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Charlie
Chan is the rotund Chinese detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. Beginning in 1925 with The House Without a Key,
Biggers modeled Chan after Chang Apana, a real-life Chinese detective who lived with his large family in Honolulu on Punchbowl
Hill. With the exception of Sherlock Holmes, Charlie Chan is the most prolific detective on film—a filmography that
includes an initial 10-part serial in 1926 followed by 46 films through 1949. During this span, six actors played the inscrutable
detective: George Kuwa (1925), Kamiyama Sojin (1927), E.L. Park (1929), Warner Oland (1931-1938), Sidney Toler (1938-1947),
and Roland Winters (1947-1949).
There are
two things that I enjoy the most that set the Charlie Chan film series apart from the other B-detective films of the
1930s and 1940s. One is Chan's frequent use of pithy, but wise sayings. The other is the scenarists' inclusion of Chan's children
in many of the films who are often found to be on the receiving end of many of Charlie's well-placed verbal shots—"Better
a father lose his son than a detective his memory" in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940). Also mentioned are a few
members of the extended family—"Man without relatives is man without troubles." Because of Chan's large family, it is not uncommon for
questions to arise concerning his family, relatives, and the names of his children. Although the family members are characters
of fiction, one however has to carefully distinguish between the novels and the films, as there were only rare cases where
the film faithfully followed the novel it was based on. In the six novels Biggers wrote, Charlie Chan and his honorable wife
are parents to 11 children, a brood large enough for the Chans to field their own family baseball or football team if they
wanted to. Charlie candidly declares in The Chinese Cat (1944), "Once you have large family, all other troubles mean
nothing." More than 40 films allowed for the development of the
Chan family and the many scenarists introduced changes in the family along with perhaps unintended occasional errors in continuity
over the duration of the series. Of the very early Chan talkies with Warner Oland, sadly four films are considered "lost"
but thankfully their scripts and some stills survive. Like Chan, we can try to deduce certain facts allowing us to gather
further information about some members of the Chan family. The Chan Children: The Changing Numbers
As a devoted family man, Charlie always has a picture
of his family in a large wallet placed near his bed in his travels around the world. In Charlie Chan in London, Chan,
his wife, and 10 children are shown in one photograph and a separate photograph shows a young baby—probably child Number
11 from Charlie Chan's Chance. However this is at odds with the end of the movie when Charlie says that at home, he
has 12 children and one wife.
The 1938 entry, Charlie Chan in Honolulu, is
notable in many respects. First, the role of Charlie Chan is now played by Sidney Toler following the death of Warner Oland.
Secondly, the departure of Keye Luke as Number One son from the series now introduces Number Two son Jimmy for the first time.
Thirdly, Charlie and his wife confirm that they now have 13 children and a grandchild is born at the film's end. However one scene at the beginning of the film shows
11 children at the family dining table—now seven boys and four girls—with Number Two son Jimmy (Victor Sen Yung,
then credited as Sen Yung) seated at the head of the table next to Charlie. The discrepancy of two fewer children is easily
resolved when Jimmy explains Lee's absence, now attending art school in New York, and Number One daughter Ling is in the hospital
about to give birth to the Chans' first grandchild. With 13 children, there are now eight sons and five daughters accounted
for. Apparently somewhere between the "Circus" and "Honolulu" films, the Chans despite adding one child, have
gained three sons and lost two daughters! In "Honolulu," a freighter captain has already met two of Charlie's sons (Jimmy and Willie) under annoying circumstances
aboard his ship while Chan is also aboard investigating a murder. He then tersely inquires of Charlie there are any more.
To the captain's astonishment, Charlie admits to having nine more at home, corroborating the total of 11 children present
in an earlier scene at the crowded dinner table.
In Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939), an
old friend praises Chan's wife as an "institution," having given birth to 13 children. In Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum
(1940), Charlie responds to his chief superior that he likes to use the element of surprise and not to be its victim. When
the police chief then inquires if Chan was ever surprised, Charlie with a smile admits the only time was "When honorable wife
announced arrival of 13th offspring." When the production of the Charlie Chan films
changed studios from 20th Century-Fox to Monogram, viewers were informed of another increase in the family's size. In Monogram's
first entry, Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944), a long-time friend who hasn't seen Charlie in ten years asks
him about his wife and seven children. Charlie retorts that they have seven more and that "Everything grow rapidly in Hawaii."
Two films later (Black Magic, 1944), Charlie remarks, "I have 14 children; they all try to boss me." Thankfully for
Charlie, there are no further additions to the family for the rest of the series.
No matter how many children the Chans have, all cast
members having roles of the various Chan children were ethnic Asians. This was unlike the standard Hollywood practice at that
time of casting non-Asian actors, such as Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, Roland Winters, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff, in the
major roles depicting Oriental characters like Chan, Mr. Moto and Mr. Wong. The Black Camel is another significant
film for me. Although ten children are seen in one scene, none are ever referred to by name, nor are they listed in the film's
credits—leaving the viewer to guess which ones might be the future Number One son or Number Two daughter of the later
films. Secondly, The Black Camel has one of the series' funniest dialogues between Charlie and two of his children.
Although Chan in many ways honors tradition having been born in China, his children are fully Americanized in their behavior
and speech, unlike his own stilted delivery, and he finds it difficult to understand their new ways and language. A scene at the dinner table concerns a discussion about
a less than flattering report card from school, a topic that occurs again in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940), but
apparently with a different son. One son presents his report card to Charlie, initiating the following exchange between Chan,
the son, and a daughter:
Charlie: Son: Teacher
say you are always at bottom of class. Can't you find better place? Besides this comedic conversation, we are treated to
the cultural differences between the two generations. In this film much of Charlie's acerbic barbs are directed for Kashimo,
his overzealous but inept Japanese police assistant "Spend more time hunting for nothing to do!" Charlie admonishes. Henry Chan: The First Number One Son Oswald Chan The following exchange between Charlie and Oswald in
one scene shows that Charlie's grasp of American slang has not improved:
Charlie: You
have carefully gone over instructions?
Lee Chan: The Second Number One Son
Of all the Chan offspring in the series, Lee is probably
the best remembered, and often pops up unexpectedly in various parts of the globe wherever his father comes to town. Because
of his travels with his father, Lee develops the strange hobby of appropriating towels as mementos from the hotels he has
stayed in and ships he has sailed on. In some of the films, Lee actually has a job, often
employed as some kind of purchasing agent or trade representative. Coincidentally, he is often sent on business to the same
location as is his honorable father. In Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) Lee meets his father, telling him that his
firm sent him to Shanghai to look into the trade situation. Charlie then ribs Lee by asking, "Selling oil for lamps in China?"
Ironically, it was Luke who had a bit part as a Chinese soldier in the film, Oil for the Lamps of China (1935), which
was released about a month before "Shanghai" went into production. In Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937), Lee is
shown to be an accomplished athlete when, as a member of the U.S. Olympic team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he swims in the
100 meter freestyle race. In Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937), Lee, as Luke was in real life, portrays an artist.
He and Charlie are both passing through Monte Carlo on their way to a Paris art show where one of Lee's paintings is being
displayed. In the last film of the series, Sky Dragon (1949), Lee is studying to be an airplane pilot. As the Number One son, Lee Chan is a definite asset to the films' plots. Often, the exchanges between the inscrutable
father and his clean-cut son highlight Charlie's paternal qualities and Lee is usually around to provide the necessary physical
action which Oland's portrayal lacks. Lee even receives a black eye for his trouble in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937).
None of Lee's shortcomings however diminish his strong
devotion to and concern for his father's welfare. Always appreciative of Lee's help, Charlie remarks, "Confucius say, no man
is poor who have worthy son." Keye Luke was born June 18, 1904 in Guangzhou (formerly
Canton), China. At an early age he and his family immigrated to the U.S. where he grew up in Seattle. After graduation from
high school, Luke then went to the University of Southern California. Drafted into military service during World War II, he
went back to college to learn Mandarin Chinese for the Marines, but it wasn't until 1944 when he became a naturalized U.S.
citizen. Luke was a talented artist. He entered the film industry
as a billboard designer and caricaturist, and in 1933 was one of the founders of the Screen Actors Guild. Ironically, he did
publicity artwork for the Fox studio in connection with several of the early Charlie Chan films. Luke tells the story that his becoming an actor was
mainly the result of being in the right place at the right time. When he did his first picture in an uncredited supporting
role with Greta Garbo in The Painted Veil (1934), Luke got the role because his former boss at MGM called him to his
office one day. As Luke fondly reminisced with actress Beulah Quo during a 1977 dinner of the Chinese Historical Society of
Southern California: “I
took samples of my art work with me. He said, 'What the hell do you have those things for?' I said, 'I thought you wanted
to see my art work.' He replied, 'No! Read page 35,' handing me the script for The Painted Veil. After I read it, he
asked, 'How do you like it?' I said, 'But, I'm an artist,' I insisted. 'Don't worry about that,' he answered, and took me
downstairs to the casting department."
Coincidentally, this film also featured Charlie Chan's
Warner Oland, with whom Luke would join one year later in the increasingly popular Charlie Chan series. From his first appearance as Number One son Lee Chan
in Charlie Chan in Paris, Luke continued the role seven more times with Oland. While filming Charlie Chan at the
Ringside in 1938, Oland unexpectedly left the set and eventually went to Sweden where he died of bronchial pneumonia.
Twentieth Century-Fox salvaged much of this uncompleted project and reworked it as the 1938 movie, Mr. Moto's Gamble
with Luke again playing the part of Lee Chan, but now as an assistant to Mr. Moto, a Japanese detective played by Peter Lorre.
With Oland's death, Sidney Toler was picked to continue
the Charlie Chan role and Keye Luke's pay was cut by the studio. Jon Tuska writes in his book, The Detective in Hollywood,
that producer Sol Wurtzel once commented to Luke, "With this team, there's one smart one and one dumb one. You're the dumb
one." This verbal slap and resenting the cut in pay caused Luke to quit the series. His role was then replaced with a new
character—Jimmy Chan as the Chans' Number Two son. Ten years later, Luke would reprise his Lee Chan role for the last
two movies of the series at Monogram with Roland Winters. Although he was never in a Charlie Chan film with Toler,
Luke and Toler did appear together in Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943). By 1940, there now were three Oriental detectives in
films—Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, and Mr. Wong. Unfortunately, each series continued the industry practice of casting a
non-Asian actor as the lead detective. After Boris Karloff had appeared as James Lee Wong in five Mr. Wong films at
Monogram, Keye Luke was chosen for the Mr. Wong role in Phantom of Chinatown (1940). This marked the first time an
Asian actor was cast in the main role of an Oriental detective. Unfortunately, Luke was mismatched in the lead role and the
Mr. Wong series quickly ended. Luke made more than 100 films over his career of more
than 60 years. As a contract player in the big-studio era, Keye Luke had to appear in many minor movies, but he also had supporting
roles in major films such as The Good Earth (1937) and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955). Luke was involved
in other series besides the Charlie Chan films. He played the loyal Kato in The Green Hornet films and the dedicated
intern, Dr. Lee Wong How, in five Dr. Kildare films of the 1940s. Luke also played Wang Chi-Yang, the patriarch of
a Chinese-American family in Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1958 Broadway musical, Flower Drum Song. Incidentally, Luke's
role would be played by Benson Fong, another "Chan son," in the 1961 movie adaptation of the Broadway show. Besides films and the Broadway stage, Luke found work
in many television episodes such as Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The A-Team, Miami Vice, MacGyver, Harry-O,
Night Court, Cannon, Remington Steele, Magnum P.I., It Takes a Thief, I Spy, and
Star Trek. He was also the voice of Charlie Chan on the Saturday morning cartoon show, Charlie Chan and the Chan
Clan in the early 1970s. However, Luke was probably the most popular in his post-Charlie Chan years as Master Po,
a blind Shaolin monk in the Kung Fu television show (1972-1975), which Luke considers his best role. Besides acting, Luke often served as a technical adviser
on films with Chinese themes. In 1986, he won the first Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the Association of Asian/Pacific
American Artists, and he was honored with a sidewalk star in the Hollywood Hall of Fame in December 1990. A month later though,
Keye Luke died from a stroke at the age of 86 on January 12, 1991 at the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier,
California. He was survived by a daughter, Ethel Longenecker, whom he adopted in 1942 when he married Ethel Davis.
At the scene
at the dinner table mentioned earlier in which Jimmy mentions older brother Lee's attending art school in New York, Charlie
refers to Jimmy as "Number Two son," which would appear to eliminate Oswald from this distinction. However, in the later films
churned out by Monogram, the "Number Two son" moniker is mysteriously reassigned to Tommy Chan. More about this change later.
Although Jimmy is portrayed as a college student much of the time, there are some inconsistencies and revelations about his
college days. In Charlie Chan in Reno (1939), Jimmy is a chemistry student at the University of Southern California and one
film later in Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940), is in New York attending law school. Then in the following picture,
Murder Over New York (1940), Jimmy is again a chemistry student with occasional classes in biology and art. In Charlie
Chan in Rio (1941), Jimmy confesses under hypnosis that he didn't do well in math because the class is at 8:00 a.m. and
he is too lazy to get out of bed.
Jimmy sometimes is hired on with temporary jobs onboard
freighters during college vacations but he often lands in jail because of some kind of misunderstanding with the police who
doesn't believe that his father is the famous Charlie Chan. The incarceration generally serves to justify Jimmy's "just happen
to be in the neighborhood" presence when his father arrives on a case in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) and Charlie
Chan in Panama (1940). In his initial appearance, Jimmy already has an appetite
for detective work. "I could be the best detective on the island with your help," he tells his father. Charlie however is
a little less optimistic— "I'm afraid you overestimate abilities of parent." Jimmy is always eager to assist his honorable
detective father, most of the time without permission, and Charlie often has his doubts about Jimmy's usefulness—"Father
who depend on son is happy or foolish according to son." Despite his good intentions though, Jimmy often gullible, providing
more than occasional comic relief—"Young squirt merely chip masquerading as block." Jimmy's uninvited assistance is also the butt of Charlie's
jokes—"Number Two son very promising detective; promise very much, produce very little." In Murder Over New York
(1940), Charlie with a little sarcasm introduces Jimmy to an old friend saying, "This is favorite offspring Jimmy, without
whose assistance many cases would have been solved much sooner." After Jimmy invites himself with assisting his father on
the case, Charlie enlightens his son, "Will inform honorable mother that aid from Number Two son like interest on mortgage.
Impossible to escape." Even with such well-placed quips, exchanges between father and his "favorite offspring" son continue
to highlight Charlie's human qualities despite Toler's slightly more acerbic interpretation of the Charlie Chan character. After helping his father solve a murder case in Charlie
Chan in Rio, Charlie breaks the news to Jimmy that a cablegram from his honorable mother informs them that Jimmy has just
been drafted into the Army. Jimmy's nonchalant response is, "Well how do you like that? Now I've got a war on my hands!" When
Charlie questions if Jimmy doesn't want to go, Number Two son boasts, "Sure. With me in it Pop, the war's in the bag. It's
a cinch!"
Victor Sen Yung, whose original name was Sen Yew Cheung,
was born October 18, 1915 in San Francisco's Chinatown. When he was 12, he took a job as a houseboy for a family on Nob Hill
to help finance his future education. He later graduated from the University of California with a degree in economics and
did some graduate work at UCLA and USC. As did Keye Luke, Yung got into acting by shear happenstance.
He was employed as a salesman for a chemical company and came to the 20th Century-Fox studios one day with samples of a new
flame retardant to sell. Instead of closing the sale, Yung was persuaded to take a screen test for the new role of Jimmy Chan.
In his role as Jimmy Chan, Yung appeared in all his films with Sidney Toler. Because of his military service with the Air
Force in World War II, Yung was replaced with Benson Fong as Tommy Chan, the Number Three son when Monogram took over the
series in 1944. In 1946, Yung returned to the series reprising his Jimmy
Chan role in Shadows Over Chinatown. Two films later, Sidney Toler died in 1947 and Roland Winters was picked to carry
on the role of Charlie Chan for Monogram's final six films. Along with a new actor to play his honorable father, Yung was
without explanation, now cast as Tommy Chan for five of the six final Monogram films and also mysteriously upgraded as Charlie's
Number Two son.
Besides his appearance in 18 Charlie Chan films, Yung
had roles in more than 35 other films, many of which were stereotypical for Asian actors. In some he had key roles, such as
Ong Chi Seng in Billy Wyler's The Letter (1940) with Betty Davis, which Yung felt was his best performance, and as
Frankie Wing in Flower Drum Song (1961). In addition to films, he found work in recurring roles in several television
shows. He was Chuen in Kung Fu (1972), cousin Charlie Fong in Bachelor Father (1957-62), and was perhaps best
recognized as Hop Sing, the Cartwright's irascible cook and houseboy, in Bonanza (1959-73). It is ironic that Yung
was cast as a cook because he actually was a talented Cantonese-style cook. In 1974 he penned the Great Wok Cookbook
(as Victor Sen Yung), which was dedicated to his father, Sen Gam Yung. Unlike some of the other actors from the Chan
and Bonanza series, financial fortune did not follow Yung. Virtually penniless and alone, he died tragically November
9, 1980 in a North Hollywood tenement from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning due to a gas leak in the stove.
Fong is cast with Sidney Toler as his honorable father
in six Monogram entries but is dropped from the series after completing Dark Alibi (1946). Toler died on February 12,
1947 after a long illness from intestinal cancer and Roland Winters was tapped to continue the Chan role in The Chinese
Ring (1947). As was the case when Oland died, there was also a shuffle among Charlie's children. Yung continued in the
series, but he did so now as Tommy Chan, who was cast as the "Number Two son." The change in character name and number for
Yung is probably due more to carelessness in the continuity of writing the screenplays than for any other reason. Of the three
actors to portray Tommy Chan, Benson Fong's characterization, intentionally or not, comes off as the one who was the real
bumbler.
As the son of a well-to-do businessman, Benson Fong
was born October 10, 1916 in Sacramento, California. He went to study in China after high school but eventually returned to
Sacramento to open a grocery store. In the late 1930s he landed a few brief bit parts which
included an uncredited role as a Chinese soldier extra in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936). However Fong got his real
break in the early '40s when in a San Francisco Chinese restaurant with some friends, he saw a man staring at him. This made
him uneasy and Fong asked the waiter to tell the man to stop staring. The man came over and introduced himself as a director
at Paramount Studios and said that he was looking for a Chinese man for a film. There was a big demand for Fong and other
Asian actors at this time as Hollywood was turning out lots of war movies and the studios needed Asian actors to play the
needed Japanese and Chinese characters.
Besides the Charlie Chan series, Fong appeared in nearly
45 other films. His two favorite roles were that of a servant in Keys of the Kingdom (1944) with Gregory Peck and Vincent
Price, and the family patriarch Wang Chi-Yang in Flower Drum Song (1961). Like Keye Luke and Victor Sen Yung, Fong
also found additional work in television series such as Perry Mason, Family Affair, Kung Fu, Mission:
Impossible, and It Takes a Thief. Fong opened Ah Fong's, a restaurant on Vine Street in
Hollywood in 1946 at the suggestion of his friend Gregory Peck. In time there were to be four more—in Encino, Beverly
Hills, Anaheim, and one on Sunset Boulevard, but only one remained when Fong retired in 1985. As a bit of trivia, the next
to last episode of the TV show Bewitched in 1972, revealed that Darin Stephens (then played by Dick Sargent) who worked
for an advertising agency, had Ah Fong's Restaurant as one of his clients. Benson Fong died August 1, 1987 at age 70 from complications
of a stroke and was survived by his wife, five children and three grandchildren. Three Chan Sons Together for One Time Eddie Chan: Number Four Son
Like many of his siblings, Eddie can't resist the self-appointed
urge to assist his father in solving the murder. There is one scene when Eddie and Birmingham Brown arrive to meet Charlie
at the house where a murder had been committed earlier that evening. With unabashed conceit, Eddie asks of his father, "Now
that I am here Pop, what type of murder have we got and how soon do you wish me to produce the murderer?" Charlie retorts,
"Every time you open your mouth, you put in more feet than centipede." Unfortunately, nothing is known about Edwin Luke and
whether he had other film appearances besides The Jade Mask. Older brother Keye Luke, who was interviewed and quoted by Ken
Hanke in his book, Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism, was noticeably silent on any details
about his younger brother. Even Keye Luke's New York Times obituary, written by Peter Flint, made no mention of Edwin. Charlie Junior: Another Number Two Son
In "Olympics," a female murder suspect is presumed
to be wearing clothing made from the fur of a white fox. Every time Charlie Jr. sees a woman wearing white fox fur, he quickly
points out the woman, however a different one each time, to his father—"Look, white fox fur!" Eventually the senior
Chan loses his patience and orders his son to walk home as punishment.
Willie's only film role is rather inauspicious when
at the film's beginning, he and Jimmy sneak into their father's office at the police station at night to see if Willie's teacher
had sent Charlie a copy of his report card in the mail. Their father suddenly enters his office and uncovers Willie's deception
for his being there, as Charlie had already received the unflattering report card in that day's earlier mail. Charlie sternly
points to Willie that, "In Honolulu schools, E not symbol for excellent." Although he can forgive his son's bad report card,
Charlie is unforgiving with his son's attempt at tampering with the U.S. mail. "What chance has a kid got when his father
is a detective?" Willie says dejectedly. As punishment, the younger Chan is to assume the "proper
position" across his father's knee for a spanking. Just when Charlie is about to deliver the first strike, he is unexpectedly
interrupted by an old friend from Scotland Yard, who realizes that he has just stumbled upon an old fashioned spanking. Chan
explains the situation as, "Sometimes quickest way to brain of young sprout is by impression on other end." Having escaped
punishment, Willie breathes a sigh of relief while rubbing his bottom and confesses to Jimmy that he's grateful that Scotland
Yard arrived just in time. As a child actor, very little is known about Layne Tom,
Jr. He was born Richard Layne Tom, Jr. in Los Angeles in the late 1920s to parents Richard Layne and Mary SooHoo Tom. When
under contract to 20th Century-Fox, he attended "studio school" with other children such as Donald O'Connor and Jane Whithers.
Layne Tom's first film appearance was that of sitting
on Clark Gable's shoulders in San Francisco (1936). He also had a role as the native boy Mako in The Hurricane (1937)
featuring an all-star cast that included Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, Raymond Massey, and John Carradine. However,
he would be best known for his roles as three different sons to the same father in the Charlie Chan films. Tom is married to Marilynn Chow, whose aunt, Jean Wong,
herself had appeared in two Charlie Chan films: The Red Dragon (1945) and The Chinese Ring (1947). They
have two daughters, Laurie and Joanne, the latter now known professionally as Kiana Tom, a well-known fitness and aerobics
personality on ESPN, who is just getting into films herself. When once asked about her father, Kiana mentioned that Charlie
Chan at the Olympics (1937) and The Hurricane (1937) are his favorites. More than 60 years later after "Olympics"
was made, both Kiana and her mother still tease Layne about the mysterious "lady in the white fox fur." Ling: Number One Daughter Incidentally, the grandchild is mentioned again in the
series' next film, Charlie Chan in Reno, where Charlie is seen in the police crime laboratory trying to create an Easter
egg for his Number One grandchild. In the uncredited role with no lines, it is possible the Number One daughter was probably
named after an Aunt Ling who is mentioned by Number One son Lee in a earlier film, Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936),
as living "at the other end of the island."
The Number Two Daughter The second eldest daughter appears a second time in
Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944), now by name as Iris Chan. Played by Marianne Quon, Iris is paired with Number
Three son Tommy (Benson Fong) in the first of the 17 Chan films released by Monogram. The rivalry between sister and
brother, along with the debut of Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown for comic relief, makes for too many assistants. Although
Tommy and Birmingham continue as characters in the series, Iris Chan is never heard from again. Marianne Quon's brief acting career included two other
films besides "Secret Service." In China (1943), Quon worked with Chan actors Sen Yung, Barbara Jean Wong, Iris
Wong, and Philip Ahn. In Anna and the King of Siam (1946), she had an uncredited part as one of the many wives of King
Mongkut (Rex Harrison).
Frances Chan In Black Magic, Frances is not paired up with any of
her brothers, like Iris and Tommy were two films earlier in "Secret Service." Instead, Birmingham Brown serves as her sole
partner for the film's comic relief. One interesting item of note is that Frances Chan is played by namesake Frances Chan!
Nothing is known about her other than she appeared in three other films in what seems to be a brief, two-year acting career. Other Child Actors in the Series Another of the uncredited Chan children was Iris
Wong, once cast as the Chan's unnamed Number Two daughter in Charlie Chan in Honolulu. She also had two credited roles,
as maids, in the series: as Choy Wong in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) and Lili Wong in Charlie Chan in Rio (1941).
Iris was born in Watsonville, California September 30, 1920 and was one of the first Asian-American women to land featured
roles in U.S. films. In addition to about ten films, Wong also appeared in the brief TV series, Mysteries Of Chinatown,
which ran from 1949 to 1950. She then moved to Honolulu and became a reservations
manager for Pan American Airways. She also was an artist and had written a Chinese cookbook. On September 2, 1989 she died
at age 68, being survived by a daughter, two stepchildren, her mother, sister, and brother. Other child actors who are known to have appeared in
the series are brothers Frank, David, and Allan Dong; Lily and Stanton Mui; Frances and Mabel Hoo; Richard, Margie, and Faye
Lee; and Mae Jean Quon. Mrs. Chan Charlie often mentions his wife throughout the series
at 20th Century-Fox but there is virtually no mention of her in the 17 Monogram entries, a time when Charlie is either working
for the Government during World War II or is based in San Francisco as a private detective. One might conclude that she either
passed away or the unthinkable has happened—a divorce! Mrs. Chan is first encountered in Charlie Chan Carries
On (1931). In her only scene, she sees her husband off as he is about to board a ship bound for San Francisco and is concerned
that Charlie will not have enough clothes for the voyage—"You must wait and get big trunk." Three films later at the
conclusion of Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933), Mrs. Chan notices a man and woman in an embrace. "Two lovers in
moonlight cast only one shadow," she notes. Charlie looks at his wife and his many children and adds, "Yes. One shadow now;
many shadows later." In Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936), Mrs. Chan acts as the judge at her husband's request, ruling
that their vacation should be interrupted so that her husband is free to solve a murder which would otherwise cause a circus
to shut down bankrupted. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) is
the final film featuring the family matriarch. She is just told that her "little Ling" is at the maternity hospital about
to give birth. Charlie tries to calm her down in the following dialog:
Charlie: Mrs.
Chan: Charlie:
Look,
Mama. You have same experience 13 times. There is no cause to worry. Several Chinese actresses portray Charlie's honorable
wife throughout the series. Although none were ever credited as such, it has now been determined that Annie Mar portrays Mrs.
Chan in "Circus" while Grace Key has the role in "Honolulu." The author wishes to acknowledge Rob Metz, Rush Glick,
and Gary Crawford for providing some of the needed stills. Also greatly appreciated is the assistance of Virginia Quin Kay,
the daughter of Florence Ung who played the Chans' Number One daughter. Howard M. Berlin is the author of The Charlie Chan
Film Encyclopedia (McFarland, 2000) and Charlie Chan's Words of Wisdom (Wildside Press, 2001). Charlie Chan Filmography
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