| Tang Kee-chan | |||||||||||
| Birth Date: | 1912 2, df=yes[1] | ||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Guangdong, China | ||||||||||
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, United States[2] [3] | ||||||||||
| Occupation: | actor, singer, radio personality, screen writer | ||||||||||
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Tang Kee Chan (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]
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]
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 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]
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.
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] [13] [14]
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]
| 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 |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1951 | The Scatterbrain |
| 1951 | The Story of Afu |
| 1951 | A Star of Mischief |
| 1951 | Daddy and Sonny |