Anna May Wong, the Star (Appreciation Post/That's Old News!)

As January nears its close, I'd like to honor our Star of the Month with an "appreciation post" and by also making her the sole subject of January's "That's Old News!" installment. 

************

That's Old News! (January 2015)

From NoirWHALE

After working the stages and screens of Europe for a few years, Anna May Wong brought her stage talent to Broadway for the first time in 1930. Click here to read The Milwaukee Sentinel's rave review of her performance in On the Spot, a "Chicago gangster play". 

From The Red List

There always seemed (and seems) to be much interest in Anna May Wong's ethnicity and nationality. The November 3, 1934 issue of The Montreal Gazette featured an article that expressed awe over Ms. Wong's "strange combination" of East and West. Click here to read it.

From Explore Chinatown

A December 1936 issue of The Pittsburgh Press reported Anna May Wong's complaints about discrimination in Hollywood. The newspaper seemed to dismiss Ms. Wong's charges, however. Read the article here.

From the Google News Archive

*This news story might be triggering, for it contains some violent/graphic keywords. 

A March 1937 issue of The Bulletin reported physical threats against Anna May Wong, her father, and against Mrs. David O. Selznick's children by a "Dr. E.J. Foote" if the actress and the producer's wife didn't give him $20,000 each. Read more of the story here.

From Love HK Film

Anna May Wong and Philip Ahn were not only co-stars on a few films, but they were also childhood friends. Did a real life romance ever blossom between the two? They (somewhat) denied the rumors in an October 1937 issue of the Herald-Journal. Read it here.


************

Anna May Wong Appreciation

Movies Online

Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words
(2013 documentary on YouTube)

Hollywood on Parade No. A-3 (1932) (YouTube)
(Anna May Wong plays herself in this short)

Hollywood Party (1937) (YouTube)
(After 8 minutes and 50 seconds of cultural appropriation abound, Anna May Wong emerges in part one of the upload of this short)

The Toll of the Sea (1922) (YouTube)
(Anna May Wong's first lead role)

The Thief of Bagdad (1924) (The Internet Archive)
(Anna May Wong appears as "The Mongol Slave")

Daughter of the Dragon (1931) (YT)
(Anna May Wong stars in this Dr. Fu Manchu film as "Ling Moy")

A Study in Scarlet (1933) (The Internet Archive)
(Anna May Wong stars in this Sherlock Holmes film as "Mrs. Pyke")

Limehouse Blues (1934) (The Internet Archive)
(Anna May Wong stars as "Tu Tuan")

Bombs Over Burma (1942) (IA)
(Anna May Wong stars as "Lin Ying")

Lady from Chungking (1942) (IA)
(Anna May Wong stars as "Kwan Mei")

Impact (1949) (IA)
(Anna May Wong appears in this Film Noir as "Su Lin Chung")


Television Appearance Online

"The Lady from South Chicago" - Adventures in Paradise (YT)
(Anna May Wong appears as "Madam Lu Yang" in this 1959 episode of Adventures in Paradise)


******

Books

Anna May Wong: From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend (2012) 
(by Graham Russell Gao Hodges) 
(Google Books link)


Anna May Wong: A Complete Guide to Her Film, Stage, Radio and Television Work (2010)
(by Philip Leibfried and Chei Mi Lane)
(Google Books link)

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story (2009)
(A Juvenile Nonfiction book written by Paula Yoo)
(Google Books link)


Anna May Wong's Lucky Shoes: 1939 Australia Through The Eyes Of An Art Deco Diva (2008)
(by Derham Groves)
(Amazon link)


The China Mystique: Pearl S. Buck, Anna May Wong, Mayling Soong, and the Transformation of American Orientalism (2005)
(by Karen J. Leong)
(Amazon link)


China Doll: The Imagined Life of an American Actress (2005)
(A playbook by Elizabeth Wong)
(Google Books link)



************

I hope you found this post to be very informative! I like to think of myself as a champion of classic stars of color. I'm an admirer of their talents and I'm appreciative of the foundations they laid. Though I have a tendency to lament on their struggles and what they couldn't do, I try my hardest to help shine a light on the things they did do. That's really what People of Color in Classic Film is all about. 

Thank you all for being on this journey with me. Please share this post--as well as other posts/media on the worldwide web that relate to Anna May Wong. Let us forever remember her as the beautiful and super-talented legend and trailblazer that she was. 

How I discovered Anna May Wong...

My road to discovering classic entertainment and classic entertainers started with Dorothy Dandridge, and the start of the side road that led me to Anna May Wong was no different.

From The Red List

It was only several years ago when I found out that there was a statue of Dorothy Dandridge somewhere in Los Angeles, or Hollywood. I came across that grand statue and found out three other women accompanied Ms. Dandridge--Mae West, Dolores del Rio, and Anna May Wong. I knew Mae West, but of course, I had to figure out who Dolores del Rio and Anna May Wong was. A quick Wikipedia search put the names and faces of Dolores del Rio and Anna May Wong in my mind, but it wasn't until much later that I really began reading deeper into their lives and careers, especially Ms. Wong's. 

In 2012, I created a blog on Tumblr called Classic Ladies of Color and finding content for this Tumblr was and is always an educational journey. I'd remembered the name Anna May Wong and began posting photos of her, of course (because how can you not???). It was around this time that I began to really read into Anna May Wong--the person and the Asian-American actress in early 20th-century Hollywood. I found out about The Good Earth. I learned about the kind of role she played in the majority of her films and how Chinese and Chinese-American audiences felt about them. Soon, the same way I'd felt about the careers of people like Dorothy Dandridge and Nina Mae McKinney, I began to feel the same feeling of frustration and pity for Anna May Wong--yet another multi-talented woman robbed because of her race. 

From Listal

But as I always say, there's little I or anyone else can do about it now. All we can do is celebrate her legacy and work together to keep it alive! 

From Listal

You can watch some of Anna May Wong's movies on YouTube and on the Internet Archive, and of course, you can order some DVDs from Amazon or your favorite place to shop for movies. There are also some books written about her and there's plenty of memorabilia available on Ebay. 

When do you first hear the name and/or see the face of Anna May Wong?

Anna May Wong as "Lotus Flower" (in 'The Toll of the Sea')

January 3, 2015 marked the 110th anniversary of Anna May Wong's birth in Los Angeles, California. Throughout the month of January, I will be honoring the icon as our 'Star of the Month'--POC in Classic Film's first for the year 2015.

One of my favorite photos of Anna May Wong [Source]

Anna May Wong made her screen debut as an extra in 1919's The Red Lantern. She would go uncredited in two more roles and soon began playing credited (but minor) roles only a few years later. Finally, in 1922 she garnered her first lead role as "Lotus Flower" in The Toll of the Sea. According to IMDb, this movie was "the second color feature, the second Technicolor feature, the first color feature made in Hollywood, and the first color feature anywhere that did not require a special projector to be shown." 

Lotus Flower in her garden (screenshot from The Toll of the Sea, 1922)

While the makers of this film were making history, Anna May Wong was busy churning out one of the finest dramatic performances I've ever seen.

************

In The Toll of the Sea, Anna May Wong manages to evoke both innocence and maturity. Lotus Flower is a young girl bouncing and flouncing about in flowers--then, she's a young woman and mother trying to make sense of her life. At just seventeen years old, Ms. Wong pulled out a dramatic performance that was beyond her years--and it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. I was nearly moved to tears. If the Oscars and Golden Globes were around in 1922/1923, I'm almost certain she would have at least received nominations for her work. Almost certain.

A moving scene (Screenshot from the film)

I highly advise all who are reading this to watch The Toll of the Sea (1922), if you haven't already. It is in the public domain, therefore, it is available on YouTube, the Internet Archive, and even on Wikipedia, as well. 


Also, please check out the documentary, Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words.

Star of the Month (January 2015): Anna May Wong

'Tis a new year, and People of Color in Classic Film has a new Star of the Month--legend of the stage and screen, Ms. Anna May Wong.

Photograph by Carl Van Vechten 

Posts

"As Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea"

"How I Discovered Anna May Wong"

"Appreciation Post/That's Old News!"

That's Old News! (A Monthly Segment)

Thank you for dropping by to read the first post of People of Color in Classic Film's newest segment, "That's Old News!". Below is a collection of five news stories from past Septembers.

************


"Bill (Bojangles) Robinson Dances in "Brown Buddies" at Ford This Week"

(The Baltimore Afro-American--September 27, 1930)

By Carl Van Vechten

With his 30 years of experience, Mr. Bojangles outshines his co-stars in the musical-comedy stage show, Brown Buddies. Read more...


************


"Anna May Wong's Start Wasn't Very Auspicious"

(The Milwaukee Journal--Thursday, September 24, 1931)

Piccadilly star, Anna May Wong recounts her journey to and through Hollywood with The Milwaukee Journal. She also shares a beauty secret of hers! Read more here...


************


"A Talk with Nina Mae McKinney"

(The Age--Saturday, September 25, 1937)

Bright-eyed beauty, Nina Mae McKinney talks stage fright, Hollywood, and the late Jean Harlow in this article from the Australian newspaper, The Age. Click here to read the article.


************

"Story of Clarence Muse: From stage and first talkies to television"

(The Washington Afro-American--Tuesday, September 1, 1953)

From Fanpix (.net)

Clarence Muse recounts his entertainment career with The Washington Afro-American and also gives some advice to the up-and-coming Black actors. Read about it here...


************


*Warning: The following article is a report on death*

************

"Dorothy Dandridge Found Dead in Her Apartment"

(The Palm Beach Post--Thursday, September 9, 1965)

From Fanpix (.net)

The Palm Beach Post sadly reports the news that actress and singer Dorothy Dandridge passed away in her Sunset Strip home at the age of 41*. Read more about it here.

(*Dorothy Dandridge was 42 when she passed, not 41)


************


Links to these newspaper articles were used for educational purposes only.

Unless stated otherwise, all of the above photos were obtained from Wikipedia. If the rightful owner(s) of any of these images wish to have them removed, please contact me and I will do so immediately.

Anna May Wong: In Her Words (PBS)

I am so glad that I began to look through one of my favorite blogs (Soft Film) when I did!

Yunah Hong's documentary Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words (2011) recently premiered on PBS (April 30th) and I believe that it will be airing throughout the month of May! Click Here to check Local Listings to see when it's airing your PBS station. 

It is also available to watch on PBS.org!

Ladies of Color on Youtube (Part I)

Here is a small list of films available on Youtube starring a few Classic Ladies of Color--Anna May Wong, Josephine Baker, Nina Mae McKinney, Dorothy Van Engle, Ruan Lingyu, and Lopita Tovar. If you have any requests or know of any place to find more, let me know!

Thanks,

Aige <3

Anna May Wong

The Toll of the Sea (1922)

Shanghai Express (1932)

A Study in Scarlet (1933)

Josephine Baker

La Revue Des Revues (1927)

Zouzou (1934)

Discovering Anna May Wong (Youtube video)

Anna May Wong is one of the many actresses I'm coming to learn more about and the more I learn about her, the more I admire her. 

Check out this video from Youtube about this legendary screen beauty titled "Discovering Anna May Wong."

"Discovering Anna May Wong" was posted on Youtube by user Danwei on February 5, 2007.