Chan in Docks of New Orleans
Charlie Chan in Shanghai Chest
Disc 14:
Charlie Chan in the Feathered Serpent
Charlie Chan in the Golden Eye
Charlie Chan in the Sky Dragon