TCM takes a look at Asians in Hollywood

Thanks to Michael Guillen at Twitch for this heads up about a special month of films on Turner Classic Movies. “Race and Hollywood: Asian Images in Film”. As even a casual viewer of classic Hollywood films would know Asians, like other minorities, have been caricatured, used for comic relief and villified. From when I was growing up I remember friends and I joking about the Japanese exchange student, Toshi, played by Brian Tochi in “Revenge of the Nerds”. Hair pie, anyone? Seems like the potrayal of Asians hadn’t changed that much from Mickey Rooney’s appalling performance as Mr. Yunioshi in 1961 in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and 1984 when “Revenge” was released.

It’s both how filmmakers have wallowed in and tried to transcend these stereotypes that “Race and Hollywood” will look at every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month of June. Programmer Dr. Peter X. Feng, professor of Film Studies, Asian American Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Delaware has assembled a full roster of films that stretch back to the beginnings of film history and that include some landmark performances by Japanese actors and actresses like Sessue Hayakawa, the “first Rudolph Valentino”, the legendary Ken Takakura, and Miyoshi Umeki (pictured above) who in 1957 became the first Asian to win an Academy Award for her role as Katsumi in Joshua Logan’s “Sayonara”.

For a full listing of the films being shown this June check out the report at Twitch or check out the full details of the fest visit the official site. And finally for anyone who wants to learn more about the history of Asians in Hollywood you may want to check out the official site of Jeff Adachi’s 2006 documentary “The Slanted Screen”, a great history lesson for anyone who’s new to the subject.