The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

Updated on Oct 02, 2024

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The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (sometimes abbreviated as The Amazing Chan Clan) is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, animated by Eric Porter Studios in Australia and broadcast on CBS from September 9, 1972 to December 30, 1972, with reruns continuing through the summer of 1973. It premiered shortly after what would have been Charlie Chan creator Earl Derr Biggers' 88th birthday. The voice of Mr. Chan, Keye Luke, is to date the only actor of Chinese ancestry to play the title character in any screen adaptation. Previously, Luke had portrayed "Number One Son" Lee Chan, opposite Warner Oland, Sidney Toler and Roland Winters in the long-running Charlie Chan film series of the 1930s and 1940s by 20th Century Fox and later, Monogram Pictures.

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Overview

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Cast Images Behind The Voice

In this series, Mr. Chan (whose first name is never given, except in one episode title), his children and their dog Chu Chu solve mysteries around the city, with the children helping their father in every episode (or at least trying to). They traveled in a van which could be transformed into other vehicles (much like Hong Kong Phooey's Phooeymobile, courtesy of Chan's fourth son, Alan, a mechanical genius) 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).

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan 1972 Intro Opening YouTube

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 Chinese ancestry to take the role; also thanks to Luke, Charlie now spoke whole sentences (as opposed to the original film series, in which he tended to omit prepositions, articles, pronouns, et al.).

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan SATURDAY MORNINGS FOREVER THE AMAZING CHAN AND THE CHAN CLAN

Prolific voice actor Don Messick, the voice of Scooby-Doo and many other HB 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, director, producer (The Accused, Little Man Tate, 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 10 children. No mothers, fathers or in-laws appeared or were mentioned in the Chan Clan series.

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Like many animated series created by Hanna-Barbera in the 1970s, the show contained a laugh track created by the studio. The track is muted on Cartoon Network and Boomerang.

Cast of characters

Mr. Charlie ("The Amazing") Chan: Famous detective and widowed or divorced 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 teen heartthrob in the vein of Keith Partridge, he is 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. When the kids split up he always goes with Stanley.

Stanley Chan: The second eldest Chan offspring, he forms a comedic duo with Henry. More often than any of the others, he delivers the show's tagline: "Wham-Bam; somebody's (usually in reference to their father's clientele, though on a couple of occasions they've used it on themselves) in a Jam!" Wearing a green shirt, he's a guitarist for his siblings' band. When the kids break into groups he always goes with Henry. Whenever they're on a case, Stanley, much to Henry's chagrin, frequently dons some sort of crazy disguise.

Suzie Chan: Charlie's eldest daughter, this sweet and pretty teen is basically a variation on Daphne Blake and Laurie Partridge. She likes to knit and has chronically sore feet. Wearing a turquoise dress, she plays two tambourines for the Chan siblings' band. When the children are in separate units she's usually seen with Alan, Anne, and Tom, but on occasion she's seen with Flip. At one point the middle kids paired off, and she went with Alan.

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. In the first episode he was seen on the drums. When the kids separate into segments, he's usually seen with Suzie, Anne, and Tom, but at one point he joined Nancy and several times he's been seen with Flip. Once when the middle kids paired off he went with Suzie.

Anne Chan: A feminist tomboy, she wears an orange-on-white T-shirt with a matching baseball cap. She alternates between guitar and percussion for the kids' band. As far as grouping is concerned, she's usually seen with Suzie, Alan, and Tom, though once she and Tom went off alone. They also went together when the middle kids paired off.

Tom Chan: He's the most intellectual of the Chan children. He sometimes talks in scientific terms. He wears black-framed eyeglasses and a brown vest with a white shirt. Trombonist for the Chan kids' band. Is usually seen with Suzie, Alan, and Anne, but at one point went off alone with Anne. When the middle kids paired off, he also went with Anne.

Flip Chan: The leader of the younger siblings, his character is somewhat reminiscent of Danny Partridge. He's also the most enthusiastic when it comes to helping their dad solve cases. Usually called "Chief" by Scooter. Wears a light-green short-sleeve shirt and porkpie hat. He's usually seen with Nancy, Mimi, and Scooter, though on occasion is seen with his older siblings.

Nancy Chan: A robust 9-year-old with a ponytail, and the most accident-prone of the Chan offspring. She's usually always hungry and loves to crack a joke. She's almost always seen with Flip, Mimi, and Scooter, though once committed a caper in the company of Alan and Tom.

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. Usually seen with Flip, Nancy, and Scooter, occasionally she and Scooter go off on their own.

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. He's usually seen with Flip, Nancy, and Mimi, but occasionally goes off alone with Mimi.

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. Is usually seen with the four youngest children.

Voice cast

Keye Luke — Mr. Charlie Chan

Robert Ito — Henry Chan

Don Messick — Chu Chu the Dog

Brian Tochi — Alan Chan

Original voice cast

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

Re-dubbed voice cast

Gene Andrusco — Flip Chan

Jodie Foster — Anne Chan

John Gunn — Tom Chan

Beverly Kushida — Nancy Chan

Cherylene Lee — Suzie Chan, Mimi Chan

Michael Morgan — Scooter Chan

Lennie Weinrib — Stanley Chan

Music

Don Kirshner produced the songs for the show 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.

Comic book

At about the same time that the show came out, Gold Key Comics produced a comic book series based on the program, with artwork by Warren Tufts; it only lasted four issues. The first issue (an adaptation of the first episode) was written by Mark Evanier and was "the first comic book script of mine to make it to print in English".

Other media

The Chans appear in an episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, as a Japanese band called "Shoyu Weenie" who sued another band ("The Neptunes" from the Jabberjaw animated series) for plagiarism. "Shoyu Weenie" with Mr. Chan as their semi-tyrannical band manager. Shoyu Weenie only speak Japanese, even though they are Chinese.

In episodes from Krypto the Superdog including "Up, Up, and Away!", Mimi Chan is in Kevin's class on the field trip to Lex Corp.

Susie Chan appears in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated as a student at the high school.

Home media releases

On June 19, 2012, Warner Archive released The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan: The Complete Series on DVD in region 1 as part of their Hanna–Barbera Classics Collection. This is a manufacture-on-demand (MOD) release, available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. It was made available on Amazon.com starting July 19, for international customers.

References

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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