The Charlie Chan Chanthology (The Secret Service / The Chinese Cat / The Jade Mask / Meeting at Midnight / The Scarlet Clue / The Shanghai Cobra)

Rating:
Summary: Not the Best of Charlie Chan by a longshot...
Review: As others have commented, these are the Monogram movies that came out post-WWII and not very good when compared to the earlier movies from Fox (featuring Sydney Toler with #2 son Victor Sen Young and before that Warner Oland with #1 son Keye Luke). While I don't want to discourage anyone from these, know that these are not the movies that Chan enthusiasts such as myself know and love and that there is much better that has not (yet) made it to DVD. I do hope someone at Fox or whoever owns the rights to these movies gets the message and releases *those* movies on DVD. This is like releasing a James Bond series but excluding the Sean Connery films. I really wished they would have released those earlier movies first and issued these later.

Rating:
Summary: grew up on these and love them
Review: As you can tell from the negative reviews on here these are not the FOX Chan films. These are the Monogram Chan films and as a fan of Chan I love these films too. The conspiracy theory put forth on here that anti-Chan Asians are responsible for putting out these films is insane! The people who owned the rights to these Monogram films more than likely have no connection to any anti-Chan conspiracy or FOX. They had the rights to these films and put them out. I'm glad they did! I respect whoever put these Monogram Chan films on DVD so that I could purchase this great set and enjoy them. Thanks!

Rating:
Summary: Memories
Review: First, let me say that Amazon does not control which movies are released on DVD's so I can't fault Amazon for selling these, it is what the market has available. Second, these are not the best Charlie Chan movies, but in all truth, these movies were never cinematic must see's but a way to spend and hour or so with some visual popcorn.

Now to the real issues - The roles were filled by Caucasians. This may really demonstrate my personal ignorance in my pre-teen years, but I didn't know that at the time. I didn't care about mapping actors to characters, Since I grew up watching these on TV on the various old movie shows available in the 50's and 60's so they bring back some good memories of a rainy day and some enjoyable times I thought they were Chinese and Chinese Americans and they did seem like pretty smart cookies! So if anything, at that time, it made people of Chinese descent appear very smart and very cool.

Viewing them today it is different. But back then, on a rainy Saturday (or whenever) I used to really admire the Chinese, because they were smart and resourceful. I can understand the concerns of Chinese actors and actresses, in today's context. So all of us should remember they filmed them in the 40's and China was our ally in World War II and we wanted to show our support for our allies and the studios wanted to make a few bucks. So, if we look at these today - oh oh. But sixty years ago it was business as usual and it showed a minority in a positive light.


Rating:
Summary: Charlie Chan Monogram series
Review: I agree with those other reviewers that these 6 are not the best. However I still enjoy them and glad that I purchased them. These 6 films are good fun but probably not as good as the FOX movies. I can't hardly remember them. However I think they are more about traveling to solve the mystery. I hope Fox will someday release them. I'd purchase them in a heartbeat.

Rating:
Summary: Not the films I remember.
Review: I became a fan of Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan when a local TV station started playing a different Chan movie every Saturday night. I was particularly fond of a mysterious episode where the people around Chan were dying one at a time, to which he would remind the survivors that "dead men tell no secrets". Well, the six movies in the Chanthology (clever title) are not those late-night movies I remember. Release the ones with Jimmy!

Rating:
Summary: great set of dvds
Review: I loved the entire Charlie Chan series! These Monogram Chan films are very entertaining in my book.
Sure the early ones were better (that could be said of any film series), but the movies in this set have become old friends. I have no complaints about this set. It's good fun!
I just hope they put out the rest of the Charlie Chan series on DVD too.

Rating:
Summary: Who Done It? Who Released These Bombs?
Review: I think that the biggest mystery of this release is why???? Why release these bombs as a first offering of Charlie Chan dvds? The Monogram series were the last, and worst, of the Charlie Chan movies. Sidney Toler looked as if he were the victim as he moved from one scene to another as if he were forced to deliver lines. But that is history. The real crime is that we were given this selection of bombs in a boxed set with nothing but scene selections and subtitles for 'extra features.' Call Charlie Chan to solve this mystery. The earlier Chan movies are the good ones. Please release those instead.

Rating:
Summary: help, please
Review: The anti-Chan Clan must be in back of this release as these are films that rate from bad to terrible. The Fox films that are labeled "politically incorrect" are the great ones and Fox has capitulated to misguided Asian Americans. Wait for their release, though it may be a very long wait.

Rating:
Summary: Skip This...Get the Original (non-Monogram) Films...
Review: The production quality and plots/acting of the Monogram years is simply awful; go instead to other sites, inquire about Charlie Chan, and you will find purveyors of DVDs of the original, unavailable, outstanding films..."at the Olympics", "The Black Camel", .."Murder in New York", .."in Rio", and so on for more than 30 films. If you are a true fan, you simply cannot miss adding these to your collection...Keye Luke, Cesar Romero, and many, many fine actors shine here in their youth...simply great for a Chan marathon...and believe me, I have done it!

Rating:
Summary: The Original Full-Screen Masterpieces
Review: This is an awesome collection, and the great reviews here on Amazon are right on target. The only thing I should mention is that these ARE the original aspect ratio. Widescreen films did not come into being until the early 1950s. These films were made well before that. This print is marvlous and clear. The sound is fantastic on them as well. These were produced as mainly B pictures, but they are true gems. I remember watching them as a child with my grandmother on Saturday morning in the 1950s.... so they are especially wonderful to me. The packaging on this set is superb and Sidney Toler is terrific.