From his primitive nonseries beginnings through the well known Fox series of 44 films (1931–1949), here is the complete history of famous film detective Charlie Chan.
The films are presented in chronological order, with full cast and credits, synopses and evaluations. Biographical details on the three most famous screen Chans—Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, and Roland Winters—and background information on series directors and supporting players, insights into the making of the films, and the full story of the abrupt halt in 1949 as well as an array of the detective’s aphorisms (or Chan-o-grams) are included. Numerous photos throughout.

The late Ken Hanke was the associate editor of Scarlet Street, a magazine covering the horror and mystery genres. He contributed articles to Filmfax, Video Watchdog and Films in Review. A member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, he lived in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Ken Hanke
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 286
Bibliographic Info: photos, index
Copyright Date: 2004 [1989]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1921-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8661-8
Imprint: McFarland

• “Skillfully done with flair, spirit and a clear understanding of the series as a whole…refreshing…this can only be described as the definitive volume on the most famous of all screen detectives…snap up this classic”—Classic Images
• “A very good film-by-film compendium”—ARBA
• “His passion for the character is evident, and once you combine the research he has done with that, you have a winner”—Penguin Comics