''My Geisha'' is a 1962 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by

Jack Cardiff Jack Cardiff, (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to f ...

, starring

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

Yves Montand Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer. Early life Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held stron ...

Edward G. Robinson Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893January 26, 1973) was a Romanian-American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during the Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays and more than 100 films duri ...

, and Bob Cummings and released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. Written by Norman Krasna, based on Krasna's story of the same name, the film was produced and copyrighted in 1961 by MacLaine's then-husband Steve Parker. The world premiere was at the Plaza Theatre in London's West End on January 18, 1962.

Plot

Paul Robaix, a famous director, wants to film the Puccini opera on location in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

under the title ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'', with the dialogue spoken in English and the score sung in Italian. His wife, Lucy Dell, has been the leading lady in all of his greatest films, and she is more famous. He feels that she overshadows him and he would like to achieve success independent of her. By choosing to film ''Madam Butterfly'', he can select a different leading lady without hurting her feelings, because she, as a blue-eyed, red-headed comedy actress, would not be suitable to play a Japanese woman in a tragedy. As a surprise, she visits him in Japan while he's searching for a leading lady. To surprise him further, she disguises herself as a

geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha, 芸者 ({{IPAc-en, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ʃ, ə; {{IPA-ja, ɡeːɕa, lang), also known as {{nihongo, , 芸子, geiko (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or {{nihongo, , 芸妓, geigi, are a class of female J ...

at a dinner party, planning to unveil her identity during the meal. But she is delighted to discover that everyone at the dinner party, including her husband, believes her to be a Japanese woman. When she learns that the studio has decided to only give her husband enough funds to film the movie in black and white because there are no big stars in the film, she decides that she will audition for the role of Butterfly, without telling her husband, but that the studio will know and therefore give him the budget he needs to make the film he wants. She gets the part and is wonderful. Through the course of the film, Lucy Dell begins to become concerned that Yoko will steal her husband's affections, though he never does develop feelings for the invented character. When viewing the film's negatives, with the colors reversed, he figures out her duplicity and, thinking she is doing it to steal credit from him so that once again he will not get the artistic praise he deserves, he becomes furious. To retaliate, he decides to proposition Yoko. Greatly distressed, she flees. Paul then entertains the idea of divorce for what he sees as him being betrayed by his wife. Their "reunion" before the premiere is cold, Paul believing she will expose her identity there for betraying him, and Lucy believing that Paul was trying to sleep with Yoko. Her original plan was, at the end of the premiere, to reveal Yoko's true identity, which will astound Hollywood and practically guarantee her an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Instead, her then trusted friend, Kazumi, gives her a present of a fan that was owned by a very popular geisha. The fan was inscribed with the saying: "No one before you, my husband, not even I." So, she takes off her geisha makeup, appears as herself, tells everyone that Yoko went into a convent and will no longer be performing, and keeps her identity secret. She and her husband reconcile when he informs Lucy that he knew she was Yoko.

Cast

as Lucy Dell *

as Paul Robaix *

as Sam Lewis * Bob Cummings as Bob Moore * Yoko Tani as Kazumi Ito *

Tatsuo Saito Tatsuo (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese actor *, Japanese engineer * Tatsuo Fukuda (福田達夫, born 1967), Japanese politician *, Japanese sw ...

as Kenichi Takata *Tamae Kiyokawa as Amatsu Hisako *I. Hayakawa as Hisako *Alex Gerry as Leonard Lewis, Hollywood producer *Tsugundo Maki as Shiga

Vocals

*Vocals for "Butterfly" by Michiko Sunahara *Vocals for "Lieutenant Pinkerton" by

Barry Morell Barry Morell (March 30, 1927 – December 4, 2003) was an American operatic tenor, particularly associated with the Italian and French repertoire. He was born in New York City, and studied at The Juilliard School with Giuseppe Danise. He ma ...

Production

In June 1959, MacLaine signed to make the movie. In July 1959, Krasna signed to write the film. In August 1960, it was announced the film would star MacLaine, James Stewart,

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

, Gig Young, and Edward G. Robinson and be directed by Jack Cardiff.'BUTTERFLY' FILM WILL BE COMEDY: Misses MacLaine, Callas and James Stewart to Star -- 2 Novels Acquired By EUGENE ARCHER. New York Times 24 Aug 1960: 33. Cummings was cast in December 1960.Bob Cummings Will Join Shirley MacLaine Movie Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 5 Dec 1960: b20. Filming started in Japan 16 January 1961.'ORIENTING' AN OCCIDENTAL 'GEISHA': Colorful Authenticity Sought by American Unit Visiting Japan By CAMERON SHIPP. New York Times 12 Mar 1961: X7.

References

External links

* * * *
''My Geisha''
at ''

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