'The Daily Show' celebrates 'The World of Nancy Kwan,' star of 'Flower Drum Song' (1961)

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 8:04am

Kudos to Ronny Chieng, one of the Emmy-winning hosts of ''The Daily Show,'' for giving the legendary Eurasian actress, now 85, a 15-minute chance to plug her new book, ''The World of Nancy Kwan: A Memoir by Hollywood's Asian Superstar.'' She's probably best-known for three things: ''The World of Suzie Wong'' (1960), ''Flower Drum Song'' (1961) and the late-night infomercials for ''Oriental Pearl Cream.'' I don't know when this ''Daily Show'' segment was filmed, but I wish Chieng spent a minute to spotlight ''Flower Drum Song'' and her incredible co-stars Miyoshi Umeki, James Shigeta and Patrick Adiarte, who just passed. I will always have a soft spot for that terrific film because in 1961, it was the first Hollywood movie to depict the love lives and relationships of an Asian-American family. It would take another 3 decades before ''The Joy Luck Club'' (1993) appeared, and then another 25 years, for ''Crazy Rich Asians'' (2018 ). Another missed opportunity: Kwan is distantly related to Peter Kwan, who wrote ''Crazy Rich Asians,'' and Chieng starred in the movie version.

Kwan also is more than the rare female Asian sex symbol from the early 1960s. In 1994, she tackled the role of Martha in Singapore Repertory Theatre's production of Edward Albee's ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' She's also been a champion of AIDS awareness, having written a book, ''A Celebration of Life,'' after her son, Bernie, died after contracting HIV from his girlfriend, and its proceeds went to AIDS research.

However, Kwan's film immortality is secured by her ''I Enjoy Being a Girl,'' dubbed by B.J. Baker, in ''Flower Drum Song.'' And, ''by me, that's only great!''

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt6MYm4gQnc

Updated On: 4/18/25 at 08:04 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 8:10am

Nancy Kwan:  ''I Enjoy Being a Girl'' from ''Flower Drum Song''

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

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 9:08am

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 9:11am

 

[theatreguy12]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 3:58pm

Such a beautiful and classy lady.  To this day.

Thanks for sharing.  I think that Flower Drum Song is still my favorite R&H musical.  Some truly beautiful music with a story to tell.

I loved seeing Jose and Lea in the revival, but I wish they had just kept it more aligned with the original. In all its color, flashiness and humor.  

It would be outdated by today's standards, I know, but it is still a lot of fun.   And the movie kept its Asian story largely real through (outside of Juanita Hall---a true gem in her own right) its casting. 

Updated On: 4/18/25 at 03:58 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/18/25 at 4:06pm

The "Flower Drum Song" film is where I discovered Nancy Kwan. She may have been dubbed in the movie, but it allowed her to show off her talents as a dancer and "strut her stuff".