The Only Asian Actress To Receive An Academy Award

It happened in the Academy Awards, hosted in 1958. Among the nominated supporting actresses, which included Carolyn Jones and Elsa Lanchester, Miyoshi Umeki won for her performance in SAYONARA. She was the first, and so far only, Asian actress to win an Oscar for her acting.

Born in Japan in 1929, she had been regular in the Arthur Godrey and His Friends show. SAYONARA was her first film. Later, she appeared on Broadway doing FLOWER DRUM SONG, and was in its film, too, where she was enchanting. Many know her from her last acting job, which was on TV, playing the role of Mrs. Livingston in THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER. In the show, she took care of the motherless Eddie and helped him try to find a suitable mate for the boy's father, played by Bill Bixby.

That Charge

That charge is "racism." I come across this frequently when I am doing research. It is not a charge that is old, but fairly new. Everything, it seems, is racist, especially when referring to the past. If you don't agree, you are part of the problem. You are racist.

I am not a fan of the charge or of the people who make it as a product of their agenda. Something about it reminds me of the "purity" test that people had to go through to make sure they could speak or write about an issue. This purity test was one of the ways in which totalitarian governments kept opinion in line with their own opinion. Or else.

Unfortunately, what we are seeing these days is an embrace of this "purity" where we least expect it. Very early in my research, I made a promise to oppose this "purity" if it was not in keeping with the many facts I was coming across or the width of the issues involved that this "purity" ignored.

One of the charges is about Charlie Chan. Now I realize that depending on how it is said, just saying "Charlie Chan" can be a weapon. Yes, the actors who played the role, played it in "yellow face," another relatively new expression that was never used before. I am aware that the first widely known Chan was Warner Oland, a Swede. But I saw recently two Oland films: One had him singing to a group of Asian children (they could have been the fictional sons and daughters of the fictional Chan) a Chinese song, in English, of course. It was a very sweet moment. But I could not help but think that the agenda-driven ones would have a different take. The other film is one I saw the day before: CHARLIE CHAN ON BROADWAY. It also starred Oland. It was made in 1937. There was a humorous line in the dialogue about pigeon-English. But it was a line that was said about "Brooklynese" and a police inspector speaking Brooklynese that others could find peculiar. Slyly, this referred also to Chan speaking in pigeon-English. Yes, Chan speaks this way, but what about his "No. 1" son? No, he speaks English that all other young men of his age speak who go to college and listen to records, etc. So, Chan speaks pigeon-English. So what? All emigrants speak English with a noticeable accent, unless they have been brought up going to an English school. Go to any of the ethnic neighbors here in America. And, of course, Chan is the smartest man in the gathering and solves the murder. And, of course, China had its own Chan films. But let's use Chan as an example of Hollywood's "racism."

Chan is just one example of the charge of racism by the "pure" ones, those who are guided by a modern-agenda and, it seems, little else. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and a detective is just a detective.

Those Crazy Rich Asians

Of course, I had to see CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Yes, there was an unfortunate, smarmy start, but afterward the film gets to present times. There is some New York City, but mostly it is Singapore and crazy rich Asians and some Asians that are not so crazy and rich.

The hype behind the picture is not exactly true. The last big "Hollywood" Asian film was not JOY LUCK CLUB, but rather MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. But no matter, it is hype and to be expected. And some can argue that the lack of mentioning the GEISHA film is accurate given this or that. (Interestingly, Michelle Yeoh stars in both films.)

A warning though, that the film seems a "chick flick" a significant amount of time. Which means it is about relationships and love and all the things that can make a guy squirm. Sorry, there are no Kung Fu fights or historical epic battles. There is also an embracing gay element that some who are not filled with modern understanding or not gay themselves may find off-putting.

That said, I found much of the film toward the last part emotional, which is some achievement. The marriage of friends was beautifully done, and the focus on Asians and Asian-Americans was sincere and maybe eye-opening to those not Asian-American.

There was also as scene containing the making of dumplings! And it was very nice and emotional, too, seeing Lisa Lu, who, aside from films, had done a lot of American TV shows.

I had a problem with the end, which takes place aboard something that crazy rich Asians would like. And one of the exit songs, "Money," was unfortunate.

There's a promise of sequels, which would be appropriate, as the book is a series, too.

Oh, and I just learned that the author, Kevin Kwan, is wanted by the Singapore government for avoiding service. Hopefully, he can work something out.

Japanese War Brides

The Japanese War Bride phenomenon, which occurred after the Second World War and when American soldiers were stationed in Japan, has its happy moments and also its unhappy ones. A film I saw recently, titled appropriately JAPANESE WAR BRIDE, doesn't flinch, but tells the problem cinematically as best it can. The 1952 film stars the by-now legendary Shirley Yamaguchi (more on her in another entry), Don Taylor, Marie Windsor, Cameron Mitchell, and others, and is an easy way to understand some of the societal and personal issues involved. Imagine leaving the country of your birth, the country of your culture, to live in a foreign land with sometimes little support but your husband, whom you depended on for everything. Almost 50,000 of such brides left their country to live in America.

There is the true story of the bride who want to look her best for her new American family, and wore a kimono for the occasion of meeting them, but the family was dismayed, hoping to have her wear a Western outfit. And then there is the story of such a strong love affair between the American soldier and his Japanese bride, that, after her death, he still honors her and writes to her family in Japan regularly. One cannot predict what takes place between a man and a woman. Even of different cultures.

Of course, film-wise, the presence of American soldiers in Japan inspired many more films, and is probably responsible for much of the Asian themes that were popular in the 1950s and very early 1960s.

East is West, and West is East

(Note: Currently this video, and a couple of others like it, have been taken off YouTube. A stupid decision, but I don't own the video or the song.)

Yes, she is in that Asian actresses book, having been in a fictional film in SATAN'S BED in 1965. Of course, she was in a good number of documentaries and is known as John Lennon's wife, but it is that fictional film which places her in this book. Once, "John and Yoko" became a news item and, not soon afterward, publicity organizers, I heard about her constantly. Though we don't think of her as an Asian actress, but as an avant-garde artist, she is an actress (or was ) and goes into the projected book. 

The Daughter of Fu Manchu

My father was driving us over Manhattan Bridge and entering New York's Chinatown neighborhood, I spotted a poster that showed a Chinese gentleman running for mayor of the city. He was not dressed "Western style," but in traditional attire of his culture. And he was holding up a finger, with its nail guard, to further the Chinese look. How extraordinary! How spectacular! It was only later that I realized that poster was a promo for a film--THE FACE OF FU MANCHU.

At a mega department store in Brooklyn, I saw several paperbacks, newly printed, that further stimulated my curiosity. The author was a "Sax Rohmer," and what was promised was mystery and foreboding atmosphere. I was hooked.

I should have known, and probably did at the time, that Fu was played by Christopher Lee, a British actor who was specializing in horror roles, most notably in portraying Dracula. There was somebody with him, a daughter. She was smaller than he (much smaller, as Lee was over six feet), but, like her father, she was both threatening and captivating. The daughter of Fu Manchu!

Of course, it was not soon afterward that I saw the film, and the one that followed, THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU.

Since I saw her, the daughter, named Lin Tang in the movies, was attractive but dangerous. You did not want to mess with her if you valued your life.

Nowadays, I am well aware of the actress, Tsai Chin, who played the role of Lin Tang in five movies. She also appeared in those days, but I didn't know at the time, in the prologue to YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, where her character promised the best duck that James Bond would have. (The double-entendre should be obvious if you think about it.)

As I stated, I know much more now: The roles she played, the albums, the plays, the autobiography, etc. More will be addressed here and in my book. But in those days, she was always the daughter of Fu Manchu.

"A favor, Father..."

 Tsai Chin in THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU.

The Wonderfulness of Her

For sure, the second "Asian" actress I remember was France Nuyen. I was older and I watched religiously the show I SPY. Spy shows were a big thing back then, and I SPY was one of my favorites. I never thought of France Nuyen as Asian at the time, just different looking, in a good way, to the actresses I was familiar with. She also had soulful eyes, sad eyes. Her presence on the show was always strangely hypnotic.

France Nuyen was in four I SPY shows, each time playing a different character. She married I SPY co-star Robert Culp in 1967, her second marriage. For him, it was marriage number three. That marriage did not last long, ending in 1970.

Of course, I know much more about her now, but in those days, it was I SPY and the woman with the soulful eyes, France Nuyen.

Photo: At the marriage license bureau...

A Blast from the Past?

My first experience with "Asian" actresses was ages ago. I know more now, but at the time I was a little kid and my family used to play this album, among others. I do remember Harry Belafonte and Mario Lanza signing their songs. But I also remember Pat Suzuki doing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Years later, it must have been in the late 1970s or early 1980s, I was doing messenger work for CBS. The address I had to go to was in Kips Bay, and I was supposed to deliver or pick-up something to/from...Pat Suzuki. I arrived at Kips Bay (at that time a neighborhood unknown to me), and I met Pat Suzuki. She seemed amazed and delighted that I knew her. I forget now what she said, but I briefly also saw her son, David, who seemed to be heading outside. I doubt very much that she remembers me or those moments, but I certainly do.

Years later, I am researching material from my book and I came across her name, of course. I ordered a CD that contained her four albums and found she had a voice that was sweet and powerful at the same time.

I do not know if she still lives at Kips Bay. She has a birthday coming up, and I wish her the best.

Oh, and this is the album. Well, part of it. My place is a mess, and I didn't know even if I had the album. I found it, however, almost immediately. Just the cover, bent, with no back cover or record, though both are probably someplace. I told you, my place was a mess.

Introduction

It may be that I've "bitten off" more than I can chew. It certainly seems that way, since after having an affirmative on my book proposal and after doing more research, the name of Asian actresses in America seems to be getting bigger and bigger. No matter. It is a challenge and one whose subject is both exciting and, I think, novel, though I could be just imagining (hoping?) the latter.

I have to say from the start that "Asian" can have various meanings. I do not mean that I am including all Asian females, such as those from India or Saudi Arabia, which technically is Asian. I am including those females who are from the "Far East," such as China, Japan, Java, the Philippines, etc, at least heritage-wise.

I also will say that many of these actresses were born in the States and are more "American" than I, who was not born here.

I also realize now that a lot of my findings, pictorial-wise, cannot find their way into a book. And that is one reason for this blog. The other reason is to mention, write about and promote the Asian actresses that have appeared on our screens, even if briefly.

I should mention something else: In order for these actresses to be listed in this book, they would have had to appear in at least one film shown in the United States. Many did television shows, dramatic or otherwise, and these will be mentioned, of course. But the central requirement is at least one movie at American theaters, not subtitled. It may sound restrictive, but, after doing a minimal amount of research at this point, it is not.