Anna May Wong:
From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend
January 22–25, 2004

This brief retrospective presents the career of Anna May Wong (1905–1961), the embodiment of Asian womanhood for a generation of American and European audiences. From her first starring role in The Toll of the Sea (1922) to her war-effort propaganda films following Pearl Harbor, the Los Angeles–born actress bridged two mutually suspicious cultures. That she succeeded in spite of racial prejudice is a considerable tribute to her fortitude and talent. Graham Russell Gao Hodges has written a new biography, Anna May Wong: From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend (Palgrave-Macmillan), in which he chronicles Wong’s life and career on four continents and her efforts to comprehend both her American compatriots and her Chinese roots. Hodges will introduce several of the programs and sign copies of his book on January 22, at 7:30 P.M.

Organized by Charles Silver, Associate Curator, Department of Film and Media. The Department thanks Milestone Films, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Universal Pictures, The Library of Congress, Turner Entertainment Co., and Mimi Brody.

The Toll of the Sea. 1922. USA. Directed by Chester M. Franklin. Screenplay by Frances Marion. With Anna May Wong, Kenneth Harlan. Considered the first Technicolor film, this loose adaptation of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly provided Wong with her first major role. 48 min. Followed by clips from The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and Old San Francisco (1927). Silent, with piano accompaniment by Ben Model. Program approx. 65 min.
Thursday, January 22, 2:00; Sunday, January 25, 4:00 (Toll of the Sea only)

Hollywood Party. 1937. USA. Directed by Ray Rowland. With Anna May Wong. In Technicolor. 20 min.
Daughter of the Dragon. 1931. USA. Directed by Lloyd Corrigan. Screenplay by Sidney Buchman, based on a novel by Sax Rohmer. With Anna May Wong, Warner Oland, Sessue Hayakawa. A mysterious potboiler set in Limehouse, London’s original Chinatown. 72 min.
Thursday, January 22, 4:00; Saturday, January 24, 8:30 (Daughter of the Dragon only); Sunday, January 25, 4:00 (Hollywood Party only)

Hearst Newsreel: Anna May Wong Visits Shanghai. 1936. USA. 8 min.
Shanghai Express. 1932. USA. Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Screenplay by Jules Furthman. With Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong. Wong plays sidekick to Dietrich (as the notorious Shanghai Lily) in von Sternberg’s romantic journey through the Chinese Revolution. 80 min.
Thursday, January 22, 6:00; Sunday, January 25, 4:00 (Hearst Newsreel only)

Piccadilly. 1929. Great Britain. Directed by E. A. Dupont. Screenplay by Arnold Bennett. With Anna May Wong, Cyril Ritchard, Charles Laughton. In this late silent classic, Wong plays a London dishwasher who becomes a star. Introduced by biographer Graham Russell Gao Hodges. Restored print courtesy Milestone Film & Video, New York. Silent, with piano accompaniment by Stuart Oderman. 108 min.
Thursday, January 22, 8:00

Dangerous to Know. 1938. USA. Directed by Robert Florey. Screenplay by William R. Lipman, Horace McCoy. With Anna May Wong, Akim Tamiroff, Gail Patrick. Playing a gangster’s mistress, Wong recreates her decade-old stage success. 70 min.
Daughter of Shanghai. 1938. USA. Directed by Robert Florey. Screenplay by Gladys Unger, Garnett Weston. With Anna May Wong, Charles Bickford, Anthony Quinn. A young woman travels to Central America to catch her father’s killer. 63 min.
Friday, January 23, 6:30; Saturday, January 24, 8:30 (Daughter of Shanghai only); Sunday, January 25, 4:00 (Dangerous to Know only)

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