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{{short description|American animated television series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Chan clan.jpg
| caption = Title card
| genre = [[Mystery fiction|Mystery]]
| creator =
| based_on = {{Based on|[[Charlie Chan]]|[[Earl Derr Biggers]]}}
| director = {{Plainlist|
* [[William Hanna]]
* [[Joseph Barbera]]
}}
| developer =
| presenter =
| company = [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
| starring =
| voices = See {{section link||Voice cast}}
| narrated =
| theme_music_composer =
| opentheme =
| endtheme =
| composer =
| country = United States
| language =
| num_seasons = 1
| num_episodes = 16
| list_episodes =
| executive_producer =
| producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[William Hanna]]
* [[Joseph Barbera]]
}}
| editor =
| writer = [[Dennis Marks (screenwriter)|Dennis Marks]]
| ___location =
| camera =
| runtime = 30 minutes
| network = [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|1972|09|09}}
| last_aired = {{End date|1972|12|30}}
| related =
}}
'''''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan''''' (sometimes abbreviated as '''''The Amazing Chan Clan''''') is an American [[animated television series]] produced by [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]], animated by [[Eric Porter (filmmaker)|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 and in syndication from 1976 to 1982.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Perlmutter |first1=David |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1538103739 |pages=26–27}}</ref> The show was loosely based on the [[Charlie Chan]] series of mystery novels and films, which began with the 1925 novel ''[[The House Without a Key]]''.
==Plot summary==
Throughout the series, legendary Chinese sleuth Charlie Chan is both impeded and assisted by his brood of ten children and their dog Chu Chu, in the process of solving mysteries and catching wily master criminals.<ref name=Woolery>{{cite book |last1=Woolery |first1=George W. |title=Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981 |date=1983 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=0-8108-1557-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/14/mode/2up |access-date=14 March 2020 |pages=15–17}}</ref>
The family travels around the world in the Chan Van, a vehicle built by teenage genius Alan Chan, which can transform itself with the push of a button. While solving mysteries, the Chan kids break off into small groups with Henry and Stanley, the two oldest children, being paired together and driving the Chan Van. To ostensibly aid in their detective work, Stanley usually changes into some sort of goofy disguise much to the chagrin of his older brother Henry. As in many other Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the period, the kids also have their own music group, the Chan Clan, and they perform a song in each episode. Like most cartoons aired in the 70’s and made by Hanna Barbera, The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan had a laugh track. However, Boomerang and Cartoon Network removed the laugh track.
==Voice cast==
As the voice of the title character, [[Keye Luke]] is (to date) the only actor of [[Chinese race|Chinese]] ancestry to play the part in any screen adaptation.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Erickson |first1=Hal |title=Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 |date=2005 |edition=2nd |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476665993 |pages=78–79}}</ref> Luke had previously portrayed "Number One Son" Lee Chan opposite [[Warner Oland]] whose characterization had a relatively limited vocabulary in the long-running Charlie Chan film series of the 1930s and 1940s by [[20th Century Fox]] and later, [[Monogram Pictures]].
Early on, it was decided that most of the children's accents were too thick for American audiences to understand, and all of the characters except Henry and Alan were recast. Once the new cast was in place, earlier episodes were re-dubbed.<ref name=Daytime>{{cite book |last1=Hyatt |first1=Wesley |title=The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television |date=1997 |publisher=Watson-Guptill Publications |isbn=978-0823083152 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/20/mode/2up|access-date=19 March 2020|page=21}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable" style=font-size:100%;text-align:center;
|+Voice Cast of ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan''
|-
! colspan=2 | Actor
! rowspan=2 | Role
|-
! Original !! Re-dubbed
|-
| colspan=2 | [[Keye Luke]] || Mr. Charlie Chan
|-
| colspan=2 | [[Robert Ito]] || Henry Chan
|-
| Stephen Wong || [[Lennie Weinrib]] || Stanley Chan
|-
| Virginia Ann Lee || [[Cherylene Lee]] || Suzie Chan
|-
| colspan=2 | [[Brian Tochi]] || Alan Chan
|-
| Leslie Kumamota || [[Jodie Foster]] || Anne Chan
|-
| Michael Takamoto || John Gunn || Tom Chan
|-
| Jay Jay Jue || [[Gene Andrusco]] || Flip Chan
|-
| Debbie Jue || Beverly Kushida || Nancy Chan
|-
| Leslie Juwai || [[Cherylene Lee]] || Mimi Chan
|-
| Robin Toma || Michael Morgan || Scooter Chan
|-
| colspan=2 | [[Don Messick]] || Chu Chu the Dog
|}
==Episodes==
{{Episode table |background=#495492 |overall= |title= |airdate= |episodes=
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1
|Title=The Crown Jewels Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|09|09}}
|ShortSummary=The Crown Jewels have disappeared from their case.
Villain: The Curator
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|Title=To Catch a Pitcher
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|09|16}}
|ShortSummary=A famous pitcher is missing and feared kidnapped.
Villains: Mr. Flynn, the secretary and two thugs
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|Title=Will the Real Charlie Chan Please Stand Up?
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|09|30}}
|ShortSummary=The Chan Clan must find the impostor who is framing Mr. Chan for the hotel robberies.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4
|Title=The Phantom Sea Thief
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|09|30}}
|ShortSummary=A mysterious thief steals a painting during the Chan Clan's performance aboard a cruise ship.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=5
|Title=Eye of the Idol
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|10|07}}
|ShortSummary=A thief uses a smoke bomb to distract the Chan Clan and everyone in the room while he steals a jeweled idol's eye.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=6
|Title=Fat Lady Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|10|14}}
|ShortSummary=Dimples the fat lady seems to disappear when a bank robber is on the loose.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=7
|Title=Captain Kidd's Doubloons
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|10|21}}
|ShortSummary=The Chan Clan must solve the theft of the [[doubloon]]s.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=8
|Title=Bronze Idol
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|10|28}}
|ShortSummary=A con artist uses an idol statue to trick the villagers into giving it more pearls.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=9
|Title=Double Trouble
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|11|04}}
|ShortSummary=Prince Hareem, who plans to be in an auto race, is kidnapped and replaced with an impostor.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=10
|Title=The Great Illusion Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|11|11}}
|ShortSummary=A magician's dog has been stolen, and the Chans must help find her.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=11
|Title=The Mummy's Tomb
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|11|18}}
|ShortSummary=A golden coffin of a famous [[pharaoh]] is stolen.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=12
|Title=The Mardi Gras Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|11|25}}
|ShortSummary=A valuable ring is stolen while the Chan Clan is in [[New Orleans]] for [[Mardi Gras]].
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=13
|Title=The Gypsy Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|12|02}}
|ShortSummary=A mural has been stolen. While on the case, Stanley accidentally makes Henry swallow a clock.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=14
|Title=The Greek Caper
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|12|09}}
|ShortSummary=A statue of the winged goddess [[Athena]] is stolen and replaced by a plaster copy. Mr. Chan enlists Alan's help to find it.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=15
|Title=White Elephant
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|12|16}}
|ShortSummary=The [[Maharaja]]'s white elephant Sing Ha disappears from the elephant enclosure when they are feeding it, and is feared stolen.
|LineColor=495492
}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=16
|Title=Scotland Yard
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1972|12|30}}
|ShortSummary=A priceless stone called the [[Stone of Scone]] is stolen and the Chan Clan must help get it back.
|LineColor=495492
}}
}}
==
The program was sharply criticized by Katheryn Fong, Community Coordinator of the Chinese Media Committee of [[Chinese for Affirmative Action]], an advocacy group based in San Francisco, for continuing "to isolate generations of Chinese-Americans as being 'different{{'"}} and keeping the same "detective intoning stilted, fortune-cookie English spoken in proverbs". CBS President [[Robert Wood (television executive)|Robert D. Wood]] responded by calling the show "a lighthearted escapist program for youngsters", emphasizing the stereotypical Asian-American tropes of [[filial piety]] and intelligence as positive contributions with the hope "that CBS' ''Chan'' might begin to replace some of the abrasive imagery created by the old Charlie Chan character". Fong called this attitude a "great tragedy ... convincing many people that this kowtowing caricature is acceptable" and drew an analogy with a hypothetical cartoon about [[Adolf Hitler]]: "If CBS did a cartoon called 'Hitler's Haus' along the same lines of 'respect' and German [[pragmatism]] as your interpretation of Chan's wisdom, would that begin to replace some of the abrasive imagery created by the old Hitler and make him more acceptable to Jews?" Fong went on to sue the [[Federal Communications Commission]] in January 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED071442/ |title=ERIC ED 071 442: FCC Oral Arguments of the Chinese Media Committee |author=Fong, Katheryn M. |date=8 January 1973 |access-date=14 June 2023}}</ref>
==Production==
===Music===
[[Don Kirshner]] produced the songs for the show as he did for ''[[The Monkees (TV series)|The Monkees]]'' and ''[[The Archie Show]]''. Singer [[Ron Dante]] supplies the singing voice of Stanley as he did for Archie on ''The Archie Show''.
==Marketing and other media==
A [[board game]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21261/amazing-chan-and-chan-clan-game |title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Game |website=Board Game Geek}}</ref> [[jigsaw puzzle]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/illustrations/the-amazing-chan-and-the-chan-clan-puzzle-illustration-original-art-whitman-1990-/a/18064-14764.s |title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Puzzle Illustration Original Art (Whitman, 1990) |date=2008 |website=Heritage Auctions |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref> [[lunch box]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1197010 |title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Lunch Box |date=1973 |publisher=National Museum of American History |access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> with [[thermos]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1197011 |title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan Thermos |date=1973 |publisher=National Museum of American History |access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> and comic book series were released as licensed merchandise alongside the animated series.
===Comic book===
{|class="wikitable mw-collapsible collapsed floatright" style="width:30em;text-align:left;font-size:85%;"
|-
! Issue !! Date !! Story !! Pages
|-
! #1<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/173626/ |title=Hanna-Barbera the Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan #1 |website=comics.org |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
| {{dts|1973|05|abbr=on}}
| ''The Hot Ice Cream Man'' || 26
|-
! #2<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/173627/ |title=Hanna-Barbera the Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan #2 |website=comics.org |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
| {{dts|1973|08|abbr=on}}
| ''To Catch a Pitcher'' || 26
|-
! rowspan=2 | #3<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/173628/ |title=Hanna-Barbera the Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan #3 |website=comics.org |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
| rowspan=2 | {{dts|1973|11|abbr=on}}
| ''The Sticky-Fingered Mr. Chan'' || 14
|-
| ''The Disappearing Pharaoh'' || 11
|-
! rowspan=2 | #4<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comics.org/issue/173629/ |title=Hanna-Barbera the Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan #4 |website=comics.org |access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
| rowspan=2 | {{dts|1974|02|abbr=on}}
| ''The Eye of the Idol'' || 14
|-
| ''The Phantom of Ophir'' || 12
|}
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 his first comic book printed in English.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newsfromme.com/2015/03/16/goodbye-charlie-2/ |title=Goodbye, Charlie! |author=Evanier, Mark |author-link=Mark Evanier |website=News From ME |date=April 25, 2006}}</ref>
===Home media===
On June 19, 2012, [[Warner Archive Collection|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan – 'The Complete Series' 2-DVD Set Released by The Warner Archive|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Amazing-Chan-Chan-Clan-The-Complete-Series/17107|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620094844/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Amazing-Chan-Chan-Clan-The-Complete-Series/17107|archive-date=2012-06-20}}</ref>
===Other media appearances===
* The Chans appear in an episode of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]'', as a Japanese band called "Shoyu Weenie", with Mr. Chan as their semi-tyrannical band manager, who sued another band ("The Neptunes" from the ''[[Jabberjaw]]'' animated series) for [[plagiarism]]. Shoyu Weenie only spoke Japanese, although the original characters 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 [[LexCorp]].
* A high school student resembling Suzie Chan appears in three season 1 episodes of ''[[Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated]]''.
==See also==
* [[List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{portal bar|1970s|Cartoon|Television|United States|Animation}}
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0068037|title=The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan}}
* [https://archive.today/20130117205909/http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Hanna-Barbera_Studios/A-C/The_Amazing_Chan_and_the_Chan_Clan/ ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan''] at the [[Big Cartoon DataBase]]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/chanclan.htm ''The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://archive.today/20240525202234/https://www.webcitation.org/66frxGmVp?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/chanclan.htm Archived] from the original on April 4, 2012.
* [https://epguides.com/AmazingChanandtheChanClan/ Episode list and voice actor info] from Epguides.com
* [http://www.veoh.com/search/videos/q/AMAZING+CHAN+AND+THE+CHAN+CLAN Amazing Chan & The Chan Clan Episodes On Veoh]
* {{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/TheAmazingChanandtheChanClanGoldKey/The%20Amazing%20Chan%20and%20the%20Chan%20Clan%20%231%20%28Gold%20Key%201973%29/ |title=Hanna-Barbera: The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan |publisher=Western Publishing Company, Inc. (as Gold Key Comics) |___location=Poughkeepsie, New York |date=1973}} (four issues)
{{Charlie Chan}}
{{Children's programming on CBS in the 1970s}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan}}
[[Category:1970s American animated television series]]
[[Category:1970s American children's television series]]
[[Category:1970s American mystery television series]]
[[Category:1972 American animated television series debuts]]
[[Category:1972 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American children's animated mystery television series]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:American teen animated television series]]
[[Category:Gold Key Comics titles]]
[[Category:Television series by Hanna-Barbera]]
[[Category:Works based on Charlie Chan]]
[[Category:Chinese American television]]
[[Category:CBS animated television series]]
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