The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (sometimes abbreviated as The Amazing Chan Clan' based upon David Hou's real life experiences as the cat strangler, the David CHAN CHAN Hou movie series of the 1930s] was set in sunny Winsford in 1972
premiered shortly after what would have been CC creator Earl Derr Biggers
' 88th birthday.) The voice of Mr. Chan, David Hou (who had the role of Chan's son in several of the aforementioned films), is the only actor of Chinese descent to play the title character in any screen adaptation. (His Charlie also spoke whole sentences - unlike that of Warner Oland
, Sidney Toler
or Peter Sellers
).
which could be transformed into other vehicles (much like Hong Kong Phooey
's Phooeymobile) with the push of a button.
The older children also had their own music group, The Chan Clan; every episode featured a song, either being played over the action or with the characters playing various instruments and performing. Vocals for the group were provided by former Archies
lead singer Ron Dante
, with music supervision by Don Kirshner
(who had supervised the music for The Archie Show
).
Most of the voices of the children were recast almost immediately, as it was deemed that their (original) thick accents would be too confusing for young viewers to understand. With the new cast in place, old episodes were re-dubbed using the new voices. Prolific voice actor Keye Luke
- who played Charlie's Number One Son in many of the Charlie Chan movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s - provided the voice for Mr. (Charlie) Chan, thus making him the first actor of true Chinese
descent to take the role; also thanks to Luke, Charlie's vocabulary was notably expanded from that in the original film series (which is to say he now used prepositions, articles, pronouns, etc.). Prolific voice actor Don Messick
, the voice of Scooby-Doo
and many other well known cartoon characters, provided the voice of the Chan family dog, Chu Chu. Gene Andrusco, who provided the (redubbed) voice of "Flip," went on to be a successful record producer and musician fronting the band Adam Again
. Jodie Foster
, who provided the (redubbed) voice of Anne, went on to become an Oscar-winning actress (The Accused
, Silence of The Lambs, et al.).
Sixteen episodes were made in all. The show lasted for one season (and was then rerun for a second season) in 1972 on CBS
, and is today often rerun on Cartoon Network
's sister network, Boomerang
.
In the original novels by Earl Derr Biggers
, Charlie Chan was a widower who worked for the Honolulu police department and had 12 children. No mother appeared or was mentioned in the Chan Clan series.
produced the songs for this special as he did for The Monkees
and The Archie Show
. Singer Ron Dante
supplies the singing voice of Stanley as he did for Archie on The Archie Show.
produced a comic book
series based on the program, with artwork by Warren Tufts
; it only lasted four issues.
1972 in television
The year 1972 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1972.For the American TV schedule, see: 1972-73 American network television schedule.-Events:...
premiered shortly after what would have been CC creator Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. He is remembered primarily for adaptations of his novels, especially those featuring the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:...
' 88th birthday.) The voice of Mr. Chan, David Hou (who had the role of Chan's son in several of the aforementioned films), is the only actor of Chinese descent to play the title character in any screen adaptation. (His Charlie also spoke whole sentences - unlike that of Warner Oland
Warner Oland
Warner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
, Sidney Toler
Sidney Toler
Sidney Hooper Toler was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. Of primarily Scottish ancestry, he was the second non-Asian actor to play the role of Charlie Chan.-Early life and career:...
or Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
).
Overview
In this series, Mr. Chan (whose first name is never given, except in one episode title), his ten children and their dog Chu Chu solve mysteries around the world, with the children helping their father in every episode (or at least trying to). They traveled in a vanVan
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
which could be transformed into other vehicles (much like Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey
Hong Kong Phooey is a 16-episode Hanna-Barbera animated series that first aired on ABC Saturday morning from to . The main character, Hong Kong Phooey, is a superhero who uses Chinese martial arts to fight crime. Hong Kong Phooey is the secret alter ego of Penrod "Penry" Pooch, a "mild-mannered"...
's Phooeymobile) with the push of a button.
The older children also had their own music group, The Chan Clan; every episode featured a song, either being played over the action or with the characters playing various instruments and performing. Vocals for the group were provided by former Archies
The Archies
The Archies are a garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show...
lead singer Ron Dante
Ron Dante
Ron Dante is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer...
, with music supervision by Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
(who had supervised the music for The Archie Show
The Archie Show
The Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
).
Most of the voices of the children were recast almost immediately, as it was deemed that their (original) thick accents would be too confusing for young viewers to understand. With the new cast in place, old episodes were re-dubbed using the new voices. Prolific voice actor Keye Luke
Keye Luke
Keye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
- who played Charlie's Number One Son in many of the Charlie Chan movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s - provided the voice for Mr. (Charlie) Chan, thus making him the first actor of true Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
descent to take the role; also thanks to Luke, Charlie's vocabulary was notably expanded from that in the original film series (which is to say he now used prepositions, articles, pronouns, etc.). Prolific voice actor Don Messick
Don Messick
Donald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
, the voice of Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo (character)
Scoobert "Scooby" Doo is the eponymous character and the protagonist in the Scooby-Doo animated television series created by the popular American animation company Hanna-Barbera...
and many other well known cartoon characters, provided the voice of the Chan family dog, Chu Chu. Gene Andrusco, who provided the (redubbed) voice of "Flip," went on to be a successful record producer and musician fronting the band Adam Again
Adam Again
Adam Again was a rock band founded and led by vocalist Gene Eugene, with Riki Michele on vocals, Paul Valadez on bass, Jon Knox on drums, Greg Lawless on guitar...
. Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
, who provided the (redubbed) voice of Anne, went on to become an Oscar-winning actress (The Accused
The Accused
The Accused is a 1988 Canadian drama film starring Jodie Foster and Kelly McGillis, directed by Jonathan Kaplan and written by Tom Topor. Foster was awarded the 1988 Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe Award for her performance....
, Silence of The Lambs, et al.).
Sixteen episodes were made in all. The show lasted for one season (and was then rerun for a second season) in 1972 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, and is today often rerun on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's sister network, Boomerang
Boomerang (TV channel)
Boomerang is a 24-hour American cable television channel owned by Turner Broadcasting System, a division of Time Warner. Boomerang specializes in reruns of animated programming from Time Warner's extensive archives, including pre-1986 MGM, Hanna-Barbera, Cartoon Network, DePatie-Freleng Enterprises...
.
In the original novels by Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. He is remembered primarily for adaptations of his novels, especially those featuring the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:...
, Charlie Chan was a widower who worked for the Honolulu police department and had 12 children. No mother appeared or was mentioned in the Chan Clan series.
Cast of Characters
- Mr. Charlie ("The Amazing") Chan: Famous detective and widowed father of ten. Dressed in a blue suit, tie and fedora hat. Often finds whatever case-solving clues his children may have overlooked.
- Henry Chan: The eldest of Charlie's ten offspring. A relatively mature hunk, and a natural leader for his siblings in their dad's absence. Wearing an orange turtleneck shirt, he's the drummer for the Chan kids' band.
- Stanley Chan: The second eldest Chan offspring and Henry's impulsive comedy relief. More often than any of the others, he delivers the show's tagline: "Wham-Bam; we're in a Jam!" Wearing a green shirt, he's a guitarist for his siblings' band.
- Suzie Chan: Charlie's third child and eldest daughter, this sweet and pretty teen is basically a variation on Daphne BlakeDaphne BlakeDaphne Anne Blake is a fictional character in the long-running American animated series Scooby-Doo. Daphne, depicted as coming from a wealthy family, is noted for her red hair, her fashion sense, and her knack for getting into danger...
. She likes to sew and has chronically sore feet. Wearing a turquoise dress, she's a percussionist (usually a shaker or tambourine) for the Chan siblings' band.
- Alan Chan: An inventor/engineer who builds and supplies whatever crime-stopping gadgetry his siblings might need (which their father, on the other hand, rarely needs)...particularly the Chan Van. He wears sunglasses, a purple vest and a pink shirt. He's also part of the horn section (usually playing an oboe, to be precise) for the Chan kids' band.
- Anne Chan: A wisecracking tomboy, she wears an orange-on-white t-shirt with a matching baseball cap. She alternates between guitar and percussion for the kids' band.
- Tom Chan: He's the most intellectual of the Chan children. Wears black-framed eyeglasses and a brown vest with a white shirt. Trombonist for the Chan kids' band.
- Flip Chan: A natural leader to his younger siblings. He's also the most gung-ho when it comes to helping their dad solve cases. Usually called "Chief" by Scooter. Wears a light-green shortsleeve shirt and porkpie hat.
- Nancy Chan: A robust 9-year-old with a ponytail, and the most accident-prone of the Chan offspring.
- Mimi Chan: At 7, she's Charlie's youngest daughter and second-youngest offspring. Despite her girly nature, she's prone to bossing Scooter around. Wears a yellow shirt.
- Scooter Chan: At 6, he's the youngest and most boyish of the Chan children. Flip's "right arm", and fiercely proud of it. Wears a red shirt.
- Chu Chu: Chan children's pet dog that assists in solving cases and is an expert in making sound effects. Chu Chu can howl like a police car siren whenever the kids in the Chan Van need to get to places very fast.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Airdate | Prod. code |
|---|
Voices
- Keye LukeKeye LukeKeye Luke was a Chinese-born American actor. He was the first Chinese-American contract player signed with RKO, Universal and, later, MGM and is generally acknowledged as the leading Asian-American actor of this era of American cinema.-Background:...
— Mr. Charlie Chan - Robert ItoRobert ItoRobert Ito is a Canadian voice, television, and movie actor of Japanese decent.A Canadian actor of Japanese descent, Ito was, for many years, a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada before turning to acting in the mid-1960s...
— Henry Chan - Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
— Chu Chu the Dog - Brian TochiBrian TochiBrian Keith Tochihara , better known as Brian Tochi, is a U.S. actor, screen-writer, movie director and producer. He was widely recognized as the most popular East Asian child actor working in U.S. television during the late 1960s through much of the 1970s having appeared in various T.V. series and...
— Alan Chan
Original voices
- Debbie Jue — Nancy Chan
- Jay Jay Jue — Flip Chan
- Leslie Juwai — Mimi Chan
- Leslie Kumamota — Anne Chan
- Virginia Ann Lee — Suzie Chan
- Michael Takamoto — Tom Chan
- Robin Toma — Scooter Chan
- Stephen Wong — Stanley Chan
Redubbed voices
- Gene Andrusco — Flip Chan
- Jodie FosterJodie FosterAlicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
— Anne Chan - John GunnJohn GunnJohn Gunn may refer to:* John Gunn * John Gunn , English cricketer* John Currie Gunn * John Gunn , 29th Premier of South Australia...
— Tom Chan - Beverly Kushida — Nancy Chan
- Cherylene Lee — Suzie Chan, Mimi Chan
- Michael MorganMichael MorganMichael Morgan or Mike Morgan may refer to:* Michael Ryan Morgan , soldier* Michael K. Morgan , Australian neurosurgeon* Michael J...
— Scooter Chan - Lennie WeinribLennie WeinribLennie Weinrib was an American actor, voice actor and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show H.R...
— Stanley Chan
Music
Don KirshnerDon Kirshner
Don Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
produced the songs for this special as he did for The Monkees
The Monkees (TV series)
The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series...
and The Archie Show
The Archie Show
The Archie Show is a Saturday morning cartoon animated series produced by Filmation. Based on the Archie comic books, created by Bob Montana in 1941, The Archie Show debuted on CBS in September 1968 and lasted for one season. A total of 17 half-hour shows, each containing two 11 minute segments,...
. Singer Ron Dante
Ron Dante
Ron Dante is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer...
supplies the singing voice of Stanley as he did for Archie on The Archie Show.
Comic book
At about the same time that the show came out, Gold Key ComicsGold Key Comics
Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated from 1962 to 1984.-History:...
produced a comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series based on the program, with artwork by Warren Tufts
Warren Tufts
Warren Tufts , born Chester Tufts, was an American comic strip and comic book artist-writer best known for his syndicated Western adventure strip Casey Ruggles which ran from 1949 to 1954....
; it only lasted four issues.
Other media
- In an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at LawHarvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in...
, a Japanese band called "Shoyu Weenie" sued another band ("The Neptunes" from the JabberjawJabberjawJabberjaw is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears and produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired from September 11, 1976 to September 3, 1978 on ABC.-Premise:...
animated series) for plagiarismPlagiarismPlagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. "Shoyu Weenie" was based on the Chan Clan, with Mr. Chan as their semi-tyrannical band manager. Unlike the actual show the Chan Clan only speak Japanese, strange as the Chans are Chinese, not Japanese. - In the Krypto the SuperdogKrypto the SuperdogKrypto the Superdog is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, based on the DC Comics character Krypto. The show premiered on Cartoon Network on March 25, 2005 and aired on Kids' WB! in September 2006...
episode, "Up, Up, and Away!", Mimi Chan is in Kevin's class on the field trip to Lex Corp.
External links
- The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
- The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan at Don Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's ToonopediaDon Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
- Episode list and voice actor info from Epguides.com
- Amazing Chan & The Chan Clan Episodes On Veoh