The Crimson Kimono (1959)

When a stripper (Gloria Pall) is murdered on the streets of L.A., two detectives are assigned to the case. One Caucasian (Glenn Corbett) and the other Japanese (James Shigeta), they have a history together going back to the Korean war (they even live together). When they both fall in love with a witness (Victoria Shaw) in the case, repressed racial tensions come into play. Directed by Samuel Fuller, this pulp thriller gives us a peek at the seedier habitats of L.A. as well as Little Tokyo. Once again, like SHOCK CORRIDOR, PICK UP ON SOUTH STREET and NAKED KISS, Fuller thrives in the lurid world of misfits, outsiders, strippers, criminals that serve as a contrast to the "normal" environs of a more respectable society. It's a crude film in many ways (even the acting is rather primitive) but it's one of the few films of the era (BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK is another one) that examines the prejudice toward Japanese-Americans. But it's actually the love or bond between the two men that is the backbone of the film rather than the interracial romance. With Anna Lee, Jaclynne Green and Walter Burke.