Anna May Wong (Honored with a Barbie and on the New US Quarter!)
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- čas přidán 24. 11. 2022
- Earlier this year, the United States Mint started the American Women Quarters Program which is a 4 year program celebrating the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. On October 25, they released their quarter featuring Anna May Wong - the first Asian American ever to be featured on American money. But who was Anna May Wong and how did she get this honor?
Anna May Wong was was an actress, widely considered the first Chinese-American movie star. Her career spanned decades, genres and mediums, she was an activist, and her personal life was just as interesting as her public image.
Her films include Toll of the Sea, Bits of Life (with Lon Chaney!), The Thief of Bagdad (with Douglas Fairbanks!), Shanghai Express, and Lady from Chungking. After losing the role of O-Lan in Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, Anna May Wong spent a year in China where she made the documentary My China Film. She was the first Asian-American actress to star in a TV show with The Gallery of Madame Liu Tsong in the 1950s.
She became a fashion icon, crafting a flapper image for herself and blending traditional Chinese clothing with modern fashion. Women around the world tried to copy her style. She dated many notable men including Tod Browning - the director of Dracula, cinematographer Charles Rosher, and entertainer Eric Maschwitz. She was also quite close with Shanghai Express co-star Marlene Dietrich, which has led to a few "Sewing Circle" rumors over the years.
As her star continued to rise, she became an activist for China and Chinese-Americans, advocating on behalf of the country, as well as for better representation in the film industry. She worked tirelessly her whole life to change Hollywood from the inside out. In the last few years, Anna May Wong has finally been getting her due. A few years ago she was celebrated on the Google homepage for the 97th anniversary of The Toll of the Sea. She was a character in Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood. There’s a biopic in the works starring Gemma Chan. And of course, you can now see her beautiful portrait on the back of the US quarter.
Listen to my Universally Mini Podcast: / antoniacarlotta
Anna May Wong, From Laundryman’s Daughter to Hollywood Legend amzn.to/3i7Hmbc
Anna May Wong: Performing the Modern by Shirley Lim: amzn.to/3Vl85PV
Drifting/White Tiger by Tod Browning: amzn.to/3V1aEXy
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Wonderfully sympathetic presentation on this remarkable lady's life. What a joy to see a young Laemmle remembering & respecting her. How tragic that she didn't have better opportunities. I have loved all of her work which I have seen. Still, her frustration must have been immeasurable! Thank you for letting me know about the Barbie! I will hunt one down for my great-nieces, who are part Chinese. They need to know & respect Ms Wong! 🎎
Amazing presentation. Respect to Anna Mae Wong and her struggle. Respect to you for such an interesting, lucid presentation of her work!
My interest in Anna May Wong began when I found a beautiful 1920s photograph of her rocking flapper look. It is signed by her with the sentiment "Orientally Yours". It is my understanding this was a short lived salutation. From there I did a deep dive into her life and career. It surprises me that her story hasn't been made into a feature film. She was a wonderful actress and a genuinely good person. I thoroughly enjoyed this mini documentary. You did a great job.
Fantastic job! I can't wait to get my hands on the new quarter either! Not only is she representing her heritage, she's representing the entire silent film era! In fact, she's representing ALL of Hollywood! Of movies! Of the arts itself! There are no other artists on our money, only politicians! She is representing something the USA helped prove: that greatness comes from everywhere. Her story, ultimately, is totally American. She tragically learned that when she went to China. That was a FASCINATING part of your presentation.
I can't wait to see a new quarter it will mean so much more now that I've seen your video. Great job!
Love to hear you say that! Can’t wait to see my first one either!
Just fascinating!
Thank you!
Another great episode!
I especially enjoyed the horns on Thomas Edison. Hilarious and appropriate.
Seems a tad harsh. He was a great engineer after all ..
@@aclark903read about his patents and how he ran Menlo Park. But yes, an anazing engineer as well as exploiter and pethaps thief.
Looking beautiful as Always Antonia
Thank you! 🖤
I saw my first Anna May quarter ‘in the wild’ the other day while working the cash register at my job! I was so excited.
Do you have any particular film roles of hers that you’d recommend I check out?
I'm so jealous! I still haven't seen one, and I've checked every quarter I've come across! I still have many Anna May Wong movies to see, but a few I recommend are Thief of Baghdad, Piccadilly, and Lady from Chungking. I've seen many clips from Shanghai Express and want to watch the whole thing so bad, but I haven't been able to get the full movie yet!
@@AntoniaCarlotta
Shanghai Express is FABULOUS! The acting & cinematography are glorious. "It took more than one man to change my name to Shanghai Lily!" 🎋
🤦
Where's the first African American actor's quarter?
In 2022, Maya Angelou appeared in this series. 🪙
Oscar Micheaux and Maria P Williams.