The Strange Things Justin Watches

[The Sandmen]

I do not believe Sidney Toler identifies himself as Asian in any form. Dude just plays a poorly crafted "Asian" in a shitty film series from a time when white people playing Chinese people full of stereotypes was not considered racist.

[xx - Camp Cannon]

mayeb he has multiple personalities and hes not really acting but his personalit that identifies as asian is what you are watching u yugely damned racial profilist you

[The Sandmen]

About 10 Charlie Chan movies later, and I want to revise my original concludion. Despite a clearly white man playing a Chinese detective, the Sidney Toler Charlie Chan films are shockingly not racist at all (thus far). I would even go as far as to say that are actually beneficial and progressive for minorities (or at least Chinese people).

1) The character of Charlie Chan is never mocked or made light of for being Chinese. In fact, it isn't even mentioned that often. Perhaps once an episode, max.

2) Charlie Chan is never a joke. He is a legit detective, and it is never mentioned as part of a clause "i.e. good for a Chinese man" etc). He's just straight-up the best. And everyone in the show knows it.

3) Every episode has (at least) 1 other ACTUAL Chinese actor/actress. Most often, this is Charlie's son. Sometimes, it's several sons, or a daughter, etc. So even though Charlie is not played by an Asian, Chinese actors are getting roles as a result of these movies. Often, they are given small pieces of dialogue in Cantonese or Mandarin. Again, never mockingly, but just there. Cultural exposure without ridicule. Shockingly refreshing.

4) This is 1939-40ish. To NOT have a series of characters with a propaganda-bend, mocking Asians is shockingly progressive. Hell, even years later, we were stuck with the shockingly offensive "Chinese" character (like that portrayed by Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, for example).

5) The film lacks other common stereotypical tropes, like saying shit like, "Ancient Chinese proverb say..." or other cliche things. Chan is not at any sort of advantage or disadvantage because of his Chinese heritage or culture. It's just something that is true about him, and plays very little significance in his job as a detective.