| Flower Drum Song | |
|---|---|
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Flower_Drum_Song_(1962_poster).jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Henry Koster |
| Screenplay by | Joseph Fields |
| Based on | Flower Drum Song (1958 musical) by Oscar Hammerstein II Joseph Fields The Flower Drum Song (1957 novel) by C. Y. Lee |
| Produced by | Ross Hunter Joseph Fields |
| Starring | Nancy Kwan James Shigeta Miyoshi Umeki Jack Soo Benson Fong Juanita Hall |
| Cinematography | Russell Metty |
| Edited by | Milton Carruth |
| Music by | Richard Rodgers Alfred Newman Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) |
Production company | Hunter-Fields Productions |
| Distributed by | Universal-International[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4 million[2] |
| Box office | $5 million (US/ Canada rentals) [3] |
Flower Drum Song is a 1961 American musical film directed by Henry Koster, adapted from the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song, written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II, in turn based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee. The film stars Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo, Benson Fong and Juanita Hall. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Flower Drum Song became the first major Hollywood feature film to have a majority Asian-American cast in a contemporary Asian-American story. It would be the last film to do so for more than 30 years, until The Joy Luck Club (1993).[4][5] In 2008, Flower Drum Song was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[6][7]
- ^ Flower Drum Song at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- ^ Glenn, Larry (30 Apr 1961). "'FLOWER DRUM SONG' REPRISED CLOSE TO HOME". The New York Times. p. X9. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ "All-Time Top Grossers". Variety. 8 January 1964. p. 69.
- ^ Robert Ito (8 August 2018). "'Crazy Rich Asians': Why Did It Take So Long to See a Cast Like This?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ Melissa Hung (13 August 2018). "Six decades ago, 'Flower Drum Song' featured Hollywood's first Asian-American cast". NBC News. Archived from the original on 1 September 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- ^ "Cinematic Classics, Legendary Stars, Comedic Legends and Novice Filmmakers Showcase the 2008 Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2020-10-02.