The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
Title card
Genre	Mystery
Created by	Earl Derr Biggers (character)
Written by	Dennis Marks
Directed by	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Voices of	(See article)
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	16
Production
Producer(s)	William Hanna Joseph Barbera
Running time	30 min.
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Taft Broadcasting
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 9 (1972-09-09) – December 30, 1972 (1972-12-30)

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (sometimes abbreviated as The Amazing Chan Clan) is an American animated television 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 and in syndication from 1976 to 1982. 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 alternately handicapped and assisted by his brood of ten children and their dog Chu Chu, in the process of solving mysteries and catching wily master criminals. 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. As in other Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the period, the kids also have a music group, the Chan Clan, and they perform a song in each episode.

Cast of characters

• Mr. Charlie ("The Amazing") Chan: Famous detective and single 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, he is a natural leader for his siblings in their dad's absence. He's the drummer for the Chan kids' band.
• 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 in a Jam!" He's a guitarist for his siblings' band. 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, a sweet and pretty teen. She plays tambourine for the Chan siblings' band.
• Alan Chan: An inventor/engineer who builds and supplies whatever crime-stopping gadgetry his siblings might need, particularly the Chan Van. He's also part of the horn section (usually playing an oboe, to be precise) for the Chan kids' band.
• Anne Chan: Alan's twin sister, a feminist tomboy. She alternates between guitar and percussion for the kids' band.
• Tom Chan: He's the most intellectual of the Chan children. He wears black-framed eyeglasses, and sometimes talks in scientific terms. Trombonist for the Chan kids' band.
• Flip Chan: The leader of the younger siblings. He's also the most enthusiastic when it comes to helping their dad solve cases. Usually called "Chief" by Scooter.
• 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.
• 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.
• Scooter Chan: At 6, he's the youngest and most boyish of the Chan children. Flip's "right arm", and fiercely proud of it.
• 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

As the voice of the title character, Keye Luke is (to date) the only actor of Chinese ancestry to play the part in any screen adaptation. Luke had previously portrayed "Number One Son" Lee Chan opposite Warner Oland, Sidney Toler, and Roland Winters (all of whose characterizations had relatively limited vocabularies) in the long-running Charlie Chan film series of the 1930s and 1940s by 20th Century Fox and later, Monogram Pictures. Ironically, Lee was never seen or mentioned throughout the cartoon's run.

Early on, it was decided that most of the children's dialects 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.

Episodes

See also

In Spanish: El Clan Chan para niños