Thanks so much, Nick, for posting this fascinating interview with Nancy Kwan! It really opened my eyes to the history behind "Flower Drum Song" and the challenges faced by Asian actors back in the 60's. It sure was a different world back then. I remember it well.
I fell in love with Nancy Kwan when I saw The World of Suzy Wong and from then on I could not see enough of her. I was introduced to Flower Drum with the Broadway cast recording (Columbia Record Club). Living in a small town in Idaho I had never seen a musical on stage and I thought the ultimate was to be made into a movie. I could then see it. Loved the movie and thrilled that I could once again see the beautiful Nancy Kwan..
We saw one another in Westwood, next to UCLA. You were seated at a restaurant table and I walking by. I remember when our eyes met -- I was starstruck! Which rarely happened to me. Thank you, darling Miss Kwan.
Check it out. Foster Hirsh mentioned there was only one surviving cast member of the movie beside Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta. This talented hawaiian actor died on July 28, 2014, just two days after this meeting.
There must be an error because we went to Mr. Shigeta's service prior to this screening. It was a lovely service at his beautiful church on Wilshire & Commonwealth. His ashes were later scattered in Hawaii.
@@Bigbadwhitecracker I didn't know either. That made me dad. He appeared in an episode of Perry Mason. Also in the movie " Bridge to the Sun". a story of the love story of a Southern lady and a Japanese man before W W II , during the war, and post war.. James was so good looking and had an unforgettable voice that I recognized in Disney's Moena . He will be missed.
I just saw "The Crimson Kimona" on TCM yesterday, 5/17/20. That film was way before its time as well. James got the girl- Caucasian. He was a LA cop and was in a love triangle with his partner-another Caucasian. James Shigeta died a few years ago. He was so handsome. RIP
I live in Monterey Park! How in the heck did I miss or not here about this interview at my local library with one of the most beautiful, talented and legendary Hollywood movie stars ever! Darn it!!
The some of the first Asian stars of Hollywood were Ana May Wong (born in Los, Angeles), and Sessue Hayakawa (born in Japan) both who starred in films during the silent era.
The Filipinos were probably the First to come to The USA as Farmer's in Hawaii, then the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. This Country is Great because of the Melting pot of wonderful people from all over the world. We welcome everyone who's here to help make this a even Greater place to live. Thank you and keep. Fighting for Freedom and your right to live in peace.
@@JamesBond-ml3zp Hawaii wasn't yet a state when Filipino workers started to migrate there in the very early 20th century. Hawaii became a state in 1959. So those early workers were not in the USA. Decades prior to that, Chinese immigrants had already come to the west coast of the U.S., partly to take part in the California Gold Rush. They also made up the bulk of the workers who built the transcontinental railroad (from the western end). The history of Asians in this country is an important and complex one that should be more widely taught. Beginning with the Chinese, Asians faced terrible racism here. Google "Chinese exclusion act" to learn about how American citizenship was defined in such a way as to exclude Asians from qualifying. Chinese immigrants and their descendants were shunned, lynched, and otherwise discriminated against. Japanese and Korean immigrants were eventually grouped with the Chinese and targeted as well. It should also be remembered that there were a few immigrants from India in the U.S. early in the 19th century; however, they didn't yet constitute a large immigrant group.
@@Historian212 Hawaii was a kingdom in 1795-1893. It then became the Provisional Government of Hawaii 1893-1894. Then the Republic of Hawaii 1894-1898. On August 12, 1898, it became annexed by the United States as an organized incorporated territory of the United States. The Territory of Hawaii was formally established as part of the U.S. on June 14, 1900. So any workers in the Territory of Hawaii after that date are, in fact, in the United States of America even though it was not a state until 1959.
I had such a crush on Nancy when I was growing up. She is still such a beautiful lady for sure. I own the video and watch the movie occasionally so nice to have it available. Thanks for posting the video I really enjoyed the content. Lived in Japan for a few years so I have had some exposure to the Asian culture and have to say I have a great appreciation for the culture and so enjoyed my time in Japan. Thanks again for the video. Go watch the movie again.
This library can't afford two microphones? In any event, I've been a fan of Nancy and FDS for nearly 40 years. I love what the stand in lady said. So true. Great QA.
C.Y. Lee, the writer of Flower Drum Song, went to work for a newspaper in Chinatown shortly after I left there in 1950. Jack Soo, who everybody thought was Chinese, was actually a Japanese. He changed his name to work in a Chinese night club called the Forbidden City. Good to see Nancy Kwan here, a nice woman.
Oh, that's interesting about Jack Soo! Also interesting that he portrayed Japanese-American detective Yamana in the TV show _Barney Miller_, in the 70s-80s. I bet most of us remarked on how a Chinese actor was playing a Japanese character. Ironic.
Great Interview!! Great questions and insightful answers. How Nancy Kwan can stay so beautiful and elegant after all these years is beyond amazing and you would never feel she is a diva living in the pass. I bet you can put her in a modern movie in a leading role today and she would more than hold her own. She is truly a living legend and we don't get that many left anymore. I was only able to see bit and pieces of the movie, wish I can see the full movie.
My reason for my first and only visit to San Francisco was because of Flower Drum Song with Nancy Kwan. I dreamt of dancing down Grant Avenue. When I got there I was so sorely disappointed. I found it very dirty and not at all like what I had pictured.
That movie has the most amazing extras -- because they're not from the Hollywood union. They look completely engaged, excited, real and human. It helps the believability of the film.
Flower Drum Song and particularly Nancy Kwan’s role portrayed a modern independent young woman in 1962 in a very important way for me. That character was the living embodiment of the original Barbie doll that had instantly stolen my heart on sight in 1959. Her song “I Enjoy Being A Girl” became a mantra for me as a young woman. It really helped me embrace my power as a lovely girl. I found this interview on RU-vid after watching that song with gorgeous Nancy Kwan today because even 60 years later I still need her delightful smile. So wonderful to see her looking fabulous in this interview and telling great stories. Thank you thank you thank you.
I have been in love with this incredible lady ever since I saw this great film and years before our family were on "Columbia record" list and this is one soundtrack we received and being a musician would have loved to be in the stage performance and if I could find this dvd I'd buy it in a second
I just watched FLOWER DRUM SONG for the first time. It's fun hearing Nancy Kwan's memories. She is still a very elegant lady, but was so beautiful & glamourous as Linda Low. It's good that she didn't face much prejudice as a mixed race person. Thanks for uploading this nice interview :)
One of my favorite movies due to the performances of Nancy Quan, Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo, James Shigeta, etc. A little trivia: Actress Juanita Hall who played Madame Liang was biracial. Her father was African-American & her mother was Irish. Such a virtual actress!
I was curious. Juanita gained a lot of fame playing Bloody Mary on stage and screen in South Pacific. However , for the film her singing was dubbed. They made it up to her by casting her in their very next show Madame Liang in Flower Drum Song which she also did on stage and screen....this time NOT dubbed. She rocked.
@@ciprianogonzalez7254 Juanita and Miyoshi were the only members of the Broadway Cast to revive their roles for the movie. (Jack Soo was in it but played the Emcee)They definitely changed Linda for the movie. In the Broadway version, they made it a joke out of how Linda wasn't much of a dancer, while in the movie, Nancy could move like nobody's business. The gal who played Linda from the Broadway Cast could belt those songs, but the gal who dubbed for Nancy....sounded like her...maybe a bit less "belty" (lower key?)....I really thought she did her own singing for years.
All Asian cast in musical movie Flower Drum Song made in 1961, then many decades later we see all Asian cast again in Joy Luck Club, Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi and 2023’s Oscar award winning Everything Everywhere All At Once! 94-year old James Hong, who played head waiter “Jimmy” of Celestial Garden in Flower Drum Song, now receiving so much attention & love as Gong-Gong in EEAAO, finally received his star on Hollywood Walk of Fame last March 2022. He gave amazing speech at 2023 SAG Awards, talking about history of Asian actors in Hollywood film industry, who used white actors pretending to be Asian. At end of his amazing speech, with cast of EEAAO behind him, James shouts “Look at us now!” Few weeks later, Oscar awards were presented to Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Actor, Daniel Quan for Best Director, Stephanie Hsu nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Jamie Lee (is she not Asian too?) for Best Supporting Actress, Daniel Quan for Best Director and EEAAO for Best Picture! Thank you, Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Jack Soo, Myoshi Umeki, Raiko Sato, Benson Fong and James Hong for paving the way by portraying real Asians in this lovely funny rom-com musical! 🎵🐉🍜⛩🎭🎞🥢🎤❤
Juanita Hall wasn't Asian American. Her part was supposed to be played by Anna May Wong died a month before filming began. Would have been a great comeback for Anna. ⭐️👑
He is finally set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the American film and television industries. (No, I'm not related to him.)
Hey guys I'm working on a video essay on the legacy of Flower Drum Song, and I was hoping I could use a few snippets of what Nancy says here if that's okay?
She was in a movie where she was a doctor. An Asian woman playing a doctor in an all white or black I don’t know what they were in that movie and that was wonderful because she was a smart but kind doctor.
So talented, unfortunately never got the amount of work she should have. She says her mother is English but I believe she means British, actually a Scot. Her father was Chinese but being born in Hong Kong he would be British.
The singing voice of the character Linda Low (portrayed by Nancy Kwan) was dubbed by B.J. Baker. The torch song "Love, Look Away" sung by Helen Chao (portrayed by Reiko Sato) was dubbed in by the American opera singer Marilyn Horne. Dr. Han Li (portrayed by Kam Tong) is dubbed by John Dodson.
@larciabella: He was in the Broadway cast and be heard on the cast album. In the original cast he played the Master of Ceremonies and sang “Gliding Through My Memories.”
Juanita Hall was great portraying Madame/Auntie Leong. I loved her role as she obtained her American citizenship and tells all about the American way and customs. She was also in another R&H musical film - South Pacific as polynesian Bloody Mary.
Nancy Kwan is very pretty, but she doesn't look very Chinese. Maybe she is only part Chinese? I saw Flower Drum Song, and loved her singing in that! ~Janet in Canada
In this interview, Nancy says her father is Chinese and her mother is English. Nancy is a beautiful Eurasian who can speak Cantonese & English. She does not sing in this musical, as her songs were dubbed by a professional singer.
'asian' is a ridiculous word he uses all the time .....even among 'chinese' speaking the main language was Cantonese, and they are genocideing that language
