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Welcome to our Charlie Chan timeline. Here, you may go through our collection of the
many important dates that relate to Charlie Chan. Dates of events that appear in or are related to the adventures depicted
in the films of Charlie Chan are in presented italics.
1871
DECEMBER 26 - Chang Apana, who would become a legendary detective for
the Honolulu Police Department and an inspiration for Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan, is born in Waipio, Kingdom
of Hawaii.
1874
APRIL 28 - Sidney Toler, who would portray Charlie Chan in twenty-two
films, is born in Warrensburg, Missouri.
1875
LATE FEBRUARY/EARLY MARCH - Charlie Chan is born in the
Canton province of China. (Charlie Chan in Shanghai; The New
Adventures of Charlie Chan - Death of a Don [episode 7])
1876
MARCH 10 - E.L. Park (Edward L. Park), who would briefly portray
Charlie Chan in the Fox film Behind That Curtain (1929), is born in San Francisco, California.
1879
OCTOBER 3 - Warner Oland, who would portray Charlie Chan in sixteen
films, is born in the village of Nyby, Sweden.
1884
JANUARY 30 - Kamiyama Sojin, who would portray Charlie Chan in
The Chinese Parrot (1927), is born in Sendai, Japan.
AUGUST 26 - Earl Derr Biggers,
the creator of Charlie Chan, is born in Warren, Ohio.
1885
APRIL 7 - George Kuwa, who would portray Charlie Chan in The House
Without a Key (1925), is born in Japan.
1892
OCTOBER 15 - Warner Oland emigrates with his family to the United States.
1896
JANUARY 21 - J. Carrol Naish, who would play Charlie Chan in The
New Adventures of Charlie Chan television series (1957-58), is born in New York, New York. He also played Gangor
the snake charmer in the Charlie Chan film Charlie Chan at the Circus (1935).
1898
JULY 18 - Manuel Arbo, who would portray Charlie Chan in the film Eran
Trece, the Spanish language version of Charlie Chan Carries On, is born in Madrid, Spain.
1902
SEPTEMBER 3 - Mantan Moreland, who would portray Charlie Chan's often-reluctant
assistant and chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, in fifteen films, is born in Monroe, Louisiana.
1904
JUNE 18 - Keye Luke, who would portray Charlie Chan's number one son,
Lee, in eleven films, was born in Canton, China.
NOVEMBER 22 - Roland Winters, who would portray
Charlie Chan in six films, is born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1912
EARLY - MID-YEAR - Lee Chan, the Chan's first child, is born in
Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. (Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo)
1916
OCTOBER 10 - Benson Fong, who portrayed Charlie Chan's number three
son, Tommy, in six films, is born in Sacramento, California.
1918
OCTOBER 18 - Victor Sen Yung, who would portray Charlie Chan's number
two son, Jimmy (later Tommy), in eighteen films, is born in San Francisco, California.
FALL (?) - The Chans' number two son, Jimmy,
is born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii. (Charlie Chan at Treasure Island)
1920
MARCH 22 - Ross Martin, who would portray Charlie Chan in The Return
of Charlie Chan (also known as Happiness is a Warm Clue), a made-for-television movie, is born in Grodek, Poland.
APRIL 27 - Earl Derr Biggers arrives in Honolulu aboard
the Matsonia with his wife, Eleanor and son, Robert for a vacation. The family stays at Gray's By The Sea at Waikiki, which will later provide the idea for backdrop for
the first Charlie Chan story, The House Without a Key. (Courtesy
of Steven Fredrick's Research Service)
1921
April 16 - Peter Ustinov, who would portray Charlie Chan in the
comedy/mystery Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, is born in London, England.
1925
JANUARY 24 - FEBRUARY 25 - The House Without a Key, by Earl
Derr Biggers, is published in weekly installments in The Saturday Evening Post.
1926
JUNE 29 - Layne Tom, Jr., who would play three different Chan
sons in three different Charlie Chan films, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, Charlie Chan in Honolulu, and
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise, is born in Los Angeles, California.
NOVEMBER 21 - The House Without a Key, a 10-episode serial
featuring George Kuwa as Charlie Chan, is released by Pathé Exchange,
Inc.
1927
OCTOBER 23 - The Chinese Parrot, with Kamiyama Sojin as Charlie
Chan, is released.
1928
MARCH 31 - MAY 5 - Behind That Curtain, by Earl Derr Biggers,
is published in weekly installments in The Saturday Evening Post.
JUNE
- Actor Denny Mayo is murdered in Hollywood, California. (The Black Camel)
JULY 4 - Earl Derr Biggers, accompanied by his wife, Eleanor,
and son, Robert, arrives for a vacation in Honolulu aboard the Malolo. (Courtesy
of Steven Fredrick's Research Service)
JULY 5 - Earl Derr Biggers meets Chang Apana, the author's inspiration
for Charlie Chan, at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at Waikiki in Honolulu. (Courtesy of Steven
Fredrick's Research Service)
1929
FEBRUARY 22 - James Hong, who would play Number One Son Barry
Chan in The New Adventures of Charlie Chan television series (1957-58), is born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
SPRING(?) (two days) - While visiting the New York
Police Department along with his friend, Inspector Fife of Scotland Yard, Sir Lionel Grey, former chief of Scotland Yard,
is found murdered in the Manhattan penthouse offices of Barry Kirk. Chan, working with Fife and the New York police,
solves this baffling and deadly case.
MARCH 31 - Fox Films releases Behind That Curtain.
MAY 18 - JUNE 22 - The Black Camel, by Earl Derr Biggers, is published
in weekly installments in The Saturday Evening Post.
1930
SUMMER (about five days) - Aboard a ship sailing from Honolulu
to San Francisco, Charlie Chan carries on for his fallen friend, Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard, as he unmasks a killer who
has carried out his deadly work among members of an around the world tour. (Charlie Chan Carries On)
AUGUST 9 - SEPTEMBER 13 - Charlie Chan Carries On, by Earl Derr
Biggers, is published in weekly installments in The Saturday Evening Post.
1931
EARLY JANUARY - Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan Carries On.
LATE JANUARY - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan Carries On.
EARLY SPRING - (two days, April 2-3?) In Honolulu, Charlie
Chan works on the Shelah Fane murder case, also solving the Denny Mayo murder that had occurred in Hollywood in 1928. (The
Black Camel)
APRIL 3 - The cast and crew of The Black Camel arrives in Honolulu
aboard the City of Los Angeles to begin filming scenes on location.
APRIL 4 - Location filming for The Black Camel begins on the island
of Oahu as scenes are shot at Kailua Beach. More filming would be done during the week in and around the Royal
Hawaiian Hotel and at locations in Honolulu.
APRIL 12 - Fox Films releases Charlie Chan Carries
On.
EARLY MAY - Fox Films completes production on The Black Camel.
JUNE
7 - Fox Films releases The Black Camel.
JULY 2 - Earl Derr Biggers arrives in Honolulu for a month-long
vacation with his wife, Eleanor, and his son, Robert aboard the Malolo. They stay at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel at
Waikiki. During his stay, Biggers will meet again with Detective Chang Apana. (Courtesy
of Steven Fredrick's Research Service)
AUGUST 1 - Earl Derr Biggers departs Honolulu with his wife, Eleanor,
and his son, Robert.
OCTOBER 13 - George Kuwa, who portrayed Charlie Chan in The House Without
a Key (1926), dies.
NOVEMBER 16 - Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan's Chance.
EARLY DECEMBER - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan's Chance.
DECEMBER
4 - Fox Films releases Eran Trece (There Were Thirteen), the Spanish language version of Charlie
Chan Carries On, starring Manuel Arbo as Charlie Chan.
1932
JANUARY 24 - Fox Films releases Charlie Chan's Chance.
JUNE 11 - JULY 16 - The Keeper of the Keys, by Earl
Derr Biggers, is published in weekly installments in The Saturday Evening Post.
JULY 2 - Detective Chang Apana, an inspiration for Earl Derr Biggers'
Charlie Chan, retires from the Honolulu Police Department after more than three decades of service, 16 years as a detective.
DECEMBER 2 - Charlie Chan, a 30-minute radio drama starring
Walter Connolly as Charlie Chan, debuts on NBC Blue Network, airing Friday evenings at 7:30. The series featured
episodic dramatizations of the Chan novels by Earl Derr Biggers. The Black Camel runs until January 6, 1933;
The Chinese Parrot, January 13-February 24; Behind That Curtain, March 3-May 26.
1933
APRIL 5 - Earl Derr Biggers, the creator of Charlie Chan, dies of a heart
attack in Pasadena, California.
MAY 26 - Charlie Chan, a 30-minute radio drama starring Walter
Connolly as Charlie Chan, airs for the final time on NBC.
SUMMER(?) (about four or five days) -
In Honolulu, Charlie Chan solves the murders of Dan Winterslip and his brother Amos, in a case that had roots extending forty
years in the past. (Charlie Chan's Greatest Case)
MID-JULY
- Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan's Greatest Case.
MID-AUGUST(?) - Fox Films
completes production on Charlie Chan's Greatest Case.
SEPTEMBER 15 - Fox Films releases
Charlie Chan's Greatest Case.
OCTOBER 18 - A stage version of Keeper of the Keys,
by Earl Derr Biggers, opens on Broadway at the Fulton Theatre. Featuring William Harrigan as Inspector Charlie Chan, the
three-act play runs for 23 performances.
DECEMBER 8 - Detective Chang Apana of the
Honolulu Police Department and an inspiration for Earl Derr Biggers' Charlie Chan, dies in Honolulu, Territory of
Hawaii.
1934
APRIL 23 - Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan's Courage.
APRIL 2-about April 9 - In London and at Retfordshire, Charlie
Chan solves the murder of Captain Hamilton, known as the "Stable Murder," as well as that of Lake, the stud groom at
Geoffrey Richmond's estate in Retfordshire, and the attempted murder of Lady Mary Bristol. (Charlie Chan in London)
MAY 13-14(?) - Charlie Chan travels from London to Paris to investigate
bond forgeries. During this investigation, he solves the murder of his associate, Nardi, as well as that of Albert Dufresne.
(Charlie Chan in Paris)
MID-LATE MAY - (two days) At
the behest of the French Archeological Society, Charlie Chan travels to Luxor, Egypt to investigate the illegal selling of
ancient objects, discovered in the tomb of Ahmeti by a Professor Arnold, that turned up in private collections.
While there, Chan solves two murders, including that of Professor Arnold. (Charlie Chan in Egypt)
LATE
MAY - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan's Courage.
JULY 6 - Fox Films
releases Charlie Chan's Courage.
JULY 9 - Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan
in London.
EARLY AUGUST - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan in London.
SEPTEMBER
12 - Fox Films releases Charlie Chan in London.
NOVEMBER 12 - Fox Films begins production
on Charlie Chan in Paris.
MID-DECEMBER - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan
in Paris.
1935
JANUARY 21 - Fox Films releases Charlie Chan in Paris.
EARLY
APRIL(?) - Fox Films begins production on Charlie Chan in Egypt.
LATE APRIL(?)
- Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan in Egypt.
MAY 7-9
- Charlie Chan works with the Shanghai Police, rounding up the members of an opium smuggling gang and solving the murder of
his friend, Sir Stanley Woodland. (Charlie Chan in Shanghai)
MAY 30 - The big top of the Kinney and Gaines
Circus is collapsed by a "storm of gale proportions" in El Paso, Texas. Accross the border in Juarez, Mexico, a deputy
is killed at the Ace Casino, and Joe Kinney is held for questioning by the El Paso police. Also in Juarez, Nellie Ferrell
and Joe Kinney are supposedly married secretly. (Charlie Chan at the Circus)
JUNE
21 - Fox Films releases Charlie Chan in Egypt.
JULY 11 - Fox Films begins production
on Charlie Chan in Shanghai.
AUGUST 3 - Fox Films completes production on Charlie Chan
in Shanghai.
AUGUST 26 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan's Secret.
FALL - (four days) Charlie Chan flys from Honolulu
to San Francisco to give information to Mrs. Henrietta Lowell regarding her missing nephew, Allen Colby. While there,
Colby is murdered, and Chan works to solve the crime. (Charlie Chan's Secret)
SEPTEMBER
21 - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan's Secret.
OCTOBER 5, 1935 - Chardo, a well-known magician, is gravely injured in an automobile accident.
(Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight)
OCTOBER 11 - Twentieth
Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in Shanghai.
LATE OCTOBER - (two days) While Charlie Chan and his "multitudinous
family" attend a small circus (probably in or near Flagstaff, Arizona) while on their way to the Grand Canyon on
a vacation, the detective becomes involved in finding the solution to the mysterious death of Joe Kinney, the unscrupulous
part owner of the circus. (Charlie Chan at the Circus)
1936
JANUARY 6 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan at
the Circus.
JANUARY 10 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan's Secret.
FEBRUARY
9 - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan at the Circus.
FEBRUARY 20 - Warner Oland and his wife, Edith depart from
the Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, aboard the Malolo for Honolulu on the first leg of their journey to China.
FEBRUARY 26 - Warner Oland and his wife, Edith, stop
for one day in Honolulu as they arrive aboard the Malolo at 9:00 a.m. on the first leg of their journey
to China. At 5:00 p.m., the Olands depart for Japan aboard the Taiyo Maru on the next leg of their journey
to China.
MARCH 18 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan at the Circus.
MARCH 22 - Warner Oland and his wife, Edith, arrive in Shanghai,
China aboard the ship Empress of Asia.
MAY 18 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan
at the Race Track.
MID-JUNE - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan
at the Race Track.
JULY 21 - EARLY AUGUST - An investigation of the murder of
the pilot of an experimental airplane takes Charlie Chan on a trail that leads from Honolulu all the way to the Olympic games
in Berlin, Germany. (Charlie Chan at the Olympics)
LATE AUGUST - (two days) Passing through New York City while returning
home to Honolulu from Europe with his son, Lee, who had just competed in the Berlin Olympic Games, Charlie Chan is called
on to help solve the murder of Billie Bronson, whose diary had threatened a number of underworld figures with exposure.(Charlie
Chan on Broadway)
AUGUST 7 - Twentieth Century-Fox
releases Charlie Chan at the Race Track.
SEPTEMBER 2 (please
see "FILM NOTES" for Charlie Chan at the Race Track) - From the ship's log of the S.S. Oceanic: "This day
at 3:42 P.M., Lat. 12 (degrees) N. Long. 163 (degrees) W. regret to record death of Major Gordon Kent, Passenger, D-249 kicked
to death by the horse Avalanche in its stall in the forward hold." (Charlie Chan at the Race Track)
SEPTEMBER 17 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan,
a 15-minute radio drama, debuts on the Mutual Broadcasting System, airing weekday evenings at 5:15.
MID-LATE SEPTEMBER - (perhaps as much as two weeks, and maybe even
slightly into the month of October - please see "FILM NOTES" for Charlie Chan at the Race Track) - Charlie Chan
is involved in solving the murder of Major Gordon Kent in a case that takes the detective from Honolulu to Los Angeles, California.
In the process, a gambling ring that is fixing horse races is rounded up. (Charlie chan at the Race Track)
MID-SEPTEMBER - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan
at the Opera.
MID-OCTOBER - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan at
the Opera.
NOVEMBER 5 - (one day) After solving the "Race Track" case, Charlie
Chan visits Inspector Regan of the Los Angeles Police Department. (It is possible that Mr. Chan was in Los Angeles
at the time offering testimony at the trial of various individuals involved in the murders and gamiling irregularities.) While
there, Lili Rochelle, prima donna of the San Marco Opera Company which is performing in that city, reveals that she has
received a death threat. Chan, who must leave with son Lee for Honolulu later that evening, agrees to assist with
this matter. That evening during the performance, Lilli Rochelle and her lover, Enrico Barelli, are both murdered.
However, with much fast work, Charlie Chan solves the mystery in time to catch his boat back home. (Charlie Chan at the
Opera)
1937
JANUARY 8 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan at the Opera.
LATE JANUARY - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan at the Olympics.
MID-FEBRUARY - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan at the Olympics.
MAY 21 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan at the Olympics.
JUNE 10 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan on Broadway.
JULY 9 - A fire at the Twentieth Century-Fox film storage facility
at Little Ferry, New Jersey, results in the destruction of a vast number of pictures including the four presently "lost"
Charlie Chan films: Charlie Chan Carries On, Charlie Chan's Chance, Charlie Chan's Greatest Case,
and Charlie Chan's Courage.
MID-JULY - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie
Chan on Broadway.
AUGUST 14 - While in Shanghai, China during the arrest of
Jan Van Horn, Charlie Chan is witness to the Japanese bombing of that city. (The Shanghai Cobra)
AUGUST 25-26 - While passing through Monte Carlo with his son Lee, who is on his way to a Paris art exposition where his
painting will be shown, Charlie Chan becomes involved in a csae involving three murders and stolen metallurgic bonds.
(Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo)
SEPTEMBER 18 - Twentieth
Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan on Broadway.
SEPTEMBER 20 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins
production on Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.
MID-OCTOBER - Twentieth Century-Fox completes
production on Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.
DECEMBER 17 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.
1938
JANUARY 10 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie
Chan at the Ringside.
JANUARY 17 - Suffering a mental breakdown, Warner Oland walks off of the
set of Charlie Chan at the Ringside.
FEBRUARY - MARCH - Recovering from his breakdown, Warner
Oland rests at a Los Angeles hospital.
ARRIL 22 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan,
a 15-minute radio drama, debuts on the Mutual Broadcasting System, broadcast weekday evenings at 5:15, airs
for the final time.
SEPTEMBER 17 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan,
a 15-minute radio drama, airs for the final time on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
SUMMER - In much better health and state of mind, Warner Oland takes
a trip to Europe, with plans to also visit his native Sweden. Upon his return, he will begin work on the next Charlie
Chan film.
AUGUST 6 - Warner Oland, who portrayed Charlie Chan in seventeen films, dies of bronchial
pneumonia in Stockholm, Sweden.
SEPTEMBER 28-29 - As the great
powers of Europe are poised on the brink of war, and Paris, the "City of Light," is plunged into darkness as a total blackout
is ordered out of fears of an air attack. Amid world events, Charlie Chan, in Paris to attend a twentieth anniversary
gathering of members of the Intelligence Service, is drawn into the murder case of Petroff, a wealty exporter. (Charlie
Chan in City in Darkness)
OCTOBER 18 - Twentieth Century-Fox chooses Sidney Toler to replace the deceased
Warner Oland as Charlie Chan.
OCTOBER 24 - The first Charlie Chan daily newspaper comic, written and
drawn by Alfred Andriola, is published, a series that will run for more than three and a half years. The character
is drawn in the likeness of Warner Oland, who had passed away nearly three months earlier, and Lee Chan, his number one
son, is drawn to resemble Keye Luke.
OCTOBER 30 - The first Charlie Chan Sunday newspaper comic, written and drawn
by Alfred Andriola, is published, a series that will run for more than three and a half years.
OCTOBER
31 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
FALL - While the Chans' number one daughter, Ling, is
in a Honolulu hospital about to give birth to their first grandchild, Charlie Chan solves a murder aboard the
passenger freighter Susan B. Jennings. (Charlie Chan in Honolulu)
The Chans' first, and only mentioned, grandchild, a boy named Leng, is born to number
one daughter Ling and her husband Wing Foo. (Charlie Chan in Honolulu)
LATE NOVEMBER - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan
in Honolulu.
DECEMBER 16 - Twentieth Century-Fox previews Charlie Chan in Honolulu,
starring Sidney Toler in the title role, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California.
1939
JANUARY 13 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in Honolulu.
JANUARY 23 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan in Reno.
FEBRUARY
24 - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan in Reno.
APRIL 7-9 - Flying from Honolulu to the
mainland to help his friend Curtis Whitman clear his estranged wife of murder in Reno, Nevada, Charlie Chan solves this killing
as well as a murder that had been committed three years earlier in New York City. (Charlie Chan in Reno)
APRIL 17 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie
Chan at Treasure Island.
MAY 13 - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie
Chan at Treasure Island.
JUNE 16 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in Reno.
JULY 6 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan in City in Darkness.
JULY 15-16 - Charlie Chan, while on an assignment
for the United States government in Panama, solves two murders, one of agent R.J. Godley, and unmasks Reiner, a foreign
spy who had planned to destroy a portion of the Panama Canal. (Charlie Chan in Panama)
EARLY
AUGUST(?) - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan in City in Darkness.
AUGUST - (about one week) In an incredible
case of deja vu, Charlie Chan is once again on the trail of a killer who is murdering members of an around the world tour.
This time, his good friend Inspector Duff of Scotland Yard is one of the victims. As was true in the eerily similar
case eight years earlier, Chan unmasks the killer, this time in the office of the Coroner of San Francisco County. (Charlie
Chan's Murder Cruise)
SEPTEMBER 8 - Twentieth Century-Fox
releases Charlie Chan at Treasure Island.
EARLY OCTOBER - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production
on Charlie Chan in Panama.
OCTOBER 22-23 - Charlie Chan, after flying to San
Francisco from Honolulu, is faced with the mysterious death of his friend, Paul Essex. Eventually, Chan solves this
death and others as he unmasks the mysterious Dr. Zodiac. (Charlie Chan at Treasure Island)
EARLY
NOVEMBER(?) - Twentieth Century-fox completes production on Charlie Chan in Panama.
DECEMBER
1 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in City in Darkness.
1940
LATE JANUARY - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan's
Murder Cruise.
LATE FEBRUARY(?) - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie
Chan's Murder Cruise.
MARCH 8 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in Panama.
MAY 2 - Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise opens at the Roxy Theatre in New York City.
MID-MAY
- Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.
LATE SPRING - In New York City with son Jimmy, who is taking
a course in law (presumably while on a break from his studies at the University of California), Charlie Chan sits in a courtroom
for the sentencing of convicted killer Steve McBirney. After sentencing, McBirney escapes, and Chan becomes involved
in a case that that leads to the solution of several murders, one being the Joe Rocke case, going back more than ten
years. (Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum)
MID-JUNE(?) - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie
Chan at the Wax Museum.
MID-JULY - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Murder Over
New York.
JULY 21 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise.
MID-AUGUST(?)
- Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Murder Over New York.
SEPTEMBER - (Three days) Charlie Chan, originally in New York City
for a police convention, solves the murders of his friend, Hugh Drake, and George Kirby, also uncovering the secret of the
crash of the experimental TR-3 bomber. (Murder Over New York)
SEPTEMBER 6 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum.
DECEMBER 8 - Execution date set for killer Steve McBirney, convicted
on evidence provided by Charlie Chan. (Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum)
DECEMBER 13 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Murder Over New York.
WINTER - (One night) Charlie Chan solves
mysterious deaths aboard an old sailing ship that is probably docked at the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
(Los Angeles Harbor - San Pedro). (Dead Men Tell)
MID-DECEMBER -
Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Dead Men Tell.
1941
MID-JANUARY - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Dead Men
Tell.
LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY - (one night) Charlie Chan, in Rio De
Janeiro to arrest singer Lola Dean for a murder committed in Honolulu, ends up solving the murder of the singer who is herself
killed in her home, in another case that was strikingly reminiscent of one that had occurred in Honolulu ten years before.
(Charlie Chan in Rio)
MARCH 28 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Dead Men Tell.
MAY 8 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Charlie
Chan in Rio.
LATE MAY - Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Charlie Chan in Rio.
SEPTEMBER 5 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Charlie Chan in Rio.
LATE SUMMER - (probably two days) Charlie
Chan solves mysterious non-murders as well as an actual killing within the walls of a recreated Renaissance castle in the
Mojave Desert of California.(Castle in the Desert)
SEPTEMBER
23 - Twentieth Century-Fox begins production on Castle in the Desert.
MID-OCTOBER
- Twentieth Century-Fox completes production on Castle in the Desert.
1942
FEBRUARY 27 - Twentieth Century-Fox releases Castle in the Desert.
MAY 31 - The final Charlie Chan Sunday newspaper comic is published, after
a run of more than three and one-half years.
1943
LATE SUMMER - (one day) In Washington, D.C., Charlie Chan, now
working for the U.S. Secret Service during the war, solves the murder of George Melton, an inventer who had been working on
an important project for the government. (Charlie Chan in the Secret Service)
EARLY SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictires begins production on Charlie Chan
in the Secret Service.
LATE SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictures completes production on Charlie
Chan in the Secret Service.
1944
JANUARY 11 - Monogram Pictures begins production on The Chinese
Cat.
JANUARY 19 - Monogram Pictures completes production on The Chinese Cat.
FEBRUARY
14 - Monogram Pictures releases Charlie Chan in the Secret Service.
EARLY
MARCH - (three days) Charlie Chan, while in San Francisco on a government assignment, solves the murder
of Thomas Manning. In the process, a gang of diamond theves is captured. (The Chinese Cat)
SPRING (mid-April?) - (three days) While on vacation with his daughter,
Frances, probably in Los Angeles, Charlie Chan solves the murder of psychic William Bonner. (Black Magic/Meeting
at Midnight)
MAY 3 - Monogram Pictures begins production on Black Magic.
MID-MAY
- Monogram Pictures completes production on Black Magic.
MAY 20 - Monogram Pictures releases
The Chinese Cat.
JULY 6 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 30-minute radio
drama starring Ed Begley as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son, debuts on NBC Blue Network, airing Thursday
evenings at 7:30 as a summer replacement for The Bob Burns Show.
FALL - (two days) Probably in New York City, working
for the U.S. Secret Service, Charlie Chan is called on to solve the murder of Mr. Harper, a scientist who had been working
on an important government project. In the process, four others die at the hands of the same murderer. (The
Jade Mask)
SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictures produces The
Jade Mask.
SEPTEMBER 9 - Monogram Pictures releases Black Magic.
SEPTEMBER 28 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 30-minute
radio drama starring Ed Begley as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son on NBC Blue Network, broadcast
on Thursday evenings at 7:30, airs for the final time.
OCTOBER 5 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 30-minute
radio drama starring Ed Begley as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son, returns to NBC Blue
Network, airing Thursday evenings at 7:30.
1945
JANUARY - Monogram Pictures produces The Scarlet Clue.
JANUARY
18 - The Jade Mask opens at the Strand Theatre in Brooklyn, New York.
JANUARY 26
- Monogram Pictures releases The Jade Mask.
APRIL 5 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 30-minute
radio drama starring Ed Begley as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son, returns to NBC Blue
Network, broadcast on Thursday evenings at 7:30, airs for the final time.
SPRING - (two days) Charlie Chan, continuing his wartime work
for the U.S. government, breaks up a spy ring working in the Cosmo Radio Center in an unspecified eastern city. The detective
also solves a series of murders committed by the spy ring's leader. (The Scarlet Clue)
MAY 11 - Monogram Pictures releases The Scarlet Clue.
SPRING - (three days) Called to New York City by his
assist his old friend, Inspector Harry Davis, Charlie Chan, also in that city to check on a quantity of government uranium
stored in a vault at the Sixth National Bank, solves a series of "Cobra Murders," a bloody trail that goes back seven years
to Shanghai. (The Shanghai Cobra)
LATE MAY - Monogram Pictures begins production on The Shanghai
Cobra.
MID-JUNE - Monogram completes production on The Shanghai Cobra.
JUNE 18 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan
(aka The Incomparable Charlie Chan), a 15-minute radio drama airing weekday evenings at 6:45 starring Ed
Begley as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son, debuts on ABC.
FALL - (about one week) Charlie Chan is called to Mexico
City to by U.S. government agent Walter Dorn to investigate the attempted theft of important papers that relate to a new element which
could be used to create a super nuclear bomb. Upon his arrival, Chan learns of the murder of Dorn. After
two others are killed, Charlie Chan solves the case, working with his old friend, Inspector Luis Carverro. (The
Red Dragon)
EARLY SEPTEMBER - Monogram begins production on The Red Dragon.
LATE SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictures completes production on The Red Dragon.
SEPTEMBER 29 - Monogram Pictures releases The Shanghai Cobra.
LATE FALL - (one week) Possibly while in Los
Angeles, Charlie Chan is asked by June Harley, whose father, Thomas, she insists, has been framed for bank robbery and
murder. As Thomas Harley's execution date is only a week away, Chan agrees to help, and in so doing, unmasks the real
murderer. (Dark Alibi)
NOVEMBER 30 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan (aka
The Incomparable Charlie Chan), a 15-minute radio drama airing weekday evenings at 6:45 on ABC starring Ed Begley
as Charlie Chan and Leon Janney as Number One Son, is broadcast for the final time.
MID-DECEMBER
- Monogram Pictures begins production on Dark Alibi.
LATE DECEMBER(?) - Monogram Pictures
completes production on Dark Alibi.
1946
FEBRUARY 2 - Monogram Pictures releases The Red Dragon.
MID-MARCH
- Monogram Pictures begins production on Shadows Over Chinatown.
LATE MARCH - Monogram Pictures
completes production on Shadows Over Chinatown.
MID-MAY - (two days) While in San Francisco, California, Charlie
Chan works at the behest of a Mrs. Conover to locate her missing daughter, Mary. Charlie Chan successfully locates
the missing girl and, in the process, solves the baffling "Torso Murder" case. (Shadows Over Chinatown)
MAY 25 - Monogram Pictures releases Dark Alibi.
EARLY SUMMER - (three days) While aboard the
ship Newcastle in the South Pacific, Charlie Chan witnesses the murder of undercover agent Scott Pearson. In
Samoa, Chan solves this and two other killings, and in the process, uncovers a gang of art smugglers. (Dangerous
Money)
MID-JUNE - Monogram Pictures begins production on
Dangerous Money.
LATE JUNE - Monogram Pictures completes production on Dangerous Money.
LATE JULY - Monogram Pictures begins production on The Trap.
JULY 27
- Monogram Pictures releases Shadows Over Chinatown.
MID-AUGUST - Monogram Pictures completes
production on The Trap.
SUMMER - (two
days) Charlie Chan solves the murders of two members of the King Cole Variety Troupe in Malibu, California. (The
Trap)
OCTOBER 12 - Monogram
Pictures releases Dangerous Money.
NOVEMBER 30 - Monogram Pictures releases The Trap.
1947
FEBRUARY 12 - Sidney Toler, who portrayed Charlie Chan in twenty-two
films, dies of cancer in Beverly Hills, California.
MARCH 22 - Princess
Mei Ling arrives in San Francisco aboard the freighter Shanghai Maid. (The Chinese Ring)
SECOND WEEK
IN APRIL - (two days) Charlie Chan solves the murder of Princess Mei Ling. (The Chinese Ring)
AUGUST 11 - The Adventures of Charlie
Chan, a 30-minute radio drama broadcast on Monday evenings at 8:00 starring Ed Begley and Santos Ortega as
Charlie Chan and Rodney Jacobs and Leon Janney as Number One Son, Lee Chan, debuts on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
AUGUST 21 - Monogram Pictures begins production on The Chinese
Ring.
MID-SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictures completes production on The Chinese Ring.
FALL (three days) - In New
Orleans, Louisiana, Charlie Chan Investigates murders that are connected with a planned chemical shipment that promises
a very large financial return. (Docks of New Orleans)
NOVEMBER 17 - Monogram Pictures begins production on Docks of New Orleans.
NOVEMBER
25 - Monogram Pictures completes production on Docks of New Orleans.
DECEMBER 6 - Monogram Pictures releases The Chinese Ring.
1948
EARLY FEBRUARY - Monogram Pictures begins production on The Shanghai
Chest.
EARLY FEBRUARY (?) (three days) - Charlie Chan solves
the "ABC Murders" in San Francisco, California. (The Shanghai Chest)
FEBRUARY 12-15 (?) - At the
request of Mr. Manning who has had an attempt on his life, Charlie Chan travels to Arizona to investigate mysterious events
surrounding Manning's Golden Eye gold mine. (The Golden Eye)
LATE FEBRUARY - Monogram Pictures completes production on The Shanghai
Chest.
MARCH 21 - Monogram Pictures releases Docks of New Orleans.
MID-APRIL
- Monogram Pictures begins production on The Golden Eye.
LATE APRIL - Monogram Pictures
completes production on The Golden Eye.
JUNE 10 - E.L. Park (Edward L. Park), who briefly portrayed Charlie Chan
in the Fox film Behind That Curtain (1929), passes away in Los Angeles, California.
JUNE 21 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan,
a 30-minute radio drama broadcast on Monday evenings at 8:00 on the Mutual Broadcasting System starring Santos Ortega as
Charlie Chan and Rodney Jacobs and Leon Janney as Number One Son, Lee Chan, airs for the final time.
JULY 11 - Monogram Pictures releases The Shanghai Chest.
AUGUST 29 - Monogram Pictures releases The Golden Eye.
FALL - (three or four days) Charlie
Chan, with sons Lee and Tommy (Jimmy) solves the mystery of the disappearance of Professors Scott and Farnsworth in a
case of murder surrounding the discovery of a lost Aztec temple in the Diablo Mountains of Mexico. (The Feathered
Serpent)
LATE SEPTEMBER - Monogram Pictures begins
production on The Feathered Serpent.
EARLY OCTOBER - Monogram Pictures completes production
on The Feathered Serpent.
DECEMBER - Monogram Pictures produces The Sky Dragon.
DECEMBER 19 - Monogram Pictures releases The Feathered Serpent.
WINTER (?) - (four days) In San Francisco, California,
Charlie Chan solves a case of murder and the theft of a quarter million dollars aboard an airliner. (The
Sky Dragon)
1949
MAY 1 - Monogram Pictures releases The Sky Dragon.
1950
OCTOBER 16 - The Adventures of Charlie Chan, a radio crime
mystery show produced in Australia starring William Rees as Charlie Chan and Rodney Jacobs as his Number One Son, is first
aired on 3KZ in Melbourne.
1954
JULY 28 - Kamiyama Sojin, who portrayed Charlie Chan in The Chinese Parrot
(1927), dies in Tokyo, Japan.
1957
Throughout this year, Charlie Chan, retired detective of the Honolulu
Police Department, travels the world with his Number One Son, solving crimes at every stop. (The New Adventures
of Charlie Chan)
AUGUST 9 - The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 39-episode
American-British co-produced half-hour television series, starring J. Carrol Naish as Charlie Chan, first airs on British
television.
1958
MARCH 6 - The first issue of The New Adventures of Charlie
Chan, a comic book adaptation of the television series of the same name, is released by DC Comics (National Periodical
Publications). It will run for six issues, spanning one year.
NOVEMBER 25 - The New Adventures of Charlie Chan, a 39-episode American-British co-produced half-hour television series, starring
J. Carrol Naish as Charlie Chan, first airs on New York television station WNET, channel 5.
1967
AUGUST 19 - Special Invitational Performance of Charlie Chan
at the Opera at the Metropolitan Opera Festival at Newport, Rhode Island.
OCTOBER 9 - Special Invitational Performance of Charlie
Chan at the Circus at EXPO 67 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - Family Day at the Youth Pavillion.
1968
MARCH 4-17 - 21 Charlie Chan movies are
featured at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, in a special film festival entitled "Charlie Chan at the Museum of Modern
Art."
FALL - Volkswagen creates a series
of one-minute television commercials for their classic Beetle featuring Charlie Chan.
1971
The Return of Charlie Chan, a made-for-television movie, starring Ross Martin as
Charlie Chan, is filmed. This movie, also called Happiness is a Warm Clue, will not air until 1979.
1972
SEPTEMBER 8 - The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan, a Hanna-Barbera
cartoon series, with Keye Luke as the voice of Charlie Chan, debuts on CBS television and runs until 1974.
1973
JANUARY 24 - J. Carrol Naish, who portrayed Charlie Chan in
The New Adventures of Charlie Chan television series, dies in La Jolla, California.
MAY 25 - Manuel Arbo, who portrayed Charlie Chan in the film Eran Trece,
the Spanish language version of Charlie Chan Carries On, dies in Madrid, Spain.
SEPTEMBER 28
- Mantan Moreland, who portrayed Charlie Chan's often-reluctant assistant and chauffeur, Birmingham Brown, in fifteen films,
dies in Hollywood, California.
1979
JULY 17 - The Return of Charlie Chan (also called Happiness
is a Warm Clue), a made-for-television movie, starring Ross Martin, which was filmed in 1971, is broadcast by NBC
on U.S. television for the first time.
1980
NOVEMBER 9 - Victor Sen Yung, who portrayed Charlie Chan's number two
son, Jimmy (later Tommy), in eighteen films, dies in North Hollywood, California of accidental asphyxiation due to a faulty
heater.
1981
FEBRUARY - Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, a comedy/mystery
starring Peter Ustinov as Charlie Chan, is released.
JULY 3 - Ross Martin, who portrayed Charlie Chan in The Return of
Charlie Chan (also known as Happiness is a Warm Clue), a made-for-television movie, is dies of a heart
attack in Ramona, California.
1987
AUGUST 1 - Benson Fong, who portrayed Charlie Chan's number three son, Tommy,
in six films, dies in Los Angeles, California of a stroke.
1989
FEBRUARY 9 - Key Video (a division of CBS/Fox Video)
releases the Charlie Chan Collection, a seven-film VHS video compilation containing Charlie Chan in
Paris and Charlie Chan's Secret starring Warner Oland, and Murder Over New York, Charlie Chan
in Rio, and Castle in the Desert starring Sidney Toler.
OCTOBER - Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography,
and Criticism by Ken Hanke, is released.
OCTOBER 22 - Roland Winters, who portrayed Charlie Chan in six films, dies
in Englewood, New Jersey of a stroke.
1991
JANUARY 12 - Keye Luke, who portrayed Charlie Chan's number one son, Lee,
in twelve Chan films and one Mr. Moto movie, dies in Whittier, California of a stroke.
1996
CharlieChan.net, Website featuring a message board for Charlie Chan fans, is created
by Kurt Schmitt.
JULY 31 - The Dominican Republic (Dominica) issues Legendary
Sleuths of the Silver Screen postage stamp series with one stamp picturing Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan.
1998
OCTOBER - The Charlie Chan Message Board (CharlieChan.net) opens
as an Internet gathering place for Charlie Chan fans.
2000
APRIL 26 - The Charlie Chan Family group site, which
includes a message board and chat room opens at yahoo.com.
MAY 1 - The Charlie Chan Family group site,
at yahoo.com, holds its first Weekly Chat.
NOVEMBER 1 -
The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia by Dr. Howard Berlin, is released.
2001
OCTOBER 3 - The
Charlie Chan Family Home (The House on Punchbowl Hill; CharlieChan.info), an online museum and reference source
devoted to Charlie Chan, opens its virtual doors on Warner Oland's birthday.
2003
JUNE 27 - Bowing to pressure from special interest groups, Fox Movie
Channel (FMC) pulls the plug on "Charlie Chan's Mystery Tour," a planned month-long festival of Charlie Chan movies.
AUGUST 25 - Charlie Chan's Words of Wisdom by
Dr. Howard Berlin, is released.
March 28 - Peter Ustinov, who portrayed Charlie Chan in the comedy/mystery Charlie
Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen, dies in Genolier, Vaud, Switzerland.
JULY 6 - MGM Home Entertainment releases the Charlie Chan Chanthology,
a DVD collection of the first six Charlie Chan movies made at Monogram Pictures: Charlie Chan in the Secret Service,
The Chinese Cat, Black Magic/Meeting at Midnight, The Jade Mask, The Scarlet Clue, and
The Shanghai Cobra.
JUNE 20 - 20th Century-Fox releases the Charlie Chan
Collection, Volume 1 containing Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan in Paris, Charlie Chan
in Egypt, and Charlie Chan in Shanghai starring Warner Oland, plus Behind That Curtain.
DECEMBER 5 - 20th Century-Fox releases the Charlie
Chan Collection, Volume 2 containing Charlie Chan at the Circus, Charlie Chan at the Race Track, Charlie
Chan at the Opera, and Charlie Chan at the Olympics.
2007
AUGUST 14 - 20th Century-Fox releases the Charlie
Chan Collection, Volume 3 containing The Black Camel, Charlie Chan's Secret, Charlie Chan on Broadway,
and Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo.
2008
FEBRUARY 12 - 20th Century-Fox releases the Charlie
Chan Collection, Volume 4 containing Charlie Chan in Honolulu, Charlie Chan in Reno, Charlie Chan
at Treasure Island, and Charlie Chan in City in Darkness.
JUNE 10 - Turner Classic Movies (TCM) presents a mini-marathon
of Charlie Chan films including The Jade Mask, Charlie Chan at the Circus, Charlie Chan in Honolulu,
and The Scarlet Clue. This marks the first such multiple showing of Charlie Chan movies by a television network
in five years.
SEPTEMBER 16 - 20th Century-Fox releases the Charlie
Chan Collection, Volume 5 containing Charlie Chan in Panama, Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise, Charlie
Chan at the Wax Museum, Murder Over New York, Dead Men Tell, Charlie Chan in Rio, Castle in the
Desert.
2010
JUNE 8 - Warner Brothers/TCM releases TCM Spotlight: Charlie Chan
Collection, a box DVD set that includes Dark Alibi, Dangerous Money, The Trap, and The
Chiniese Ring.
AUGUST
30 - Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History,
a breakthrough study of Chang Apana, Earl Derr Biggers, American, Hawaiian, and Chinese culture, and Charlie Chan by
Yunte Huang, is released.
2013
NOVEMBER 28 - The
Charlie Chan Mystery Movie Guide by Luke Freeman, is released.
2015
JANUARY 14 - Layne Tom, Jr., who played three different Chan sons in
three different Charlie Chan films, Charlie Chan at the Olympics, Charlie Chan in Honolulu, and Charlie
Chan's Murder Cruise, passes away in Huntington Beach, California.
2018
FEBRUARY 2 - Charlie Chan's Poppa: Earl Derr Biggers, by Barbara
Gregorich, an intimate study of the mystery author who created Charlie Chan, is released.
MAY 1 - The Charlie Chan Films, by James L. Neibaur, containing
information and commentary on all the films in the Charlie Chan series, is released.
OCTOBER 2 - Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s,
by Leslie S. Klinger, an annotated collection of five stories, including The House Without a Key, by Earl Derr Biggers,
is released.
2019
JANUARY 12 - The inaugural issue of The Charlie Chan Family
Home Newsletter, edited and produced by Lou Armagno, featuring contributions from Charlie Chan Family members, is
released.
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