Movie
Flower Drum Song
Musical film with a runtime of 133 minutes, released in 1961. Presented in English.
At a Glance
Synopsis
The only Rodgers and Hammerstein cinemadaptation to be produced by Universal Pictures, Flower Drum Song was, alas, also the only Rogers and Hammerstein film to lose money at the box office. It looks far better now than it did back in 1961, if only because of the paucity of musical films in the 1990s. Essentially a comedy about the culture clash between old-world Chinese and assimilated Chinese-Americans, the film begins when Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) and her grandfather (Kam Tong) smuggle themselves into San Francisco. It seems that Mei Li has arrived to honor an arranged marriage between herself and Runyonesque nightclub owner Sammy Fong (the incomparable Jack Soo). This might prove delicate, since Sammy is in love with flashy cabaret entertainer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). Meanwhile, Linda is romancing Wang Ta (James Shigeta), the son of a wealthy Chinatown merchant (Benson Fong). Soon, however, Mei Li and Wang Ta have fallen in love.......It's a complex plot, to be sure, but comedy and music manage to predominate. The songs include "I Enjoy Being a Girl" (a tour de force for the special effects department, and for Nancy Kwan), "A Hundred Million Miracles," "The Other Generation," "Love Look Away," "I Am Going to Like It Here," "Don't Marry Me," "You Are Beautiful," "Grant Avenue" and "Chop Suey." Flower Drum Song is attractively produced and consummately acted; while no classic along the lines of King and I or Sound of Music, it deserves a second look.
Where to Watch
Start with the quickest viewing option we have for this title.
Availability can vary by country and over time.
Cast
- Nancy Kwan
- James Shigeta
- Miyoshi Umeki
- Juanita Hall
- Jack Soo
- Benson Fong
- Reiko Sato
- Patrick Adiarte
- Kam Tong
- Victor Sen Yung
- Soo Yong
- Ching Wah Lee
- James Hong
- Spencer Chan
- Arthur Song
- Weaver Levy
- Herman Rudin
- Cherylene Lee
- Virginia Lee
- Virginia Grey
- Paul Sorenson
- Ward Ramsey
- Laurette Luez
- Robert Kino
- Beal Wong
- Jon Fong
- Willard Lee
- Beulah Quo
- Frank Kumagai
- Miton Carruth
- Hermes Pan
- Waldon O. Watson
- Alfred Newman
- Joseph C. Wright
- Joseph Fields
- Howard Bristol
- Alexander Golitzen
- Milton Carruth
- Irene Sharaff
- Russell Metty
