| In honor of Anna May Wong | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 09:07 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 09:02 pm EST 03/09/21 | |
| In reply to: re: Gene Nelson -- No "White Privilege" Benefit? - BroadwayTonyJ 06:11 pm EST 03/08/21 | |
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| ''Regarding Anna May Wong, she was a superb actress and had been starring in a number of small, lower budget films.'' And most notably, Wong shared the screen with Marlene Dietrich in ''Shanghai Express'' (1932). Sadly, she was rarely given star roles and missed what could've been her biggest break. Let's not forget WHY Wong was ''rejected'' for the part of O-Lan. MGM had cast Paul Muni (in yellowface) to play Wang. Due to the Hays Code anti-miscegenation rules of the '30s, that meant the actress who played Muni's wife had to be white. And so the Oscar-winning part of this Chinese peasant went to German actress Luise Rainer (in yellowface). MGM offered Wong the supporting role of Lotus, but she turned it down on principle: ''If you let me play O-Lan, I’ll be very glad. But you’re asking me—with Chinese blood—to do the only unsympathetic role in the picture, featuring an all-American cast portraying Chinese characters.” The recent ''Hollywood'' series on Netflix featured this conflict with Wong (played by Michelle Krusiec) and rewrote her story, so she'd win an Oscar. Sadly, there was no ''Hollywood'' ending for her in real life. I wish she had lived long enough to make a comeback in ''Flower Drum Song.'' |
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| Link | Vanity Fair: The true story of Anna May Wong and 'The Good Earth' |
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