Charlie Chan is one of the few super sleuths who haven't gotten much press recently. New television and film treatments, even going back several years, feature a lot of the greats, but Chan isn't among them.
Though Hollywood is leaving the master of wise one-liners to fade into obscurity, you can now relive some of the classic moments of the Chinese-American detective with the release of the Charlie Chan Collection, part of the TCM Spotlight series.
It would be tough to choose among the dozens of Chan films when putting together a set, but the four we have here make for a nice collection, even if they are overly close to each other in terms of release date for a true sampling of the variety. Sidney Toler gave the film series its legs, and we get three of his latest films, including the last he starred in. You've also got the passing of the torch film which hands the role to Roland Winters.
The selection works well, mainly because you get a good sampling of adventures and characters. Dark Alibi features Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) and a visit to his brother when events lead us to a prison, and the scenes may well have been the inspiration for the now classic Saturday Night Live skits with Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest as various characters who finish each others sentences (often referred to as the "I hate it when that happens" sketches).
Dangerous Money gives us an interesting storyline with a murder taking place on a cruise ship, and a wonderful performance by Victor Sen Young as Number Two Son.
The Trap, Toler's final appearance, is a strong effort as well, with our investigation revolving around murdered showgirls in Malibu.
Finally, The Chinese Ring, Winters' introduction, is also worthy of inclusion based on the interesting story and the use of Chinatown. A Chinese princess is murdered right in Chan's house, and the investigation leads to several wonderful locales.
Remastered, and looking quite good for films from 1946 and 1947, the set is a very nice release, though there are no bonuses of any kind. I'm not sure there are a lot of possibilities for special features, but people do expect them.
Four of Charlie Chan’s beloved hits move into the spotlight as Charlie Chan Mysteries makes its remastered debut as part of the established TCM Spotlight series. Presented by Warner Home Video (WHV), the set includes four films specifically selected to showcase an unforgettable cast of characters: Dark Alibi, Dangerous Money, The Trap and The Chinese Ring.
The most popular American films in 1930s China, the Chan movies were based on a fictional Chinese-American detective originally created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1923. More than four dozen films featuring Charlie Chan have been made since 1926. In 1931, the Fox Film Corporation cast Swedish actor Warner Oland as Chan in Charlie Chan Carries On; the film was a success, and Fox went on to produce 15 more Chan films with Oland in the title role.
Following Oland's death, Scottish American actor Sidney Toler was cast as Chan; Toler made 22 Chan films, first for Fox and then for Monogram Studios. After Toler's death, six more films were made, starring Roland Winters. The character has also been featured in several radio programs, two television shows and a number of comics.
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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