Romi Yamada

I first saw her on Jack Benny's old show that was on YouTube. I knew nothing about her. She was very pretty, but the more notable figure, and certainly recognizable, was Jack Soo, who played her agent--at least in the comedy show. I saw this about a year ago and wondered what happened to her. Then a surprise. For some reason (knowing my tastes?), YouTube had on its right hand side a link a Japanese song sung by a Romi Yamada, who seemed familiar. I clicked and there she was. The woman I had seen on the Jack Benny Show, was now singing on that show:

I had to research her. There were more videos and more information that I came across. I saw she had been in two musical play tours in the States: THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG and FLOWER DRUM SONG. She had also been the previously mentioned JACK BENNY SHOW, and shows like THE DANNY THOMAS SPECIAL and the Oral Roberts Special from Japan. In her time in the States, she created some attention, but it wasn't enough to have a movie career, though back in Japan she did several films.

As I found out by perusing all the mentions I could find in the newspapers, she was born in Korea, but was Japanese. Her father became the manager of a TV station in Japan after the 2nd World War. Romi graduated from Sacred Heart School in Japan, and then went to Kunitachi College of Music. With obvious musical talent, Romi arrived in the US as an exchange student and studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston. But when the local pollen became too much for her, she went to the San Francisco Conservatory and then to the New York College of Music. There, she auditioned for Miyoshi Umeki's part in FLOWER DRUM SONG, as Miyoshi was leaving. She lost out on that, but was selected to go on tour with SUZIE WONG. Though the fictional story was not as morally pure as she may have wanted in reality, she accepted the role and felt emotionally connected with Suzie Wong. "Suzie makes me cry," she said at the time. "On opening day in Boston, I cried so hard in one scene that my eyelash it came off and fell on the floor." After the tour, she stepped into another tour--FLOWER DRUM SONG!

With Richard Rodgers and FLOWER DRUM SONG:

She did two TV shows after the American TV work in the early 1960s: "Guys 'n' Geishas" for a 1967 Danny Thomas special and a 1970 Oral Roberts special. The Danny Thomas one-hour show, his second special, had Thomas heading to Japan to have comedy and musical adventurers with guests Jonathan Winters, Jack Jones and, of course, Romi Yamada, who had stayed in Japan after her US adventure, appearing on Japan's TV and known as the "Julie Andrews of Japan." Jones sang "They Can't Take That Away from Me" by a Geisha house. Romi also sings "Cherry Blossoms."

The second TV appearance carried in the States was the Oral Roberts "Contact" special. One of the guests was Pat Boone. The special is from Expo '70 in Japan, and Romi sung several songs, including "Love is a Many Splendored Thing."

Romi Yamada still has a lovely voice from what I hear. In her career, she made several albums and sung numerous songs and is best known in Japan.

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Birthday Wishes!

On July 24, 1925 was born Betty Miiko Shikata in Seattle, Washington. Known as Miiko Taka in her acting career for many films and TV episodes from SAYONARA (her first film) to the SHOGUN mini-series. A great cook and an interpreter for Toshiro Mifune when he arrived in the States. Miiko is an icon for Asian-American actresses in America. We wish the best and a happy birthday to Miiko Taka!

Below: We hope the two in the middle have tears because they are crying for happy!

Pictured from left to right: Marlon Brando, Miiko Taka, Miyoshi Umeki, Red Buttons.

A Fantasy Letter

Dear Mirek. When are all of these books on Asian actresses coming out? Love, LL.

Anna May Wong's Stunning Coiffure

One of the best dressed and coiffured in Hollywood. From 1934:

Update

While it may be that a quiet has descended over this page with new posts, I am quite busy working on several "things" that address Asian actresses in America. I wish matters would be sped up, but what I'm doing takes time. Initially, I thought the project was short, but as I learned, and am continuing to learn, the project has expanded considerably, till now there are, gasp, five projects! More to come....

Lisa Lu in FLOWER DRUM SONG

Yes, she was in the play in 1962. Major part as the illegal alien who arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown. Singing, acting....

And her she is in its program guide.

Willam Holden, Right for the Role

Ever since I've saw the film (relatively recently), I thought that William Holden was right for the role of Robert Lomax, the aspiring painter who settles in Hong Kong to paint but falls in love with Suzie Wong. While others at the time may have had a difference of opinion (Richard Mason, the author of the novel, for one), Holden was perfect for the role, changing its dynamic, from a younger man infatuated gradually with Wong, to an older man. Born in April 17, 1918, Holden was 42 when he made the film, close to twenty years older than Nancy Kwan, the film "Wong." William Shatner, the Lomax on Broadway opposite his "Wong," France Nuyen, was in his late twenties, born March 22, 1931.

Many Western men head to the Far East, typically the Philippines and Thailand, to find what they think is lacking in their lives. Usually, there are two things: Companionship and sex, and not in order of importance or even certainty. Sometimes young men head there with an idea of just "having fun." Even these young adventurers can get hooked when love in a foreign country blossoms. Asian women know a Western man's fascination, and their responses can be varied: from staying away from such men or searching for them. The later entails different responses, too, from hearts-so-true to gold-diggers.
 
At the time Holden was firmly ensconced as a very popular leading man. He was also fascinated with Asian culture. Aside from his Asian-themed films, he narrated the REPORT ON HONG KONG in February 1961 for television. He was also a collector of art objects in many of his film travels. Some of the Asian objects include a Buddha head from Siam, an old Korean sundial, 150 year-old Japanese puppets, a Tang Dynasty figurine horse from China... In 1959, he revealed that Hong Kong would be one of his choices of where to live if he had that opportunity. (He chose Switzerland for various reasons, which included schooling for his two sons.). Since he was aware of Hong Kong and had seen it, he had a fascination with the city and its people.

Yes, Holden changed the dynamic in the novel and the play. But he created another one, equally powerful and compelling.