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Flower Drum Song
Fri, Nov 25 | 7:30pm | TMT
Flower Drum Song represents a Hollywood milestone for Chinese American representation with its all-dancing, all-singing, and almost all-Asian cast, headlined by James Shigeta, Oscar-winner Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo, Benson Fong, Patrick Adiarte, and Nancy Kwan in her follow-up to The World of Suzie Wong (1960); Juanita Hall reprised her yellowfaced Broadway portrayal of Madame Liang. This lavish romantic comedy gave many Americans their first look at Chinatown beyond tourist facades, and was later inducted into the National Film Registry for its stories of immigration and cultural assimilation. The musical, with joyful tunes by Rodgers and Hammerstein, earned five Oscar nominations for art direction, cinematography, and cos- tumes, as well as its music scoring, and sound. Hermes Pan choreographed the lively routines.
DIRECTOR: Henry Koster.
WRITTEN BY: Joseph Fields.
CAST: Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Jack Soo, Miyoshi Umeki. 1961. 133 min. USA. Color. Scope. English. Digital.
HOLLYWOOD CHINESE
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