The summary and note for this entry were completed with participation from the AFI Academic Network. Summary and note were written by participant Anjuli M. Singh, an independent scholar.

Although the copyright registration date reads 1981 in copyright records, the notice on the film states the year of publication as 1980.
       Peter Ustinov performs a song as “Charlie Chan” over the opening credits. The song was written by composer Patrick Williams, with whom Ustinov collaborated on the lyrics, according to a 2 Jan 1981 DV news item.
       Inspired by the novels and literary characters of Earl Derr Biggers, Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen was the latest installment in the prolific Charlie Chan film franchise, which began in 1926 with the silent serial, The House Without A Key.
       The story was developed by “avowed Chan fan” Jerry Sherlock, the producer of the film who “consider[ed] himself an expert on the Orient,” according to a 22 Jul 1980 article in US Magazine.
       A 5 May 1980 article from Village Voice stated that before Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen was made, “[a]n active Asian-American lobby [had] been instrumental in clearing the air not just of [Charlie Chan] remakes but of the original films” in response to the perceived negative depiction of Asian Americans. The fact that the Charlie Chan character had a long history of being played by Caucasian actors and that, even in 1980, a Caucasian actor had been cast in the title role, angered many. According to the 22 Jul 1980 article in US Magazine, Asian Americans perceived Chan as “a yellow Uncle Tom"—a character who for them symbolized stereotypes they had struggled to escape. Groups were formed to oppose the production from the start, including the Coalition to Nix Charlie Chan (aka C.A.N. Charlie Chan), and staged protests and pickets throughout the making of the film. The Village Voice article reported that Chinese for Affirmative Action, a San Francisco group, met with Sherlock the week prior to 5 May 1980. Though the group demanded an “Asian-American play Chan” without the typical broken-English speech patterns, Sherlock defended the script and claimed he had shown it to “100 Asians before it was sold.” Sherlock also defended the casting of Ustinov, saying there were “no bankable Asian-American stars.”
       According to production notes from the AMPAS Library, filming took place in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with interior scenes shot at Hollywood General and MGM Studios. In three weeks on location in San Francisco, the filmmakers shot “a chaotic destruction of a Chinatown street” and “a spectacular Hansom cab chase through Golden Gate Park.” A 7 May 1980 DV news item noted that the production had cancelled its plans to shoot in Chinatown the day before, possibly due to protests from Chinese-American groups. Production notes also identified the Los Angeles location used for the Lupowitz estate as Norma Talmadge’s former home, an “Italian villa…[with] clusters of semi-precious stones decorating the domed ceilings.” A 16 Jul 1980 DV article announced that principal photography finished two days ahead of schedule.
       A 7 May 1980 DV article reported that production entity ACI, American Communications International, would domestically distribute the film and had negotiated a deal for United Artists to distribute outside the U.S. and Canada. The film, according to the 14 Feb 1981 LAT review, would be “the first Charlie Chan theatrical feature in nearly 30 years.”
       Protests against the film continued upon its release. A 14 Feb 1981 LAHExam article reported that 50 Asian American protesters from C.A.N. Charlie Chan picketed the film’s premiere at the Pacific Theater in Hollywood, to voice their displeasure. Adding further fuel to the fire was the fact that “[a]ll the major roles and well over half the supporting parts went to whites,” as noted in a 4 Mar 1981 UCLA Daily Bruin article. According to an 8 Feb 1981 LAT news item, the controversy surrounding the film was so strong that four television stations in Northern California willingly sacrificed an estimated $50,000 in advertising revenue by refusing to air commercials, as a way to show support for the Asian American groups.
       Critics from several major publications received the film poorly. The LAT review described the film’s script as “hopelessly unfunny and uninspired.” An 18 Feb 1981 Var review said “the film consists of wholly unbelievable characters trapped in a dubious, convoluted mystery over a series of murders too cute for their own good. Worse still, when stumped for more stupid talk, [the director] falls back on every cliché stunt ever thought of.” In another negative review, HR stated, “It’s a movie utterly devoid of charm, style or humor.” Var noted the only somewhat redeeming quality of the film was “a large cast of quality performers who must have wanted a working vacation in San Francisco at any cost.” Two of those actors in question, Richard Hatch and Michelle Pfeiffer, were relative newcomers to feature films.
       Actress Rachel Roberts made her final onscreen appearance in the film as Mrs. Dangers, a housemaid. Roberts committed suicide in Nov 1980, roughly three months before the film was released.
       According to a 15 Feb 1981 LAT news item, a tie-in novel was written by Michael Avallone and published by Pinnacle Books to accompany the film’s release.