Thu 10/5 @ 7PM
Certainly the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, and the 1961 film made from it, might seem at little dated in view of our changing awareness of Asian culture in the U.S. but it also largely avoids the egregious stereotypes that make some films uncomfortable to modern eyes. There were no Caucasian actors in “yellow face”; the cast was largely Asian in the big Hollywood movie to do so, in a story about contemporary Asian Americans in San Francisco. (One key role was played by a half African-American actress.)
The story, which revolves around the romantic entanglements of the main characters, is impacted by the undocumented status of one of them, a “mail order bride” from China who falls in love with someone else. Meanwhile the man she has come over to marry has fortunately also done so, and — spoiler alert! — the musical ends in a double wedding.
The legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II provided the tunes for the show, the best known of which is “I Enjoy Being a Girl.” “Love Look Away,” “You Are Beautiful” and “I Am Going to Like It Here” are other tunes some might recognize.
If you’d like to delve into this film more, it’s the next offering from The Musical Theater Project’s Movies at Home series. It starts with a video intro by TMTP’s artistic director Bill Rudman, telling you what to watch for. Then screen the film for free on YouTube. Finally join Bill and other musical film lovers on Zoom on Thursday October 5 to talk about it. Go here to participate.