HHCE Collection

At the last Haversat  and Ewing Auction (#40), I was elated to be the only bidder on Lot# 70 [Price w/BP $47.20]:

Movie stills from Houdini’s 1919 [1923] film Haldane of the Secret Service. The movie co-starred Gladys Leslie, Jane Jennings, and Charles Fang. Original studio 8×10’s.

I believe this lot was overlooked, since the stills did not include Houdini and one may have even questioned whether these images were from Haldane, unless you compared the outfits the actor’s were wearing in the stills with the movie itself or other stills:

FWIW: Almost all of the production stills for Houdini’s movie, The Grim Game, contain Houdini, unlike Haldane and his other movies. Years ago, I won an original Lila Lee Terror Island production still on eBay that did not include Houdini, nor was it obvious it was from the movie Terror Island unless you were in the know.

Thought it would be fun to do a post on each of the three co-stars depicted in the stills:

• Gladys Leslie
• Jane Jennings
• CHARLES FANG

Today we look at Charles Fang via Wikipedia:

Charles Fang was an American actor and comedian who was active in Hollywood primarily during the silent era. He was active on Broadway from 1930 to 1935. He was known during his time as “the greatest Chinese actor in America.” Fang was born in San Francisco to parents from Canton, China. He reportedly graduated from Yale University and served in the U.S. Navy before becoming a professional actor on the stage and screen.Reportedly discovered by Rex Ingram, Fang also served as a cultural advisor and interpreter on film sets.

Note: The stills above depict Charles Fang as Ah Ling in Haldane of the Secret Service