Flower Drum Song (1961)

A young girl (Miyoshi Umeki) and her father (Kam Tong) enter the U.S. illegally so she can marry the Chinese gentleman (Jack Soo( she has been promised to. Problems occur when Soo has his own plans which include the headliner (Nancy Kwan) of his nightclub but not Umeki. Based on the Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musical by way of the novel by Chin Yang Lee and directed by Henry Koster (MY COUSIN RACHEL). Rodgers & Hammerstein's charming musical about the clash between cultures and generations in a Chinese-American family became the first (unlike the Broadway show it's based on which had Caucasians playing Chinese) major film to have an all Asian cast, save one. The film's Chinese Aunt is played by Juanita Hall recreating her Broadway role, who is African American and Irish. The film is colorful and richly photographed in Panavision by that wizard of the camera, Russell Metty (SPARTACUS) who received an Oscar nomination for the film. The song score by Rodgers & Hammerstein, which has never sounded better, is filled with melody and beautifully adapted for the screen by the great Alfred Newman. Musically, the highlight is the aching love song Love Look Away sung by Marilyn Horne dubbing Reiko Sato and danced by Sato. The choreography is by Hermes Pan. With James Shigeta, Benson Fong and Virginia Grey.