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Earl Derr Biggers

Earl Derr Biggers

Writer · Died April 5, 1933, aged 48 · Warren, Ohio, USA

Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. His novels featuring the fictional Chinese American detective Charlie Chan were adapted into popular films made in the United States and China. [biography (excerpted) from Wikipedia]

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 24, 1884
Died
April 5, 1933 (aged 48)
From
Warren, Ohio, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
32 on MovieCove · 70 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 37% in 30 days

What are Earl Derr Biggers' films like?

Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime20 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Mystery4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Mystery movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
72%
Bonds
15%
Power
5%
Self
4%
Ideas
3%
Justice26 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception21 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 32 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 25 · Serious 7 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 22 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 16 · Charged 15 · Intense 1

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 18 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 24 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 22 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 22 · Full focus 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
27
Warm
14
Joyful
5
Absurd
10
Thrilling
8
Other
13

How their films linger

Feel-good24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun24 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 20 with a twist

  • Happy31
  • Bittersweet1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Earl Derr Biggers' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 32 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (9).

Subscription and free streaming for Earl Derr Biggers' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

70 credits, 32 with a MovieCove page.

  • House of the Long Shadows(1983)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen(1981)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Return of Charlie Chan(1972)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Sky Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Characters

  • The Feathered Serpent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Characters

  • The Golden Eye(1948)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Shanghai Chest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Characters

  • Docks of New Orleans(1948)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Chinese Ring(1947)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Novel

  • The Trap(1946)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Dangerous Money(1946)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Novel

  • Shadows Over Chinatown(1946)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Dark Alibi(1946)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • The Shanghai Cobra(1945)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Red Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Characters

  • The Scarlet Clue(1945)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Jade Mask (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Characters

  • Black Magic(1944)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Characters

  • Charlie Chan in the Secret Service(1944)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Castle in the Desert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Characters

  • Passage from Hong Kong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Story

  • Dead Men Tell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Characters

  • Murder Over New York (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Characters

  • One Night in the Tropics(1940)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • Charlie Chan in Panama(1940)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • City in Darkness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Characters

  • Charlie Chan in Reno(1939)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at Treasure Island(1939)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in Honolulu(1938)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo(1937)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Olympics(1937)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan on Broadway(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Opera(1936)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Race Track(1936)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan at the Circus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Characters

  • Charlie Chan's Secret(1935)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Novel

  • Charlie Chan in Shanghai(1935)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in Egypt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    Characters

  • Charlie Chan in Paris(1935)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Charlie Chan in London(1934)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Take the Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Novel

  • Charlie Chan's Greatest Case(1933)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • There Were Thirteen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Novel

  • The Black Camel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Novel · Original Story

  • Charlie Chan Carries On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1931)

    Novel

  • The Millionaire(1931)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Inside the Lines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Story

  • The Second Floor Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1930)

    Novel

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Novel

  • Behind That Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1929)

    Novel

  • Honeymoon Flats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    Story

  • The Chinese Parrot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1927)

    Novel

  • The House Without a Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Novel

  • The Man Upstairs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1926)

    Novel

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate(1925)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Trouping with Ellen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Story

  • The Reckless Age (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1924)

    Novel

  • Too Much Business (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1922)

    Story

  • Fifty Candles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Novel

  • Her Face Value (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1921)

    Story

  • Love Insurance(1919)

    Novel

  • Inside the Lines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1918)

    Writer

  • The Gown Of Destiny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Story

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1917)

    Novel

  • Seven Keys to Baldpate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1916)

    Novel

Career shape

A full career of 66 titles from 1916 to 1983.

Highest rated

Charlie Chan in Panama (1940)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

House of the Long Shadows (1983)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing66 of 66: 66 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score66th

By decade

1910s5 · crew1920s12 · crew1930s21 · crew1940s26 · crew1980s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Earl Derr Biggers' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of the 31 of 32 with a score; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

19 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser19
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · writer

Seven Keys to Baldpate (1925)

80th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

The Millionaire (1931)

Midcredits 86th · 74% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 29 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Earl Derr Biggers work with?

People who share at least 2 of Earl Derr Biggers' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sidney Toler shares the most, 12.

Directors

Writers

Actors

  • Sidney Toler12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Sidney Toler
  • Mantan Moreland10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Mantan Moreland
  • Victor Sen Yung10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Victor Sen Yung
  • Warner Oland10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Warner Oland

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles