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.

FLOWER DRUM SONG

FLOWER DRUM SONG premiered on November 9, 1961 at NY's Radio City Music Hall.

The trailer:

It been years since I heard "ball of fire" to describe a sexy woman. And a man? "Sowing his wild oats!" A great film anyway, and the first one to have a mostly all Asian cast in an American production.

From THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, a segment on the FLOWER DRUM SONG Broadway show.

Ginny Tiu in THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW

There was a time when Ginny (Virginia)Tiu was on some major television shows in its earlier days. ED SULLIVAN, HONG KONG, THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW, etc. She made a feature film with Elvis Presley, GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS. There was also a paper cutout doll, and she performer at the White House for President Kennedy. She also appeared on stage many times, both under her own solo name and in a group with younger siblings of her family.

Amazon's PRIME have the three seasons of THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW. The Ginny Tiu episode is from Season Three and titled "The China Doll." Some serious exchanges between Danny and the Asian father (played by Marvin Miller) about tradition and respect. This is THE DANNY THOMAS SHOW, however, so the serious differences become resolved in the end for a happy ending.

The show is definitely warm, entertaining, with a lot of truths, usually coming near the end. They truly don't make them like this anymore, but DVD collections and streaming help these shows live again.

I don't know if Ginny Tiu still performs at 53 By the Sea, but she may perform in the Hawaii area, where she resides. Here is a clip from 2019:

RIDER ON A DEAD HORSE

The title sounds odd, but it is a Western. It's hard to think of a catchy title with Westerns, as many have been done, though nowadays there is far, far less of them than there was.  As a genre, the Western is not viable these days and few are made.

Luckily Warner Brothers' Archive Collection released RIDER ON A DEAD HORSE in 2013, so that it is available in the film's ratio of 1.78. The black-and-white film mainly stars four actors: John Vivyan (the protagonist), Bruce Gordon (the baddie), Kevin Hagen (the likeable swindler), and--the purpose of this blog, Lisa Lu.

From the outset, the film seems promising but also somewhat amateurish. So one wonders what the hell is Lisa Lu doing in this. But the role does give her prominence. Yes, she plays a prostitute. However, she is not a prostitute with a heart of gold, but, until she falls in love (with guess whom), she is manipulate and determined, and does not withhold the knife or the gun to get her way.

Though he is laconic and tall in the saddle, Vivyan is dour big-time in this film and does not exhibit much except to scowl. So that one also wonders what the hell is he doing in this film! It isn't even Spaghetti Western time. There is lot of arguing back and forth when he meets the Lu character, Ming Kwai.  He insults her and she him, so one begins to think of this as a mini-Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf tale of the sagebrush.

Then something happens. Sex. After that, Vivyan starts to see the light pretty quickly. Now he is a different man, protective of Lu. She teaches him to love, and ultimately to give up his quest for gold dust, but not before the baddie and the swindler turn up.

Though now he is a asterisk, Vivyan was a well-known actor in his time. He had done the popular MR. LUCKY on television, even though it was canceled after one season. Perhaps his popularity was one reason Lu took the part. The other reason, and probably a major one, was that she played a resolute and resourceful Asian female in a Western and is desirable to the characters of Vivyan and Hagen, and, I guess, to a lot of men.

RIDER ON A DEAD HORSE is somewhat of interest, particularly if you have an interest in the career of Lisa Lu. The real good news is that at least you can see the film. And Lisa Lu.

 Lisa Lu warning the writer of this blog to speed up the work.

CHINA DOLL

For me, this term has various meanings. On one hand, it is an older expression that signifies that a woman is very attractive. People use to say, of any female, "she's a doll." It was not meant to vilify. People used such expressions some time ago, and they were not derogatory but complimentary. Nowadays, however, when that expression is mentioned, it is signified by those with an agenda as something that indicates an insulting paternal attitude. There are no "dolls" anymore, Chinese or otherwise.

I guess one can say "cute" or "adorable," but that can have its critics too. According the law of Agenda and Outrage, a woman should be dispassionate (like a man, supposedly?), not a servant of tradition or the "power structure." It's advantageous if she has a distaste or hatred for the "paternal" male, too. Well, yeah, if that is your idea of a woman, go for it. No sweat off my manly back--which seems to sweat more than a woman's.

I'm more and more ignoring the Outrage and Agenda people. I'm mainly interested in moving on with what can help me, psychologically and physically and interest-wise. To me, this Outrage and Agenda is simple BS. But bygone films do have slants and from viewpoints that one would consider "old-fashioned." This is true.

Which brings me to CHINA DOLL.

Initially, the production of this Romina-Batjac film was going to be called TIME IS A MEMORY,  but Frank Borzage--the actor, director, producer and winner of the Academy Award--saw another title that was better, CHINA DOLL. The problem was that Columbia had the title. Harry Cohen, the head of Columbia at the time, made a deal. Borzage could have the title if Borzage agreed to be in a Columbia picture. The deal was done.

Shooting began on August 15th, 1957, according to one reference. While the story was set in China, Borzage found that the terrain of Saugus, California, was perfect for what he had in mind and would, of course, cost far less then location shooting in a foreign country.

The earliest theatrical exhibition that I have indicates a showing on Sunday, August 3, 1958 at the Saenger Theater in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Showings in other theaters were in the coming days of August and then by September more showings. Once again, the IMDB is wrong with their info. (They say that Dec 3, 1958 was the release date!)

A portrait shot of Li Li Hua

Aside from its value as a Borzage film, it is noteworthy as the only American film to star Li Li Hua. Hua is an important fixture in Chinese cinema. She stared in over a 120 films and received China's prestigious Golden Horse award as Best Actress in 1969 and was honored with two lifetime achievement awards later. Though she was in serious consideration for appearing in Cecil B. DeMille's production of the new THE BUCCANEER, which would have "introduced" her to American audiences, the role was not filled by her. Instead, for her introduction, she played the vital role of the "China Doll," Shu-Jen.

The film is also important for another star. Remarkably this actress is not mentioned in the credits or the IMDB info, though she is very visible in the film, and there is a photo and a lobby card that features her and Mature. Some eBay sellers confuse her with Li Li Hua.

 A lobby card photo suggests that Mature is happy to see Lu. Not so.

Her name is Lisa Lu, and these days she is very familiar to screen audiences, having done numerous TV and feature films in her long career, including a few for the Shaw Brothers Company in Hong Kong. As age 93 she is still working in film, and can be most recently seen in CRAZY RICH ASIANS. For an interview on CCTV, she mentioned the film and her entrance through the Hollywood door....

Borzage was from the same drama school as Lu, so the promising actress went to see him. To her disappointment, Borzage said that she was already too late. The main role had been filled by Li Li Hua, and there was nothing else for her, as the smaller part available needed a women with big breasts, which Lu didn't have. But Lu persisted. She was also without the important SAG (Screen Actors Guild) card, and Borzage was her only connection in Hollywood. Thankfully, Borzage relented.

Lu's role was a working girl of Sadie's Place, a bar catering to foreign men by providing drink, gambling and "other services." Dressed in a tight black dress, with her coquettish manner and stunning hypnotic eyes, Lu was sexy without the big breasts that were initially wanted. Borzage was impressed and considered Lu to be talented enough to make a career out of acting. He was right.

The film was made in the late 1950s and by an actor/director/producer that had lived through more traditional experiences for decades. The times were a changin', for sure, but not yet completely with film, so what happens between the malaria-feverish Mature character and his China doll is left primarily to the imagination. Not so much in the paperback written by Edgar Jean Bracco and based on the screenplay by Kitty Buhler,

Bending swiftly, she took off her sandals. A few quick motions and her robe dropped to the floor. She glanced at him but his eyes were closed on the pain. With a small sound she removed her underthings. For the space of two quick breaths she stood naked beside his cot.

Then she slipped under the blankets. She stretched her body over his, pulling the blankets tightly around him. "Warm, I make--warm."

She lay very still, afraid to move. Beneath her she felt him tremble. Her body rose and fell with his deep, spasmodic breathing. 

"Sleep," she said softly in his ear. "Sleep. Warm. Sick go."

Some of the chill seemed to leave him. His fever-ridden mind was aware of a disturbance keener and more poignant than the malaria. A weight was on him, but it was warm and soft and good.

And then suddenly he became aware of her. Suddenly he knew that this was not a child whose body was warming his body. Through the pain and the damnable cold, he felt her against him and realized that this was the warm softness of a woman. 

The movie's "leave it to the imagination" may also have been the admonition on Hua's part to not do kissing scenes. "In China we are not demonstrative in public and our actors to not kiss on the screen. I couldn't possibly think of doing that, even in an American film."

It appears that Mature was not a fan of this attitude. He temporarily walked off the set when Hua refused to do a kissing scene with him. And later, he had this to say, wondering what the problem was: "I've been kissed by leading ladies of all nationalities in over 30 pictures."

But Hua took this huffing and puffing from her famous co-star rather humorously: "I think Vic is a big, bad wolf."

Well, no kissing scenes in the film, but her character does get pregnant by the Mature character and they get married....

If one examines the film and some of the lobbies or stills, it does provide contemporary comments from the Agenda crowd. The main Asian characters are a woman and a boy, both worshiping the hero, a white soldier in their country. However, the arch is not just their sacrifice, it is his. The heart is not just a lonely hunter; it is a hunter for the Milk of Human Kindness.

Having said all this, I still don't call someone "a doll." It is old-fashioned and not who I am. But I can appreciate the presence of Li Li Hua and Lisa Lu, and find them appealing and delicious in that manly way that can be misunderstood as only sexual thoughts and little else. If one assumes the worst, one can be wrong.

The Anna May Wong Library

Not really. Just a frivolous pipe dream, but it would be good to have these things translated. Both of them are based on Anna May Wong films. The first is DAUGHTER OF SHANGHAI, translated here in Norwegian. The second is based on BOMBS OVER BURMA and uses small photos of the film, while text is in French.