This is one of the extras on the Flower Drum Song DVD. It begins with Oscar Hammerstein's voice mentioning this as his and Richard Rodgers' next musical. We also see original author C.Y. Lee mention of an original short story of his winning a prize with the result of him moving to a hotel above a Filipino night club in San Francisco. We also see the two actresses who ended up playing Linda Low-Pat Suzuki from the original Broadway version and Nancy Kwan from the movie discussing the generation gap which permeates the story's narrative as well as their different methods of dancing to the instrumental part of "Gliding Through My Memoree". And, finally, we hear from David Henry Hwang who wrote the revised version of the book of the 2002 revival. Quite an interesting short take on Flower Drum Song's journey from book to stage to screen to stage again. Worth a look.
2 Reviews
Background on the musical, "Flower Drum Song"
SimonJack30 June 2019
This 19-minute short is a documentary made by Universal Studios for the 2006 DVD release of the 1961 musical film, "Flower Drum Song." Hollywood, like business heads and politicians, is often wont to overstatement, especially when it comes to self-aggrandizement. The title of this short is an example. While "Flower Drum" was an entertaining and good film, it wasn't at the level of very good or great. So, it would hardly rate as a classic. The film followed a 1958 play that was based on a 1957i book.
This documentary covers that and other aspects behind the story and making of the stage play and movie. The book by C.Y. Young followed a short story that he had written for Reader's Digest, which won him a $1,500 prize. The book became a best seller and led to the stage musical. C.Y. Lee says, "Joseph Field wanted it so much, he had the story worked out in his mind as a musical." And, Field told Young that Rodgers and Hammerstein wanted to do it. Gene Kelley directed the Broadway musical.
This short has interviews with some of the actors, including Patrick Adiarte who played Wang San on Broadway and in the film. Theater and film historian Laurence Maslon says, "Flower Drum Song was really the first unadulterated musical comedy that Rodgers and Hammerstein ever wrote." The film is noteworthy for being cast exclusively by Oriental actors, mostly Asian-Americans. This short has part of a 1957 filmed interview of Oscar Hammerstein.
The movie covered its budget at the box office, mostly due to the music. The story, screenplay and production were mostly lackluster. This documentary doesn't address the quality of the production or that it didn't become a smash hit. Rather, it gives some of the history and focuses on the music and the cast.
Unfortunately, none of the principal actors who became well known were interviewed for this short. Jack Soo died in 1979 and Benson Fong died in 1987. But Nancy Kwan and James Shigeta were alive and active in 2006.
This documentary covers that and other aspects behind the story and making of the stage play and movie. The book by C.Y. Young followed a short story that he had written for Reader's Digest, which won him a $1,500 prize. The book became a best seller and led to the stage musical. C.Y. Lee says, "Joseph Field wanted it so much, he had the story worked out in his mind as a musical." And, Field told Young that Rodgers and Hammerstein wanted to do it. Gene Kelley directed the Broadway musical.
This short has interviews with some of the actors, including Patrick Adiarte who played Wang San on Broadway and in the film. Theater and film historian Laurence Maslon says, "Flower Drum Song was really the first unadulterated musical comedy that Rodgers and Hammerstein ever wrote." The film is noteworthy for being cast exclusively by Oriental actors, mostly Asian-Americans. This short has part of a 1957 filmed interview of Oscar Hammerstein.
The movie covered its budget at the box office, mostly due to the music. The story, screenplay and production were mostly lackluster. This documentary doesn't address the quality of the production or that it didn't become a smash hit. Rather, it gives some of the history and focuses on the music and the cast.
Unfortunately, none of the principal actors who became well known were interviewed for this short. Jack Soo died in 1979 and Benson Fong died in 1987. But Nancy Kwan and James Shigeta were alive and active in 2006.
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