Tang Kee-chan

Tang Kee Chan (Chinese: 鄧寄塵, 17 February 1912 – 2 July 1991) was a Hong Kong actor, singer and radio personality. He is often referred to as the "King of Comedy (諧劇大王)" which is a moniker given to him by the Hong Kong entertainment industry as evidenced by his profile in the 'Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema' by Lisa Stokes, Tang's official profile at Avenue of Stars and a radio broadcast titled '60 Years of Broadcasting - The Most Memorable Moments' by Radio Television Hong Kong.[4][5][6][7]

Tang Kee-chan
Born(1912-02-17)17 February 1912[1]
Guangdong, China
Died2 July 1991(1991-07-02) (aged 79)[1]
Los Angeles, California, United States[2][3]
Occupationactor, singer, radio personality, screen writer
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese鄧寄塵
Simplified Chinese邓寄尘
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Tang.

He is known in the radio broadcasting industry for voicing and playing up to eight to nine different roles for his story telling show and also for starring as part of a comedic duo (The Two Fools) with Sun Ma Sze Tsang in a series of films.[4][7]

Career

Tang had his start in his native Guangdong as a radio broadcaster before travelling to Hong Kong after being recruited by Rediffusion Television. He specialized in comedy and used up to eight to nine different voices and roles in his story telling show titled 'Tang Kee Chan's Comedy Show'. His characters ranged in age from small children to old citizens and included members of both genders.[7][8]

He branched out into the film industry in 1950 and starred in over 100 films. He also wrote the screen plays for some of the films including "The Feuds between Huang Tangjing and Chen Mengji" in which he co-starred with opera singer, Sun Ma Sze Tsang.[9]

Tang forged a partnership with Sun Ma Sze Tsang and starred with him in a series of films as the comedic duo known as "The Two Fools". Tang played the fool while Sun Ma Sze Tsang played the smarter member of the duo. Their disagreements were often improvised and comedic.[4][8]

In 1963, Chubby Checker held two concerts in Hong Kong. Under contract with Diamond Records, Tang was asked to perform with Checker. Owing to the language barrier, Diamond Records decided to re-write Pat Boone's Speedy Gonzales where Chubby sung in English while Tang replaced the English spoken parts with Cantonese dialogue. Because of the success seen during the performances, a version of this song was recorded in 1965 with The Fabulous Echoes singing in English while Tang reprised his speaking role in Cantonese.[1][10]

On 30 May 1963, Patti Page had two performances in Hong Kong to which Tang was a supporting act along with The Fabulous Echoes.[11]

In 1975, he immigrated to Canada and would occasionally travel back to Hong Kong to cameo in films such as Chasing Girls, All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution, Behind the Yellow Line, Happy Ghost II, and The Isle of Fantasy.[8][9]

Tang has a plaque at the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong which honours outstanding contributors to the Hong Kong Film Industry much like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is commemorated as number 29.[5][6][12]

In 2005, a Hong Kong comedic drama titled Scavengers' Paradise was created with characters based on Tang and Sun Ma Sze Tsang.[13]

In 2009, Tang was recognized as one of seventy-three significant contributing members to the Hong Kong Film Industry in a website created by DotAsia and Radio Television Hong Kong which celebrates 100 years of Hong Kong Films.[8]

Music

Tang Kee-chan started recording albums as early as 1956. Cantonese singers whom he partnered include Cheng Gwan-min (鄭君綿), Cheng Pik Ying (鄭碧影), Cheng Kwok Bo (鄭幗寶), Law Lai Kuen (罗丽娟), Lam Dan (林丹), Lee Bo-Ying (李寶瑩) and Ng May Ying (吳美英). His songs are mainly the humorous type.

Personal life

He had five children, none of whom followed in their father's footsteps into the entertainment industry. Third son, Professor Tang Siu Wa (鄧兆華) was a Professor and Chairman of Psychiatry at the University of California, Irvine and later, Chair Professor at the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Hong Kong Medical School before his retirement in 2008.[2][14][15]

In 1991, Tang died from emphysema in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 79. As most of his descendants reside in Toronto, Canada, he was flown there for his funeral rites and subsequent burial.[2][3]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role
1950 Five Blessings in a Row Ka-fook
1950 The Great Idler
1950 The Blundering Couple Chow Wai-kung
1951 A Star of Mischief Fan Dou
1951 The Conmen
1951 The Scatterbrain Yu Tau-wan
1951 The Story of Afu
1951 Dragon Rising
1951 Daddy and Sonny
1952 Three Good Fellas
1952 A Perfect Match
1952 A Comet of Laughter Lands on Earth
1952 A Fool on Honeymoon
1952 Master Adou, a Native of Darling
1952 Intoxication of a Spring Night
1952 All the Love Heaven Allows
1953 Tender Love
1953 Fortune Shines Down
1953 Honour Your Foster-Mother
1953 A Cadet in Love's Battle
1953 Peace to All Generations
1954 The Miserable Couple Peter
1955 An Actor's Struggle
1955 Mr. Wang and Fatty Chen Mr. Wang
1955 Crossroads
1955 The Pauper-Prince
1955 Romance in the West Chamber
1955 Fleeting Riches
1955 Snow White and the 7 Dwarves
1955 The True Story of Siu Yuet-Pak Part 1
1955 The True Story of Siu Yuet-Pak Part 2
1955 Love and Hate
1956 Wu Song's Bloody Fight on Lion's Bower Mo Tai Lung
1956 Lovers' Eternal Union
1956 Funny Girl
1956 The Smart Girl
1957 How Fang Tangjing Exasperated the Government Official
1957 The Feuds Between Fang Tanfgjing and Chen Mengji
1957 Loving Enemies
1958 Two Fools in Paradise
1958 The Rickshaw Puller Wins a Pretty Girl
1958 Two Fools in Hell
1958 The Sweep-Stakes Seller
1958 The Merry Phoenix
1958 A Patriot's Sword
1959 Two Fools Capture the Criminal
1959 A Fool in the Army Ah Sau/Cheung Sau
1959 Two Fools Capture a Ghost Lee Luk
1959 Two Good-for-Nothings
1959 The Spendthrift Son in the Underworld Master Wong
1959 Chances for Love
1959 The Broom Spirit
1959 Battle of the Sexes
1959 Lucky Ones Up to Mischief
1959 Peace to Man and Wife
1959 Funny Misunderstanding
1959 Love Under the Festival Lanterns
1960 A Wonderful Dream Wong Luk
1960 Silly Wong Growing Rick
1960 Much Ado about Nothing
1960 Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
1960 They All Say I Do
1961 Non-sensical Son-in-Law
1961 Unexpected Fortune
1961 Installment on Marriage
1962 Heart to Heart
1962 The Swordswoman and Her 7 Partners (Part 1)
1962 Thief Captures Thief
1962 The Strange Lady Xue Yiniang
1962 How Shui Guanyin Thrice Tricked Bai Jinlong
1962 Our Adopted Daughter
1962 A Couple in Cold War
1962 The Swordswoman and Her 7 Partners (Part 2)
1963 The Wonderful Years
1963 Take the Money and Run
1963 Hire a Wife
1963 Joy to the World
1964 The Bride Who Lives Under the Staircase Chen Ding
1964 Bitter Love
1964 Take What You Can
1964 The Teacher Who Knows Everything
1964 Sword of Justice
1964 A Gambler Who Pawns His Wife
1964 Assassination of the Prince (Part 2)
1964 Husband of the Back Alley
1964 An Anxious Bride
1964 Grab What You Can!
1964 In Search of a Father
1964 Half a Bed
1964 Love Thy Neighbors
1965 The Maid Who Sells Dumplings
1965 A Modern Ji Gong
1965 Country Boy Goes to Town
1965 A Modern Monkey King
1965 A Tough World
1965 The Immature Bunch
1965 All Packed in a Small House
1965 May Luck be with You
1966 I Want You
1981 All the Wrong Clues Yummy
1981 Chasing Girls Fa's father
1982 Dragon Force Ah Chu
1984 Behind the Yellow Line Building Security guard
1985 The Isle of Fantasy Duncan Tang
1985 Happy Ghost II Uncle Tang

Writer
Year Title
1951 The Scatterbrain
1951 The Story of Afu
1951 A Star of Mischief
1951 Daddy and Sonny

Producer
Year Title
1958 Two Fools in Hell
gollark: Yes, I do in fact know.
gollark: Curses! My andrewometer was VERY BAD!
gollark: ++delete CØBOL
gollark: *Eventually*, it'll probably be replaced by something else, and ancient JS systems will need maintenence.
gollark: I mean, not much demand compared to modern languages, but it's a niche.

References
  1. Huang, Zhong-ming (25 November 2007). "Kam Toi Hak Chui: Tang Kee Chan Dik Goh Woh Hai Kek" 琴台客聚：鄧寄塵的歌和諧劇 [A Gathering With Our Guest:Tang Kee Chan's Songs and Ballads] (in Chinese). Wen Wei Po. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. "Tang Kee Chan ji tui kong ching sun foh gau yuk" 鄧寄塵子推廣精神科教育 [Tang Kee Chan's son Raises Awareness for Psychiatry/Mental Illness] (in Chinese). Ming Pao. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. Sze, Chun Sing (14 July 1991). "Tang Kee Chan nian sau bo yue chi" 鄧寄塵撚手煲魚翅 [Tang Kee Chan is skilled at cooking shark fin]. Ming Pao magazine (in Chinese) (1183).
  4. Stokes, Lisa Odham (2007). Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema. Scarecrow Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 978-0810855205.
  5. "Avenue of Stars Chinese Profile". Avenue of Stars (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. "Avenue of Stars English Profile". Avenue of Stars. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  7. "Kong Poh 60 Nin Ga Nin Wah - Chui Ling Yan Lan Mong Jit Mok Chung Wan" 廣播60年嘉年華 - 最令人難忘節目重溫 1989 [60 Years of Broadcasting - The Most Memorable Moments 1989]. (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Radio Television Hong Kong. 1989. Event occurs at 18:40. Radio Television Hong Kong. Retrieved 23 April 2015. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  8. "Profile at 100 Years of Hong Kong Cinema". hkfilm100.asia (in Chinese). HK Film 100. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  9. "Hong Kong Movie Database Profile". Hong Kong Movie Database. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  10. Myatt, Carl (9 March 1963). "Chubby Tops All Those Foreigners". Billboard: 44.
  11. Myatt, Carl (1 June 1963). "Patti Page Set for Pop Concert". Billboard: 41.
  12. "Avenue of Stars Listing by Number". Avenue of Stars. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  13. "Kok Jun on mo fong sun ma jai, Ng Cheuk Hei giu ban Leung Chiu Wai" 郭晉安模仿新馬仔　吳卓羲叫板梁朝偉 [Roger Kwok portrays Sun Ma Jai, Ron Ng Challenges Tony Leung]. The Epoch Times (in Chinese). 10 April 2005. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  14. Emmons, Steve (5 December 1997). "Emotions at Face Value". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  15. "Biography Profile at the Regional Symposium of the International Society of Affective Disorders, Hong Kong". International Society of Affective Disorders. 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
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