Fox Movie Channel Bans Charlie Chan Movies

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 7/01/03 | Marc Morano

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - The Fox Movie Channel abruptly cancelled its planned Charlie Chan film festival last week after complaints from an Asian American group that the character was "one of the most offensive Asian caricatures of America's cinematic past."

The Fox Movie Channel announced on June 27 on its website that it was canceling its several-months-long "Charlie Chan's Mystery Tour" because the "films may contain situations or depictions that are sensitive to some viewers."

The note to viewers said, "Fox Movie Channel realizes that these historic films were produced at a time where racial sensitivities were not as they are today. As a result of the public response to the airing of these films, Fox Movie Channel will remove them from the schedule." The detective series featured the Asian character Charlie Chan in more than 40 movies beginning in the silent era of the 1920s and continuing into the late 1940s.

The pressure to cancel the movie broadcasts came from the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (NAATA), which called Chan "a hoary stereotype that has dogged Asian Americans for decades."

In a letter to the Fox Movie Channel, Eddie Wong, executive director of NAATA, wrote that growing up in 1950s Los Angeles,...Charlie Chan's shuffling, subservient manner and exaggerated accent and fortune-cookie chatter did not resemble my parents, friends or any Chinese person I knew.

"By running the Chan movies, the Fox Movie Channel (is) reviving hurtful stereotypes instead of helping our society move toward harmony," Wong added.

The decision is not sitting well with Charlie Chan fans.

Tim Lucas, editor and co-publisher of the monthly magazine Video Watchdog, said: "Fox [Movie Channel] caved in" and decided to cancel the Chan films in an attempt to rewrite history.

"There is nothing objectionable about the character of Chan himself ... It boils down to over-sensitivity," Lucas said in an interview with CNSNews.com.

Lucas dismissed Wong's contention that the Chan character had engaged in "fortune-cookie chatter" in the films.

"Actually, what Charlie Chan does much of the time is quote the teaching of Confucius, which is philosophy and not on the level of fortune-cookie aphorisms at all," Lucas explained.

"It seems to me Eddie Wong is insulting his own people more so than Charlie Chan," he added.

The fictional character Charlie Chan is based on the historical figure of Honolulu Police Department Detective Chang Apana. Apana worked on the Honolulu police force for 34 years in the early 20th century and was known for his "remarkable achievements" and "daring feats" as a detective, according to the Honolulu Police Department.

Novelist Earl Derr Biggers modeled the fictional Charlie Chan after Apana's legendary feats.

The Chan series featured various actors portraying the detective. Swedish actor Warner Oland, who according to Lucas, credits his Asian appearance to Mongolian ancestry, popularized the role of Chan. The movies also featured actor Keye Luke as Charlie Chan's "number one son," who attempted to help his dad solve cases but mostly served as comic relief in the films.

'Multicultural society'

Fox Movie Channel justified its original decision to broadcast the films in its website statement.

" ... Fox Movie Channel scheduled these films in a showcase intended to illustrate the positive aspects of these movies, such as the complex storylines/characters and Charlie Chan's great intellect. Additionally, numerous subscribers to Fox Movie Channel, as well as film historians, have long requested that Fox Movie Channel broadcast these films," the website stated.

"In the hope that [the cancellation] will evoke discussion about the progress made in our modern, multicultural society, we invite you to please click CONTACT US to send us your thoughts on the matter," the website statement concluded.

Lucas contacted the Fox Movie Channel to protest its decision to cancel the Chan movie festival.

"If the Charlie Chan films continue to be branded unfit entertainment, where does that leave a film like D.W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (with Richard Barthelmess as a Chinese man), or Luise Rainer's Oscar-winning performance in The Good Earth, or Spielberg's Indiana Jones films, which actually demonize its Eastern and German characters in the manner of a '40s pulp magazine?" Lucas wrote in a letter to Fox Movie Channel.

"Or is it acceptable to portray an Asian as the Devil incarnate as long as a real Asian or Asian-American is playing the role?" he asked.

'Politically correct world'

Charlie Chan fan websites are full of angry fans expressing disgust with Fox Movie Channel and condemning the "politically correct world" that made the ban possible.

This is not the first time television channels have faced the decision about whether to air potentially offensive stereotypes of racial or ethnic groups. The television program Amos n' Andy has been absent from television for decades, and certain cartoons featuring Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry have been pulled or edited by the Cartoon Network because of concern over the portrayals of Japanese characters, Native Americans and other minorities.

The cartoon character Speedy Gonzales was nearly taken off the Cartoon Network in 2001 because the rodent was deemed an offensive stereotype to Hispanics. However, a coalition of Hispanic groups led by the League of Latin American Citizens successfully fought to have Speedy return to the airwaves, under the slogan "Viva Speedy."

See Related Story:
Cartoon Censorship Blamed on 'Politically Correct White Mentality' (Sept. 27, 2002)

E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

[The Wizard]

my point exactly

[TomGuy]

Related post:
Political correctness run amok, Charlie Chan gets canned
about the group who did the complaining:
National Asian American Telecommunications Association [NAATA]

from their website, [definitely see last 2 lines of this FR post] the following:

The Terrible Return of Charlie Chan
In response to protests and criticism from NAATA and other groups, Fox Movie Channel has discontinued its broadcasts of one of the most offensive Asian caricatures of America's cinematic past.

If you get digital cable or DirecTV, you may have already run across "The Charlie Chan Mystery Tour" featured on the Fox Movie Channel. The films were scheduled to air on Monday nights in June, July and August. However, due to protests and negative public response, Fox Movie Channel has cancelled further broadcasts of the Charlie Chan mystery films.

Twenty years ago, NAATA joined with many other groups to protest the making of "Charlie Chan and the Dragon Queen" which featured Peter Ustinov in yellowface as Chan. Now, with Chan back in reruns, NAATA took up the campaign to urge Fox to stop airing hackneyed racist stereotypes. Here's the open letter we sent to Fox Movie Channel:

June 12, 2003

Mark Devitre
Senior Vice President and General Manager
The Fox Movie Channel, Inc.
10000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90067

Dear Mr.Devitre:

Last month, millions of Americans from many different ethnic backgrounds celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. There were essay contests, community arts fairs, and classroom activities. NAATA, a national non-profit organization, did its part by presenting over ten hours of television programming about Asian Americans on public television stations across the country.

As Americans turn on their televisions in June, July and August on the Fox Movie Channel, they will be greeted not by humanistic, historically accurate, and empowering images but by a hoary stereotype that has dogged Asian Americans for decades: Charlie Chan. Even as a child growing up in the 1950s in Los Angeles, where television stations seem to run the Charlie Chan films endlessly, I could see that Charlie Chan’s shuffling, subservient manner and exaggerated accent and fortune-cookie chatter did not resemble my parents, friends or any Chinese person I knew.

By now, you have probably received several protest letters. In fact, a NAATA staff member wrote to the Fox Movie Channel via your website. The response he received was that the Monday night series was programmed "in response to popular demand." If you follow this logic, you would end up broadcasting the "Amos and Andy Show," which was a top rated show in its day and probably still has legions of fans as does Charlie Chan. However, it is highly unlikely that Fox would televise Amos and Andy because you know that African Americans, along with many other groups, would mount a vigorous protest. Just because something is popular doesn't make it right. Asian Americans feel that Charlie Chan is a demeaning portrayal that is culturally inaccurate and "entertaining" at our expense. Add to it the insult of "yellowface" and the ridiculous and hideous portrayal of African Americans via Mantan Moreland and you have a plethora of reasons to cancel "Charlie Chan's Mystery Tour."

Charlie Chan should have retired long ago to the Home for Socially Inappropriate Characters (SIC) where he would commiserate with Tonto, Butterfly McQueen, Stepin Fetchit, the Cisco Kid, and countless others. America is at a different place socially and politically than the 1930s. By running the Chan movies, the Fox Movie Channel reviving hurtful stereotypes instead of helping our society move towards harmony.

Upon behalf of NAATA's board and staff, I urge you to cancel Charlie Chan's Mystery Tour. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Eddie Wong
Executive Director

cc: Misty Wilson, Senior Vice President of Diversity

Now, thanks to public protest, Fox Movie Channel has subsequently decided to cancel the "Charlie Chan Mystery Tour" -- no more Chan movies in July and August. This is the letter they've sent out in response (also posted at the Fox Movie Channel website):

Fox Movie Channel will discontinue the broadcast of the Charlie Chan mystery films.

Originally restored to meet the requests of mystery fans and film preservation buffs, Fox Movie Channel scheduled these films in a showcase intended to illustrate the positive aspects of these movies such as the complex story lines, interesting characters and Charlie Chan's great intellect. Additionally, numerous subscribers to Fox Movie Channel, as well as film historians, have long requested that Fox Movie Channel broadcast these films.

However, Fox Movie Channel has been made aware that the Charlie Chan films may contain situations or depictions that are sensitive to some viewers. Fox Movie Channel realizes that these historic films were produced at a time where racial sensitivities were not as they are today. As a result of the public response to the airing of these films, Fox Movie Channel will remove them from the schedule.

In the hope that this action will evoke discussion about the progress made in our modern, multicultural society, we invite you to please visit our website at www.foxmoviechannel.com to send us your thoughts on the matter.

Sincerely,

Fox Movie Channel

Consider it a victory. Your protests can and do impact these decisions!

NAATA is supported with major funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

and receives additional funding from the California Arts Council.

[HarleyWoodrowMantz]

Charlie Chan was played by european-american dudes. First by Warner Oland, who also played an evil chinese general in Marlene Detrich's Shanghai Express, and then the part was played by Sidney Toller. Peter Sellers did a nice spoof of the character in Murder by Death.
I like the corney old who-dunits, I'll bet Turner Classic Movies will continue to show Charlie Chan.

[EggsAckley]

"What is next, Sherlock Holmes?"

Buh-bye, Tonto.

[ought-six]

"We are losing the country to the commies."

No doubt about it. The leftists, for all their insipid whining, basically control the means and distribution of information (i.e., the schools and universities). We've already lost that battle. They control the major networks and newspapers and publishing houses. Damn it all, folks, our backs are against the wall. What we need is an all-out assault on these vile enemies of freedom.

[Tamzee]

So "Natural Born Killers" is okay because it is "freedom of expression" even though it leads directly to vicious random murders committed by copycats.

But Charlie Chan movies are banned because they might hurt someone's feelings.

/me has a headache

[ought-six]

Sidney Tolen played Charlie Chan.

[Fraulein]

Amos & Andy bump!

[Fishing-guy]

Personally, I find the Charlie Chan series stupid. Having a white guy playing Chinese with heavy accent, how believable is that? Now, if they had a Chinese guy playing the Chinese role, that would be more palatable.

[toddst]

Personally, I find the Charlie Chan series stupid. Having a white guy playing Chinese with heavy accent, how believable is that? Now, if they had a Chinese guy playing the Chinese role, that would be more palatable.

You fit right in with the protest group, but that doesn't give you or the goofy protesters the right to interfere with others who enjoy the films. All of you have the right not to watch! So don't.

[joesnuffy]

Whats next?
Tonto riding the Big White horse and the Lone Ranger on the little paint?
The next thing you know FOX will have CFR cheerleaders on....whoopsie
They Just Did!

[joesnuffy]

Whats next?
Tonto riding the Big White horse and the Lone Ranger on the little paint?
The next thing you know FOX will have CFR cheerleaders on....whoopsie
They Just Did!

[yankeedame]

Good grief! My mother-in-law is 100% Japanese, born in Japan, lived there through WWII, had a brother MIA during the war, the whole works.

So, like, when is Fox going to stop running WWII movies?

[junta]

Its not about sensitivity its about power.

[NewCenturions]

Then they'd better ban Jackie Chan movies too. No white guy EVER beats him at Kung Fu and I find that quite insensitive!

[tiamat]

My daughter LOVES Jackie Chan movies, ( and sometimes watches the Jackie Chan cartoon). Lots more stereo-type there! Wonder if they will ban it?

Tia

[Marysecretary]

WHAT NEXT! I loved Charlie Chan. He was corny, in today's sophisicated world, but I loved him anyway. Fox is caving in to all this PC crap! ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[Marysecretary]

WHAT NEXT! I loved Charlie Chan. He was corny, in today's sophisicated world, but I loved him anyway. Fox is caving in to all this PC crap! ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[Redbob]

SO how is Charlie Chan more of a caricature of Orientals than Jackie Chan?

[william clark]

Actually, the first three Charlie Chans were Asian. A Japanese actor, George Kuwa, played the role in the "The House Without a Key," a silent Pathe serial. The second movie was "The Chinese Parrot," a Universal feature which starred Kamiyama Sojin (often billed as simply "Sojin"), and the third, "Behind That Curtain," in which Chan appears only as a walk-on near the end, the role was played by a Korean actor, E.L. Park, who one legend says was actually just a studio custodian (his wooden performance would seem to lend credence to this). The first two are lost films, and "Behind That Curtain" was scheduled as part of the now-canceled festival. Three of Oland's first four outings as Chan are also lost films. The survivor of the group, "The Black Camel," is one of the best of the entire series, though mysteriously never run with the other films on TV.