Honolulu detective Chang Apana is widely considered to be the prototype for fictional detective Charlie Chan. There are significant differences between the men, however. Whereas Apana was something of a roughneck and unlettered—he supposedly could only read Hawaiian, not English or Chinese—Chan is urbane, cultured and a bit of a sissy. Apana worked the waterfront, using a whip to intimidate perps; Chan moves in society and generally abhors weapons. Apana worked alone; Chan has the assistance of excitable No. 2 son, Jimmy Chan, and sometimes the whole extended Chan clan.

Chang Apana:
He was known as
somewhat of a rough-
neck and unlettered

  And Apana spoke pidgin; Chan speaks in circuitous, fortune-cookie aphorisms: “;Perfect case, like perfect doughnut, has hole. Optimist only sees doughnut. Pessimist sees hole.”; “;Truth, like football, receive many kicks before reaching goal.”; “;He who waters the tree deserves the fruit.”; “;Humble presence is of no more consequence than one drop of rain in cloudburst.”; “;Motive like end of string—tied to many knots. End may be in sight but hard to unravel.”;

Apana was born Ah Ping Chang in Waipio in 1871; Apana is a Hawaiianization of his Chinese surname. His first real job was as a paniolo, where he learned to handle a bullwhip, and then for the Hawaii Humane Society. In 1898 he joined the Honolulu Police Department, working his way up to detective by 1916. Apana specialized in opium and gambling, carefully building cases by paying attention to detail. He had many scars on his face, due, apparently, to both tussling with criminals and being married three times.

Warner Oland:
Played Charlie Chan
in films as an urbane
and cultured crime solver

  The official story goes that thriller author Earl Derr Biggers was relaxing in the islands and read about Apana's exploits in the local papers. After knocking out five Charlie Chan novels, Biggers' character was firmly established, and the author credited Apana with being the inspiration. There is some question of whether Biggers and Apana were actually in contact, however, particularly when some complained about Chan's “;Chinesey”; speaking style, recognized as a dubious cliche even then.

After Apana retired from HPD, he claimed he had been recruited as an actor in Hollywood, but he died in 1933, as did Biggers. The Charlie Chan character lived on in dozens of books, TV shows and movies. A new movie is scheduled for 2009.

  As for Apana and Biggers' relationship, Honolulu Star-Bulletin editor Riley Allen recalled in a column: “;Earl Derr Biggers came out here about 25 years ago and was perfectly frank about the origin of Charlie Chan. Mr. Biggers told me that he had been out here a good many years earlier and spent several weeks on vacation. He lived at Waikiki at what was then Gray's boarding house, or a cottage nearby—he could not be exactly sure which.

“;He had read and scooped up a lot of Hawaiian atmosphere and, already a fiction writer, must have stored in his lively fertile brain much material, perhaps quite unconsciously, that was to serve him later very well.

“;Three years or so after that, he was on the mainland, picked up a copy of the Star-Bulletin and read a news story describing some feat of detective work that Chang Apana had achieved.

“;Then and there, Biggers frankly told me, was born the idea of 'Charlie Chan.' ... So I think it quite fair to say that Chang Apana—a chap I knew well—was the prototype for Chan.”;