But [Hwang] had a secret soft spot for the movie version. [64] New orchestrations were by Don Sebesky and music director David Chase. "[83] The New York Daily Mirror termed it, "Another notable work by the outstanding craftsmen of our musical theatre ... a lovely show, an outstanding one in theme and treatment. Although the score of Flower Drum Song did not produce many hit tunes, the song "I Enjoy Being a Girl" has been recorded by such performers as Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Pat Suzuki, and Phranc, and it has been used in other movies and shows. The film was notable as the first that featured nearly all Asian American cast members[22][23] (one of the few speaking Caucasian parts being that of a mugger), including dancers, though three of the singing voices were not Asian ones. [26] The role of Madam Liang, Master Wang's sister-in-law, fell to Juanita Hall, a light-skinned African American who had played a Tonkinese (Vietnamese) woman, Bloody Mary, in South Pacific. "[84] Less enthusiastic, however, was the longtime New York Times critic, Brooks Atkinson, who repeatedly described it as merely "pleasant". Act I: Impatient at Ta's inability to find a wife, Wang arranges for a picture bride for his son. [7] Rodgers and Hammerstein had made it their rule to begin work on their next musical as soon as the last opened on Broadway, but by the start of 1957, six months after Pipe Dream closed, the pair had no new stage musical in prospect. The show failed to raise enough money for an immediate Broadway run, but Hwang hoped that an extended Los Angeles run would lead to raising additional funds. Ta can not forget Mei-li, and his uncle Chin (a janitor under the new regime) advises Ta to pursue her ("My Best Love"). All tracks are written by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics).
The nightclub is profitable; the Chinese opera is not. Linda is soon signed by talent agent Rita Liang, who pushes Wang to turn the theater into a club full-time ("Grant Avenue"), and he reluctantly opens Club Chop Suey. [69] Variety called it "a bold theatrical operation, an artistic success". A cast album for Hwang's revision was released in 2002 featuring strong performances from Lea Salonga as Mei-li and Jose Llana as Wang Ta. Though it received warm applause from the audience, the critics mostly panned it. Mei-li tells Ta that she and Chao have decided to return to China together, or at least to Hong Kong, then administered by the British. It features dubbing by the opera singer Marilyn Horne ("Love, Look Away") and band singer B. J. Baker (for Linda Low's songs). [21], Principal photography began on March 20, 1961; the film was largely shot at Stage 12 of the Universal Studios Lot, on a 51,300 sq ft (4,770 m2) set built to reproduce Chinatown, including the opening scenes at Saint Mary's Square (complete with a replica of the stainless steel statute of Sun Yat-Sen sculpted by Beniamino Bufano), at a cost of $310,000.[9]. ", 09 May 2020 Lee, whose best-selling novel "The Flower Drum Song" became the basis for a popular stage musical and Oscar-nominated film, has died at age 102. "[7], Some Asian-Americans have found the film offensive in later years due to common stereotypes and what was seen as miscasting Japanese American actors Shigeta and Umeki in Chinese American roles.
In the end, taking his son's advice, Wang decides not to go to the herbalist to seek a remedy for his cough, but walks to a Chinese-run Western clinic, symbolizing that he is beginning to accept American culture. Many lines of dialogue were cut, and producer Fred Van Patten stated that "[w]hat we've done is cut things in the show that Asians said to make white people laugh. Sammy enumerates his many faults ("Don't Marry Me") in a last-ditch attempt to convince Mei Li to break the contract. [3][4] In 2008, Flower Drum Song was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5][6]. So growing up, the musical represented one of the few positive portrayals of people that looked like me.
[49] It was less successfully revived by that company five years later; though it still attracted large crowds, local critics complained that Hammerstein's view of Asians was outdated. Linda's constant companion is a gay costume designer, Harvard (so named by his success-obsessed Chinese parents). Talk about stereotypes.
A talented dancer, he was cast as Wang San, Ta's thoroughly Americanized younger brother. [62], Hwang was given a free hand with dialogue; he was not allowed to change lyrics. The Flower Drum Song is a novel by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee, first published in 1957.The novel tells the story of Chinese immigrants in San Francisco, and was a bestseller in its time.It is the basis of 1958 musical Flower Drum Song, and later a movie of the same title, released in 1961, starring Nancy Kwan and James Shigeta. In the span of a few hours, they wrote the lyrics and music to "Don't Marry Me". [52], The musical proved difficult to produce for amateur and school groups, however, because it requires a cast either Asian or made up as Asian. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. [21] Kwan's casting was announced in February 1961. Ta returns home and meets Mei Li, who is immediately attracted to him ("I Am Going to Like It Here"), though Ta is unimpressed. For an enhanced browsing experience, get the IMDb app on your smartphone or tablet. Ta invites the two into the Wang household, with his father's approval, and he and May Li fall in love.
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[4], Rodgers and Hammerstein, despite extraordinary early successes, such as Oklahoma!, Carousel and South Pacific, had suffered back-to-back Broadway flops in the mid-1950s with Me and Juliet and Pipe Dream.
Mei Li, hearing this, becomes discouraged, while Ta and his father argue over his marriage plans. "[37] Life called it "gay, tuneful and well worth the admission". [31] The production used Haney's choreography, Bennett's orchestrations and the Broadway set and costume designs, but was directed and supervised by Jerome Whyte. [31], The musical opened for tryouts on October 27, 1958 at Boston's Shubert Theatre.
[53] The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, which licenses the partnership's works, believes that the work's loss of popularity was due in part to increased racial sensitivity in the U. S. after the civil rights movement. [31], In 1960, the London cast recording was released. The screenplay was written by Joseph Fields, who had previously collaborated with Hammerstein on the libretto for the musical, but had not previously written a major musical film; likewise, the director Henry Koster and producer Ross Hunter were working on their first musical film. Mei-li is fascinated by Linda, who urges her to adopt the American lifestyle ("I Enjoy Being a Girl").
[38] A private screening was held for President John F. Kennedy and his family at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port on November 24. [13], The musical retained Lee's "central theme – a theme coursing through much 20th-century American literature: the conflict between Old World immigrants and their New World offspring". [27][28] Kwan won the role of Linda Low when she met Ross Hunter, the producer of Flower Drum Song, at a party after he saw her film debut in the 1960 film adaptation of The World of Suzie Wong. The publishing house did, and bought Lee's novel, which became a bestseller in 1957.[2][3]. Dashes indicate roles cut from 2002 production. [93] Hammerstein wrote Mei Li's first act song, "I Am Going to Like It Here", in a Malaysian poetic form called pantoum in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next. Lee", "AFI Fest 2016: "Piccadilly" and a doomed diva", "Gung Hay Fat Choy ... happy year of the ox to you", "The 34th Academy Awards (1962) Nominees and Winners", "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions Nominees", "Screen: 'Flower Drum Song' Opens: Movie Drawn From a Musical Arrives; Music Hall Offering New Film in Color", "Family Films Make Comeback In Hollywood", "Children Can Get Video Lessons From Mister Rogers, Mr. Wizard", I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair, The Sound of Music: Music from the NBC Television Event, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flower_Drum_Song_(film)&oldid=981484517, United States National Film Registry films, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Wang Chi-Yang, Madam Liang, Sam, and Orchestra, Wang Ta, Madam Liang, Sam, Orchestra and Chorus, "Gliding Through My Memoree / Fan Tan Fanny", Frankie Wing / Linda Low, Chorus and Orchestra, "Finale: Wedding Procession + Wedding Ceremony / End Title", This page was last edited on 2 October 2020, at 16:07.
[19], The 1961 film production of Flower Drum Song was produced by Universal Studios, a break for Rodgers and Hammerstein, who had previously had their films produced by Twentieth Century Fox. Sammy has taken the liberty of bringing the girl and her father with him; Wang is charmed ("A Hundred Million Miracles") and invites them to live in his home on the understanding that if the proposed marriage falls through, Fong will still be bound to marry Mei Li. Most notably, while Helen is simply left alone and broken-hearted in the musical and film versions, Ta's rejection of her prompts her to commit suicide in the novel. [31][46], Lewis calls the 1961 film version of Flower Drum Song, starring Umeki, Soo, Hall and Suzie Wong star Nancy Kwan, "a bizarre pastiche of limping mediocrity". [1] The closing was followed by a national tour that garnered mixed reviews, although Hwang stated that it was well received in every city except New York. [48] Nevertheless, it was nominated for five Academy Awards and featured choreography by Hermes Pan. [14] In the 1950s, there were relatively few Asian-American actors;[19] Rodgers believed that Asians avoided acting because of shyness. In the morning, Mei Li comes to deliver a burned coat for Helen to mend, and becomes distressed when she discovers Wang Ta's clothing in Helen's kitchen. Brynner, who had gained fame in the team's 1951 hit, The King and I, was an accomplished director. In 1960, Wu Mei-li, a performer in Chinese opera, flees China with a flower drum after her father dies in prison for defying the Communists ("A Hundred Million Miracles"). Sammy has already proposed to Linda, who daydreams about wedded life ("Sunday"). "[15] Lewis notes that Chao's role, though diminished in the musical, nevertheless gives it some of its darkest moments, and she serves much the same purpose as Jud Fry: to be, in Hammerstein's words, "the bass fiddle that gives body to the orchestration of the story". Horne and Newman were friends through her extensive background singing on film soundtracks. After the release of the 1961 film version, the musical was rarely produced, as it presented casting issues and fears that Asian-Americans would take offense at how they are portrayed. Ta becomes drunk in his misery over Linda, and Helen ends up letting him stay for the night in her apartment, where she declares her unrequited love ("Love, Look Away").
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