Flower Drum Song
Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour. It was ad…
Is Flower Drum Song (film) a musical?
Flower Drum Song (film) This article's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II.
What is the story of Flower Drum Song about?
Flower Drum Song. Lee's novel focuses on a father, Wang Chi-yang, a wealthy refugee from China, who clings to traditional values in San Francisco 's Chinatown. Rodgers and Hammerstein shifted the focus of the musical to his son, Wang Ta, who is torn between his Chinese roots and assimilation into American culture.
Who are the main characters in Flower Drum Song?
Sammy Fong (Jack Soo) and Linda Low (Nancy Kwan) in Flower Drum Song. A young woman named Mei Li emigrates from China to Chinatown, San Francisco as an illegal immigrant with her father. After landing, the Lis seek the address of Madam Fong, the mother of Sammy Fong, to whom Mei Li has been promised in an arranged marriage.
What is a good book to read about Flower Drum Songs?
Flower Drum Songs: The Story of Two Musicals (illustrated ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Co. ISBN 978-0-7864-2246-3. Cunningham, Brian.
What is Flower Drum Song based on?
The Flower Drum SongFlower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour. It was adapted for a 1961 musical film.
How long is Flower Drum Song?
2h 12mFlower Drum Song / Running time
When was the movie The Flower Drum Song made?
November 9, 1961Flower Drum Song / Initial releaseFlower Drum Song is a 1961 American musical film directed by Henry Koster, adapted from the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, in turn based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee.
Did James Shigeta sing in Flower Drum Song?
In “Flower Drum Song the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about clashing traditional Chinese and American cultures in San Francisco, Shigeta had several numbers to sing, including the lyrical “You Are Beautiful.” In a 2004 interview with The Times, he dismissed the movie as “a delightful little piece, very frothy.”
Who is the character of Flower Drum Song?
Linda LowNancy Kwan, B.J. BakerMei LiMiyoshi UmekiSammy FongJack SooWang TaJames ShigetaWang SanPatrick AdiarteHelen ChaoReiko SatoFlower Drum Song/Characters
Did the cast of Flower Drum Song do their own singing?
Did Nancy Kwan do her own singing in Flower Drum Song? Nancy Kwan's singing was actually dubbed by B.J. Baker in English. All of her songs from the movie were dubbed.
How old was Nancy Kwan when she made Flower Drum Song?
Jack Soo (1917-1979) was 44 and Nancy Kwan (b. 1939) was 22 years old.
Who wrote the Flower Drum Song movie?
Joseph FieldsOscar Hammerst... IIFlower Drum Song/Screenplay
Who wrote the music for Flower Drum Song?
Richard RodgersFlower Drum Song / ComposerRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence on popular music. Wikipedia
How old is Shigeta?
85 years (1929–2014)James Shigeta / Age at death
Is Shigeta alive?
July 28, 2014James Shigeta / Date of death
Who is Helen in Flower Drum Song?
Marilyn HorneFlower Drum Song (1961) - Marilyn Horne as Helen Chao - IMDb.
Who wrote the music for Flower Drum Song?
Richard RodgersFlower Drum Song / ComposerRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century, and his compositions had a significant influence on popular music. Wikipedia
What was Flower Drum Song what was important about it what was the critique?
Flower Drum Song was one of five Asian-themed plays on Broadway in 1959, which despite the partial casting of white actors in yellowface, offered acting opportunities for Asian and Asian American actors never since equaled.
Where is Flower Drum Song set?
San Francisco's ChinatownA young woman arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown from Hong Kong with the intention of marrying a rakish nightclub owner, unaware he is involved with one of his singers.
Who choreographed Flower Drum Song?
Hermes PanThe choreographer for Flower Drum Song was Hermes Pan. The talent choreographer received many praises for his work in the movie.
What is the strong point of Flower Drum Song?
Since colorfulness and pleasant music were the strong points in Flower Drum Song... when it bloomed on the Broadway stage, it is notable that the film version stresses those qualities and does well enough by others.
Who directed the Broadway version of Rodgers and Hammerstein?
This screen version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway success about life in San Francisco's Chinatown was woefully patronising and under-directed by Henry Koster.
Who plays Linda Low in the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical?
In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). To get out of the arrangement, Sammy pawns her off to wealthy Master Wang (Benson Fong) as a fiancée for his son, ...
Is Flower Drum Song a film?
Flower Drum Song has been overwhelmed by the sheer opulence and glamour with which Ross Hunter has translated it to the screen. As a film, it emerges a curiously unaffecting, unstable and rather undistinguished experience.
Is Lesser of Rodgers and Hammerstein a good musical?
Lesser of Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals has some good songs, performances.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song
In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong, but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low. To get out of the arrangement, Sammy pawns her off to wealthy Master Wang as a fiancée for his son, Wang Ta.
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Rodgers and Hammerstein composed some of the most glorious music ever written for the stage in Carousel. This is a dazzling adaptation featuring all-star performances from Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, and others.
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This is a handsome production of a minor Rodgers & Hammerstein musical - their only real musical comedy in the "Guys & Dolls" mold. The plot is a bit creaky - mixed up lovers end up engaged to the wrong people. But the subject is the American immigrant experience with some in the old world, some in the new, and a lost generation caught in between.
Storyline
Chinese stowaway Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) arrives in San Francisco with her father to meet her fiancé, wealthy nightclub owner Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), in an arranged marriage, but the groom has his eye on his star singer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan).
Did you know
Of the four lead actors who are all portraying ethnic Chinese, only Nancy Kwan is, and is only part so (she is biracial). James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki and Jack Soo are all ethnic Japanese.
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By what name was Flower Drum Song (1961) officially released in Canada in English?
What is the flower drum song?
For other uses, see Flower Drum Song (disambiguation). Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour.
When did Flower Drum Song come out?
After the Boston tryouts, Flower Drum Song opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on December 1, 1958 . Sets were designed by Oliver Smith, costumes by Irene Sharaff and lighting by Peggy Clark.
How many copies of Flower Drum Song were sold?
The album sold a relatively modest 300,000 copies, compared with sales of over a million copies for Rodgers and Hammerstein's next and final musical, The Sound of Music. Still, it was certified as a gold record for having at least a million dollars in sales, and it spent 67 weeks in the U.S. Top 40, three of them at number 1, and also did well in the UK when the show opened there in 1960. The original cast album is relatively complete, even including parts of the Wedding Parade, though it does not include the ballet.
What year was the Flower Drum Song adapted?
1961 film adaptation. 2002 Broadway revival. Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on the 1957 novel, The Flower Drum Song, by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour. It was adapted for a 1961 musical film .
Is Flower Drum Song a Rodgers and Hammerstein hit?
For example, New York Journal American critic John McClain stated, " Flower Drum Song is a big fat Rodgers and Hammerstein hit, and nothing written here will have the slightest effect on the proceeds.".
What is the flower drum song?
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 American musical film directed by Henry Koster, adapted from the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, in turn based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee.
Who wrote the script for Flower Drum Song?
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.
When was Flower Drum Song selected for preservation?
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".
Who played Linda Low in Flower Drum Song?
Sammy Fong (Jack Soo) and Linda Low (Nancy Kwan) in Flower Drum Song. A young woman named Mei Li emigrates from China to Chinatown, San Francisco as an illegal immigrant with her father. After landing, the Lis seek the address of Madam Fong, the mother of Sammy Fong, to whom Mei Li has been promised in an arranged marriage.
