The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia [Paperback]

Howard M. Berlin (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0786424524 | ISBN-13: 978-0786424528 | Publication Date: October 14, 2005

The first film featuring Charlie Chan, The House Without a Key, appeared in 1925. Forty-seven films and six Charlies later, the series still delights audiences. Charlie Chan connoisseurs cite a variety of reasons for the honorable detective’s longevity and appeal, ranging from his wit and personality to the films’ fascinating casts that often included future celebrities. This encyclopedia contains over 1,900 entries for characters, actors, crew members, plot devices, and facts, as well as film summaries and Charlie’s famous aphorisms. Photographs accompany the text and the entries are arranged alphabetically for easy reference and access. Practically anything a fan of these films might want to know is thoroughly analyzed here.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Fictional detective Charlie Chan appeared in more than 40 films, primarily during the 1930s and 1940s. This book provides capsule biographies of the stars and casts of the films, in addition to a detailed filmography and other Chan esoterica (including a section on Chan's proverbs). Berlin, an inventor and author who has written on a variety of subjects, supplies Chan fans with obscure details about the most popular films. He purposely excludes all mention of the Chan films and television series from the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. Instead, he concentrates largely upon the Warner Oland and Sidney Toler films because they were the two most popular actors to portray Chan and because they starred in more Chan films than any of the other actors. Massive, fact-filled, and entertaining, this is one of the most important Chan movie reference volumes to date. Not only does it present specific filmographies but it has entries on other actors and lots of trivial information about the movies, which sets it apart from two more general references on Chan: Ken Hanke's Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism (McFarland, 1989) and Charles P. Mitchell's A Guide to Charlie Chan Films (Greenwood, 1999). An exhaustive index and a useful bibliography round out this impressive book. A worthwhile purchase for most popular film collections.
-David M. Lisa, Mercyhurst Coll., Erie, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Review

“Massive, fact-filled, and entertaining...one of the most important Chan movie reference volumes to date...impressive...worthwhile” --Library Journal

“A major contribution” --ARBA

“Superior...information-packed...photos are excellent...impressive...indispensable...a Chan fan’s dream” --Classic Images

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (October 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786424524
• ISBN-13: 978-0786424528
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,358,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Pop Culture

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last surviving Charlie Chan Son, RIchard Layne, Jr., June 10, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia (Library Binding)

Aloha, I am Richard Layne, Jr., the last surviving child actor from the Charlie Chan series by 20th Century Fox. I played 3 different sons of Charlie Chan as I grew up acting in the series. It was one of the best experiences of my life. My family and I have all the old movies and love to watch them. I am anxious to get this book so that I can add it to my collection and memorabilia. My favorite line from the series was, "It was the lady in the white fox fur!!!" ....

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best film reference books ever published, February 23, 2005

By 

Steve Owens "SteveOwens" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia (Library Binding)

I have enjoyed Dr. Berlin's book since its publication and still refer to it constantly. It is not a narrative, but rather an excellent complilation (encyclopedia) of facts of all things Chan.

Dr. Berlin goes way beyond the surface and provides interesting information about the actors (lead and supporting), directors, writers, and others who were responsible for making the films as well as valuable information and trivia about the films themselves.

I wish all film reference books were this good. Most offer mere synopses of the plots and use the same old stills that have been published many times. So, if you're looking for a picture book that scratches the surface, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a book that genuinely deepens your knowledge of the Chan films and remains fun to read, this does a great job.

This comes with my highest recommendation (and I'm not afraid to attach my user identity to the review).

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a textbook, bland and unsatisfying, February 29, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Charlie Chan Film Encyclopedia (Library Binding)

After reading the glowing recommendations by other reviewers, I decided to take the plunge and spend $55 for this book. If you see the price and are hesitant, heed this warning and pass this by. Hopefully a more appropriate and popular-priced Charlie Chan filmography will materialize eventually.
The author evidently did not have access to more than a handful of promotional pictures to accompany the individual Chan films, and that's a major problem with the book. Lobby cards for "The Trap" and "Charlie Chan in Shanghai" are disappointing examples of few photos shown for specific films.
Toler's picture under the listing for his name is at least in character as Chan, but not for Oland or Winters. Most of the actors' photos used are not from Chan films. For example, the only photo of Mantan Moreland is from a 1955 non-Chan film; there's no picture for the Victor Sen Young listing itself, who the author says appeared in 18 Chan films; two Benson Fong pictures for his listing, neither from a Chan film; two non-Chan Keye Luke pictures for his listing. Instead we get a half-page photo of the China Clipper aircraft, and a full-page listing on Glenn Seaborg including a large photo, one of the more questionable inclusions in the book as he had no connection to any Chan film and there was no direct reference to him in a Chan film. We also get a full-page listing with photo of Jesse Owens who appeared in newsreel footage only in "Charlie Chan at the Olympics". The space given is equal to the listing for Roland Winters, who STARRED as Chan in 6 films. Photos of Jay Silverheels as Tonto, George Reeves as Superman, Milburn Stone as Doc in Gunsmoke and a 1960's era photo of Leo G. Carroll seem inappropriate as they are all years-removed from the Chan films in which they appeared. There are several Mr. Moto film promotional pictures. WHERE ARE THE PICTURES FROM THE CHAN FILMS??
There are also scores of pointless listings in the book. The author identifies Number One, Two, Three sons and daughters which is helpful, but what's the purpose of having listings such as "8251," "8:20 pm", "8:30 pm", "11:30 pm", etc.? It's filler material. Scores of off-the-mark listings that are sub-trivial. The author has collected a bunch of facts to include listings, but fails to examine his facts for their significance.
The listings for the individual films are the most disappointing. There is technical production information, release dates and plot summaries, but how about some ANALYSIS or better yet, inclusion of some contemporary REVIEWS of the films from media sources? The most we get is a few notes following the summaries, stating it was the first/last appearance by an actor.
I can't recommend anyone spend $55 for a book of this sort. It is an encyclopedia, not a filmography, but it reads like a college textbook and is bland and unsatisfying. Hopefully someone will work on putting together a decent filmography for a reasonable price, similar to "The Films of Sherlock Holmes" book issued a few decades ago.