Anna Chang
Anna Chang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 21, 1910  |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
Anna Chang (born August 21, 1910) was an American musical comedian and vaudevillian. A rare Chinese–American performer in early Hollywood, she appeared in two short films and a feature-length movie.
Anna Chang was born on August 21, 1910 in San Francisco, California.[1] She began performing at the age of six and regularly appeared as a musical performer in California and elsewhere in the US. She also appeared in the revue Hula Blues.[2]
She appeared in the Paramount short film Two Little Chinese Maids (1929) alongside the Japanese-American actress Hatsu Kuma, performing the song "East is West."[3] She was the star of Singapore Sue (1932), a short film featuring her as a waitress who rejects a lecherous white sailor. The sailor was played by Cary Grant in his film debut, whose first line was "Oh, boy, what a great day to have good eyesight!". The sailor would proposition Sue with clumsy and racist come-ons like "You and me, we chop suey through the park?" Grant would later request the film be removed from his tribute reel at the 42nd Academy Awards.[3] She also appeared in The Hatchet Man (1932) starring Edward G. Robinson. Robinson and most of the white cast appeared in yellowface, but Chang and a few other Asian actors appeared in small roles. Robinson referred to the film in his memoirs as "horrible."[4]
Filmography
[edit]- Two Little Chinese Maids (Paramount, 1929)[3]
- Singapore Sue (Paramount, 1932)[5]
- The Hatchet Man (First National-Vitaphone, 1932)[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Exhibitors Herald-World (1929). The motion picture almanac (1929). Media History Digital Library. Chicago : Exhibitors Herald-World.
- ^ California, Jenny Cho and the Chinese Historical Society of Southern (2013). Chinese in Hollywood. Arcadia Publishing. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7385-9973-1.
- ^ a b c Bradley, Edwin M. (2005). The first Hollywood sound shorts, 1926–1931. Internet Archive. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1030-9.
- ^ a b Beck, Robert (2002). The Edward G. Robinson encyclopedia. Internet Archive. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-1230-3.
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1951). Motion pictures, 1912–1939. Prelinger Library. [Washington].