Earl Derr Biggers (August 26, 1884 – April 5, 1933) was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

and

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

. His novels featuring the fictional

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

detective

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China.

Biography

The son of Robert J. and Emma E. (Derr) Biggers, Earl Derr Biggers was born in

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The his ...

, and graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1907, where he was a member of The

Lampoon Lampoon may refer to: *Parody *Amphol Lampoon (born 1963), Thai actor and singer *''The Harvard Lampoon'', a noted humor magazine ** ''National Lampoon'' (magazine), a defunct offshoot of ''Harvard Lampoon'' ***National Lampoon, Incorporated, a 20 ...

. He worked briefly as a journalist for ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'' in 1907, and then for the

Boston Traveller The ''Boston Evening Traveller'' (1845–1967) was a newspaper published in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a daily newspaper, with weekly and semi-weekly editions under a variety of ''Traveller'' titles. It was absorbed by the ''Boston Herald'' i ...

until 1912, before turning to fiction. Many of his plays and novels were made into movies. His first novel, ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'', was popular in 1913, and

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

quickly adapted the novel as a hit Broadway stage play of the same name. Cohan starred in the 1917 film version, one of seven film versions of the play, and a 1935 revival.Warburton, Eileen
"Keeper of the Keys to Old Broadway: Geroge (sic) M. Cohan's ''Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1913)"
2nd Story Theatre, January 32, 2014, accessed October 14, 2014. See als
"Play Reviews for ''Seven Keys to Baldpate''"
2nd Story Theatre, accessed October 14, 2014 The novel was also adapted into two films with different titles, ''

House of the Long Shadows ''House of the Long Shadows'' is a 1983 British comedy horror film directed by Pete Walker. It is notable because four iconic horror film stars (Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and John Carradine) are together in one feature. The ...

'' and ''

Haunted Honeymoon ''Haunted Honeymoon'' is a 1986 American comedy horror film starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, Dom DeLuise and Jonathan Pryce. Wilder also served as writer and director. The title ''Haunted Honeymoon'' was previously used for the 1940 U.S. ...

'', but they had essentially equivalent plots. More than 10 years after ''Baldpate'', Biggers had even greater success with his series of

detective novels. The popularity of Charlie Chan extended even to China, where audiences in Shanghai appreciated the Hollywood films. Chinese companies made films starring this fictional character. Derr Biggers publicly acknowledged the real-life detective

Chang Apana Chang Apana (December 26, 1871 – December 8, 1933; ) was a Chinese-Hawaiian member of the Honolulu Police Department, first as an officer, then as a detective. He was acknowledged by Earl Derr Biggers as the inspiration for his fictional Chines ...

as the inspiration for the character of Charlie Chan in his letter to the ''

Honolulu Advertiser ''The Honolulu Advertiser'' was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Int ...

'' of June 28, 1932."The Real Charlie Chan", featurette on: ''Charlie Chan in Egypt'' (DVD), 20th Century Fox, 2006. Biggers lived in

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

, and died in a

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

hospital after suffering a heart attack in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. He was 48.

The Charlie Chan series

* ''

The House Without a Key ''The House Without a Key'' is a 1925 novel by Earl Derr Biggers, the first of the Charlie Chan mysteries. Set in 1920s Hawaii, the novel acquaints the reader with the look and feel of the islands from the standpoint of both white and non-white ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Chinese Parrot ''The Chinese Parrot'' (1926) is the second novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. It is the first in which Chan travels from Hawaii to mainland California, and involves a crime whose exposure is hastened by t ...

'' (1926) * ''

Behind That Curtain ''Behind That Curtain'' (1928) is the third novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers. Plot summary It is set almost exclusively in California (as opposed to Chan's native Hawaii), and tells the story of the form ...

'' (1928) * ''

The Black Camel ''The Black Camel'' (1929) is the fourth of the Charlie Chan novels by Earl Derr Biggers. Plot summary It tells the story of a Hollywood star (Shelah Fane), who is stopping in Hawaii after she finished shooting a film on location in Tahiti. ...

'' (1929) * ''

Charlie Chan Carries On ''Charlie Chan Carries On'' (1930) is the fifth novel in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers. Plot summary Inspector Duff, a Scotland Yard detective and friend of Chan's, first introduced in '' Behind That Curtain'', is pursuing a murde ...

'' (1930) * ''

Keeper of the Keys ''Keeper of the Keys'' (1932) is the sixth and last mystery in the Charlie Chan series of Earl Derr Biggers; Biggers was planning on continuing the series, but died in 1933 before he could. The films continued the series for him. Plot summary ...

'' (1932)

Other works

* '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'' (1913) * ''Love Insurance'' (1914); film version: ''

One Night in the Tropics ''One Night in the Tropics'' is a 1940 comedy film which was the film debut of Abbott and Costello. They are listed as supporting actors but have major exposure with five of their classic routines, including an abbreviated version of "Who's On Fi ...

'' (1940) * ''Inside the Lines'' (1915) (with Robert Welles Ritchie) * ''The Agony Column'' (1916) (also published as ''Second Floor Mystery'') * ''Fifty Candles'' (1921) * ''Earl Derr Biggers Tells Ten Stories'' (short stories, 1933)

References

External links

* * *
Works by Earl Derr Biggers
a
Project Gutenberg of Australia
* * *
Play by Derr Biggers on Great War Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derr Biggers, Earl American mystery writers 01 1884 births 1933 deaths The Harvard Lampoon alumni People from San Marino, California People from Warren, Ohio Writers from Los Angeles Novelists from Ohio American male novelists American male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American novelists Novelists from California American detective fiction writers Detective fiction writers