STAR OF THE MONTH: ANNA MAY WONG

TCM, beginning at 8 p.m. Catch a Classic! Enjoy three more memorable films featuring pioneering Chinese American movie star Anna May Wong on Turner Classic Movies. First is the drama “Piccadilly” (1929), which was Wong’s last silent film and one of the British productions she made. It certainly made a splash in Britain thanks to Wong’s sensual performance and dance scenes. The film wasn’t as sensual as originally intended, however; a planned scene involving a kiss between Wong’s character and her white love interest was cut to appease American movie censors of the time, who would not allow interracial intimacy to be depicted onscreen (this was among the racist practices that frustratingly tended to keep Wong outside of the leadinglady status she clearly should have had). The rediscovery and restoration of “Piccadilly”

roughly 20 years ago aided in the rediscovery and restoration of Wong’s reputation as well, with some modern critics considering it to be her best film. A “Variety” review at the time of its release pointed out that Wong outshines the movie’s top-billed actress, Gilda Gray, and the next film features another instance where Wong has been seen to have upstaged her higher-billed costar. This time, it is in her sexually charged scenes with the legendary Marlene Dietrich in Best Director Oscar nominee Josef von Sternberg’s Best Picture Oscar-nominated romantic adventure “Shanghai Express” (1932). Concluding the triple feature is another of Wong’s early sound features, “Daughter of the Dragon” (1931), which co-stars Sessue Hayakawa, who, with Wong, was one of the few well-known actors of Asian heritage during that time. Here, Wong, in one of the last of the stereotypical scheming “dragon lady” roles she was frequently offered early on, portrays Princess Ling Moy, the vengeful daughter of Dr. Fu Manchu (played by Swedish American actor Warner Oland in another example of the racist “yellowface” practice common to that era). Beyond the typecasting based on race, Wong also faced discrimination of another sort on “Daughter of the Dragon” when it came to her paycheck versus those of her male costars. Despite being the topbilled cast member, she was paid $4,000 less than Hayakawa for her work, and $6,000 less than Oland, who is in the film for less than 25 minutes.