Carrying On with Charlie Chan

Here’s an event that I’d like to attend, if I lived in Hawaii: To honor what would have been the 126th birthday of American novelist Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933), the creator of famous fictional Honolulu police detective Charlie Chan, film historian Steven Fredrick will host a two-day celebration in the Hawaiian capital.

B.V. Lawson of In Reference to Murder explains that this “The Charlie Chan Mystery Weekend” will kick off on Sunday, August 22, when

Fredrick plays tour guide for the Charlie Chan Mystery Tour, a walking tour to Chinatown sites related to police detective Chang Apana [a real-life Honolulu detective who’s said to have inspired the Chan character]. The interactive tour visits Chan-related crime sites, as well as Apana’s former police station, coffee shops, gambling houses, movie theaters, and the residence of Number One Son. On Monday, August 23rd, Fredrick will host a vintage movie screening of a rarely-seen Charlie Chan film.

Crime-fiction fans who would like to participate must make reservations by calling (808) 395-0674 or sending an e-mail note to filmguy54@hotmail.com. More information can be found here.