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Sayonara
''Sayonara'' is a 1957 American Technicolor drama film starring Marlon Brando in Technirama. It tells the story of an American Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War who falls in love with a famous Japanese dancer. The picture won four Academy Awards, including acting honors for co-stars Red Buttons and Miyoshi Umeki. The supporting cast also features Patricia Owens, James Garner, Martha Scott, Ricardo Montalbán, and Miiko Taka. The screenplay was adapted by Paul Osborn from the 1954 novel of the same name by James Michener, and was directed by Joshua Logan and produced by William Goetz. Unlike most 1950s romantic dramas, it deals squarely with racism and prejudice. Plot Fighter ace Major Lloyd "Ace" Gruver, of the United States Air Force, the son of a U.S. Army general, is stationed at Itami Air Force Base near Kobe, Japan. He has been reassigned from combat duties in Korea by General Webster, the father of his fiancée, Eileen. While Ace and Eileen have been togethe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miyoshi Umeki
was a Japanese-American singer and actress.Bernstein, Adam ''The Washington Post''. 5 September 2007. Umeki was a Tony Award- and Golden Globe-nominated actress and the first East Asian-American woman to win an Academy Award for acting. Life Born in Otaru, Hokkaido, she was the youngest of nine children. Her father owned an iron factory. After World War II, Umeki began her career as a nightclub singer in Japan, using the name Nancy Umeki. Her early influences were traditional kabuki theater and American pop music. Later, in one of her appearances on ''The Merv Griffin Show'', she treated viewers to her impression of singer Billy Eckstine, one of her American favorites growing up. Career She was best known for her Oscar-winning role as Katsumi in the film ''Sayonara'' (1957), as well as Mei Li in the Broadway musical and 1961 film ''Flower Drum Song'', and Mrs. Livingston in the television series ''The Courtship of Eddie's Father''. She was a shin Issei, or post-1945 immigran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miiko Taka
(born Miiko Shikata July 24, 1925 – January 2023) was an American actress, popular for her film and TV roles from the late 1950s until the early 1980s. Her best known role was as an elegant Japanese dancer starring opposite Marlon Brando in the Korean War drama ''Sayonara''. She also acted in several other films and TV shows with fellow performers such as Miyoshi Umeki, James Garner, Bob Hope, Cary Grant, and Toshirō Mifune. Early years Taka was born in 1925 in Seattle, but raised in Los Angeles, California as a Nisei; her parents had immigrated from Japan. In 1942, following the signing of Executive Order 9066, she was interned with her family at the Gila River War Relocation Center in Arizona. Career After director Joshua Logan's first choice for the role of Hana-ogi, Audrey Hepburn, turned him down, he looked to cast an unknown actress. Taka, who at the time was working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Michener
James Albert Michener ( or ; February 3, 1907 – October 16, 1997) was an American writer. He wrote more than 40 books, most of which were long, fictional family sagas covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating detailed history. Many of his works were bestsellers and were chosen by the Book of the Month Club; he was known for the meticulous research that went into his books. Michener's books include ''Tales of the South Pacific'', for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948; ''Hawaii''; ''The Drifters''; ''Centennial''; ''The Source''; ''The Fires of Spring''; ''Chesapeake''; '' Caribbean''; '' Caravans''; ''Alaska''; ''Texas''; ''Space''; ''Poland''; and ''The Bridges at Toko-ri''. His non-fiction works include ''Iberia'', about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir, '' The World Is My Home''; and ''Sports in America''. '' Return to Paradise'' combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual description ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Red Buttons
Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film ''Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work in films such as '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'', ''Harlow'', and '' Pete's Dragon''. Buttons played the lead role of Private John Steele, the paratrooper hung up on the town steeple clock, in the 1962 international ensemble cast film '' The Longest Day''. Early life Red Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on February 5, 1919, in Manhattan, New York City, to Jewish immigrants Sophie (née Baker) and Michael Chwatt. At 16 years old, Chwatt got a job as an entertaining bellhop at Ryan's Tavern in City Island, the Bronx, New York City. The combination of his red hair and the large, shiny buttons on the bellhop uniforms inspired orchestra leader Charles "Dinty" Moore to call him "Red Buttons", the name under which he would later perform. La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, one Cannes Film Festival Award and three British Academy Film Awards. Brando was also an activist for many causes, notably the civil rights movement and various Native American movements. Having studied with Stella Adler in the 1940s, he is credited with being one of the first actors to bring the Stanislavski system of acting, and method acting, to mainstream audiences. He initially gained acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for reprising the role of Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', a role that he originated successfully on Broadway. He received further praise, and a first Academy Award ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patricia Owens
Patricia Molly Owens (January 17, 1925 – August 31, 2000) was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood. She appeared in about 40 films and 10 television episodes in a career lasting from 1943 to 1968. Early work Owens moved to England in 1933 with her parents (her Welsh father Arthur Owens was later to become an MI5 double agent), and 10 years later, at age 18, she made her motion-picture debut in the musical comedy ''Miss London Ltd''. The following year, she had a small role in Harold French's social satire ''English Without Tears''. Her career continued in this manner for a few years, Owens getting ever-larger roles in movies. Her career received a boost when she was seen by a 20th Century Fox executive while performing in a stage production of ''Sabrina Fair'', and was offered a screen test. The result was a contract with the studio and a move to Hollywood. Her first American film was '' Island in the Sun'' (1957), followed by ''No Down Payment'', both fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sayonara (novel)
''Sayonara'' (1954) is a novel published by American author James A. Michener. Set during the early 1950s, it tells the story of Major Gruver, a soldier stationed in Japan, who falls in love with Hana-Ogi, a Japanese woman. The novel follows their cross-cultural Japanese romance and illuminates the racism of the post-World War II time period. Film adaptation ''Sayonara'' was made into a film of the same name in 1957 directed by Joshua Logan and starring Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ .... References 1954 American novels Novels by James A. Michener Random House books Novels set in Japan Novels set in the 1950s American novels adapted into films Japan in non-Japanese culture {{1950s-hist-novel-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Osborn
Paul Osborn (September 4, 1901 – May 12, 1988) was an American playwright and screenwriter. Osborn's original plays are '' The Vinegar Tree'', ''Oliver Oliver'', and ''Morning's at Seven'' and among his several successful adaptations, ''On Borrowed Time'' has proved particularly popular. He wrote the screenplays for '' East of Eden'' (1955) and '' South Pacific'' (1958), among other films. Career Born in Evansville, Indiana, he grew up in Michigan where his father was a Baptist minister. He went on to graduate from the University of Michigan. At the university, he formed a lasting friendship with Poet-in-Residence Robert Frost and earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in psychology. Following a brief stint as a student of George Pierce Baker, the noted teacher of dramatic form and founder of the Yale School of Drama at Yale University, he made his debut on Broadway in 1928 with the play ''Hotbed''. His next play ''A Ledge'' was produced the following season. In 1930, Osborn fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ricardo Montalbán
Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a variety of genres, from crime and drama to musicals and comedy. Later in his career, Montalbán portrayed Armando in the ''Planet of the Apes'' film series from the early 1970s, starring in both ''Escape from the Planet of the Apes'' (1971) and ''Conquest of the Planet of the Apes'' (1972). As the villain Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically enhanced human, he starred in both the original ''Star Trek'' television series (1967) and the film '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' (1982). During the 1970s and 1980s, he was a spokesman in automobile advertisements for Chrysler, including those in which he extolled the "rich Corinthian leather" used for the Cordoba's interior. Montalbán played Mr. Roarke on the television series ''Fantasy Island'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', '' Rebecca'', ''Sunset Boulevard'', '' A Place in the Sun'', ''Stalag 17'', ''Rear Window'', '' Peyton Place'', '' The Nun's Story'', and ''Taras Bulba''. He received twelve Academy Award nominations, and won two Oscars in consecutive years (for ''Sunset Boulevard'' and ''A Place in the Sun''). He also received a Golden Globe Award for the former film. Bernard Herrmann said that the score for ''Taras Bulba'' was "the score of a lifetime." He also composed concert works, including the oratorio ''Joshua'' (1959), and ''The Song of Terezín'' (1964–65), a work for orchestra, chorus, and children's chorus based upon poetry written by children in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II. Waxman also founded the Los Angeles Music Fest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Garner
James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Americanization of Emily'' (1964) with Julie Andrews; ''Cash McCall'' (1960) with Natalie Wood; ''The Wheeler Dealers'' (1963) with Lee Remick; ''Darby's Rangers'' (1958) with Stuart Whitman; Roald Dahl's '' 36 Hours'' (1965) with Eva Marie Saint; Raymond Chandler's ''Marlowe'' (1969) with Bruce Lee; ''Support Your Local Sheriff!'' (1969) with Walter Brennan; Blake Edwards's ''Victor/Victoria'' (1982) with Julie Andrews; and ''Murphy's Romance'' (1985) with Sally Field, for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He also starred in several television series, including popular roles such as Bret Maverick in the ABC 1950s Western series ''Maverick'' and as Jim Rockford in the NBC 1970s private detective show, ''The Rockford Files'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ellsworth Fredricks
Ellsworth Fredricks (June 2, 1904 – August 16, 1993) was an American cinematographer. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Cinematography for the film ''Sayonara''. Fredericks died in August 1993 in San Marcos, California, at the age of 89. Selected filmography * ''Sayonara ''Sayonara'' is a 1957 American Technicolor drama film starring Marlon Brando in Technirama. It tells the story of an American Air Force fighter pilot during the Korean War who falls in love with a famous Japanese dancer. The picture won four Ac ...'' (1957) * '' The Scorpio Letters'' (1967) References External links * 1904 births 1993 deaths People from the Bronx American cinematographers {{US-cinematographer-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_Press_Photo_of_Miyoshi_Umeki.jpg "Click for more on -> Miyoshi Umeki")
