Who is Maylia? Well, she was heralded as the new Anna May Wong and appeared in a few films like SINGAPORE and TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. Truth is, no one could match Anna May Wong's popularity at the time, even though there were Asian actresses who made the attempt or their publicists did. Maylia (birth name: Gloria Suie Chin) was actually a Detroit girl who eventually married actor Benson Fong in 1947. Both set up the chain restaurants, AH FONG, in the Los Angeles area, which were very popular. The Fongs also had five children, so just running restaurants, or appearing in films, was not all they are noted for. The Fongs had a large family which must be larger by now!
One of my biggest sorrows is learning that a person I am researching has died fairly recently, sometimes very close to where I currently live. I picture in my mind that the person thinks she is forgotten by all. Maylia had a big enough family to disprove that and, besides, lived on the West Coast, but I would still like to talk to her and find out more about her career. Not to be, but...
I had the opportunity to get an autograph by Maylia. And then a large photo, publicizing her in one of her films. I am not an autograph hunter, but the price was very low on eBay, and I jumped at the chance. And then there is a thought that bought a smile to my face. What if the "Best Wishes" was directed to my project and coming from a contented beyond?
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