tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post5396649747683468731..comments2023-08-01T09:20:49.475-04:00Comments on Wide Screen World: Charlie Chan in ParisRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-53422469905997235082014-03-24T19:22:04.485-04:002014-03-24T19:22:04.485-04:00Probably because a movie like that doesn't len...Probably because a movie like that doesn't lend itself well to superpowers and explosions.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-29742530597018046662014-03-24T16:45:09.662-04:002014-03-24T16:45:09.662-04:00A great choice to write about for the Sleuthathon,...A great choice to write about for the Sleuthathon, Rich! I never understood why Asians weren't permitted "starring" roles in Hollywood either and in some films it has really turned me off ( Katharine Hepburn in Dragon Seed for example ), but I must disagree with you when it comes to Charlie Chan. I thought Oland ( and Sidney Toler ) both did a great job of bringing Biggers' Charlie Chan to life. When the films begin, I am immersed in the story and the characters and don't see Charlie as a white-man-playing-an-Asian. In fact, many times the writers went out of their way to make Charlie Chan stand out as more noble and caring then most of the characters ( which were usually a scurvy lot of suspects ). Someday though, I would like to see Charlie Chan brought back to the screen and this time, played by an Chinese actor. A SERIOUS mystery film...not a spoof. Which, come to think about it.....why hasn't that been done already? The Metzinger Sistershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10728879307994086409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-11804234328069030072014-03-19T08:20:07.772-04:002014-03-19T08:20:07.772-04:00Fu Manchu, huh? Maybe playing CC was his way of re...Fu Manchu, huh? Maybe playing CC was his way of redeeming himself for that.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-27107156274554882192014-03-18T23:32:21.803-04:002014-03-18T23:32:21.803-04:00I enjoyed your thoughts on Hollywood casting in th...I enjoyed your thoughts on Hollywood casting in the 1930s. For some reason, Warner Oland, who was Swedish, had been cast as Asians since the silent days. He played Fu Manchu in a series of early talkies, with Myrna Loy as his daughter. If you get a chance, look for the silent Old San Francisco (where he played a -- gasp -- half-breed) or the talkie Shanghai Express with Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong. Joe Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14165780971886135575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-50398432792982673542014-03-18T22:14:44.623-04:002014-03-18T22:14:44.623-04:00Thanks for having me.Thanks for having me.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-57536468397237761432014-03-18T21:50:12.589-04:002014-03-18T21:50:12.589-04:00I enjoyed your thoughts on the racial casting ques...I enjoyed your thoughts on the racial casting question. I agree that matters of racial insensitivity are issues that all classic movie fans have to deal with-- and we all have our different lines. You made an excellent point about how the casting of CC actually sets up a barrier that modern audiences have difficulty crossing. <br />Wonderful writing! And thanks for your contribution!Fritzi Kramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09866805242123627398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-28913610114444312952014-03-18T19:53:27.893-04:002014-03-18T19:53:27.893-04:00Everyone needs to make up their own mind about thi...Everyone needs to make up their own mind about things like these.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-39380054984554105712014-03-18T13:13:13.208-04:002014-03-18T13:13:13.208-04:00Interesting analysis - I want to watch this to mak...Interesting analysis - I want to watch this to make up my own mind about the issue. The first film that introduced me to the 'white-man-playing-Asian' idea was Mickey Rooney in Breakfast At Tiffany's. I remember that was I was scandalised, since then I've avoided anything like Charlie Chan. I don't think I'd be able to enjoy it as a lighthearted caper movie as the stereotyping would always be at the back of my mind...but I might as well give it a chance!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-27593167467359022362014-03-17T21:35:14.606-04:002014-03-17T21:35:14.606-04:00Well, I figured someone was going to...Well, I figured someone was going to...Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-68770667876085249022014-03-17T21:34:04.563-04:002014-03-17T21:34:04.563-04:00You're right, with books you can make the char...You're right, with books you can make the characters look and sound however you want.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-9595537980989151012014-03-17T21:31:17.052-04:002014-03-17T21:31:17.052-04:00Let's just say that I don't doubt that the...Let's just say that I don't doubt that the fans see it differently than I do and leave it at that.<br /><br />Interesting point you made about Sidney Toler. Perhaps one day I'll watch one of his just for comparison.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-64760496884718243412014-03-17T21:20:05.105-04:002014-03-17T21:20:05.105-04:00Wow, I totally missed that intonation in Oland'...Wow, I totally missed that intonation in Oland's voice. Then again, I didn't expect it.<br /><br />Thank you once again for inspiring me. Plus, I knew someone would know about that dance scene!Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-12321363882012384632014-03-17T21:16:41.760-04:002014-03-17T21:16:41.760-04:00You make some interesting points about portraying ...You make some interesting points about portraying race in movies... You've given me some things to think about.<br /><br />Also, so glad you included Charlie Chan in the Sleuthathon!Silver Screeningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04955048716754142299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-50875966690894551262014-03-17T20:54:18.894-04:002014-03-17T20:54:18.894-04:00I've never seen one for the same reason. I was... I've never seen one for the same reason. I was afraid I'd be so distracted by the casting and stereotyping that I couldn't appreciate the film for what it did well. It's always easier with me to contextualize with books. I appreciate this thoughtful approach. Maybe I'll give one a try now....that dance sounds intriguing:) carygrantwonteatyou.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07113307554617254662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-75884770044233233292014-03-17T18:57:10.681-04:002014-03-17T18:57:10.681-04:00This is a very thoughtful, fair-minded post, thoug...This is a very thoughtful, fair-minded post, though I'm sorry to see that the casting issue prevented you from having much fun with the film, as that's what these films are to fans of Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto et al - pure fun. A lot of this comes down to a personal decision; some people can't get past the "white man in yellow face" deal, and that's certainly understandable, and you make a good point regarding the "paragon-like" nature of the character. Myself, I enjoy the fact that Charlie is always by far the smartest, most capable guy in the room. Oland was always pretty polite, even when giving a backhanded insult to someone who made a nasty or offhandedly racist comment about him; Oland's successor, Sidney Toler, was far more sarcastic with his putdowns in such situations.<br /><br />CC IN PARIS isn't my favorite Chan film, but nearly every one with Warner Oland has something to recommend it, IMO. And trust me, compared to Sidney Toler and especially Roland Winters, Oland comes off as FAR more convincing as an Asian. I don't know if this experience has convinced you to give any more CHAN films a try, but just in case, I'd recommend CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT, ...AT THE CIRCUS, ...AT THE RACES, ...AT THE OLYMPICS, ...AT THE OPERA, ...AT TREASURE ISLAND and CASTLE IN THE DESERT (the last two with Toler).Jeff Flugelhttp://thestalkingmoon.weebly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-11671556008608586802014-03-17T18:56:38.732-04:002014-03-17T18:56:38.732-04:00Ah, La Dance Apache - a popular dance depicting th...Ah, La Dance Apache - a popular dance depicting the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp was developed in Paris and eventually became a worldwide sensation. You can see it performed and spoofed in many movies of the era up to one of Lucy's attempt to get into a show on "I Love Lucy".<br /><br />A few years ago on TCM they had a summer series examining Asians in classic film with a guest host university professor of Asian heritage. He preferred Sidney Toler as Chan because he was less polite. This irritated me on two counts. One, when did polite become a bad thing. Two, although it is not as evident in "...Paris", Warner Oland's Chan had a stock expression of "Thank you, so much" which was said with a withering sarcasm that often went over the heads of other characters, yet sometimes hit its mark.<br /><br />If you want to explore the issue further I can recommend an excellent book by by Yunte Huang called "Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History".<br /><br />It is interesting to note that in his time, Oland as Chan was extremely popular in China. His personal appearances in that country would rival the coming of the Beatles.<br /><br />I'm so happy you took the time to check out a Chan picture. The addition of Lee in the form of the personable Keye Luke set the series out of the ordinary. Not many international detectives are family men, let alone grandfathers.Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-14460044868401608502014-03-17T16:40:01.390-04:002014-03-17T16:40:01.390-04:00Oh, man, I don't even wanna imagine Kate in ye...Oh, man, I don't even wanna imagine Kate in yellow-face...Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11376065182154885503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4189120682398421108.post-21081289122098451562014-03-17T16:19:51.572-04:002014-03-17T16:19:51.572-04:00What a grat post! Your focus and analysis are perf...What a grat post! Your focus and analysis are perfect. At first, it's hard to say th actor playing Charlie Chan was a white man with make-up. It's good that the make-up in Hollywood makes miracles (like with Kate Hepburn in The Dragon Seed), but the stereotypes are just awful. But, as I was thinking yesterday, what can you expect from a society pre-1950s, when the word "pregnant" couldn't be used in I Love Lucy?<br />I need to see the Charlie Chan Warner Movies. While I was watching the Philo Vance movies on YouTube, several CC options appeared as a suggestion.<br />Don't forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! :) <br />Greetings!Lêhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02419693749682458647noreply@blogger.com