The Crosby Family – Bing Crosby No products in the cart. The Crosby Family GARY CROSBY Gary Evan Crosby, born June 25, 1933 and named after his father’s friend Gary Cooper, was often referred to by his father as “number one son.” In 1941 he auditioned for the part of the young boy who grows up to be Bing’s character in Birth of the Blues, but his screen debut occurred the next year in Star Spangled Rhythm. Gary next appeared in 1945 along with his brothers in two more movies identified with Bing: Duffy’s Tavern and Out of this World. Like all of his brothers, Gary was educated at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, later enrolling at Stanford University where he studied animal husbandry (having spent summers at the family cattle ranch in Elko, Nevada) and played football. He did not graduate.

Gary became a teen sensation in 1950 when, credited as “Gary Crosby and Friend”, a two-sided hit boasted of back-to-back million sellers: “Sam’s Song” and “Play a Simple Melody.” The duo waxed several more recordings: “Moonlight Bay,” “When You and I Were Young, Maggie Blues,” and “Down by the Riverside.” By now a Bing look-alike, Gary appeared regularly on his father’s radio show; and even hosted his own series as a summer replacement for Bing’s show in 1954. Gary made several solo records and albums, showing promise as a jazz vocalist. In 1955 he recorded “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” with his father’s friend, Louis Armstrong. Gary was inducted into the Army in 1956, serving in Germany. Upon discharge in 1958, Gary and his brothers formed “The Crosby Boys,” headlining at several top nightclubs and appearing on the cover of Life magazine.

After internecine quarrels and disputes, Gary left to pursue a movie career; and through the intercession of his father, secured a Fox contract, appearing in Mardi Gras, Holiday for Lovers, and Girl Happy, among others. But major stardom eluded him, and Gary, along with his brothers, constantly struggled with alcoholism and had embarrassing scrapes with the law. He appeared on television, frequently joining his father; and made guest appearances on a variety of programs (most famously as the bedeviled troubadour Floyd Burney on “Come Wander with Me,” a 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone.) Gary was a semi-regular on The Bill Dana Show from 1963-64. He was perhaps best known as Officer Ed Wells on the police series, Adam 12, running from 1968-75. Several years after Bing died, Doubleday approached Gary to write an autobiography. To guarantee success, he was asked to wildly exaggerate Bing’s self-acknowledged paternal strictness.

Going My Own Way, published in 1983 and co-authored by Ross Firestone, was Gary’s controversial attempt to transfer his professional and personal shortcomings onto his father; and to achieve the long desired leading role – playing Bing, no less – should his book be adapted to the screen. This wasn’t to be, as the book created considerable turmoil within the Crosby family. Subsequently, Gary recanted large portions of his unfortunate memoir. To further the rehabilitation Gary decided in 1995 to record an album overdubbing his father’s classic recordings. This came too late. With one side complete, a persistent cough interfered with the endeavor. A doctor’s visit confirmed that he had advanced lung cancer. Gary died on August 24, 1995. Twice divorced, he was survived by his third wife and his adopted son. PHILLIP CROSBY Phillip Lang Crosby, born on July 13, 1934, was the twin of Dennis. His middle name was given in tribute to Bing’s close friend, guitarist Eddie Lang.

Phillip’s first recording was the Decca two-side medley, A Crosby Christmas, on which the twins sang a duet, “The Snowman.” He attended college with Dennis at Washington State College at Pullman and was inducted into the Army on January 5, 1955. Before the formation of The Crosby Boys, the twins sang “The Jones Boy” on Bing’s Oldsmobile special of March 2, 1959. Gary’s early departure from the group did not deter the others, and the act recorded an album for their father’s Project Records label, which was distributed by MGM. The Crosby Boys had many successful nightclub bookings, and appeared often on television. After a guest spot on Sgt. Bilko, the group followed on two episodes of Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall and five episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show. They revealed a flair for dynamic harmonizing while blending with Bing on “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” on his Oldsmobile special on February 29, 1960 and also appeared on another Oldsmobile outing on October 5, 1960.

In 1960 Phillip also recorded a rhythm & blues version of Bing’s classic, “Thanks,” which featured a cameo appearance by Bing approving at song’s end: “By George, I think he’s got it!” In 1961, Phillip’s affiliation with the Rat Pack began when the Crosby Boys appeared in Sergeants Three, and continued when he appeared solo in Robin and the Seven Hoods in 1964. In one scene he offers a chair to a startled Allen A. Dale, played by Bing. The Sinatra connection continued in 1965 with a role as Private Magee in None but the Brave. In 1964 Phillip appeared on the Bing Crosby production, Ben Casey (as would all his brothers). His final appearance with his father took place on The Hollywood Palace show of April 5, 1969 where they reprised songs which Bing had previously recorded with Gary. Phillip would later remark, “Dad was always there when we needed him.” Phillip gave his final performance at an Elk’s Club party in Burbank in 1983. Four-times divorced and having lost a teenaged son, Phillip died January 13, 2004.

He was survived by two daughters and two sons. DENNIS CROSBY Dennis Michael Crosby, twin brother of Phillip, was born on July 13, 1934. Of all his brothers, Dennis preferred behind-the-scenes work to performing, serving as assistant producer for Bing Crosby Productions. Dennis was deeply grieved when his younger brother Lindsay committed suicide. The divorce from his second wife worsened his fragile emotional state. Dennis killed himself on May 7, 1991. Dennis was survived by three sons and four daughters, one of whom was adopted. In 1958 Dennis had been sued by Marilyn Miller Scott over the paternity of her daughter, Denise, and Dennis was ordered to pay Scott child support and legal fees. (Denise appeared on the television show, Star Trek: the Next Generation from 1987-94). LINDSAY CROSBY Lindsay Harry Crosby was born on January 5, 1938. His name was inspired by Bing’s close friend and thoroughbred horse racing partner, Lindsay Howard.

“The smallest of the small fry” also appeared on A Crosby Christmas, singing “I’d Like to Hitch a Ride with Santa Claus.” Lindsay, the closest to his mother, was distraught by her death. To help console him, Bing took him out of school in March 1953. They went on an extended tour of Europe, including an audience with Pope Pious XII. Before their departure, Bing and Lindsay recorded several duets that were broadcast on Bing’s General Electric Show during their travels. Although the radio broadcasts announced that the recordings were made in France, they were actually recorded in Palm Springs. The series also spotlighted several Lindsay solos. The following year, Lindsay joined Bing and Gary for several nostalgic barbershop routines on the General Electric Show. Lindsay also contributed several solos and duets to The Bing Crosby Show (1954-56) where his radio banter with his father revealed a keen sense of comedy timing. In addition, Lindsay was a special guest on Bing’s legendary Edsel Show in 1957.

Lindsay would later remark, “I don’t know of many fathers who gave more consideration to their children.” With Bing’s help, Lindsay got a recording contract with RCA in 1958, and enjoyed a modest hit with “Friendship Ring.” He went on to appear in a slew of B movies such as The Girls from Thunder Strip and Zebra Force. Lindsay, never fully able to overcome his mother’s premature death, suffered from depression as she had. Three divorces and a turbulent breakup with his girlfriend led to his suicide on December 11, 1989. Lindsay was survived by four sons. Although Bing demonstrated an active involvement in his sons’ professional careers, he once expressed to an interviewer his most ardent aspiration for his boys. “I just want them to be nice guys. I don’t care how big they are or how important. I’d just like them to be the kind that other people would like to have around. And I want them to be thoughtful of other people.

I hate rudeness, thoughtlessness, and arrogance.” [media id=53 width=600 height=360] CATHERINE CROSBY One of two Crosby sisters, Catherine was born October 3, 1904. She was a housewife and mother, and died in 1988. MARY ROSE CROSBY Mary Rose, a favorite playmate of young Bing, was born May 3, 1906. A Crosby family “tradition” occurred when the young Mary Rose refused to share her birthday with her older brother, so Bing acquiesced, and the family celebrated his day one day earlier his entire life – and that date was woven into his “biography” from the beginning. Mary Rose, a housewife and mother, died in 1990. HARRY CROSBY Harry Lillis Crosby III, born August 8, 1958, is the first of Bing’s children with his second wife Kathryn. Born in Hollywood, he showed natural musical tendencies, teaching himself how to play guitar by listening to musicians near his father’s getaway in Baja California.

He, along with his two younger siblings and their mother, became part of a holiday tradition, appearing in the annual Christmas television broadcasts with their father. After dabbling in films, he settled on college and is now a successful investment banker, having earned an MBA from Fordham. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children and occasionally accompanies his mother on guitar when she performs her cabaret act. MARY FRANCES CROSBY Now known simply as Mary, she was born September 14, 1959. Passing the Level One Red Cross swimming test at age 2, Mary was a precocious child. She graduated from high school at 15 and dropped out of college a year later to work on acting, a love she had since getting her equity card at age 3, accompanying her mother on stage. Her first dramatic role on television was on a 1967 episode of The Danny Thomas Theater in which she appeared alongside her father in the drama, The Demon Under the Bed.

Landing a guest role on the popular TV program “Dallas”, she now jokingly refers to herself as “simply the answer to the trivia question: who shot J.R.?” In addition to her family’s appearances on the annual Crosby Christmas television specials, she’s appeared in a number of television programs and films, most recently sharing the screen with her mother, Kathryn, in Queen of the Lot. Mary, her husband, and their two sons live in California. NATHANIEL CROSBY Born October 29, 1961, Nathaniel Patrick Crosby had the distinction of being the youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur golf tournament at age 19, until Tiger Woods came along. Less interested in performing than his two older siblings, Nathaniel bonded with his father over sports, accompanying him to countless baseball and football games when they lived near San Francisco. Graduating from the University of Miami in 1984, he moved from the game of golf to the business of golf, first at Nicklaus Golf, and then as president of Orlimar Golf and Toney Penna Golf. Working now as a consultant, Nathaniel and his second wife have a family of six children and live in Florida.

Lindsay Harry Crosby was born on January 5, 1938. His name was inspired by Bing’s close friend and thoroughbred horse racing partner, Lindsay Howard. “The smallest of the small fry” also appeared on A Crosby Christmas, singing “I’d Like to Hitch a Ride with Santa Claus.” Lindsay, the closest to his mother, was distraught by her death. To help console him, Bing took him out of school in March 1953. They went on an extended tour of Europe, including an audience with Pope Pious XII. Before their departure, Bing and Lindsay recorded several duets that were broadcast on Bing’s General Electric Show during their travels. Although the radio broadcasts announced that the recordings were made in France, they were actually recorded in Palm Springs. The series also spotlighted several Lindsay solos. The following year, Lindsay joined Bing and Gary for several nostalgic barbershop routines on the General Electric Show. Lindsay also contributed several solos and duets to The Bing Crosby Show (1954-56) where his radio banter with his father revealed a keen sense of comedy timing. In addition, Lindsay was a special guest on Bing’s legendary Edsel Show in 1957.

Lindsay would later remark, “I don’t know of many fathers who gave more consideration to their children.” With Bing’s help, Lindsay got a recording contract with RCA in 1958, and enjoyed a modest hit with “Friendship Ring.” He went on to appear in a slew of B movies such as The Girls from Thunder Strip and Zebra Force. Lindsay, never fully able to overcome his mother’s premature death, suffered from depression as she had. Three divorces and a turbulent breakup with his girlfriend led to his suicide on December 11, 1989. Lindsay was survived by four sons. Although Bing demonstrated an active involvement in his sons’ professional careers, he once expressed to an interviewer his most ardent aspiration for his boys. “I just want them to be nice guys. I don’t care how big they are or how important. I’d just like them to be the kind that other people would like to have around. And I want them to be thoughtful of other people. I hate rudeness, thoughtlessness, and arrogance.” Charlie Chan (Franchise) - TV Tropes Charlie Chan You need to login to do this.

Get Known if you don't have an account Share WMG Excuse, please... When death enters window, no time for life to go by door. Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers. Biggers had been vacationing in Hawai'i in 1919, when he read a newspaper account of a Chinese-American detective, Chang Apana, connected with the Honolulu Police Department. Fascinated by the idea of an Oriental hero as a contrast to the ubiquitous Yellow Peril villains of the period, Biggers included an Oriental detective named Chan as a peripheral character in his novel House Without a Key (1925). In the 1926 novel The Chinese Parrot, Chan took center stage, and his successful adventures spanned four more Biggers novels: Behind the Curtain (1928), The Black Camel (1929), Charlie Chan Carries On (1930) and Keeper of the Keys (1932). The character's most familiar portrayals, however, were in a series of nearly 50 films.

By the time of Biggers' death in 1933, all but the last of the novels had been adapted for film (the last was adapted for the New York stage). Contrary to popular belief, Chan was portrayed by Asian actors in his earliest appearances — but not Chinese: The Japanese actors George Kuwa and Sôjin played the detective in his first two films, and E.L. Park, probably a Korean, in his third. None of these portrayals was deemed particularly successful, either by Biggers or by the public. It was, oddly, a Swede, Warner Oland, who became in the opinion of Biggers and of most fans the ideal embodiment of the character. (Oland had already played Fu Manchu in the movies, and always claimed to be of Mongolian descent himself; he would continue to be in demand throughout the Thirties to play various Asian characters, such as Dr.

Yogami in 1935's Werewolf of London .) Oland played the detective in a series of 15 films for 20th Century Fox , starting with Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), though many fans believe that his characterization really hit its stride in Charlie Chan in London (1934). Here Charlie assumed his archetypical form: the unassuming, heavily accented but brilliant detective, spouting pseudo-Oriental aphorisms (a Flanderization which Biggers himself cordially disliked), kindly and devoted to his fractious and multifarious family, and often having to endure the feckless co-detecting effort of his thoroughly Americanized Number One Son, Lee, or others of the clan. Chan became a globe-trotter: He rarely remained home in Honolulu, but appeared against a number of glamorous and exotic backgrounds: at the racetrack, at the opera, on Broadway, in London, in Paris, in the Pyramids of Egypt, at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games . By the time of Oland's death in 1938, Charlie Chan was one of Fox's most popular and successful film series.

So popular was he, in fact, that the studio refused to let the character die with the actor, and so the Missouri-born Sidney Toler took up the role in 1938's Charlie Chan in Honolulu. His Chan was slightly more acerbic than Oland's, and he was much given to ridiculing the efforts of his Number Two Son, Jimmy (or sometimes Tommy) Chan (Victor Sen Yung). After 11 films, Fox decided to end production of the Chan series, whereupon Toler bought the rights to the character, and proceeded to make another 11 films, with Monogram Pictures , until his death in 1947. Bostonian Roland Winters (born Winternitz) took up the part in 1947's The Chinese Ring. By now it was apparent that Monogram was determined to milk the franchise for all it was worth , with little regard to quality. An attempt to transfer the character to television in the person of J. Carroll Naish was made in The New Adventures of Charlie Chan (1958) with moderate success. In Hanna-Barbera 's 1972 Animated Adaptation , The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan , Mr.

Chan was portrayed for the first time by an actor actually of Chinese descent: Keye Luke, who had played Number One Son Lee Chan in the Oland series of films, and who was later well known as "Blind Master Po" from the popular Kung Fu series of the 1970s. A pair of Affectionate Parodies appeared as The Return of Charlie Chan (aka Happiness Is a Warm Clue) (1973) and Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen (1981), in which Chan was played by Ross Martin and Peter Ustinov, respectively. (A Chan-based character was also played by Peter Sellers in the 1979 omnibus mystery spoof, Murder by Death .) In the 1990s, a number of Charlie Chan films were produced in Hong Kong by Chinese production companies. An Italian Chan appeared in 1983. There was talk in the 2000s about a screen adaptation starring Lucy Liu as the granddaughter of the famous detective, but it never came to pass.

Tropes Associated With This Character Include: Animated Adaptation : Not only the 1972 Hanna-Barbera series , but also the 1970 Filmation series (See Lawyer-Friendly Cameo , below.) Asian Speekee Engrish : Averted for Charlie. Any Chinese in the books more elderly, however... Busman's Holiday : Frequently lampshaded for The Chinese Parrot and Behind That Curtain. The latter being an Immediate Sequel for the former, Charlie's especially anxious to get home. At the end of Behind That Curtain, somebody rushes in, saying there's just been a very unusual murder. When they try to find Charlie, they find he's just gone out the fire escape .

Catch Phrase : Warner Oland's Chan often said, "Thank you so much." Sidney Toler favored, "Excuse, please," and "Contradiction, please." Character Celebrity Endorsement : In 1935, Warner Oland appeared as Charlie Chan in a short subject to urge the voters of Pennsylvania to vote to allow Sunday showing of motion pictures: "Humble self very much puzzled why one man may play golf game on Sunday and other man cannot see Charlie Chan bring criminal to justice on same day." Comic-Book Adaptation : Several: First, as a Newspaper Comic that ran from 1938-42 (it was cancelled because the white readers didn't want an Asian in the funnies... even though during World War II the Chinese were on the Allied side). Then, with now-defunct Comic Book publisher Prize Comics, drawn by none other than Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, otherwise known as the creators of Captain America . When Prize lost the license, the series transferred to Charlton Comics , continuing the same numbering.

The numbering and the title changed when DC Comics got their hands on Chan and his Number One Son: The New Adventures of Charlie Chan lasted for six issues, the longest consecutive run for any publisher handling the license. Dell Comics managed two issues; Gold Key Comics did a 4-issue tie-in to The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan . Cool Car / Transforming Mecha : The Hanna-Barbera cartoon featured "the Chan Van", a vehicle which could transform itself into various modes of transportation from van to station wagon to sports car, etc., at the push of a button. (It makes one mildly uncomfortable to recall that it shared this trait with Hong Kong Phooey 's Phooeymobile, though the canine crime-fighter used a gong to trigger the change.) In the books, Charlie's car was always described as a "flivver", which was The Roaring '20s ' way of saying " What a Piece of Junk ". Divorce in Reno : In Charlie Chan in Reno, Charlie's son when he hears his dad is going to Reno—actually to consult the Reno Police on a case—is asked by fellow students if his parents are getting a divorce.

Crossover : a partial example with Peter Lorre 's similar character, the Japanese secret agent Mr. Moto. Mr. Moto's Gamble was originally intended to be a Charlie Chan movie, after Werner Oland died partway through filming, the script was hastily rewritten as a Moto vehicle. As a result, Chan's Number One Son appears in a supporting role as a student of Mr. Moto, desperately seeking education as a detective in order to please his father (who is never referred to by name). Drink Order : Charlie likes his sarsaparilla (a nonalcoholic root beer-like drink). The Exotic Detective : Biggers was first attracted to the character by the exotic quality both of his Honolulu setting and of what was then considered the paradoxical contrast of a non-"Sinister Chinaman". Flanderization : Probably the best-remembered characteristic of the detective is his use of pithy "Oriental" aphorisms — a trait which comes directly from the Warner Oland Filmic Adaptations , and which were the only aspect of those adaptations that Biggers himself disliked. Good Hair, Evil Hair : Averted.

Charlie's Genghis Khan moustache and (optional) beard, usually reserved for villains, are here merely signs of ethnicity. Grande Dame : Henrietta Lowell in "Charlie Chan's Secret", and surprisingly, she's also a Cool Old Lady . Hurricane of Aphorisms : Charlie always speaks like this. Invisible Writing : One mystery Charlie Chan in Shanghai has some writing on a piece of linen. The glyphs appear to be Chinese, but Chan declares them as gibberish. He then points out that, despite plenty of writing paper available, the marks were made on cloth. Chan rinses the linen in a bowl of water, which washes away some of the ink, but leaves the true message in broken Roman letters intact. Lawyer-Friendly Cameo : Charlie Chan-type characters show up in a number of works, usually as affectionate parodies . For instance: In two episodes of Get Smart , Joey Foreman played a Charlie Chan Expy , a Chinese-Hawaiian detective named Harry Hoo. In 1970 Filmation 's Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down? featured a Jerry -ized version of Chan, Flewis Lewis (and his One-Ton Son), both ghastly Ethnic Scrappies .

In the 1979 film Murder by Death , Peter Sellers plays a Chan-type sleuth named Sydney Wang. The Lestrade : Charlie usually has to deal with one of these, especially when he's working on a case outside of Honolulu . However, as a fellow lawman, he understands what they're going through, and always defers to their judgment, such as in Keeper of the Keys. On the other, he's not too unwilling to point out that the Noble Bigot with a Badge isn't quite so noble after all... Man in White : Charlie often, though by no means always, dresses in a white linen suit with his iconic Panama hat . Nephewism : Averted. When sidekicks were added to the movies, they were his sons. Nepotism : Charlie's sons work with him. Nice Hat : Chan invariably wears a Panama hat with a broad brim and rounded crown. No Swastikas : An early example of this appeared in 1936's Charlie Chan at the Olympics, which were, of course, held in Berlin that year; all the numerous swastikas that appear (including on the Hindenburg) are carefully blotted out .

Obfuscating Stupidity : Charlie Chan is a master of this trope, often playing up his "foreignness" so people underestimate him. Proverbial Wisdom : Chan is a smart detective with a definite aura of "oriental wisdom" around him (including, most notably, speaking in Eastern proverbs and aphorisms). Public Domain : All six books, the comics, the radio plays and most of the movies; check The Other Wiki for more details. Recursive Canon : The climax of Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen takes place in an old movie theatre holding a Charlie Chan movie festival. When the Chase Scene between the heroes and the killer leads onto the stage, the audience assumes it's All Part of the Show . Ripped from the Headlines : Chan was loosely based on real-life Honolulu police detective Chang Apana. The Shelf of Movie Languishment : The Made-for-TV Movie Happiness Is A Warm Clue was shot in 1970, but had its premiere on British television in 1973... and didn't get shown on American TV until 1979.

Shout-Out : In Charlie Chan in Shanghai, Oland sings a song making reference to "the Emperor Fu Manchu ", a part he had played himself in previous films. In the same film he asks son Lee Chan (Keye Luke) whether he is selling "Oil for the Lamps of China" — the title of a popular 20th Century Fox film in which Luke had just appeared. A Captain Ersatz version of Chan twice appeared in the form of "Harry Hoo" (Joey Forman) on Get Smart . Charlie Chan 10 Okay. Oh...Okay. For such a long-running series, fans often like to point out continuity errors, inconsistencies of facts that occur. There are many, as we shall see. The question here that begs asking, if Henry is the Number One son, is then Oswald the Number Two son? Harold Huber, Donald Woods, Keye Luke, Warner Oland in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937). Lee Chan: The Second Number One Son Even though Fox Film Corporation had already made six previous Charlie Chan films with Warner Oland, Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) is the series' first film that features one of Chan's children in a major role.

Also, the viewer is introduced to two more innovations that would be standard fare throughout the rest of the series. One is the custom of Charlie's often referring to his various children by number, such as "Number One son" Lee, played by the affable Keye Luke. A second innovation is that of one or more of the children acting as Charlie's uninvited and often troublesome assistant when their detective father is assigned a case—"Father who depend on son is happy or foolish according to son." Warner Oland and Keye Luke look on while Harold Huber receives a report of an attempted sale of stolen bonds in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937). Of all the Chan offspring in the series, Lee is probably the best remembered, and often pops up unexpectedly in various parts of the globe wherever his father comes to town. Because of his travels with his father, Lee develops the strange hobby of appropriating towels as mementos from the hotels he has stayed in and ships he has sailed on. In some of the films, Lee actually has a job, often employed as some kind of purchasing agent or trade representative. Coincidentally, he is often sent on business to the same location as is his honorable father.

In Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) Lee meets his father, telling him that his firm sent him to Shanghai to look into the trade situation. Charlie then ribs Lee by asking, "Selling oil for lamps in China?" Ironically, it was Luke who had a bit part as a Chinese soldier in the film, Oil for the Lamps of China (1935), which was released about a month before "Shanghai" went into production. In Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937), Lee is shown to be an accomplished athlete when, as a member of the U.S. Olympic team in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he swims in the 100 meter freestyle race. In Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937), Lee, as Luke was in real life, portrays an artist. He and Charlie are both passing through Monte Carlo on their way to a Paris art show where one of Lee's paintings is being displayed. In the last film of the series, Sky Dragon (1949), Lee is studying to be an airplane pilot. As the Number One son, Lee Chan is a definite asset to the films' plots.

Often, the exchanges between the inscrutable father and his clean-cut son highlight Charlie's paternal qualities and Lee is usually around to provide the necessary physical action which Oland's portrayal lacks. Lee even receives a black eye for his trouble in Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937). Keye Luke, Harold Huber, and Peter Lorre in Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938), parts of which were salvaged from an unfinished project, Charlie Chan at the Ringside. Lee and many of his siblings of the later films are bilingual, and are comfortable conversing in English or Chinese. However, it is Lee who mangles the French language in Charlie Chan in Monte Carlo. At the film's beginning, he tries to impress Monaco's chief of police (Harold Huber) with an introduction. With a quizzical look, the policeman responds in English, "That is French, no?" Charlie carefully reminds Lee, "Fortunately assassination of French language not serious crime." A short while later in the same film, Lee doesn't remember his father's earlier advice and, tries explains to a pair of gendarmes how he and his detective father just discovered a dead body on a lonely road.

However, errors in Lee's French grammar and pronunciation cause the police to arrest them both on suspicion of murder. In the jail cell Charlie tersely admonishes Lee, "In future, remember that tongue often hang man quicker than rope." Agency photo of Keye Luke, who played Warner Oland's Number One son Lee Chan. None of Lee's shortcomings however diminish his strong devotion to and concern for his father's welfare. Always appreciative of Lee's help, Charlie remarks, "Confucius say, no man is poor who have worthy son." Keye Luke was born June 18, 1904 in Guangzhou (formerly Canton), China. At an early age he and his family immigrated to the U.S. where he grew up in Seattle. After graduation from high school, Luke then went to the University of Southern California. Drafted into military service during World War II, he went back to college to learn Mandarin Chinese for the Marines, but it wasn't until 1944 when he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. Luke was a talented artist. He entered the film industry as a billboard designer and caricaturist, and in 1933 was one of the founders of the Screen Actors Guild.

Ironically, he did publicity artwork for the Fox studio in connection with several of the early Charlie Chan films. Luke tells the story that his becoming an actor was mainly the result of being in the right place at the right time. When he did his first picture in an uncredited supporting role with Greta Garbo in The Painted Veil (1934), Luke got the role because his former boss at MGM called him to his office one day. As Luke fondly reminisced with actress Beulah Quo during a 1977 dinner of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California: “I took samples of my art work with me. He said, 'What the hell do you have those things for?' I said, 'I thought you wanted to see my art work.' He replied, 'No! Read page 35,' handing me the script for The Painted Veil. After I read it, he asked, 'How do you like it?' I said, 'But, I'm an artist,' I insisted.

'Don't worry about that,' he answered, and took me downstairs to the casting department." Inspired by the film, The Good Earth (1937), Keye Luke shows off his artistic talent as he paints Oriental designs on a silk bathing suit worn by Suzanna Kim. Coincidentally, this film also featured Charlie Chan's Warner Oland, with whom Luke would join one year later in the increasingly popular Charlie Chan series. From his first appearance as Number One son Lee Chan in Charlie Chan in Paris, Luke continued the role seven more times with Oland. While filming Charlie Chan at the Ringside in 1938, Oland unexpectedly left the set and eventually went to Sweden where he died of bronchial pneumonia. Twentieth Century-Fox salvaged much of this uncompleted project and reworked it as the 1938 movie, Mr. Moto's Gamble with Luke again playing the part of Lee Chan, but now as an assistant to Mr. Moto, a Japanese detective played by Peter Lorre. With Oland's death, Sidney Toler was picked to continue the Charlie Chan role and Keye Luke's pay was cut by the studio.

Jon Tuska writes in his book, The Detective in Hollywood, that producer Sol Wurtzel once commented to Luke, "With this team, there's one smart one and one dumb one. You're the dumb one." This verbal slap and resenting the cut in pay caused Luke to quit the series. His role was then replaced with a new character—Jimmy Chan as the Chans' Number Two son. Ten years later, Luke would reprise his Lee Chan role for the last two movies of the series at Monogram with Roland Winters. Although he was never in a Charlie Chan film with Toler, Luke and Toler did appear together in Adventures of Smilin' Jack (1943). By 1940, there now were three Oriental detectives in films—Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto, and Mr. Wong. Unfortunately, each series continued the industry practice of casting a non-Asian actor as the lead detective. After Boris Karloff had appeared as James Lee Wong in five Mr. Wong films at Monogram, Keye Luke was chosen for the Mr. Wong role in Phantom of Chinatown (1940).

This marked the first time an Asian actor was cast in the main role of an Oriental detective. Unfortunately, Luke was mismatched in the lead role and the Mr. Wong series quickly ended. Luke made more than 100 films over his career of more than 60 years. As a contract player in the big-studio era, Keye Luke had to appear in many minor movies, but he also had supporting roles in major films such as The Good Earth (1937) and Love Is a Many Splendored Thing (1955). Luke was involved in other series besides the Charlie Chan films. He played the loyal Kato in The Green Hornet films and the dedicated intern, Dr. Lee Wong How, in five Dr. Kildare films of the 1940s. Luke also played Wang Chi-Yang, the patriarch of a Chinese-American family in Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1958 Broadway musical, Flower Drum Song. Incidentally, Luke's role would be played by Benson Fong, another "Chan son," in the 1961 movie adaptation of the Broadway show.

Besides films and the Broadway stage, Luke found work in many television episodes such as Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, The A-Team, Miami Vice, MacGyver, Harry-O, Night Court, Cannon, Remington Steele, Magnum P.I., It Takes a Thief, I Spy, and Star Trek. He was also the voice of Charlie Chan on the Saturday morning cartoon show, Charlie Chan and the Chan Clan in the early 1970s. However, Luke was probably the most popular in his post-Charlie Chan years as Master Po, a blind Shaolin monk in the Kung Fu television show (1972-1975), which Luke considers his best role. Besides acting, Luke often served as a technical adviser on films with Chinese themes. In 1986, he won the first Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed by the Association of Asian/Pacific American Artists, and he was honored with a sidewalk star in the Hollywood Hall of Fame in December 1990. A month later though, Keye Luke died from a stroke at the age of 86 on January 12, 1991 at the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital in Whittier, California.

He was survived by a daughter, Ethel Longenecker, whom he adopted in 1942 when he married Ethel Davis. Jimmy Chan: The First Number Two Son? With the death of Warner Oland and the departure of Keye Luke from the series, 20th Century-Fox writers introduced a new character—Jimmy Chan, a.k.a. "Number Two son" to replace older brother Lee along with the introduction of Sidney Toler as the Number Two Chan. Starting with Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938), Jimmy, who was also credited as James Chan in several of the films, was portrayed by Victor Sen Yung (then credited as simply Sen Yung). The character was written into 13 films, all of which were alongside Toler. Roland Winters and Victor Sen Young in The Golden Eye (1948). At the scene at the dinner table mentioned earlier in which Jimmy mentions older brother Lee's attending art school in New York, Charlie refers to Jimmy as "Number Two son," which would appear to eliminate Oswald from this distinction. However, in the later films churned out by Monogram, the "Number Two son" moniker is mysteriously reassigned to Tommy Chan.

More about this change later. Although Jimmy is portrayed as a college student much of the time, there are some inconsistencies and revelations about his college days. In Charlie Chan in Reno (1939), Jimmy is a chemistry student at the University of Southern California and one film later in Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum (1940), is in New York attending law school. Then in the following picture, Murder Over New York (1940), Jimmy is again a chemistry student with occasional classes in biology and art. In Charlie Chan in Rio (1941), Jimmy confesses under hypnosis that he didn't do well in math because the class is at 8:00 a.m. and he is too lazy to get out of bed. With all this education it is not surprising that Charlie often refers to Jimmy as "expensively educated offspring," but also concedes that "One scholar in family better than two detectives." Besides his college studies, Jimmy also finds time to be a pitcher on the school's baseball team.

He also shows that he can play the violin when he breaks out with impromptu boogie-woogie music, called "chop suey boogie," with Chan chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) on the piano in Docks of New Orleans (1948). Sidney Toler and Victor Sen Yung in Charlie Chan in Rio (1941). Jimmy sometimes is hired on with temporary jobs onboard freighters during college vacations but he often lands in jail because of some kind of misunderstanding with the police who doesn't believe that his father is the famous Charlie Chan. The incarceration generally serves to justify Jimmy's "just happen to be in the neighborhood" presence when his father arrives on a case in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) and Charlie Chan in Panama (1940). In his initial appearance, Jimmy already has an appetite for detective work. "I could be the best detective on the island with your help," he tells his father.

Charlie however is a little less optimistic— "I'm afraid you overestimate abilities of parent." Jimmy is always eager to assist his honorable detective father, most of the time without permission, and Charlie often has his doubts about Jimmy's usefulness—"Father who depend on son is happy or foolish according to son." Despite his good intentions though, Jimmy often gullible, providing more than occasional comic relief—"Young squirt merely chip masquerading as block." Jimmy's uninvited assistance is also the butt of Charlie's jokes—"Number Two son very promising detective; promise very much, produce very little." In Murder Over New York (1940), Charlie with a little sarcasm introduces Jimmy to an old friend saying, "This is favorite offspring Jimmy, without whose assistance many cases would have been solved much sooner." After Jimmy invites himself with assisting his father on the case, Charlie enlightens his son, "Will inform honorable mother that aid from Number Two son like interest on mortgage. Impossible to escape." Even with such well-placed quips, exchanges between father and his "favorite offspring" son continue to highlight Charlie's human qualities despite Toler's slightly more acerbic interpretation of the Charlie Chan character.

After helping his father solve a murder case in Charlie Chan in Rio, Charlie breaks the news to Jimmy that a cablegram from his honorable mother informs them that Jimmy has just been drafted into the Army. Jimmy's nonchalant response is, "Well how do you like that? Now I've got a war on my hands!" When Charlie questions if Jimmy doesn't want to go, Number Two son boasts, "Sure. With me in it Pop, the war's in the bag. It's a cinch!" In the following film, Castle in the Desert (1942), Jimmy is now in the army. He then joins his father on a case while on leave from army training and complains about why they have to do so much marching. Charlie, who never is at a loss for a few words of wisdom, replies, "Excellent training for brains of young sprouts. Man who walk have both feet on ground." Jimmy is then absent from the series for the next six films, presumably due to his being in the army during World War II. This was not far from the truth as Yung was actually a captain in intelligence for the U.S. Air Force during World War II.

Victor Sen Yung played Jimmy, the Chans' number Two son who would often overestimate his abilities as a detective. Photo courtesy of Rob Metz. Victor Sen Yung, whose original name was Sen Yew Cheung, was born October 18, 1915 in San Francisco's Chinatown. When he was 12, he took a job as a houseboy for a family on Nob Hill to help finance his future education. He later graduated from the University of California with a degree in economics and did some graduate work at UCLA and USC. As did Keye Luke, Yung got into acting by shear happenstance. He was employed as a salesman for a chemical company and came to the 20th Century-Fox studios one day with samples of a new flame retardant to sell. Instead of closing the sale, Yung was persuaded to take a screen test for the new role of Jimmy Chan. In his role as Jimmy Chan, Yung appeared in all his films with Sidney Toler. Because of his military service with the Air Force in World War II, Yung was replaced with Benson Fong as Tommy Chan, the Number Three son when Monogram took over the series in 1944.

In 1946, Yung returned to the series reprising his Jimmy Chan role in Shadows Over Chinatown. Two films later, Sidney Toler died in 1947 and Roland Winters was picked to carry on the role of Charlie Chan for Monogram's final six films. Along with a new actor to play his honorable father, Yung was without explanation, now cast as Tommy Chan for five of the six final Monogram films and also mysteriously upgraded as Charlie's Number Two son. Besides changes in his character from Jimmy to Tommy and his seniority among his brothers, Yung himself also underwent several name changes and spellings. In all ten films at 20th Century-Fox, Yung was credited simply as Sen Yung. When he returned to the series following military service, he was billed as Victor Sen Young but was credited as Victor Sen Yung in his final film of the series, The Feathered Serpent (1948). As to why the different names and spellings throughout the series, no one knows for sure. Victor Sen Yung and Keye Luke in their only appearance together as Charlie Chan's sons, along with Carol Forman in The Feathered Serpent (1948).

Besides his appearance in 18 Charlie Chan films, Yung had roles in more than 35 other films, many of which were stereotypical for Asian actors. In some he had key roles, such as Ong Chi Seng in Billy Wyler's The Letter (1940) with Betty Davis, which Yung felt was his best performance, and as Frankie Wing in Flower Drum Song (1961). In addition to films, he found work in recurring roles in several television shows. He was Chuen in Kung Fu (1972), cousin Charlie Fong in Bachelor Father (1957-62), and was perhaps best recognized as Hop Sing, the Cartwright's irascible cook and houseboy, in Bonanza (1959-73). It is ironic that Yung was cast as a cook because he actually was a talented Cantonese-style cook. In 1974 he penned the Great Wok Cookbook (as Victor Sen Yung), which was dedicated to his father, Sen Gam Yung. Unlike some of the other actors from the Chan and Bonanza series, financial fortune did not follow Yung.

Virtually penniless and alone, he died tragically November 9, 1980 in a North Hollywood tenement from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning due to a gas leak in the stove. Tommy Chan: The Climb from Number Five to Number Two Son The character of Tommy Chan has an interesting evolution throughout the series. He is first seen in Charlie Chan in Honolulu as the "Number Five son," whose part is played by Layne Tom, Jr. There is a bit of sibling rivalry in this film between Tommy and his older brother Jimmy, each boasting he can do the better job of detecting and assisting their father. After "Honolulu," Tommy is absent from the series for the next ten films until Monogram's Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944), when Tommy, now played by Benson Fong, is promoted two rungs, without explanation, to "Number Three son." Cy Kendall, Sidney Toler, and Benson Fong in The Chinese Cat (1944). Fong is cast with Sidney Toler as his honorable father in six Monogram entries but is dropped from the series after completing Dark Alibi (1946).

Toler died on February 12, 1947 after a long illness from intestinal cancer and Roland Winters was tapped to continue the Chan role in The Chinese Ring (1947). As was the case when Oland died, there was also a shuffle among Charlie's children. Yung continued in the series, but he did so now as Tommy Chan, who was cast as the "Number Two son." The change in character name and number for Yung is probably due more to carelessness in the continuity of writing the screenplays than for any other reason. Of the three actors to portray Tommy Chan, Benson Fong's characterization, intentionally or not, comes off as the one who was the real bumbler. Lee, Jimmy, and Tommy occasionally converse in fluent Chinese in many of the films, sometimes to their humble father when excited; more often though to pretty Chinese girls, like those portrayed by Barbara Jean Wong, Shia Jung, Iris Wong, and Jean Wong, that were included in the plots to add a dash of anticipated romance.

However, Tommy's flawless conversational Spanish while in Mexico City during a scene in The Red Dragon (1945) is a big surprise when compared to Lee's French in the earlier Charlie Chan in Monte Carlo. Benson Fong in a post Charlie Chan series role as Wang Chi-Yang in the 1961 movie version of the Flower Drum Song. A young Benson Fong in China Sky (1945). As the son of a well-to-do businessman, Benson Fong was born October 10, 1916 in Sacramento, California. He went to study in China after high school but eventually returned to Sacramento to open a grocery store. In the late 1930s he landed a few brief bit parts which included an uncredited role as a Chinese soldier extra in Charlie Chan at the Opera (1936). However Fong got his real break in the early '40s when in a San Francisco Chinese restaurant with some friends, he saw a man staring at him. This made him uneasy and Fong asked the waiter to tell the man to stop staring. The man came over and introduced himself as a director at Paramount Studios and said that he was looking for a Chinese man for a film.

There was a big demand for Fong and other Asian actors at this time as Hollywood was turning out lots of war movies and the studios needed Asian actors to play the needed Japanese and Chinese characters. Teala Loring, George Holmes, Sidney Toler, and Benson Fong in Dark Alibi (1946). Besides the Charlie Chan series, Fong appeared in nearly 45 other films. His two favorite roles were that of a servant in Keys of the Kingdom (1944) with Gregory Peck and Vincent Price, and the family patriarch Wang Chi-Yang in Flower Drum Song (1961). Like Keye Luke and Victor Sen Yung, Fong also found additional work in television series such as Perry Mason, Family Affair, Kung Fu, Mission: Impossible, and It Takes a Thief. Fong opened Ah Fong's, a restaurant on Vine Street in Hollywood in 1946 at the suggestion of his friend Gregory Peck. In time there were to be four more—in Encino, Beverly Hills, Anaheim, and one on Sunset Boulevard, but only one remained when Fong retired in 1985.

As a bit of trivia, the next to last episode of the TV show Bewitched in 1972, revealed that Darin Stephens (then played by Dick Sargent) who worked for an advertising agency, had Ah Fong's Restaurant as one of his clients. Benson Fong died August 1, 1987 at age 70 from complications of a stroke and was survived by his wife, five children and three grandchildren. Three Chan Sons Together for One Time Keye Luke, Victor Sen Yung, and Benson Fong never worked as a trio on any of the Chan films, although Luke and Yung once teamed up in The Feathered Serpent (1948). On November 5, 1977 the three "brothers" appeared together as honored dinner guests of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California with actress Beulah Quo serving as emcee. All three of who played Charlie's sons were presented plaques from the Society honoring their achievements and historical contributions to the motion picture and television industry. When asked why they became actors, all three gave the identical reply—money.

Eddie Chan: Number Four Son In order of sibling seniority, the Chans' Number Four son is Eddie Chan. The character appears in only one film, The Jade Mask (1945), and is played by Edwin Luke, Keye Luke's real-life younger brother. Compared to his other siblings, Eddie is the intellectual one—a "very expensively educated bookworm," in Charlie's words. Eddie is also sensitive about his name, as when he admonishes his parent, "Please father, call me Edward. Eddie is so juvenile." In one scene Charlie tells Eddie, who always has something to say, "My boy, if silence is golden, you are bankrupt." Mantan Moreland and Edwin Luke as Number Four son Eddie, a very expensively educated bookworm, in The Jade Mask (1945). Like many of his siblings, Eddie can't resist the self-appointed urge to assist his father in solving the murder. There is one scene when Eddie and Birmingham Brown arrive to meet Charlie at the house where a murder had been committed earlier that evening.

With unabashed conceit, Eddie asks of his father, "Now that I am here Pop, what type of murder have we got and how soon do you wish me to produce the murderer?" Charlie retorts, "Every time you open your mouth, you put in more feet than centipede." Unfortunately, nothing is known about Edwin Luke and whether he had other film appearances besides The Jade Mask. Older brother Keye Luke, who was interviewed and quoted by Ken Hanke in his book, Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism, was noticeably silent on any details about his younger brother. Even Keye Luke's New York Times obituary, written by Peter Flint, made no mention of Edwin. Charlie Junior: Another Number Two Son Despite Jimmy's appearance in Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938), there is an impish and much younger Number Two son three films earlier in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Charlie Chan does not mention this second son by name but merely refers to him only as "Junior son," which many assume his name to be Charlie Chan, Jr. "Good fisherman, like clever merchant, knows lure of bright colors." Layne Tom, Jr.

admires the sparkling contents of a fishing tackle box, with Warner Oland, and Andrew Tombes in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Photo courtesy of Gary Crawford. In "Olympics," a female murder suspect is presumed to be wearing clothing made from the fur of a white fox. Every time Charlie Jr. sees a woman wearing white fox fur, he quickly points out the woman, however a different one each time, to his father—"Look, white fox fur!" Eventually the senior Chan loses his patience and orders his son to walk home as punishment. When Jimmy Chan is introduced three films later in "Honolulu," the Number Two son label is now Jimmy's for the remainder of the 20th Century-Fox films. As if there were already not enough confusion about the numbering of Chan's sons, Layne Tom portrays his second of three different sons in "Honolulu," but is now "Number Five son" Tommy Chan, who eventually rises up to the Number Three and then Number Two son at Monogram with different actors. Go figure!

Willie Chan: Number Seven Son The last of the known Chan sons is Willie Chan, who appears with older brother Jimmy as Charlie's unauthorized assistants on, what else?—a murder case in Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (1940). Layne Tom, Jr. plays the Number Seven son in his last of three Chan film appearances. "Look, lady with white fox fur," the memorable line spoken by Layne Tom, Jr., to Warner Oland in Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Willie's only film role is rather inauspicious when at the film's beginning, he and Jimmy sneak into their father's office at the police station at night to see if Willie's teacher had sent Charlie a copy of his report card in the mail. Their father suddenly enters his office and uncovers Willie's deception for his being there, as Charlie had already received the unflattering report card in that day's earlier mail. Charlie sternly points to Willie that, "In Honolulu schools, E not symbol for excellent." Although he can forgive his son's bad report card, Charlie is unforgiving with his son's attempt at tampering with the U.S. mail.

"What chance has a kid got when his father is a detective?" Willie says dejectedly. As punishment, the younger Chan is to assume the "proper position" across his father's knee for a spanking. Just when Charlie is about to deliver the first strike, he is unexpectedly interrupted by an old friend from Scotland Yard, who realizes that he has just stumbled upon an old fashioned spanking. Chan explains the situation as, "Sometimes quickest way to brain of young sprout is by impression on other end." Having escaped punishment, Willie breathes a sigh of relief while rubbing his bottom and confesses to Jimmy that he's grateful that Scotland Yard arrived just in time. As a child actor, very little is known about Layne Tom, Jr. He was born Richard Layne Tom, Jr. in Los Angeles in the late 1920s to parents Richard Layne and Mary SooHoo Tom. When under contract to 20th Century-Fox, he attended "studio school" with other children such as Donald O'Connor and Jane Whithers. Layne, whose given Chinese name is Tom Kay Gong, graduated from Polytechnic High School and served in the Navy aboard the battleship West Virginia in the Pacific during World War II.

Afterwards, he earned a degree in architecture from USC and worked for several firms in southern California before starting a solo practice. He later formed an architectural firm with Jan Truskier that specialized in the design of libraries, civic centers, and banks. He is now retired and had served on several governmental planning commissions and architectural review boards. Layne Tom, Jr., Warner Oland, and Keye Luke in a publicity shot for Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937). Layne Tom's first film appearance was that of sitting on Clark Gable's shoulders in San Francisco (1936). He also had a role as the native boy Mako in The Hurricane (1937) featuring an all-star cast that included Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, Raymond Massey, and John Carradine. However, he would be best known for his roles as three different sons to the same father in the Charlie Chan films. Tom is married to Marilynn Chow, whose aunt, Jean Wong, herself had appeared in two Charlie Chan films: The Red Dragon (1945) and The Chinese Ring (1947).

They have two daughters, Laurie and Joanne, the latter now known professionally as Kiana Tom, a well-known fitness and aerobics personality on ESPN, who is just getting into films herself. When once asked about her father, Kiana mentioned that Charlie Chan at the Olympics (1937) and The Hurricane (1937) are his favorites. More than 60 years later after "Olympics" was made, both Kiana and her mother still tease Layne about the mysterious "lady in the white fox fur." Ling: Number One Daughter In the 1929 novel, The Black Camel, the Chans' eldest daughter is named Rose and like Henry, is absent from the 1931 movie. In Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) though, Charlie's wife exclaims the daughter's name—Ling, when honorable son-in-law Wing Foo (Philip Ahn) informs his in-laws that she is now in labor and has just been taken to the hospital. Only at the film's end does Ling make a brief appearance, after having just given birth to the Chan's first grandchild, a boy named Leung.

Incidentally, the grandchild is mentioned again in the series' next film, Charlie Chan in Reno, where Charlie is seen in the police crime laboratory trying to create an Easter egg for his Number One grandchild. In the uncredited role with no lines, it is possible the Number One daughter was probably named after an Aunt Ling who is mentioned by Number One son Lee in a earlier film, Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936), as living "at the other end of the island." Number One daughter Ling is portrayed by Florence Ung, who was born April 20, 1918 in Los Angeles. Besides her uncredited role in "Honolulu," she also appeared as one of the Chans' 12 children in Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936). Ung is also a real-life first cousin of Charlie Chan actors Layne Tom, Jr., and Barbara Jean Wong, both of whom also appear with her in "Honolulu." Marianne Quon as Number Two daughter Iris Chan and Benson Fong in Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944). The Number Two Daughter The Chan's Number Two daughter is first encountered in Charlie Chan in Honolulu.

In an brief, but uncredited role, she is not identified by name but rather by number, and is played by Iris Wong. The second eldest daughter appears a second time in Charlie Chan in the Secret Service (1944), now by name as Iris Chan. Played by Marianne Quon, Iris is paired with Number Three son Tommy (Benson Fong) in the first of the 17 Chan films released by Monogram. The rivalry between sister and brother, along with the debut of Mantan Moreland as Birmingham Brown for comic relief, makes for too many assistants. Although Tommy and Birmingham continue as characters in the series, Iris Chan is never heard from again. Marianne Quon's brief acting career included two other films besides "Secret Service." In China (1943), Quon worked with Chan actors Sen Yung, Barbara Jean Wong, Iris Wong, and Philip Ahn. In Anna and the King of Siam (1946), she had an uncredited part as one of the many wives of King Mongkut (Rex Harrison). Ralph Peters, Frances Chan, Sidney Toler, and Helen Beverley in Black Magic. (1944). Photo courtesy of Gary Crawford.

Frances Chan The last of the Chan daughters to be credited by name is Frances Chan, who appears in a single entry, Black Magic (1944), a.k.a. Meeting at Midnight. She is not referred to by a number like her brothers but she has the same yearning to help her father to solve a murder case—a family trait that viewers assume by now must be genetic. Unlike brothers Jimmy and Tommy, Frances is not the recipient of Charlie's sharp digs disguised as words of wisdom. On the contrary, he compliments her in the presence of a police detective (Joseph Crehan), "The beauty of the Chan family also have brains. Very fine combination." In Black Magic, Frances is not paired up with any of her brothers, like Iris and Tommy were two films earlier in "Secret Service." Instead, Birmingham Brown serves as her sole partner for the film's comic relief. One interesting item of note is that Frances Chan is played by namesake Frances Chan! Nothing is known about her other than she appeared in three other films in what seems to be a brief, two-year acting career.

Other Child Actors in the Series Although they were not household names to film goers, most of the child actors and actresses that made up the Chan family, apart from Key Luke, Victor Sen Yung, Benson Fong, and Layne Tom, Jr., were nevertheless well-known to the Los Angeles Chinese community. More than 60 years later after the series ended, Virginia Kay and her mother Florence Ung, who played Ling, the Chan's Number One daughter, have matched names with some of the faces of these uncredited "bit" actors and extras, many which siblings. Two of Florence Ung's relatives appeared in the series: brother Richard Ung ("Circus") and cousin Barbara Jean Wong, the latter who appeared in "Honolulu" and The Trap (1947). Another of the uncredited Chan children was Iris Wong, once cast as the Chan's unnamed Number Two daughter in Charlie Chan in Honolulu. She also had two credited roles, as maids, in the series: as Choy Wong in Charlie Chan in Reno (1939) and Lili Wong in Charlie Chan in Rio (1941).

Iris was born in Watsonville, California September 30, 1920 and was one of the first Asian-American women to land featured roles in U.S. films. In addition to about ten films, Wong also appeared in the brief TV series, Mysteries Of Chinatown, which ran from 1949 to 1950. She then moved to Honolulu and became a reservations manager for Pan American Airways. She also was an artist and had written a Chinese cookbook. On September 2, 1989 she died at age 68, being survived by a daughter, two stepchildren, her mother, sister, and brother. Other child actors who are known to have appeared in the series are brothers Frank, David, and Allan Dong; Lily and Stanton Mui; Frances and Mabel Hoo; Richard, Margie, and Faye Lee; and Mae Jean Quon. Mrs. Chan The matriarch of the Chan family, although rarely seen on screen, appears always to be a an important asset to her detective husband.

Charlie obviously appreciates his "honorable wife" when he declares philosophically in Charlie Chan Carries On (1931) and Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936), "Good wife best household furniture." It may be hard to think of a wife as household furniture, such as a sofa, but one friend once praised Mrs. Chan as "an institution," then referring to the 13 children she bore. Charlie often mentions his wife throughout the series at 20th Century-Fox but there is virtually no mention of her in the 17 Monogram entries, a time when Charlie is either working for the Government during World War II or is based in San Francisco as a private detective. One might conclude that she either passed away or the unthinkable has happened—a divorce! Mrs. Chan is first encountered in Charlie Chan Carries On (1931). In her only scene, she sees her husband off as he is about to board a ship bound for San Francisco and is concerned that Charlie will not have enough clothes for the voyage—"You must wait and get big trunk." Three films later at the conclusion of Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933), Mrs. Chan notices a man and woman in an embrace.

"Two lovers in moonlight cast only one shadow," she notes. Charlie looks at his wife and his many children and adds, "Yes. One shadow now; many shadows later." In Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936), Mrs. Chan acts as the judge at her husband's request, ruling that their vacation should be interrupted so that her husband is free to solve a murder which would otherwise cause a circus to shut down bankrupted. Charlie Chan in Honolulu (1938) is the final film featuring the family matriarch. She is just told that her "little Ling" is at the maternity hospital about to give birth. Charlie tries to calm her down in the following dialog: Charlie:

Question: Which retro film character frequently referred to his ‘Number One son’ in his films?
Answer: CHARLIE CHAN