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
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
