Who said that?
DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH?!?
Despite the time lag … your post wasn’t there when I (slowly) formulated mine – I swear 
There’s Robert Ito as Sam Fujiyama on Quincy ME. But given that Jack Klugman was playing the title character, who was based on Japanese-American Thomas Noguchi, this series serves more as a counter-example.
You have Maggie Q playing the lead character on Nikita and Stalker.
You might want to look at Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and His Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang.
Huang goes into Earl Derr Biggers’ creation of Chan, based on the real-life Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. He also talks a lot about Chan in the movies. I don’t remember what he says about other Asian detectives in Hollywood but the subject certainly comes up.
Fascinating, if somewhat scattershot book.
This thread makes me think that an updated and intelligently-rendered Charlie Chan franchise could be a really winner (cf. Sherlock, Elementary, the Robert Downey Jr. Sherlock Holmes films, etc.).
Well, the extension of that is that Pat Morita had to use an “American” name to get any traction in Hollywood. By the time of Karate Kid, the director or producer was moaning that they couldn’t find a “real” Japanese-name actor to play the role… so Morita noted that his real name was Noriyuki. That’s how he was credited, and IIRC that was the way the credit read for the remainder of his appearances.
Funny old thing, racism.
Lieutenant Tanaka, a regular on on*** Magnum, PI.***, was played by Kwan Hi Lim.
Tim Kang played San Francisco detective Kimball Cho on The Mentalist.
And, of course, in title card that always cracked me up (and I suppose there’s a trace of racism or at least stereotyping underlying that, but hey, I was 10) -* Hawaii Five-Oh* had “Kam Fong as Chin Ho.”
I haven’t read any of Biggers’ novels (or this book), but I understand that the character is a positive one, and better than he has been portrayed in the films. Both he and the detectives I mentioned in the OP are pretty much based on real people.
I think the previous films have “poisoned the well” for future efforts. Making a new Charlie Chan film will be an uphill battle – I think the originals have been perceived as demeaning and stereotypical, so I don’t see such a film being made. But some new detective, without the cultural baggage, might. I’m still holding out hope for a Judge Dee revival.
Keanu Reeves has a bit of Chinese, Native American and Hawaiian in him (obviously only the Chinese being relevant here) and has several times portrayed police officer and FBI agent characters in films (Speed, Street Kings and Point Break for example) but I cannot recall whether any of the characters were specifically designated as Asian.
TCMF-2L
Chan in the books is just short of being a superman, a socialized Holmes. After the introductory book with Chan as a secondary character, Biggers usually brings him to the mainland as a guest to investigate a crime, where he is always respected, indeed famous, and portrayed as brilliant. He knows it, too. He does have an old-fashioned manner of speech, but his English improves throughout the series and the aphorisms are not as grating, nor is his family. His sons never help him on cases. The Black Camel and Charlie Chan Carries On are considered the best.
I think the discussion changes when you get to the modern interpretation of multiracial. An actor who looks ethnically Caucasian (well, mostly, in Reeves’ case) and typically plays Caucasian or indeterminate roles is not, IMVHO, more authentic playing the race of their paternal great-grandfather.
Hmmm … if the name “Charlie Chan” has that much baggage, perhaps a modern adaptation could be based on the inspiration for Biggers’ novels – Chang Apana himself.
Just throwing around an idea. I’m not familiar with Judge Dee material, but it sounds like it would have a similar flavor.
Not to mention Masi Oka as the Chief Medical Examiner.
(Ooh, and then there’s BD Wong playing Special Agent George Huang, the resident profiler over on LAW AND ORDER: SVU.)
Take it off! Take that ring off now!
At that, can we count Lucy Liu now that she moved on to solving crimes solo?
Lucy Liu plays a private investigator (or, I guess, consulting detective) on Elementary.
ETA: Ninja’d in a thematically appropriate thread.
I’ve read a few of the Charlie Chan books, and my take is that Chan is very much a precursor of Lieutenant Columbo. He’s humble, unassuming, self-effacing, but extremely smart and extremely successful. Indeed, he’s very successful in part because the bad guys underestimate him.
I think it would be great if some of Earl Derr Biggers’ novels could be re-adapted. Unfortunately, “Charlie Chan” has become such a negative symbol to so many Asian-Americans that I don’t think it could ever happen.
There’s no perfect comparison, but… Uncle Tom was NOT a comical, stereotypical, shucking, jiving character in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel. The Tom of that novel was intelligent and courageous. But due to years of minstrel shows, Uncle Tom has come to be perceived as a stupid Yes-man who happily kowtowed to white masters.
It’s a shame, but it’s PROBABLY too late to salvage either Charlie Chan or Uncle Tom.
I just asked the two asian americans who happen to be in the room with me, and neither had ever heard of Charlie Chan. I don’t think there’s that much awareness of the character, even specifically amongst asians, to hurt (or help) a new project.
Good call. And I think Liu’s character, Joan Watson, is very much a co-lead – and has been for some time.