'Honorable' Charlie Chan investigates again on DVD

by Doug Nye

McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

15 August 2007

Throw in a dead body or two, a half-dozen suspects and an exotic locale and you’ve got the ingredients of another entertaining Charlie Chan mystery.

Sure, there have been hundreds of murder mysteries turned out by Hollywood, but there’s something extra-special about them when they involve Chan (especially when he is portrayed by Warner Oland).

Four more Oland films have arrived on DVD with “Charlie Chan: Volume 3” (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, $49.98), a four-disc collection that includes a number of historic extras.

Among the films are “The Black Camel” (1931) co-starring Bela Lugosi and featuring Oland in his second outing as the legendary detective. There are also “Charlie Chan’s Secret” (1935), “Charlie Chan on Broadway” (1937) and “Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo” (1937), Oland’s final appearance in the series.

The extras include “Behind the Curtain” (1929), the first sound film featuring Chan with obscure actor E.L. Park taking on the role; “The World of Charlie Chan” featurette; “Charlie is Missing: The Last Days of Warner Oland” featurette and a re-creation of “Charlie Chan’s Chance,” one of four lost Chan films starring Oland. Overall, Oland played the character in 16 movies.

Created by Ohio-born writer Earl Derr Biggers, Chan is a Chinese-American detective based in Hawaii, where he is employed by the Honolulu Police Department. But he spends a lot of time away from the islands traveling the world to solve tough cases.

Chan was noted for his pearls of wisdom such as “Mind like parachute. Only functions when open” and “Hasty deduction like ancient egg. Look good from the outside.”

Some Asian-American groups objected to the casting of Oland, who was born in Sweden. But Keye Luke, an Asian American who played Chan’s No.1 son, defended Oland’s portrayal of Chan as a humble and polite figure who had a keen mind and was a sharp observer of the events around him.

According to one of the featurettes, Oland became so interested in the character that he immersed himself in Chinese lore and literature. He also visited China, where many people thought Oland was one of their own.

Oland, whose health began to falter after completing his final Chan entry, died in 1938 after complications from pneumonia. He was replaced in the series by Sidney Toler, who went on to play the detective thropugh 1947. But to many people, Oland will always be the definitive Chan.

Other Fox Warner Oland/Chan collection available include:

Charlie Chan: Volume 1: “Charlie Chan in London” (1934), “Charlie Chan in Paris” (1935), “Charlie Chan In Shanghai” (1935), “Charlie Chan in Egypt” (1935).

Charlie Chan: Volume 2: “Charlie Chan at the Circus” (1936), “Charlie Chan at the Race Track” (1936), “Charlie Chan at the Opera” (1936), “Charlie Chan at the Olympics” (1937).