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.

Retired college professor and inventor Howard M. Berlin lives in Wilmington, Delaware. He holds three United States patents for his inventions and is the author of over 30 books on diverse subjects, including cinema and numismatics. He has been collecting coins and banknotes of the Palestine Mandate for over two decades, has exhibited his collection widely, winning numerous awards. He is a member of the Numismatic Literary Guild.

Howard M. Berlin
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 384
Bibliographic Info: 88 photos, references, index
Copyright Date: 2005 [2000]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2452-8
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction      1

The Encyclopedia      5

References      357

Index      359

“massive, fact-filled, and entertaining, this is one of the most important Chan movie reference volumes to date…impressive…a worthwhile purchase for most popular film collections”—Library Journal; “handy companion…a major contribution”—ARBA; “superior…everything you wanted to know…information-packed…the kind of book you can’t put down, you keep discovering something new…photos are excellent. It is without doubt, the best…most impressive and most entertaining. This Chan book is indispensable. This encyclopedia is a Chan fan’s dream”—Classic Images; “a welcome addition to the Charlie Chan canon. Berlin knows and loves his subject and in 1900 entries he supplies a welcome context for the golden age of Charlie Chan in Hollywood”—Movie Magazine International; “extensive plot summaries”—Mystery Scene; “a thoroughly detailed reference to information relating to Charlie Chan films in an A-Z compendium of over 1,900 entries of facts, characters, actor and crew biographies, filmographies, and plot summaries”—Book News; “an elaborate research book…[a] lively, informative book…a must”—Film & History; “nearly anything a fan might want to know is analyzed here”—Cult Movies; “a remarkable amalgam of fact and trivia”—Copley News Service.