Between 1925 and 1932, Earl Derr Biggers wrote a total of six Charlie Chan novels: The House Without a Key, The Chinese Parrot, Behind That Curtain, The Black Camel, Charlie Chan Carries On, and Keeper of the Keys. The Charlie Chan character, beloved by the public, appeared in nearly four dozen Hollywood films which were enjoyed by mystery fans around the globe. Unlike most American Detectives, who emerged following the Golden Age of Detective fiction (between the First and Second World Wars) Detective Chan was unlike any other. He was not wealthy, quick with his fists, a dead shot…or Caucasian. He was Chinese, from Hawaii, a family man, father of eventually 111 children, and, rarely using a pistol or his fists, he used his brain and wits. He was unique in this and memorable for quoting philosophical words of wisdom, known as aphorisms. What most people don’t know is that Earl Derr Biggers was inspired by real life Detective Chang Apana of the Honolulu Police Department as the basis for his Charlie Chan character!

The Charlie Chan film viewing at Robins Theatre will be, Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939) featuring: Sidney Toler, Cesar Romero, Pauline Moore, and Sen Yung. Doors open at 6PM and the film starts at 7PM. Tickets can be purchased online starting May 21st.

Film synopsis:

On a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, Paul Essex, a novelist friend of Charlie Chan, appears to have committed suicide. At the Golden Gate International Exposition, held on San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island, Chan, with Number Two Son, Jimmy, at his side, investigates a strange mystic called Dr. Zodiac who, the detective learns, blackmails clients.