Margaret Tu Chuan (1942-69)

* Thanks to Oldflames for the last two photos!

Margaret Tu: A Star Is Born (1958-1960)

Take a look at these two photographs of Margaret Tu Chuan. On the left is her first color pinup in the pages of Southern Screen (No. 17, July 1959); on the right is her first cover for the magazine (No. 30, August 1960).

The pose is similar — face turned upwards, hand on cheek — but the look is totally different. And it's not just her darker, thicker brows and cat eyeliner (both of which would become even more dramatic in the coming years and part and parcel of her signature look). In the first photo, Margaret is just a young girl, dazzled by the fantasy of becoming a film star; in the second, she has become that star, exhibiting a confidence that takes command of the camera, and the spectator.

It's a shame that the recent release of the Shaw Brothers film library does not afford us a glimpse of Margaret's early career. With the exception of Rear Entrance, in which she appears in only one scene, none of the movies from her first year as a star player are available on DVD. This unfortunate absence presents a skewed picture not only of Margaret's work as an actress but also the range of films produced by the Shaw studio.

Hopefully, we will someday be able to see a few more of these films from Margaret's rise to stardom:

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The Magic Touch (December 3, 1958)
Director: Li Han-hsiang
Cast: Betty Loh Tih, King Hu

King Hu and his friends court Betty Loh and three of her fellow nurses in this romantic comedy, which was Betty's first film at Shaw Brothers after leaving the left-wing Great Wall Movie Enterprise. As for Margaret, she plays one of the nurses. Evidently, it was director Li Han-hsiang who noticed Margaret and brought her to Shaws.

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Spring Song (February 14, 1959)
Director: Evan Yang
Cast: Grace Chang, Jeanette Lin Tsui, Peter Chen Ho, Roy Chiao Hung

You don't need to look very hard to find Margaret among the extras in this MP&GI film. Although released after The Magic Touch, it is in fact her first movie, shot before she signed up with Shaw Brothers. Margaret certainly has the star-struck look of a teenager — she was just 16 — appearing before the camera for the first time.

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The Kingdom and the Beauty (June 19, 1959)
Director: Li Han-hsiang
Cast: Lin Dai, Chao Lei, King Hu

Margaret must have been pretty excited to have a role — small as it was — alongside movie queen Lin Dai in this big-budget color extravaganza. She's one of the village girls in the scene where country maiden Lin Dai first meets the Emperor (played by Chao Lei) traveling in disguise as a commoner.

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Twilight Hours (April 14, 1960)
Director: Tao Qin
Cast: Diana Chang Chung-wen, Pat Ting Hung, Margaret Tu Chuan

Noteworthy for featuring bombshell Diana Chang in her first straight dramatic (ie. non-sexy) role, Twilight Hours was one of three films that Shaw Brothers entered in the 7th Asian Film Festival. (The other two were Desire, starring Lin Dai and Peter Chen Ho, and Rear Entrance, which took home the Best Picture award.) Pat Ting got second billing as the daughter of leading lady Diana Chang, but evidently newcomer Margaret stole the scene whenever she appeared. From what I can tell, the film is a loose adaptation of Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life (1959), with Margaret playing the role of the housekeeper's rebellious daughter.


"Kao Pao-shu dotes on her daughter Tu Chuan, hoping that she would one day be somebody everybody respects and admires."

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Malayan Affair (April 28, 1960)
Director: Ho Meng-hua
Cast: Betty Loh Tih, Paul Chang Chung, Margaret Tu Chuan

Margaret plays Betty Loh's younger sister — and rival for the love of Paul Chang — in this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

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Rear Entrance (May 27, 1960)
Director: Li Han-hsiang
Cast: Hu Die, Wang Yin, Li Hsiang-Chun, Wong Oi-ming

Winner of the Best Picture award at 7th Asian Film Festival, Rear Entrance was primarily a vehicle for Shanghai movie queen Hu Die, who had just returned to the silver screen after an absence of more than ten years. Margaret has a small role as Hu Die's younger sister Judy. In this clip you can catch a glimpse of the naughtiness that inspired Margaret's nickname, "Wild Girl".

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How to Marry a Millionaire (August 5, 1960)
Director: Tao Qin
Cast: Margaret Tu Chuan, Peter Chen Ho, King Hu, Lily Mo Chou

This romantic comedy was Margaret's first starring role. Margaret plays a young girl whose money-hungry aunt trains her to become "the perfect millionaire-bait". Instead, she falls in love with bellhop Peter Chen.


"To the great delight of Peter Chen Ho, Tu Chuan secretly passes him a note asking him to meet her."

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The Secret of Miss Pai (September 28, 1960)
Director: Ho Meng-hua
Cast: Pat Ting Hung, Margaret Tu Chuan, Chiao Chuang

Margaret plays the pretty, young servant of married couple Pat Ting and Chiao Chuang in this domestic comedy by director Ho Meng-hua.


"It is late at night and the wife has not returned. With such a pretty maid servant around, what should Chiao Chuang do?"

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When the Peach Blossoms Bloom (October 13, 1960)
Director: Yueh Feng
Cast: Betty Loh Tih, Margaret Tu Chuan, King Hu, Lydia Shum

This family comedy was the screen debut of 15-year-old Lydia Shum, who would go on to become one of Hong Kong's most beloved comediennes. Betty Loh plays the eldest sibling who must maintain order while mom and dad are gone, and Margaret plays the younger sister who fools around and gets in trouble.

Li Lihua: Sexy, Sexy Lady

One last shot from my salvo of scans from Southern Screen No. 6 (May 1958). Li Lihua has never looked sexier, in my opinion, than in this photo shoot promoting her movie A Romantic Lady (1959), in which she plays the "sexually hungry" wife of an impotent husband. In the film Li Lihua becomes pregnant by her lover Yan Jun. Although her husband eventually offers to raise the child as his own, Li Lihua chooses instead to keep her baby and live "a poor as well as simple life" with her lover. Such a story is quite daring compared to other Hong Kong movies of that era, which were in general quite conservative. Produced by Li Lihua and her real-life husband Yan Jun, this is one film that I'd really love to see!

A scan of the original article is available here.

Wolves with Cameras

"Man Lee-Hung [aka Fanny Fan] is seen in a swimming suit that reveals her shapely figure in full."

More goodness from Southern Screen No. 6 (May 1958). You can see the original article here.

WHEN PHOTOGRAPHERS MEET ACTRESSES

On a sunny May afternoon Shaw's film actresses Ting Ning, Ting Hung and Man Lee Hung were invited by members of The Hongkong Photographers Association for a photographic study at a country villa in the New Territories, Kowloon. Present were more than two hundred amateur and professional photographers who in three hours or so took more than 5000 pictures.

"Ting Hung serenely leans against a rattan chair awaiting to be photographed."


"Film actress Ting Ning meets a barrage of cameras and flash coming from every direction."

Lovely Loh Tih

A lovely pinup of Betty Loh for Lucky Cat Zoë.

—from Southern Screen No. 6 (May 1958)

Lin Dai and Kirk Douglas

I found this photo when I was looking for material about Margaret Tu's early career at Shaw Brothers. It was taken during Lin Dai's 1958 trip to the United States. Here's the accompanying blurb as it appeared in Southern Screen No. 6 (May 1958).

LIN DAI WITH HOLLYWOOD STAR KIRK DOUGLAS

Taken at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood, where she dined with many famous stars. She was a guest of Bette Davis who entertained Lin Dai at her home in Beverly Hills. RAYMOND FRIEDGEN of Beverly Hills who has made several pictures in Hongkong is representing Lin Dai for her activities in Hollywood.

Linda was certainly wise to seek her fortunes back in Hong Kong rather than in Hollywood. I can't find any evidence that Raymond Friedgen was a mover or a shaker. In fact, it appears that he only produced one film in Hong Kong (and not much else of note): the decidedly "B"-looking Hong Kong Affair (1958), starring Jack Kelly, best known as James Garner's brother on the TV show "Maverick". Better to be a queen in Hong Kong than a "Suzie Wong" in Hollywood.

Margaret Tu and Betty Loh: Falling Blossoms

This picture of Margaret Tu Chuan and Betty Loh Tih, taken during the production of their film When the Peach Blossoms Bloom (1960), always fills me with bitter sweetness. By the end of the decade, both stars would take their own lives: Betty on December 27, 1968; Margaret on November 30, 1969.

* Photo from Southern Screen No. 30 (August 1960)

Margaret Tu: Funny Girl

As we approach the anniversary of her death — 40 years ago this coming Monday — I'll be paying tribute to the lovely Margaret Tu Chuan. Here are some charming pics to remember her by.











—from Screenland No. 17 (February 1961)

Old Shanghai Comes to San Francisco

Imagine my surprise when I saw this giant-sized cover of The Young Companion in a vacant San Francisco store front. What used to be a Diesel retail outlet is now cleverly being used as advertising space for Shanghai, an upcoming exhibition at the Asian Art Museum. Obviously I'm biased, since this is totally up my alley, but it promises to be the museum's coolest show since the amazing Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga exhibit from two years ago.

If you live in the Bay Area or happen to be in San Francisco next year between February 12th and September 5th, be sure to check it out. If not, then pick up the catalog, which — judging by these sample pages and cover — looks like it will be a must-have addition to the Soft Film Bookshelf.

To get you as excited about this as I am, here's a little something to set the mood...


"San Francisco" (1939) by Martha Soo with Don Jose & His Orchestra

Martha Soo won the first prize in an amateurs singing contest hosted by the Paramount Night Club, one of the biggest and poshest in Shanghai, and together with it a recording contract with Pathé Records (EMI). She recorded her prize-winning song, Jeanette Macdonald's San Francisco, not in the original English but in a translated Chinese version, and sang it in a jazz-influenced style which included bits of scat singing, imitating her favourite singer Ella Fitzgerald.

* Song and liner note from The Age of Shanghainese Pops 1930-1970 by Wong Kee Chee

Christy Yow: Making of Rose Chan

Christy Yow just started a blog to chronicle her journey of becoming Rose Chan for Eric Khoo's film The Charming Rose.

Besides learning to handle snakes (both reptilian and human) and toughening herself against the slings and arrows that come with such a provocative role (Rose Chan had rotten eggs and live snakes thrown at her), Christy recently met with Rose's first boyfriend and promises to report about the experience. I'm definitely looking forward to that, as well as further stories from behind the scenes!

* Photo of Christy from her blog Making of Rose Chan

Fanny and Margaret: A Pretty Pair

Here's a color pinup of Fanny Fan and Margaret Tu from Southern Screen No. 60 (February 1963). It was taken during the photo shoot about which I just posted.

Margaret and Fanny: Do the Twist!

Here's a fun piece from Southern Screen No. 56 (October 1962) featuring Margaret Tu with Fanny Fan. (A scan of the original article is available here.)

Both stars were famous for their sex appeal, but whereas Fanny was pigeonholed as a bombshell, Margaret achieved recognition as a serious actress. It's been said that she stole the show from Lin Dai in Madame White Snake (1962). She even won Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Horse Awards in 1963 for The Second Spring, but she petulantly complained that her role was NOT a supporting role — backhandedly slighting both Li Lihua, the film's lead, and Loh Tih, who won the Best Actress award for Love Eterne (1963).

After a brief hiatus in the mid-sixties, Margaret and Fanny both returned to Shaw Brothers, but as decidedly lesser stars. Fanny achieved a new notoriety with her risque scenes in The Golden Buddha (1966) and Angel with the Iron Fists (1967), while Margaret seemed not entirely happy playing second fiddle to Shaw's new crop of fresh-faced beauties.

In an ironic twist of fate, Margaret and Fanny ended up starring together in Diary of a Lady-Killer (1969) — the last film for each of them — as "loose" women and murder victims. As she always did in her nude scenes, Fanny owns the screen with a palpable sense of power (here it comes from seeing her in the shower with Chin Han, husband of Shaw's reigning movie queen Ivy Ling Po); Margaret, on the other hand, looks quite degraded in her final, tawdry appearance on the silver screen. Six months after the film was released, she took her own life.

Well... that was a depressing little detour. Let us return to happier times, when the future of these two sexy young stars looked like nothing but blue skies!

FANNY FAN AND TU CHUAN

You will seldom see such a pretty pair together!

The two lovely dolls you see on this page are two of the brightest young stars of Shaw Brothers. In case you don't recognize them — which is most unlikely — they are Fanny Fan and Margaret Tu Chuan.

The photographer who snapped these shots considered himself the luckiest man in the world on that day. He happened on the two girls sipping a soft drink at Shatin Heights, then decided to attach himself to them for the day.

He ended up with these pictures!

Margaret Tu: Princess of the Milky Way

Here she is... Hong Kong's Princess Margaret... also known evidently (see magazine cover) as "The M" (yes, I know it's a fanciful interpretation... but please indulge me). Fresh from her breakthrough year (1960), "The M" looks like she's ready to take down the reigning queens of Shaws (watch out Lin Dai and Loh Tih). An intoxicating blend of haughty and naughty, amorous and glamorous, Margaret Tu was truly one of the most unforgettable stars of the Chinese Silver Screen.

* Photo courtesy of the eBay Archive

A Dancing Competition: Margaret Tu and Cheung Ying-Choi

Here's a cute piece from Screenland No. 26 (November 1961) showing Margaret Tu Chuan, from Shaw Brothers' Mandarin division, and Cheung Ying-choi, from its Cantonese division, going toe to toe. Both starred together that year in When the Poles Meet, the studio's attempt to cash in on the success of rival MP&GI's cross-cultural comedy The Greatest Civil War on Earth (1961). BTW, the romantic leads of the Shaw entry were none other than Patricia Lam Fung and Peter Chen Ho — both quite good dancers whom I'd also love to see go toe to toe.

A DANCING COMPETITION

Margaret Tu Chuan and Cheung Ying-choi are good friends but just friends and nothing more. They are good friends because they are both naive and childlike.

But this particular day they do not get along so well when they start to argue about dancing, both claiming to be the best. Finally, Cheung suggests hotly, "How about a dancing competition between you and me? The first one to stop dancing will be the loser." And he nominates me to be their referee.

"But that doesn't seem fair to me," I provoke, "you being a man and little Margaret..."

The 'little' bit does it. For Margaret promptly puts in, "Oh, don't you worry about me. We are starting right now!"

So they begin to busy themselves with their rocks and sways while I happily busy myself with my camera. They keep at it for one and a half hours without a stop, and do you know how many shots I took.... Oh, I think you are more interested in the other outcome, so I better tell you right away: Cheung stopped first and lost!

* The original article is available here.