Charlie Chan 

(1932-1948)

Detective / Mystery

Cast: Ed Begley Sr. Walter Connolly, Santos Ortega, Leon Janney, Rodney Jacobs and Dorian St. George

Charlie Chan was a Chinese-American detective character created by Earl Der Biggers in 1923, and was the subject of numerous books and movies throughout the 1920’s and 30’s.  In the early 1930's Charlie Chan made his way to radio.  Charlie Chan was eventually broadcast on four separate radio networks--Blue, NBC, ABC, and MBS--between 1932 and 1948.  Several different actors voiced the character throughout the run of the series.

Charlie Chan was based on the account of Chinese-American police officers in Hawaii solving crimes.  Creator Earl Der Biggers wanted to create a new alternative to the stereotypical portrayal of Chinese characters as bad guys, and created a new character type as an amiable Chinese character that operated on the side of law and order .  Charlie Chan was a very wise and savvy detective who would solve crimes around the world, while dispensing tidbits of supposedly Chinese proverbs.