Flower Drum Song (1961)
Flower Drum Song is an absolute gem of a musical, and I can’t believe it took me so long to see it for the first time. The big-budget musical of 1961, West Side Story, took over all the publicity and memorability, so hardly anyone remembers that another “ethnic” musical was released during the same year. However, unlike West Side Story, no one had to apply dark makeup to their skin. Yes, the majority of the cast was Japanese instead of Chinese, but there was no “white-washing” of early Hollywood to be found in the movie. No eyelids were taped and no offensive accents were adopted. As a member of the board for the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, I felt Flower Drum Song was an important movie for its time. Hollywood took a chance on a movie without a single white actor in the cast, and that chance was rewarded. It took in nearly $11 million at the box office!
Politics and culture aside, this romantic story is very sweet. The endlessly endearing Miyoshi Umeki stars as a mail-order bride who sneaks into America illegally with her father, Kam Tong. While her future mother-in-law is glad to see her, her fiancé, Jack Soo, isn’t. He’s a successful nightclub owner and is in love with his top fan dancing girl, the beautiful Nancy Kwan. When Miyoshi meets James Shigeta, it’s love at first sight – but his head has already been turned by Nancy as well! How will the love triangles and bad timing turn out? Since it’s a musical comedy, you can rest assured that nothing too terrible will happen and watch it with an easy heart.
I love the culture clash of the old Chinese world and modern America. You can see it in many characters, from James’s desire to please his traditional father while he’s drawn to a totally modern girl, to Jack’s constant lying to his mother so she doesn’t find out he’s been Americanized. Even Miyoshi, who is as old world as they come, gets seduced by a padded bra sewn into her dress. Nancy, as modern as they come, wants to marry into a wealthy, respectable family. With such great dichotomies, it’s easy to root for and get absorbed in the characters. “The Other Generation”, one of the first songs, is very ironic and still relevant today.
Most of the songs are upbeat, sweet, and catchy, but for those who crave a little drama in their musicals, the character of Helen (played by Reiko Sato) sings “Love Look Away” and dances a sorrowful ballet about her unrequited crush. I come from a musical background, and performing can be found far back on my family tree. Although my mother sings opera around the house and I’ve acted in such dramas as Into the Woods and Les Miserables, my favorites are musical comedies. I love to laugh and I love cute songs that make me smile. Flower Drum Song is my second-favorite musical of all time, and I often watch it on my birthday!
If you haven’t seen this adorable light musical yet, don’t dismiss it for the sole reason that it’s not as famous as West Side Story. In my opinion, it’s much better. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown (with an entire production number of “Grant Avenue” during Chinese New Year), it’s a great celebration of a culture Hollywood rarely takes a chance on.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Alexandra Colon" for posting!
More Nancy Kwan movies here!
More Miyoshi Umeki movies here!
Politics and culture aside, this romantic story is very sweet. The endlessly endearing Miyoshi Umeki stars as a mail-order bride who sneaks into America illegally with her father, Kam Tong. While her future mother-in-law is glad to see her, her fiancé, Jack Soo, isn’t. He’s a successful nightclub owner and is in love with his top fan dancing girl, the beautiful Nancy Kwan. When Miyoshi meets James Shigeta, it’s love at first sight – but his head has already been turned by Nancy as well! How will the love triangles and bad timing turn out? Since it’s a musical comedy, you can rest assured that nothing too terrible will happen and watch it with an easy heart.
I love the culture clash of the old Chinese world and modern America. You can see it in many characters, from James’s desire to please his traditional father while he’s drawn to a totally modern girl, to Jack’s constant lying to his mother so she doesn’t find out he’s been Americanized. Even Miyoshi, who is as old world as they come, gets seduced by a padded bra sewn into her dress. Nancy, as modern as they come, wants to marry into a wealthy, respectable family. With such great dichotomies, it’s easy to root for and get absorbed in the characters. “The Other Generation”, one of the first songs, is very ironic and still relevant today.
Most of the songs are upbeat, sweet, and catchy, but for those who crave a little drama in their musicals, the character of Helen (played by Reiko Sato) sings “Love Look Away” and dances a sorrowful ballet about her unrequited crush. I come from a musical background, and performing can be found far back on my family tree. Although my mother sings opera around the house and I’ve acted in such dramas as Into the Woods and Les Miserables, my favorites are musical comedies. I love to laugh and I love cute songs that make me smile. Flower Drum Song is my second-favorite musical of all time, and I often watch it on my birthday!
If you haven’t seen this adorable light musical yet, don’t dismiss it for the sole reason that it’s not as famous as West Side Story. In my opinion, it’s much better. Set in San Francisco’s Chinatown (with an entire production number of “Grant Avenue” during Chinese New Year), it’s a great celebration of a culture Hollywood rarely takes a chance on.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Alexandra Colon" for posting!
More Nancy Kwan movies here!
More Miyoshi Umeki movies here!