FLOWER DRUM SONG （フラワー・ドラム・ソング）（1961）  Review
The film version of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hit, Flower Drum Song is a musical comedy set in San Francisco's Chinatown, concerning old-fashioned Chinese and modern Chinese-Americans clashing over tradition and trying to find romance. Mei Li(Miyoshi Umeki), a Hong Kong mail-order bride, arrives in San Francisco to meet her husband Sammy Fong(Jack Soo), an Americanized Chinese night-club owner. However, Sammy is already romantically involved with the star attraction of his nightclub show, the sultry singer/dancer Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). He tries to assign his marriage contract to Wang Ta(James Shigeta), a handsome college student living in Chinatown. Ta, however, has his sights set on Linda as well, while Linda's seamstress Helen Chow(Reiko Sato) secretly pines for Ta. Romantic complications result, but nothing that a little singing and dancing can't resolve to the satisfaction of nearly everyone. The film has a great brassy, jazzy score and the best choreography of any of R&H's musicals. Some of the more memorable songs include I Enjoy Being a Girl (with Nancy's famous three way mirror scene), Love, Look Away and Don't Marry Me. The film was unusual not only for being the first Hollywood production with an (almost) all-Asian cast, but also for portraying Chinese-Americans as Americans. James Shigeta is a real heart-throb, Jack Soo has a hilarious deadpan humor, and Miyoshi Umeki is as sweet as can be. Nancy Kwan has great fun in the role of the Chinese-American showgirl with a decidedly modern attitude, and the film is a tremendous showcase for her dance skills. 
Music Richard Rodgers Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II Book Oscar Hammerstein II Joseph A. Fields Based upon Novel by C.Y. Lee Nightclub Forbidden City Productions 1958 Broadway 1960 West End 1961 Film 2002 Broadway revival 2006 London concert Flower Drum Song is a musical written by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Chinese American author C. Y. Lee. The Broadway production opened in 1958 featuring, for the first time in Broadway history, a mostly Asian cast.
The musical was successful (as the novel had been), garnering six Tony Award nominations and spawning a London production, national tours and a 1961 musical film, but the musical and movie would fall out of favor as the civil rights era re-defined how minorities should be portrayed on film. Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang reworked the story and music for a 2002 Broadway revival.
Background After World War II, Americans began to show an interest in the Far East, and Rodgers and Hammerstein had explored this interest in South Pacific and The King and I. The novel Flower Drum Song was written while Lee was a journalist working for two San Francisco Chinatown newspapers, Chinese World and Young China. It was a story of generational and cross-cultural conflict in the early 1950s. Lee had done his homework by moving to Chinatown while turning his short story into the novel. Producer Joe Fields, a high school friend of Hammerstein, had purchased the novel Flower Drum Song and mentioned it to the librettist at a party in New York. After Hammerstein read the book, he suggested to Rodgers that it might make a good musical. Rodgers had already read it and agreed. They also agreed on a casting innovation; an all-Asian cast, something that had not been seen before. Finding the actors proved challenging. Lee suggested going to Forbidden City nightclub, on which the musical is based, to find Asians who could sing and dance in the musical. Still, the team could not find enough Asians to fill the cast completely, and a few members of the cast were non-Asians. The story of the novel is darker than the plots of the musical and film. In the novel, Helen commits suicide, and the flower drum song is sung by a servant. While it is revolutionary for being a show that features a virtually all Asian cast, it should also be noted for being revolutionary because it is the only musical about Asian-American characters. Other "Asian" musicals, South Pacific, The King and I, Miss Saigon, Pacific Overtures are about Asians who live in Asia. Flower Drum Song features characters who were born in America who just happen to be Asian. This is despite the fact that the producers of the original production cast "star" non-Asians in leading roles. Original Broadway Production The production opened for out-of-town tryouts on October 27, 1958 in Boston's Shubert Theatre and had its Broadway opening at the St. James Theatre on December 1, 1958. Flower Drum Song was the first Broadway show to feature a mostly Asian cast, including Miyoshi Umeki, Keye Luke, Pat Suzuki, Jack Soo, Ed Kenney, Reiko Sato, and Arabella Hong. Juanita Hall was African-American (she had previously starred in South Pacific), and the male lead, Larry Blyden, was non-Asian. Directed by Gene Kelly (in his first outing as a director on Broadway) and with choreography by Carol Haney, Flower Drum Song ran for 600 performances despite some pans by critics. The show received six Tony Award nominations (including a win as Best Conductor and Musical Director for Salvatore Dell'Isola) but was overshadowed that year by Redhead, which starred Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley, with choreography by Bob Fosse. Miyoshi Umeki and Pat Suzuki - Time Magazine cover, 1958Asian performers from the musical were featured on the cover of Time Magazine in December 1958. Columbia Records released the original cast album in 1958. Musical Numbers Act I Overture You Are Beautiful -- Wang Ta and Madam Liang A Hundred Million Miracles -- Mei-Li, Dr. Li, Wang Chi Yang, Madam Liang and Liu Ma I Enjoy Being a Girl -- Linda Low and Company I Am Going to Like It Here -- Mei-Li Like A God -- Wang Ta Chop Suey -- Madam Liang, Wang San and Ensemble Don't Marry Me -- Sammy Fong and Mei-Li Grant Avenue -- Linda Low and Ensembe Love, Look Away -- Helen Chao Fan Tan Fannie -- Night Club Singer and Girls Gliding Through My Memories -- Frankie Wing and Girls Finale: Grant Avenue -- Company Act II Ballet Love, Look Away (Reprise) -- Helen Chao The Other Generation -- Madam Liang and Wang Chi Yang Sunday, Sweet Sunday -- Linda Low and Sammy Fong The Other Generation (Reprise) -- Wang San and Children Wedding Parade -- Mei-Li and Dancers Finale -- Company The 2002 revival restored "My Best Love", a song that was cut from the original production, which is sung by Chin. "The Other Generation" was cut from the revival. Synopsis (1958 version) A shy young woman, Mei Li, arrives with her father in San Francisco from China in the early 1950s; both are illegal immigrants. She has come enter into an arranged marriage with the owner of a Chinese nightclub, Sammy Fong, whose traditional family has insisted on the union. Sammy is a totally assimilated hipster and is already involved with his leading showgirl, Linda Low.
When she dresses up in Western clothes, however, he warms to her. Linda shows up with her brother and claims that she will marry Ta. Master Wang forbids this, but Ta argues that he is old enough to make his own decisions, and they argue. Sammy is now in a tight spot and needs to figure out how to get Ta and Mei Li together so that he can have Linda. Sammy arranges to have Master Wang and Ta see Low's nightclub act, where they are shocked by Linda's strip tease.
The wedding procession moves down one of San Francisco's streets with the bride, heavily veiled, carried on a sedan chair. Sammy drinks from the traditional wedding goblet, then offers the goblet to his new wife. Unveiled, the bride turns out to be Linda. Mei Li announces that since entered the U.S. illegally, the marriage contract and decisions by the Association are null and void. Now Mei Li is free to marry Ta. （From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia）
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解説＆ストーリー
 脚本家のジョゼフ・フィールズは、C・Y・リーの小説「フラワー・ドラム・ソング」を読んだ直ぐに舞台化の権利を買い取り、リチャード・ロジャースとオスカー・ハマースティン2世に話を持ち込んだと云われる。内容は、サンフランシスコの中国人社会を描いたもので、祖国の伝統を守ろうとする親の世代とそれを破ってアメリカ社会にとけ込もうとする二世の子供たちの対立を、軽いタッチで描いたジーン・ケリーが演出した唯一のブロードウェイ・ミュージカルとなったものの映画化版であり、舞台では、ニューヨーク、ブロードウェイのセント・ジェイムズ(St.James)劇場で、1958年12月1日に開幕し600回公演され、ナンシー・梅木とファニタ・ホールは、舞台と同じ役で映画に出演した。 （Fields Productions/Universal Pictures 1961 Color Panavision 133 min.）
リンダは、サミィの花嫁が来たと知り、急に荒れ出したので、困ったサミィは、リーを厄介払いしようとし、ちょうど長男のワン・ター（ジェームズ・繁田）の嫁を探している父親で知り合いのチー・ヤン（ベンソン・フォン）にリーを譲ることにしたのである。チー・ヤンは、リーを入念に調べすっかり気に入り、さっそく息子のターと結婚させることにしたが、リーもターに一目で魅せられてしまう。だが、肝心のターが、リンダに熱をあげているため、2人の仲は一向に進まない。 サミィとリンダ、ターとリーの4人の関係はますます複雑になるばかりで、すったもんだの挙げ句に、最初の約束どおりサミィとリーは結婚することになった。だが、いつの間にかリーを愛するようになっていたターは、この結婚を悲しみ、リーも悲しみ、そこで、リーは、結婚式の当日、TVの西部劇にヒントを得て自分が密入国者であることを暴露し、この結婚を破談にしてしまうのである。喜んだターは、さっそくリーに結婚を申し込み、サミィとリンダも結ばれ、ハッピーエンドを迎える。
キャスト Cast（役名） ナンシー・クワン（Nancy Kwan/Linda Low） ジェームズ・繁田（James Shigeta/Wang Ta） ナンシー・梅木（Nancy Umeki/Mei Li） ファニタ・ホール（Juanita Hall/Madame Ling） ベンソン・フォン（Benson Fong/Wang Chi-Yang） ジャック・スー（Jack Soo/Sammy Fong） ヴィクター・セン・ユン（Victor Sen Yung/Frankie Wing） レイコ・佐藤（Reiko Sato/Helen Chao） カム・トン（Kam Tong/Dr. Li） パトリック・アデアルト（Patrick Adiarte/Wang San） スタッフ Staff 製作:ロス・ハンター（Ross Hunter） 監督:ヘンリー・コスター（Henry Koster） 原作:Ｃ・Y・リー（C. Y. Lee） 脚本:ジョセフ・フィールズ(Joseph Fields） 脚色・作詞:オスカー・ハマースタイン2世（Oscar Hammerstein II） 撮影:ラッセル・メッティ（Russell Metty） 作曲:リチャード・ロジャース（Richard Rodgers） 音楽:アルフレッド・ニューマン（Alfred Newman） 美術:アレクサンダー・ゴリッツェン（Alexander Golitzen） ジョセフ・Ｃ・ライト（Joseph C. Wright） 衣装（デザイン）:アイリーン・シャラフ（Irene Sharaff） |
ナンシー・クワン出演作品
（Filmography:Nancy Kwan）
タイトル太字は"Full Movie"が楽しめます。
TV series
ジェームズ繁田は、1933年6月17日、ホノルルの日系移民の家庭に生まれ、作家か英語教師を志しニューヨーク大学で英語を学ぶが、スター発掘の番組「Ted Mack's Amateur Hour」に応募して優勝し、奨学金で声楽を学び、ラスベガスのナイトクラブで歌手としてスタートした。その後、海兵隊に入隊し2年半、朝鮮戦争に従軍し、除隊後、ラスベガスで歌手活動を再開し、1950年代後半には来日し、歌手として日劇ダンシングチームのレヴューにゲストと出演し、日劇のステージに立ち、1958年の日劇ダンシングチーム豪州公演「Cherry Blossom Show」にも越路吹雪らとゲストとして参加している。
Songs 