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Following
an eight year hiatus after the Charlie Chan film series came to its end in 1949, the world-famous, globetrotting detective
made his return, this time to the small screen, in the form of the 39-episode New Adventures
of Charlie Chan. This series, produced in 1957, starred J. Carrol
Naish as Chan, and featured a new "Number One Son," Barry, who was played by James Hong in his first big role.
Now retired, slimmer,
and more advanced in years, yet quite fit, Charlie Chan fit very well into the modern, atomic-age world of
the late-1950s. This series of adventures comprise what was certainly Charlie
Chan's busiest year! In the course of that year, Chan and son, on an extended "vacation," traveled together through
the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and beyond. Along the way they were drawn into a series murder
cases and other unsolved crimes. These new adventures were fast-paced, quickly concluded crime dramas as was dictated
by the half-hour format best suited to the still-new entertainment medium of television.
Listed below are
all 39 episodes of The New Adventures of Charlie Chan. Titles are in the form of links which lead to detailed information, including full summaries for each episode.
Mr. Kramer, a wealthy resident of a Malibu beach community, calls on Charlie Chan to learn
who is trying to kill him. Soon, Chan discovers that Kramer's wife, Marsha, is
missing and a ransom note that is left behind.
Charlie Chan is asked by a wealthy Chinese merchant to investigate the death of his son, a
worker on a ship soon bound for Hawaii. The mystery deepens when acts of sabotage begin to occur and some of the
crew's lives may be in danger.
Charlie Chan is involved in a grand jury investigation
in Los Angeles. He soon becomes personally involved in the case when the wife of one of the police officers
he is working with is attacked by an assailant at their home, blinded by acid thrown in her face.
At Los Angeles International Airport, Charlie Chan and son Barry are witnesses as a blind
man is killed and his seeing-eye dog badly injured. Chan quickly realizes that this case is far more complex than it
appears.
Charlie Chan, who is in Washington, D.C. with son,
Barry, becomes involved in a case of espionage after plans for a new jet engine are stolen. Suspicion falls
on a brother and sister mind reading act from Hungary.
Charlie Chan is called to Paris when the Bank of France reports the theft
of printing plates used to produce 5,000-franc notes. Chan must rely on connections that date back to the war as
he seeks to solve this complex case.
In London, a student friend of Charlie Chan's
son, Barry, son is accused of murder following a heated confrontation with a music professor. Chan
seeks to find the truth behind what, on the surface, appears to be an open and shut case.
While on holiday in Scotland, Charlie Chan and son
Barry become involved in a murder investigation when the wife of the estate owner is found shot to
death on a country road.
Charlie Chan seeks to uncover the mystery
of a doctor at a London hospital who may have been a doctor in Canada who was convicted of committing a mercy
killing a decade earlier.
The Majaraja and Majarana of Rajput have come to Charlie
Chan to help them recover the famous Rajput Ruby necklace which was stolen during a visit to the Tower of London.
In London, Charlie Chan is contacted by an actor
who believes his estranged daughter is in a dangerous relationship with a swindler.
Charlie Chan is asked to travel to France to
help track down a Nazi war criminal who has recently escaped from custody and is thought to be heading to that country
in order to retrieve a stash of gold that was lost at sea during the war.
While preparing to cut a large diamond that was destined
to become a part of the royal collection, a London renowned diamond cutter is attacked and the diamond is taken. Charlie
Chan is called on to solve what turns out to be a complex web of intrigue.
During a visit to Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London,
Charlie Chan and Inspector Duff witness what appears to be a senseless attack on a wax exhibit of a murderer who was
convicted three decades before. Soon, Chan uncovers evidence indicating that the wrong man may have been hanged
for the crime.
At London's British Museum, Charlie Chan is met by a noted
archaeologist who hopes that the detective can find his wife left him for another man twelve years earlier.
In Brussels, Charlie Chan becomes curious as
to why a struggling young artist's paintings suddenly gain so much attention and why another obscure artist has committed
suicide.
In Germany, an extremely rare manuscript of Shakespeare's
Hamlet comes up for sale by a wealthy baron and, following a series of attempts to steal it, Charlie
Chan becomes involved.
In London a priest approaches Charlie Chan stating
his belief that a man condemned to death is innocent. Chan has only 24 hours to try to save the man's life.
in Amsterdam, a famous clothing designer accidentally
sells a commissioned sweater to the wrong person. When the owner of the sweater is found dead Charlie Chan takes on
the case.
In Brussels, Barry Chan participates in a French sabot boxing match. After Barry knocks out his opponent, it is announced that the downed fighter is dead. Charlie Chan must prove that his son is not guilty of murder.
At a book signing at a London bookshop, an author promotes
his best seller about his survival on board a raft with two other men, a tale that paints a very unflattering picture
of the man on the raft who perished. Charlie Chan is asked by the dead man's young son to prove the truth
about his late father.
In a Brussels museum, a tour group is stunned at the
apparently accidental death of a woman who was disliked for her blunt, berating nature. When a young lady, who has recently
spent time in a mental hospital, is accused of murdering the woman, Charlie Chan steps forward in her defense.
After the sudden death, apparently of a heart attack,
of a well-known London actor who has many enemies, Charlie Chan soon notes clues that point toward a more nefarious direction.
When his son, Barry, accidentally gets caught
up in a London bank robbery, Charlie Chan becomes involved in the investigation.
The host of a dinner at an English manor is murdered and circumstantial evidence points to
a servant who is a practitioner of voodoo as the killer. Charlie Chan, who is among the guests, believes otherwise.
At his London hotel, Charlie Chan follows the
sound of a gunshot to find a young woman standing over the prone body of her father. Charlie Chan, however,
soon finds that there is much more to the case than meets the eye.
While visiting Rome, Charlie Chan is asked by a
friend, an inspector of the Rome police, to help investigate a young woman's death. it is soon apparent that the
murder has ties to international espionage.
In Nice, France, Charlie Chan agrees to travel
to Cairo, Egypt to retrieve a stolen artifact, the Hand of Hera Dass, in order to avoid a possible Middle East crisis.
In London, what begins as an investigation into forged
antiques soon becomes a murder case for Charlie Chan.
Charlie Chan is the technical adviser on a film
being shot in London when the leading lady suddenly and mysteriously disappears.
When an old bombed-out mansion, a relic from
the war, is being removed to make way for a new project, the demolition team comes across a skeleton. Charlie Chan
seeks to solve a case with deep implications that dates back nearly two decades to the London Blitz.
A woman's murder is witnessed by a burglar who is
then blamed for the crime. Charlie Chan is employed by the thief to prove that he is innocent of the crime.
In Venice, Charlie Chan and Number One Son, Barry work to help a repentant thief, who
is a master of disguise, who is being forced to assist a ruthless criminal gang in carrying out their heists.
Charlie Chan, still in Venice following his previous
adventure, works to solve the apparent murder of wealthy man with a dubious past.
In Rome, a tourist is tricked into purchasing
a fake artifact. When it turns out that the artifact is, in fact, a precious artwork, Charlie Chan seeks to find the
truth behind what develops into a mystery laced with death.
In London, Charlie Chan attempts to uncover the
past for a woman who has lost her memory and has been accused of committing a murder seven years before.
A noted scientist who is working on a secret
government project is kidnaped in Rome and Charlie Chan is called upon to find him.
A man who was imprisoned for treason during World War II. Fifteen years later, his daughter
enlists the aid of Charlie Chan to reopen and investigate this case in an effort to prove her father's innocence.
The manager of a London antiques shop asks Charlie Chan for help when a
series of bizarre acts of vandalism by his friends threaten to ruin the business.
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