Charlie Chan at the Movies: History, Filmography, and Criticism

Rating:
Summary: This is the Chan film book to buy.
Review: Compare this book to the Charlie Chan Encycopedia by Howard Berlin, and this book wins out. Hanke gives in-depth information on each Charlie Chan film including a complete synopsis of the story, reviews, commentary, and actually includes a photo from each film, something the Berlin book failed to do. Nor does it wander off the subject as did the Berlin book.
The paperback edition is $35. That may still be a little high, but if you're a fan of the Charlie Chan films, this book delivers the goods and is what you want.

Rating:
Summary: Surpassed by recent titles
Review: Ken Hanke's book was fine when it had the field to himself, but more recent books such as Charles Mitchell's "Guide to Charlie Chan Films" have really surpassed it. Hanke's book was always rather week as a reference title. If one tried to consult it to try to learn who was the killer in any film, you were out of luck since Hanke oddly left that entirely out. Mitchell wisely included this info in a handy appendix, so you can access when you want, but you can also read the story prior to watching a film without ruimmg the surprize. Why couldn't Hanke have come up with a similar solution. Hanke's book is also filled with errors...Keye Luke is credted with playing a dual role in "The Feathered Serpent" for example when he only played one part. The film "Eran Trece" is mistakenly called a Portugese language film, and so on. Both books have their share of typos, but Hanke has too many factual errors too. It may be time to retire Hanke's book in the light of Mitchell's superb book and the new Chan encyclopedia by Howard Berlin.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to the Charlie Chan movies
Review: This is the first book-length examination of the popular Charlie Chan movie mysteries. The author does a commendable job showcasing the great moments (and not so great moments) from the Chan canon, with interesting biographical information about actors Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, and Roland Winters, plus frequent first-person recollections by "number one son" Keye Luke. Author Hanke scores points on several counts: he describes and contrasts the Chan of the books to the Chan of the screen; he has good words for the seldom-discussed Monogram productions of the mid-'40s; he bravely defends the always-maligned Roland Winters, the movies' final Chan; he cleverly uses Charlie's pearls of ancient wisdom as one-line synopses of the films under discussion; and best of all for armchair detectives, he describes each movie observantly and intelligently, without giving away the outcome or the culprit . This is a very helpful "episode guide," with dozens of photographs and lobby cards illustrating the text. Fans of the Charlie Chan series should enjoy this book, which can be enjoyed both for light reading and easy reference.