Hollywood, California, Monday, October 17, 1938: Darryl F. Zanuck has selected Sidney Toler to play the role of Charlie Chan, succeeding the late Warner Oland. His first picture will be "Charlie Chan in Honolulu" which will start production October 24, with John Stone as the associate producer. Toler was discovered by Sol M. Wurtzel when he looked at rushes of "Up the River (1938)," current "20th Century-Fox" picture in which Toler is a featured player.
Among other actors considered and tested for the new Charlie Chan were Cy Kendall, Walter Connolly, J. Edward Bromberg, Noah Beery Jr., Michael Visaroff, and Leo Carillo. Kendall and Connelly had played Chan on radio.
First of two film collaborations between Victor Sen Yung and Layne Tom Jr., who both played some of Charlie Chan's sons.
The twentieth of forty-seven Charlie Chan movies.