Patrick Adiarte, wonderful dancer of stage & screen 'Flower Drum Song,' dies at 81

Patrick Adiarte's claim to musical-theater fame is assured, thanks to his big-screen debut as Prince Chulalongkorn in the 1956 Oscar-winning movie of ''The King and I'' and his Broadway debut as Wang San in Rodgers & Hammerstein's 1958 ''Flower Drum Song,'' directed by Gene Kelly. But to me, the Filipino-born Adiarte (1943-2025) meant much more.

Growing up Asian-American, especially in the 1970s, it was almost impossible to see any Asian-American faces on TV, with the possible exceptions of Hop Sing, the Chinese cook on ''Bonanza,'' and Mrs. Livingston, the Japanese housekeeper on ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father.'' So it was exciting to see Adiarte in ''Flower Drum Song,'' as a young Asian-American guy dancing so dynamically in that 1961 movie version. He didn't speak in Pidgin English, and he was just a contemporary, all-American teen. There are rare clips of him on YouTube, dancing on ''Omnibus,'' alongside Kelly, who compared the kid to Fred Astaire, and clips from ''Hullabaloo,'' dancing alongside Michael Bennett and Donna McKechnie.

But I'll always remember him as a baseball-loving teenager dancing around the fountain in ''The Other Generation'' in ''Flower Drum Song,'' directed by Henry Koster, with choreography by the great Hermes Pan. They also allowed Adiarte to cut loose in another number, ''Chop Suey.'' He appeared in guest shots on TV shows in the '60s and '70s (like ''M*A*S*H'' ). Alas, opportunities were limited for Asian-American performers back then, and what a shame he never got to step onto Broadway again. Happily, Adiarte left a small but lasting legacy of his graceful and athletic dancing on film and TV, where he always put his best foot forward.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmXqVZpOObs&list=RDEMnElt55pLESsfgo_lIdueuw&start_radio=1

Updated On: 4/17/25 at 09:14 AM

Thanks for this nice appreciation. RIP to a trailblazer and an incredible dancer. I sure was fascinated by the sight of him, athletic and so balletic, in that baseball uniform when I saw Flower Drum Song as a teen. Might have been some kind of awakening lol. 

Such a talent.  I always remember him as David from the Hawaii episodes of "The Brady Bunch."  Had no idea he was married to Loni Ackerman at one time.  

Updated On: 4/17/25 at 02:12 PM

Whenever Patrick Adiarte was dancing in ''Flower Drum Song,'' his solo would steal the show, notably his turn in the crazy and kitschy ''Chop Suey'' number.

I'd love to know what went into the reasoning behind this one-of-a-kind dance number, directed by Henry Koster and choreographed by Hermes Pan. Uh, let's show how ''American'' these Chinese-Americans can be: Let's have 'em do a country  square dance (with a promenade and a do-si-do), with some of the calls in Cantonese; followed by a waltz section, and then a contemporary jazz dance. And it all wraps up with Confucian-like bows!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPwiqmv6Xeo

Updated On: 4/18/25 at 06:20 PM

Here’s Patrick and his attempt at a singing career with his single “Five Different Girls”  which he performed at his day job: NBC’s HULLABALOO in 1965. Yes, girl number 3 is Donna McKechnie: 

James Shigeta was such a handsome Hawaiian-born actor-singer, and by all rights, deserved to be a Hollywood heartthrob. He got a Golden Globe as a Promising Newcomer. But Shigeta was a victim of  racist times when Asian-Americans were not treated equally in the movies. In the '50s, you still had ''yellowface,'' where Marlon Brando played Sakini, an Okinawan, in ''The Teahouse of the August Moon,'' and John Wayne played Genghis Khan in ''The Conqueror.'' Heck, even in 1961, the same year that ''Flower Drum Song'' came out, Mickey Rooney played the offensive, buck-toothed Japanese neighbor in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's.'' 

Hollywood was fine with pairing a pretty Asian woman, like Nancy Kwan, with a Caucasian leading man, but it was rare to see an Asian leading man ''get'' the Caucasian girl (even though Shigeta did so in the groundbreaking and obscure ''The Crimson Kimono,'' a 1959 detective story with an interracial love triangle). For more context, let's not forget that interracial couples were not legal until 1967's Loving v. Virginia decision by the Supreme Court.

Finally, though Shigeta was all-American and served in the Hawaii National Guard Marine Corps, his film heyday of the early '60s, found the Japanese-American star sandwiched between post-World War II and the Vietnam War at a time when a Hollywood hunk who ''looked like the enemy,'' didn't have too many opportunities on the silver screen. Below, here is Shigeta, in all his good-looking glory, singing gloriously ''You Are Beautiful'' from ''Flower Drum Song'' ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fbsdflbTT8&t=4s

Updated On: 4/19/25 at 09:08 AM

Wayman_Wong said: "James Shigeta was such a handsome Hawaiian-born actor-singer, and by all rights, deserved to be a Hollywood heartthrob. Hegot a Golden Globe as a Promising Newcomer. But Shigeta was a victim of racist times when Asian-Americans were not treated equally in the movies. In the '50s, you still had ''yellowface,'' where Marlon Brando played Sakini, an Okinawan,in ''The Teahouse of the August Moon,'' and John Wayne played Genghis Khan in ''The Conqueror.'' Heck, even in 1961, the same year that ''Flower Drum Song'' came out, Mickey Rooneyplayed the offensive, buck-toothed Japanese neighbor in ''Breakfast at Tiffany's.''

Hollywood was fine with pairing a pretty Asian woman, like Nancy Kwan, with a Caucasian leading man, but it was rare to see an Asian leading man ''get'' the Caucasian girl (even though Shigeta did so in the groundbreaking and obscure''The Crimson Kimono,'' a 1959 detective story with an interracial love triangle). For more context, let's not forget that interracial couples were not legal until 1967's Loving v. Virginia decision by the Supreme Court.

Finally, though Shigeta was all-American and served in the Hawaii National Guard Marine Corps, his film heyday of the early '60s, found the Japanese-American star sandwiched between post-World War II and the Vietnam War at a time when a Hollywood hunkwho ''looked like the enemy,'' didn't have too many opportunities on the silver screen. Below, here is Shigeta, in all his good-looking glory, singing gloriously ''You Are Beautiful'' from ''Flower Drum Song'' ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fbsdflbTT8&t=4s"

A definite heartthrob!  

I remember watching FDS with my parents and my dad commenting on his service.

My dad also remembered growing up in Southern California during the war and seeing a few of his Japanese friends and their families impacted by the internment camps.  Something that my dad, who would later become a Marine pilot and was very patriotic, was very saddened by.  Seeing friends having to go through that.  Knowing they were true blue Americans themselves. 

Of course, he also talked about how German Americans were treated as well.  My best friend's mom's maiden name was the same as one of the Nazi leaders in Germany at the time and she said her family caught all sorts of hell too.  Harsh, messy times.