Anna May Wong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961) was an American actress of Chinese heritage, who grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood adjacent to Chinatown, Los Angeles.[1] Her father believed in exposing his family to the creative arts, and often took them to see traditional Chinese stage productions.[2] Young Anna, however, was fascinated by the emerging film industry in the area, and would fantasize herself as a movie actress like Pearl White or Mary Pickford.[3] Her daydreams began to look like an achievable goal when local Baptist minister James Wang, who often worked with the film productions, recommended her as an extra in the Alla Nazimova silent production of The Red Lantern.[4] Wong was only 14 years old, and eventually left school before graduating. While still a teenager, she was cast in the lead role of Lotus Flower in The Toll of the Sea.[5]
Wong worked during an era when East Asian Americans were cast in a negative light, and often played in film by non-East Asian actors who used yellow make-up on their skin and tape on their eyelids to mimic what the industry believed passed as Asian facial features.[6] In spite of having the starring lead and top billing in the 1931 film Daughter of the Dragon, she was paid only half as much as Warner Oland, a non-Asian actor who played her father (the villain Fu Manchu) and had far less screen time.[7] Oland was often cast as an Asian on screen, most notably in numerous films as Chinese detective Charlie Chan.[8] Feeling like she was stereotyped and limited in the United States, Wong relocated to Germany for a few years. Back in the United States, DuMont Television Network created the short-lived The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong mystery series for her in 1951.[7] From then until her death in 1961, Wong appeared on a handful of American television programs.
She made 60 or 61 films in her career, the first 40 of which were during the silent film era. Biographer Graham Russell Gao Hodges has noted that Just Joe, the final film attributed to her, might have actually been actress Marie Yang, usurping Wong's name for that production.[9]
Wong received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960.[10]
Filmography
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| Title | Year | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Red Lantern | 1919 | Lantern Bearer | Uncredited The Nazimova Productions |
[11] |
| Dinty | 1920 | Half Moon | Uncredited First National Pictures |
[11] |
| Outside the Law | 1920 | Chinese Girl | Uncredited Universal Pictures |
[12] |
| The First Born | 1921 | Hayakawa Feature Play Co. for Robertson-Cole Distributing Corp. | [11] | |
| Shame | 1921 | The Lotus Blossom | lost film Fox Film |
[13] |
| Bits of Life | 1921 | Toy Sing, Chin Chow's wife | lost film Marshall Neilan Productions |
[14] |
| A Tale of Two Worlds | 1921 | Uncredited role | Goldwyn Pictures Corp | [11] |
| The White Mouse | 1921 | Uncredited as Chinese wife | Selig-Roark | [11] |
| The Toll of the Sea | 1922 | Lotus Flower | Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive | [5] |
| Mary of the Movies | 1923 | Herself | Uncredited Columbia Pictures |
[15] |
| Drifting | 1923 | Rose Li | Universal Pictures | [16] |
| Thundering Dawn | 1923 | Honky-Tonk Girl | lost film Universal Pictures |
[17] |
| Lilies of the Field | 1924 | lost film First National Pictures |
[18] | |
| The Thief of Bagdad | 1924 | The Mongol slave | United Artists | [19] |
| The Fortieth Door | 1924 | Zira | lost film Pathé Exchange |
[20] |
| The Alaskan | 1924 | Keok | lost film Famous Players–Lasky Corp |
[17] |
| Peter Pan | 1924 | Tiger Lily | Famous Players–Lasky | [21] |
| Forty Winks | 1925 | Annabelle Wu | lost film Famous Players–Lasky Corp |
[22] |
| His Supreme Moment | 1925 | Harem Girl in play | lost film, Uncredited | [17] |
| Screen Snapshots No. 3 | 1925 | Herself | [15] | |
| Fifth Avenue | 1926 | Nan Lo | lost film Belasco Productions |
[23] |
| A Trip to Chinatown | 1926 | Ohati | lost film Fox Film |
[24] |
| The Silk Bouquet | 1926 | Dragon Horse | lost film Fairmount Productions China Education Film Company |
[25] |
| The Desert's Toll | 1926 | Oneta | MGM | [26] |
| Driven from Home | 1927 | Chadwick Pictures | [27] | |
| Mr. Wu | 1927 | Loo Song | MGM | [28] |
| The Honorable Mr. Buggs | 1927 | Baroness Stoloff | Short Pathé/Hal Roach |
[29] |
| Old San Francisco | 1927 | A Flower of the Orient Chinese girl |
Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Warner Bros. |
[30] |
| Why Girls Love Sailors | 1927 | Delamar | Pathé Short scenes deleted |
[29] |
| The Chinese Parrot | 1927 | Nautch Dancer | lost film Universal Pictures |
[29] |
| The Devil Dancer | 1927 | Sada | lost film Samuel Goldwyn for United Artists |
[31] |
| Streets of Shanghai | 1927 | Su Quan | lost film Tiffany Pictures |
[32] |
| The Crimson City | 1928 | Su | Warner Bros. | [33] |
| Across to Singapore | 1928 | Singapore Woman dancing girl |
Uncredited MGM |
[34] |
| Chinatown Charlie | 1928 | Mandarin's sweetheart | First National Pictures Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
[35] |
| Song (Schmutziges Geld) | 1928 | Song, a Malaysian dancer | German-British International Co. Production | [36] |
| Piccadilly | 1929 | Shosho | British International Pictures | [36] |
| Pavement Butterfly (Großstadtschmetterling) | 1929 | Mah | aka The City Butterfly British International Pictures |
[36] |
| The Flame of Love (US title) The Road to Dishonour (UK title) |
1930 | Hai-Tang | English-language version British International Pictures/Wardour Films |
[36] |
| Hai-Tang: Der Weg zur Schande (The Road to Dishonour) | 1930 | Hai-Tang | German-language version of The Flame of Love British International Pictures |
[36] |
| Le Chemin du déshonneur (The Road to Dishonour / Hai-Tang) | 1930 | Hai-Tang | French-language version of The Flame of Love British International Pictures |
[36] |
| Sabotage | 1930 | Directed by Erno Metzner | [36] | |
| Elstree Calling | 1930 | Herself | Cameo BIP Wardour |
[37] |
| Daughter of the Dragon | 1931 | Princess Ling Moy | Her first sound film Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
[38] |
| Shanghai Express | 1932 | Hui Fei | Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive | [39] |
| A Study in Scarlet | 1933 | Mrs. Pyke | [40] | |
| Tiger Bay | 1934 | Lui Chang | KBS Productions for World Wide Pictures and Fox Film Corp | [37] |
| Chu Chin Chow | 1934 | Zahrat | (British production) Gaumont-British; Gainsborough Pictures | [41] |
| Java Head | 1934 | Princess Taou Yuen | (British production) | [37] |
| Limehouse Blues | 1934 | Tu Tuan | Paramount | [42] |
| Anna May Wong visits Shanghai, China | 1936 | Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive Stock footage shot for, but never used in, Hearst Metrotone news |
[43] | |
| Daughter of Shanghai | 1937 | Lan Ying Lin | Copyright December 1937; release January 1938 | [44] |
| Dangerous to Know | 1938 | Lan Ying | Paramount | [45] |
| When Were You Born | 1938 | Mei Lei Ming (Aquarius) | Warner Bros., First National Pictures | [46] |
| King of Chinatown | 1939 | Dr. Mary Ling | Paramount Pictures | [47] |
| Island of Lost Men | 1939 | Kim Ling | Paramount Pictures | [48] |
| Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery | 1941 | Lois Ling | Larry Darmour Productions | [49] |
| Bombs Over Burma | 1942 | Lin Ying | Producers Releasing Corporation | [50] |
| Lady from Chungking | 1942 | Kwan Mei | Producers Releasing Corporation | [51] |
| Bob Ripley's party | 1946 | Herself | Hearst newsreel | [52] |
| Impact | 1949 | Su Lin | Cardinal Pictures | [53] |
| Portrait in Black | 1960 | Tawny | Universal Pictures | [54] |
| Just Joe | 1960 | Peach Blossom | Parkside Productions | [9] |
Television
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| Title | Year/date | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong | 1951 | Mme. Liu-Tsong | DuMont Television Network Multiple episodes: "The Golden Women", "The Spreading Oak", "The Man with a Thousand Eyes", "Burning Sands", "Shadow of the Sun God", "The Tinder Box", "The House of Quiet Dignity", "Boomerang", "The Face of Evil" |
[55] |
| Producers' Showcase | 1955 | Episode: "The Letter" | [55] | |
| Bold Journey | February 14, 1956 | Interview with John Stephenson | Episode: "Native Land" Wong's home movies of her 1936 visit to China Preserved at the UCLA Film & Television Archive |
[56][55] |
| Climax! | 1958 | Episode: "The Chinese Game" Episode: "The Deadly Tattoo" |
[55] | |
| Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | 1958 | Episode: "So That's Who It Was" | [55] | |
| Adventures in Paradise | 1959 | Episode: "The Lady from South Chicago" Episode: "Mission to Manila" |
[55] | |
| The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | 1960 | Episode: "China Mary" | [55] | |
| Josephine Little | 1961 | Episode: "Dragon By the Tail" spin off of The Barbara Stanwyck Show |
[55] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Hodges 2004, pp. 1–6.
- ^ Hodges 2004, pp. 16–17.
- ^ Hodges 2004, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Hodges 2004, p. 23.
- ^ a b "The Toll of the Sea". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Yellowface: Asians on White Screens – IMDiversity". imdiversity.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Jean-Philippe, McKenzie (May 4, 2020). "The Real Anna May Wong Never Got Her "Hollywood Ending"". Oprah Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Corrigan, Maureen (August 18, 2010). "Giving 'Charlie Chan' A Second Chance". NPR.org. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Hodges 2004, p. 243.
- ^ "Anna May Wong". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 25 October 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Hodges 2004, p. 237.
- ^ "Outside the Law". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Shame". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bits of Life". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Chan 2007, p. 180.
- ^ "Drifting". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c Hodges 2004, p. 238.
- ^ "Lilies Of The Field, lobbycard, from left: Anna May Wong, Conway..." Getty Images. 21 March 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Thief of Bagdad". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Fortieth Door". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Peter Pan". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Forty Winks". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Fifth Avenue]". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "A Trip to Chinatown". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Silk Bouquet]". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Desert's Toll". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Driven from Home". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Mr. Wu". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c Hodges 2004, p. 239.
- ^ "Old San Francisco". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Devil Dancer". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Streets of Shanghai". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "The Crimson City". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Across to Singapore". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Mandarin's sweetheart". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hodges 2004, p. 240.
- ^ a b c Hodges 2004, p. 241.
- ^ "Daughter of the Dragon". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Shanghai Express". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "A Study in Scarlet". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Chu Chin Chow". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Limehouse Blues". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Anna May Wong visits Shanghai, China". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Daughter of Shanghai". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Dangerous to Know". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "When Were You Born". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "King of Chinatown". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Island of Lost Men". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bombs Over Burma". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Lady from Chungking". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bob Ripley's party". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Impact". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ "Portrait in Black". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hodges 2004, p. 244.
- ^ "Bold Journey". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
Bibliography
edit- Chan, Anthony B. (2007). Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905–1961). Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1-4616-7041-4.
- Hodges, Graham Russell Gao (2004). From Laundryman's Daughter to Hollywood Legend. New York : Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-29319-2.
- Richards, Jeffrey (2016). China and the Chinese in Popular Film: From Fu Manchu to Charlie Chan. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78673-064-0.