Charlie Chan's Greatest Case Charlie Chan's Greatest Case Charlie Chan's Greatest Case (1933) is an American pre-Code murder mystery film starring Warner Oland as the Oriental detective Charlie Chan. It was based on the Earl Derr Biggers novel "The House Without a Key" (1925). Oland made a series of Charlie Chan films; along with three others, this one is considered to be a lost film. "The New York Times" reviewer wrote, "As far as the mystery of these particular murders is concerned it is not difficult for the audience to decide on the identity of the slayer, but the manner in which Chan makes
Charlie Chan in an American film, a departure from the sinister East Asian stereotypes in earlier movies like "Thief of Baghdad" and "Welcome Danger", which incited riots that shut down the Shanghai theater showing it." Oland's visit to China was reported extensively in Chinese newspapers, and the actor was respectfully called "Mr. Chan". In Neil Simon's "Murder By Death", Peter Sellers plays a Chinese detective called Sidney Wang, a parody of Chan. In 1980, Jerry Sherlock began production on a comedy film to be called "Charlie Chan and the Dragon Lady". A group calling itself C.A.N. (Coalition of Asians to Nix) was