Flower Drum Song (1961)

Director:

Henry Koster

Writers:

Joseph Fields (screenplay)
C.Y. Lee (novel)

Release Date:

9 November 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Broadway's Most Romantic Musical Comedy comes to the Screen!!!

Plot:

A Chinese woman and her father illegally enter San Francisco to marry her fiance. While in San Francisco...

Plot Keywords:

Backstage | Double Wedding | Single Father | Golden Gate Bridge | Love Triangle

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Nancy Kwan	...	Linda Low
James Shigeta	...	Wang Ta
Benson Fong	...	Wang Chi-Yang
Jack Soo	...	Samuel Adams 'Sammy' Fong
Juanita Hall	...	Madame 'Auntie' Liang
Reiko Sato	...	Helen Chao
Patrick Adiarte	...	Wang San
Kam Tong	...	Doctor Li
Victor Sen Yung	...	Frankie Wing
Soo Yong	...	Madame Ten Fong
Ching Wah Lee	...	Professor
James Hong	...	Headwaiter
Miyoshi Umeki	...	Mei Li

Also Known As:

Rodgers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Westrex Recording System) | 3 Channel Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Australia:G | UK:U | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Fields Productions

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~11.1 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~11.0 seconds.

Goofs:

Continuity: Linda ties her scarf in the car twice.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tradesman: [in Chinese] What was that?
Tradesman: [in Chinese] I don't know. Must be my stomach.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Slanted Screen (2006)

Soundtrack:

I Enjoy Being a Girl

It caught me just right.

When I saw this movie, it caught me in the right mood to really enjoy this film. In fact, I was almost misty eyed when Helen turns to lament the song "Love Look Away". Only "Where is Love?" from OLIVER is a more moving emotional song that fits directly into the story and the movie. I think the acting is superb and can't understand why this R & H musical doesn't attract more attention.