Ep# 46 - Nancy Kwan in the 60s
Flower Drum Song (1961)
In 1960, Nancy Kwan burst onto the screen in glorious color as the titular Suzie Wong. The film was a major hit that both launched her career and gained her lasting name recognition in the industry. After a memorable stint in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s celebrated Flower Drum Song, she went on to a bizarre mix of smaller films and bit roles but never seemed to find her place. How could this happen to such an attractive and charming leading lady?
Oh.
Right.
In this episode, Bart and Jenna take a look at Kwan’s career beginnings, the social context of the decade and the pitfalls of being a Chinese actor in the dominantly white world of Hollywood. They do their best to investigate the roots of how racist stereotypes get started, from orientalism to cinematic archetypes, and encourage you to turn to better sources than them for the full truth of the matter.
The following films are discussed:
• The World of Suzie Wong (1960)
Directed by Richard Quine
Starring Nancy Kwan, William Holden, Sylvia Syms
• Flower Drum Song (1961)
Directed by Henry Koster
Starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki
• The Main Attraction (1962)
Directed by Daniel Petrie
Starring Nancy Kwan, Pat Boone, Mai Zetterling
• Tamahine (1963)
Directed by Philip Leacock
Starring Nancy Kwan, John Fraser, Dennis Price
• The Wild Affair (1965)
Directed by John Krish
Starring Nancy Kwan, Terry-Thomas, Victor Spinetti
• Nobody’s Perfect (1968)
Directed by Alan Rafkin
Starring Nancy Kwan, Doug McClure, James Shigeta
Other ’60s films featuring Kwan:
• Honeymoon Hotel (1964)
Directed by Henry Levin
Starring Robert Goulet, Nancy Kwan, Robert Morse
• Fate Is the Hunter (1964)
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Starring Glenn Ford, Nancy Kwan, Rod Taylor
• Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966)
Directed by Byron Paul
Starring Dick Van Dyke, Nancy Kwan, Akim Tamiroff
• Arrivederci, Baby! (1966)
Directed by Ken Hughes
Starring Tony Curtis, Rosanna Schiaffino, Nancy Kwan
• The Corrupt Ones (1967)
Directed by James Hill
Starring Robert Stack, Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan
• The Wrecking Crew (1968)
Directed by Phil Karlson
Starring Dean Martin, Sharon Tate, Nancy Kwan
• The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1969)
Directed by Francis D. Lyon
Starring Adam West, Nancy Kwan, Nehemiah Persoff
Also mentioned:
• Sayonara (1957)
Directed by Joshua Logan
Starring Marlon Brando, Ricardo Montalban, Miyoshi Umeki
• South Pacific (1958)
Directed by Joshua Logan
Starring Rossano Brazzi, France Nuyen, Juanita Hall
• The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Directed by Wayne Wang
Starring Tamlyn Tomita, France Nuyen, Lisa Lu
• Paint It Black (2016)
Directed by Amber Tamblyn
Starring Janet McTeer, Alia Shawkat, Nancy Kwan
• Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Lisa Lu
• Parasite (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
Starring Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Cho
• The Farewell (2019)
Directed by Lulu Wang
Starring Shuzhen Zhao, Awkwafina, X Mayo
• Minari (2020)
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
Starring Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, Alan S. Kim
Resources:
• The Other Question…, Screen, 1983
Written by Homi K Bhabha
• The Hypersexuality of Race: Performing Asian/American Women on Screen and Scene
Written by Arthur Dong
• Asian American Actors: Oral Histories from Stage, Screen, and Television
Written by Arthur Dong
• Hollywood Chinese (2007)
Directed by Arthur Dong
• Slaying the Dragon (1988)
Directed by Deborah Gee
