Hong Kong Here I Come

I'm leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow night and won't be blogging until I get back. See you in two weeks!

Celebrating Lin Dai

Lin Dai, as she appeared in Spring Is in the Air (1954)

Last Friday was the opening of the Hong Kong Film Archive's tribute to Lin Dai, "The Legend & The Beauty". The above photo (thanks Oldflames!), from the cover of a March 1954 issue of World Today, shows her when she was a bright young star rising on the horizon. Who would have thought that ten years later, at the peak of her career, she would take her own life.

The fall of Lin Dai struck a deep chord with Chinese audiences. News of her death was even reported in the American press. According to one account, "wailing women broke police lines ... and threw themselves on the hearse carrying the body of ... Lin Dai to her grave. More than 400 police wrestled with a crowd estimated at 60,000" (Long Beach Independent, July 20, 1964). Such a huge outpouring of grief had not been seen since the death of Shanghai superstar Ruan Lingyu (who also committed suicide) twenty-nine years earlier.

After Lin Dai's death, her husband Lung Shun-shing kept the furnishings and possessions in their room undisturbed for more than 40 years. Meant as a memorial to his departed wife, it was also a time capsule of an era long vanished. When Mr. Lung passed away in 2007, his son Lung Tzong-hann donated Linda's personal artifacts to the Hong Kong Film Archive. These items — furniture, fashion accessories, oil and photo portraits, award trophies, costumes, and other precious archival materials — are now on display at the Archive.

While I've never counted myself as a Lin Dai fan, I feel very fortunate that my upcoming trip to Hong Kong is coinciding with this rare opportunity to appreciate the life of Hong Kong's beloved movie queen.

Motor Maid Mai Ling

Oldflames has definitely fanned the flames of my fascination for Mai Ling with this awesome photo of her and her motorcycle — does anyone know what make it is? — from the cover of The Asia Pictorial (August 1957).

I love Ah Ling's look and style, especially her signet ring with the cursive L. She's so cool!

Little Star Mai Ling

Here's a sweet portrait of Mai Ling that I found in New Screen No. 2 (1959), where she also appeared in the company of Betty Loh Tih, Kitty Ting Hao, and Landi Chang in a feature titled "The Superstars of Tomorrow" (PDF). Although she was a rising star in the late 50s, Mai Ling's career never really took off and she ended up being a second-tier supporting actress until her retirement in 1965.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. While Loh Tih did indeed become a bona fide superstar in the 60s, her offscreen life wasn't so bright. In 1968, she took her own life, as did Ting Hao the previous year. Fame can be a fickle and cruel master.

A few months ago I posted a clip from a 1960 film called The Two Generations (one of only three movies featuring the sexy Nanyang songstress Yang Pei Yun). Well, it just so happens that the film also stars Mai Ling. After seeing my recent post about Mai Ling and her scooter, YouTuber SHUESIK kindly compiled a few of her scenes and posted them online. Guess who rides up on her scooter in the first scene!

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the lovely Mai Ling...

Margaret's Cammie Cheongsam

A great big thanks to Oldflames for sending this striking pinup of Margaret Tu Chuan in an eye-catching camouflage cheongsam. Margaret won't fade into the background wearing this outfit!

Lily Ho Gets Unraveled

I've recently been catching up on some of Inoue Umetsugu's Shaw Brothers musicals that I skipped during their initial DVD release. The Singing Escort (1969), with pretty boy pop idol Jimmy Lin Chong, was unexpectedly brilliant, as was We Love Millionaires (1971), which features this hilarious dance scene. I was quite impressed with Lily Ho's groovy swinging and her knack for comedy!

Scooter Girl Yeh Feng

More scooters! Here's a pinup of Julie Yeh Feng that I found when I was searching for pictures of Mai Ling. It's from International Screen No. 51 (January 1960).

Jue Quon Tai on Stage-Door Johnnies

Here's a funny little piece featuring vaudeville singer Jue Quon Tai's observations about stage-door Johnnies. It is also the earliest mention that I've found of her ambition to become an opera star.

Chinese Prima Donna Finds Johnnies Are in Lead in America

The Chinese produce few stage-door Johnnies — but America has an output that can't be beaten!

So declares Jue Quon Tai, fair Chinese singer, who says that during several visits to Oakland she has met both kind — and counted them. Here's her ratio:

Chinese Johnnies — they call them "Yuan" in Chinese — 3.

American Johnnies — 44.

German Johnnies — 6.

French Johnnies — 14.

"Every night I find one of 'em at the stage door — perhaps two or three. The American Johnny doesn't know his business — he's all 'rough and stuff' — thinks all he has to do is bring flowers or something and meet a girl. The Chinese Johnny tries to tell you he knew your parents in Canton. The German Johnny says he's studying sociology, and wants to study you.

"The greatest place for Johnnies in America is Los Angeles. Next to that comes San Francisco."

Miss Tai, who is famed as the most beautiful woman of her race, was educated in America, and speaks several languages. Her ambition is to be an opera star, and she has already received considerable notice through her rendition of "Madame Butterfly". She is now touring a western vaudeville circuit, and is at present an Oakland visitor.

—Oakland Tribune, August 8, 1915

Jue Quon Tai, Part 1: Chinese Princess, All-American Girl

From the George Grantham Bain Collection (Library of Congress)

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of introducing you to Jue Quon Tai, the chain smoking, slang talking, 19-year-old Chinese princess turned vaudeville singer. Although practically unknown today, Jue Quon Tai was evidently quite a sensation when she made her debut in 1915. Her first year in vaudeville is very well documented in newspapers of the time. Because the articles present such a fascinating look at how she was received by the American press, I've decided to transcribe and post them here in their entirety as primary material for further research. It's a lot to read, but if you are at all curious about the early history of Chinese American performers, I think you will find it worth your while.

Reading the articles together, in the order of their appearance, you can see the tension between Jue Quon Tai's identity as a Chinese American and her persona — whether created by herself, her manager, or the press — as an "authentic" Chinese performer on the American stage. By the end of 1915, Quon Tai's story had evolved into a PR-friendly fairy tale about a Chinese princess who fled to America to escape an arranged marriage. Whatever the truths that may have inspired the various newspaper accounts of her life, one fact became increasingly obscured: that Jue Quon Tai was an American citizen.

The first article about Quon Tai that I've been able to find is this one, filed from her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Although it says that she was born in China, I've seen several passenger lists that clearly indicate she was an American citizen. (In the book Yellowface, author Krystyn R. Moon claims that Jue Quon Tai was born in Los Angeles, but I've been unable to confirm this.)

Wealthy Chinese Girl Makes Debut
on Stage With Wonderful Wardrobe

Portland, Ore., April 10 — Jue Quon Tai, a 19-year-old full-blooded Chinese girl, has come from Portland to the Orpheum at San Francisco for a tryout in Frisco during April. Whether Jue Quon Tai makes good or not during her first attempt makes little difference, as she is the daughter of the richest Chinese on the Pacific coast, born in China, but educated in Portland. Her stage training has been under the direction of R.J. Powell, whose wife accompanies the little Chinese girl on her trip south.

Jue Quon Tai is equipped with a wonderful singing voice. It is a mezzo-soprano of rich timbre. Her act opens full stage with a Chinese garden set. Tai appears as a girl, wearing a gown that was imported for her by her rich dad, and that required more than a year to complete. She changes into a mandarin suit and sings as a boy. This suit has been in her family for years, and represents the fourth order of rank below that of the emperor. Both of her songs in this set are Chinese versions of popular American airs.

She closes in one, with a plush drop, and in conventional American evening gown. Her songs here are English.

The father of Jue Quon Tai has not hesitated on expenses of equipping the act of his little daughter, and it is doubtful if any woman ever went to a stage career with such a wonderful wardrobe as has this little Chinese.

Back of it all is the faith of her American friends that Jue Quon Tai will make good. Her voice is under perfect control, and her tones are of rare sweetness.

—Galveston County Daily News, April 11, 1915

A week later, Quon Tai received the following notice in the Oakland Tribune.

When a pretty Chinese girl sings an American ragtime song, and American ragtime is next handled by an American artist in that sort of music, one gets a pretty fair idea of the different things that can be done with syncopated melody — and shoulders. Wherefore the "Ragtime Duel" at the Pantages between Jue Juon Tai [sic], fair Chinese singer, and Carl McCullough, noted musical comedy star, is more than interesting. Miss Tai, who is very pretty, is a charming singer, and uses all the tricks known to the American artist. McCullough, late star of "The Pink Lady," is also an artist. The battle at the Pantages yesterday was a draw.

—Oakland Tribune, April 19, 1915

Quon Tai seems to have caused quite a sensation. Three days later she was hailed in the Tribune as "the most beautiful Chinese girl in the world".

EXCELS WESTERN BEAUTY?
ARTISTS RAVE OVER JUE QUON TAI
ORIENT'S DAUGHTER FAIR

Jue Quon Tai, Chinese Girl of Oakland, Who Has Been "Discovered" as the Ideal Impressionist Type and Is Pronounced the Most Beautiful Chinese Woman in the World

Poster girls in Greek garb?

Never!

Poster girls a la Corregio?

Passe!

The Chinese girl has come into her own as the ideal type for the new style of art! And the ideal poster girl of the world has been found in Oakland.

She is Jue Quon Tai, declared by artists to be the most beautiful Chinese girl in the world — and she's further declared to have the type of features the impressionist artists have been groping toward for years! She's the very hidden sanctuary of beauty, say the critics — the ultimate in ideal form and feature, from the artist's standpoint.

"I consider Miss Tai one of the most remarkable examples of adaptable model I have ever seen," declared Henry Cutting, New York artist, now visiting the Exposition. "By that I mean that one could use her for a model for any subject, from a Madonna to a bacchante. Her face is one of the most wonderful I have ever seen!"

Miss Tai, however, is not going in for art, but is a singer of note. She has been invited to appear at the "Songs of Other Days" concert to be given as the first musical event of the Municipal Auditorium, under the auspices of the Rotary Club and Alameda County Music Teachers' Association. A great chorus of 350 voices and a number of noted soloists are to be heard in the old-time songs dear to all. Miss Tai has been invited to sing in some of these, and also some Chinese folk songs, that the two types of music may be compared.

—Oakland Tribune, April 22, 1915

In another article from the Oakland Tribune (May 9, 1915), it was noted that Jue Quon Tai had been signed to perform on the Pantages vaudeville circuit after her debut in Oakland at the Orpheum-Tribune's "Discovery Night". On April 28, 1915, she was already on the road and playing at the Pantages theater in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here is a review of her performance.

Jue Quon Tai, a Cantonese beauty, is as captivating as she is unusual, and her title of "The Chinese Nightingale" is well merited. Possessed of a wonderfully sweet voice, and with perfect enunciation, she charms the audience both with her singing and her charming personality. Her act is beautifully staged in the coloring of the Orient, and Miss Tai appears in marvelous costuming.

—Salt Lake Tribune, May 2, 1915

One week later, she was in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the official starting point of the Pantages Circuit. It is here that Jue Quon Tai starts to be portrayed as a native Chinese girl ("highly Oriental") who "has been in America for some little time" rather than a Chinese American girl from Portland, Oregon.

Jue Quon Tai, Singer, Starts Tour Here

An unusual feature on next week's bill at the Pantages theatre will be the first appearance in America, of a renowned Chinese singer, Jue Quon Tai, who is known in the atmosphere of Oriental theatredom as the Canton beauty. Distinguished in her own native land, the appearance of Juo Quon Tai on the Pantages stage will make a feature as unusual as it is highly Oriental. The singer has been in America for some little time, and was engaged by Alexander Pantages at San Francisco for a tour of the circuit. Her first professional career of this continent, therefore, begins in Winnipeg next week.

—Manitoba Free Press, May 8, 1915

A few days into her engagement in Winnipeg, a more factual account of Jue Quon Tai appeared in the papers. I found her insistence on being referred to as Chinese American quite cool!

CHINESE-AMERICAN GIRL ON THE STAGE
MISS JUE QUONG TAI
Who is Headlining the Bill at Pantages This Week

It's a new sensation to meet a Chinese girl — "Chinese American," softly corrected Miss Jue Quong Tai — when one's previous acquaintance with the dwellers from the celestial kingdom has been limited to arguments with a blandly smiling but unyielding laundry man and Ah Sin of Bret Harte fame.

Miss Jue is headlining the bill at the Pantages this week, and not having been long before the footlights, four weeks to be exact, she has not yet had time to grow accustomed to the dazzle. "I like it fine," she drawled softly. "I always wanted to go on the stage, and here I am. My people not care to have me go, but I go just same. They say 'you are no good except as to spend money,' and I guess they're about right that I telegraph home five times already for money and they write 'you are cheaper at home'."

Native of San Francisco
Miss Jue is a native of San Francisco as is her mother, but her father hails direct from China. Miss Jue has visited in the land of her forefathers, but did not seem to have had much difficulty in tearing herself away. "Quong Tai is my given name." She proferred the information rather shyly. "My uncle think that up." It means 'may the next baby be a boy'." It appears this thoughtful uncle was very much put out at Miss Jue being a woman child, his brother already having one daughter and one son. "They dress me in boy's clothes for nine years," said Miss Jue, "and then another brother came." It was a great relief to hear that the uncle's disappointment was not life-long. Miss Jue was educated in San Francisco and later in New York. She is a tall, handsome girl with the heavy black tresses and the mystic eyes of her race. But she is a girl all through with a naive confidence in her own star and an undoubted enjoyment of life.

Father Was Opposed
"I had quite a time getting started in my profession," she confided. "My father was against it. But I said nothing and went ahead and ordered my scenery. When it came to pay, father was hot. But my mother came through, and after that I should worry."

Asked as to whether she had many calls from her own countrymen, Miss Jue laughed softly. "Why, yes; but they only come to tell me how terribly I am disgracing my people." Evidently this was another time that "she should worry."

—Winnipeg Free Press, May 13, 1915

A month and half later, Jue Quon Tai was being portrayed as a Chinese example of the Western world's "new woman". In spite of the Orientalist zingers tossed off by the writer, Quon Tai keeps it real: "I am going to sing... Chinese songs, maybe next time I come around. [The audience] will laugh, but the songs are very nice, only they don't understand them. The Chinese, you know, had opera thousands of years ago." Of course, most Americans didn't know that. They believed the Chinese were musically inferior. That's why audiences were so surprised to hear Jue Quon Tai sing American tunes in a "sweet voice" with "perfect enunciation".

CHINESE MAID ON STAGE WEARS AMERICAN DRESS;
SINGS CHINESE

Spokane, Wash., June 28 — The "new woman" movement in the house of Jue Sue did not bloom and blossom like a rose. For Papa Jue Sue was a mandarin in China, and though now engaged in business in America, clings, nevertheless, to many Oriental ways, particularly the Chinese custom regarding the duties and position of women.

Therefore, when Jue Quong Tai, daughter of Jue Sue, announced that she was going on the stage it created somewhat of a furor in the home of Jue Sue.

But Jue Quong Tai was tired of rich candies and chow fan, and chow men, and pineapple chop suey, and the laziness of an Oriental household. And, besides, her ways were the ways of the Occident, not of the Orient. She wore American clothes — gowns of the very latest design; and, moreover, she wore them well! And, too, she had an American education — having studied in a finishing school at Morristown, N.Y., after a course in the public schools of Portland, Ore.

So Jue Quong Tai, an Americanized product of Chinese aristocracy, went on the stage. Her face, which Artist Henry Cutting said was "the most wonderful I have ever seen," and a good singing voice, were her assets.

"Oh yes, I like it, in the spotlight," said she, in her dressing room. "It is very pleasant to stand out and know people are thinking that maybe you look nice and sing nice. Except sometimes they say I am not Chinese, but only an American girl dressed up. That is not nice.

"I don't sing real rag to them; no, I just sing nice little songs they know. Then I sing 'California' in Chinese. I could sing them ragtime in Chinese, but that would not be entertaining, only funny.

"But I am going to sing them Chinese songs, maybe next time I come around. Then they will laugh, but the songs are very nice, only they don't understand them. The Chinese, you know, had opera thousands of years ago."

Thus said Americanized China, eighteen years old, in a silvery sheath gown. Oh, the honorable ancestors would turn over in their mausoleums could they but see!

—Fort Wayne Sentinel, June 28, 1915

Well, the "honorable ancestors" weren't the only ones turning over in their mausoleums. It seems that White Americans also had trouble wrapping their brains around this audacious Chinese American girl, who refused to confine herself to the prevailing fantasies of East and West.

Stay tuned for more about the amazing Jue Quon Tai!

Yu Ming and Lin Dai: Double Happiness

I don't think I've ever seen a lovelier pair of smiles! A big thanks to Oldflames, who dropped this in my inbox this morning.

Hong Kong Scooter Girl Mai Ling

Nothing says "mod" like a scooter. Here's Mai Ling from Screenland No. 9 (June 1960). Doesn't she look smart in her striped capris, checkered sweater, wedge slides, headscarf, and black gloves?

I wish I knew more about Mai Ling. She has always caught my attention whenever I've seen her in the pages of movie magazines. Her debut was Three Sisters (1957), which was also Diana Chang's first Hong Kong movie. After that she seems to have settled into second-string roles in both Mandarin films (at MP&GI) and Cantonese films. Her last movie was MP&GI's Fairy, Ghost, Vixen (1965).





* A scan of the original article is available here.

Bollywood Surprise

Look what I found when I was browsing through my copy of A Century of Thai Cinema the other day. I totally forgot that I had placed these two Bollywood actress prints between the pages of the book late last year in order get the curl out of them. I love surprises like this!

I've only dipped my toe in the vast ocean of Indian cinema (thanks to the nudging of my friend Todd), but it was enough to convince me that I could easily devote myself to the Hindi films of the 1950s and 60s — that is, if I weren't so stuck on Hong Kong movies.

Nevertheless, I think you will agree that the Bollywood stars of that era were just as beautiful and glamorous as those of Hong Kong. Click on the links below the pictures for more information about the actresses.


Vijayanthimala


Suraiya

Ming and Ling: Zipper Head Boogie

NOTE: According to the family of Ming and Ling, the songs featured below were NOT recorded by them. See this post for more information.

Several weeks ago I wrote about Ming and Ling, the proto–rock 'n' roll vaudeville duo who performed during the 1940s and 50s. Well, one of my readers, Peter (who has a wonderful blog showcasing his cassette collection of Thai folk pop), kindly posted the link to an archived edition of WFMU's The Hound radio show from June 29, 1991, that featured two of Ming and Ling's rare recordings (probably from early 1950s). Now, at last, we can finally hear why Nick Tosches included these "Chinese Hillbillies" in his book Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll.

Here they are, folks... the incomparable Ming and Ling!


"Zipper Head Boogie" by Ming and Ling


"Chopsticks" by Ming and Ling

The songs reveal not only the duo's energy and talent but also their slightly twisted sense of humor, one which undoubtedly helped them navigate the awkward place of being an Asian American in America. ("Zipper Head" was a derogatory term for Asians during the Korean War; and "Chopsticks", besides being that utensil which many Americans still struggle with, is also, of course, that old chestnut familiar to anyone who's ever taken piano lessons.)

I also recently found these two short reviews from Billboard magazine that give a pretty good idea of what Ming and Ling's early acts were like.

Outstander is Ming and Ling, two Chinese lads tagged as “Two Hillbillies From the Burma Road.” Wearing mandarin jackets, one plays the accordion and the other sings—but it’s the kind of music and singing least expected. Their opening Chinese lullaby is a scat song. The accordionist surprises with masterful squeezings for the 12th Street Rag, and singer strikes another stance for My Wild Irish Rose. For the finish he joins in with a mouth organ and even sings and yodels to give an authentic Western tang to Red River Valley. Do I Am an American on the recall. Both boys bubble with personality. A cinch for any nitery floor.

—Billboard, April 11, 1942

Evidently, Ming and Ling also performed for a couple of years as a trio with Miss Hoo Shee, a singer and dancer who was billed in the late 40s as "The Oriental Mistress of Charm and Swing".

Oddly enough the act the customers gave the biggest mitt to were the Chinese trio, Ming, Ling and Hoo Shee. Two guys (accordion and guitar) and a girl, dressed in native costume, open slowly, while the gal gives out with a poor Rocking Horse Ran Away. Having gotten this throwaway out its system, group gets down to work. First is a very funny hillbilly number, beautifully underacted. Accordionist, a pint-sized guy, puts the mob in stitches with his toothy grin and bits of business. Segue into a Loch Lomond number pressing down on the Scottish burr. A battle of crooners routine gave the guitarist, a tall lanky guy, a shot at the spot and he really socked. A capable pair of pipes helped him a lot. Team got together for an Ink Spot routine, also sock, and tried to walk off. Big applause brought ‘em back for a comedy juggling bit but act finally had to beg off.

—Billboard, December 16, 1944

It's great to finally hear Ming and Ling and learn a little more about them, but I'm still hungry for more. If you have any leads, let me know!

Patricia Lam Fung: An Odd Film

"Eight dine together; but actually they are played by only four persons. This is enough reason to call the film odd." (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

I was very happy to find this article in Screenland No. 27 (December 1961) about The Mysterious Family (1962), aka Romance in the Manor House. Not only does it look like a cool movie, but it's also one of the five films made by the Merry Film Company, Patricia Lam Fung's very own production company which she started after leaving Shaw Brothers in 1961. A scan of the original article is available here.

An Odd Film
"The Mysterious Family"

This is the third film of the Merry Company, made after its first, "Sha Sam-siu", and second, "Three Grooms for Three Brides".

The reason that "The Mysterious Family" is called an odd film you can actually see for yourself in the pictures on these two pages. You will undoubtedly notice that most of the stars appear dually in the same scene. This is true. For in fact, every actor, from the leads to the co-stars, plays more than one role in the film.

The film stars Patricia Lam Fung, Ng Cho-fan, Wu Fung, and Yung Siu-yi. Patricia Lam Fung plays three roles as a mother and two twin daughters. Ng Cho-fan plays a dual role as father and son, with Wu Fung as two twin brothers and Yung Siu-yi as a mother and a daughter.

It was extremely difficult not mixing everything up while making this film and cost director Mok Hong-si plenty of brain work. As to the story, it is too complicated to explain here but will be told in our Movie Story pages.


One of the Wu Fungs is happy while the other one is jealous.

There is another film made by Pat's company that also sounds good: The Princess and the Magnificent Seven (1962). It co-stars my favorite fatty, Peng Peng, and the "Seven Little Fortunes". I'm not sure if little Jackie Chan appeared in the movie, but Sammo Hung, Yuen Wah, Ng Ming-choi, and Yuen Qiu were among the cast. How cool is that!

Before Jackie Chan and Zhang Ziyi

I've been terribly remiss for not mentioning all the fascinating subjects that Dev Yang has been blogging about at The Golden Age of Chinese Language Cinema during the past two months. He was rather quiet for a while, but now he's back with a vengeance, pulling surprises out of his hat, one after the other, like a mad magician.

Read about Madame Mao when she was an aspiring actress; Maria Menado, the "Most Beautiful Woman in Malaya"; Ruby Wah, the "Willow Waist Pop Diva"; and Ai Li, the Nationalist general's daughter who posed for Playboy.

See Grace Chang in a leopard print swimsuit; the "Virgin Starlet" Lee Fang Fei and her red umbrella; the thousand expressions of Ruan Lingyu; Chinese actresses in kimonos (long before Memoirs of a Geisha); and of course, Pang Fei and Lai Cheuk-cheuk, the Chinese Tarzan and Jane.

I'm so happy to have Dev by my side, spreading the gospel of vintage Chinese cinema!

Helen Li Mei: She Wears It Well

Since a few of you expressed a liking for Helen dressed in cheongsam, here she is in a stunning cheongsam-inspired dress from The Screen & Stage Pictorial No. 32 (February 1964).