Weird Wonderful Women | Episode 8 - Anna May Wong

Wong Liu Tsong was a little girl with big dreams of Hollywood stardom... 55 films later and with years of experience in negotiating her way through one of the most racist industries in the world, Anna May Wong became a legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Intro music: "Is She With You" Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL - find it here on iTunes - goo.gl/SHGBJt
Background music: "Toll of the Sea Score" Ernst Luz - Photoplay Music Company of New York, 1923.
Film clips courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation, Metro Pictures Corporation and Sono Art-World Wide Pictures.
If you enjoyed this video be sure to like, share and subscribe!
For additional content you can also find us on Instagram @weirdwonderfulwomen and Twitter @weirderfulwomen!

Пікірлер: 86

  • @clarezigner6028
    @clarezigner60283 жыл бұрын

    Amy May Wong is one of the most beautiful women of all time, she deserved better parts than she landed. It is a shame she was not selected to star in the Good Earth. I greatly admire her.

  • @helenwong7660
    @helenwong7660 Жыл бұрын

    She was ahead of her time and a force to be reckoned with. Limited by Hays Code and the social milieu of the early 1900, she was still able to carve a path of her own. What an unforgettable talent!! I’m so honored to share the same last name as her. Thank you for your beauty Anna May Wong. 🙏🏼❤️

  • @calvinbowen3940
    @calvinbowen39403 жыл бұрын

    Hollywood should make a biopic about her.

  • @isabeltowers6851
    @isabeltowers68514 жыл бұрын

    What an elegant looking woman. I loved almost everything she wore. So sad she was under appreciated and taken for granted by Hollywood, America and China. Thank you for sharing. It wold be great to watch her detective series.

  • @arnepianocanada
    @arnepianocanada3 жыл бұрын

    Criminally torn in so many ways, denied her rightful chance to soar with the best - and yet a ground-breaker in acting and life. We all owe much to Anna May Wong. 🙏🌹

  • @melissaarose2040

    @melissaarose2040

    2 жыл бұрын

    Alas so many people were born before their time in history. :/

  • @randykirkland3927
    @randykirkland39274 жыл бұрын

    I have a 1927 portrait in oil of Miss Wong. It is mesmerizing.

  • @HannahSoutine

    @HannahSoutine

    3 жыл бұрын

    !!! Can you share a photo? Who was the artist?

  • @saratvaranasi11
    @saratvaranasi115 жыл бұрын

    I need Constance Wu to play her in a biopic.

  • @gerhardbeyer1275
    @gerhardbeyer12752 жыл бұрын

    She is a great, beautiful actress !

  • @mdunawaym
    @mdunawaym4 жыл бұрын

    What a strong and beautiful woman.

  • @Bossmanrocks
    @Bossmanrocks3 жыл бұрын

    I never understood why she was not chosen to play the main role in the movie, The Good Earth, and instead Luise Rainer was chosen. I also never understood why they choose Paul Muni as her husband. There were plenty of Chinese actors working in Hollywood who could have played those roles. Don't get me wrong. Both actors were wonderful in it, but I think it would have been more authentic if they had used actual Chinese actors to play those parts.

  • @feeniix6

    @feeniix6

    3 жыл бұрын

    Because they were white and that was the time. That wouldn’t fly today

  • @idc4163

    @idc4163

    3 жыл бұрын

    They casted Paul Muni first so they had to cast a white woman to play his wife because of anti-miscegenation laws. I definitely think it would’ve been a great role for Anna May Wong.

  • @arnepianocanada

    @arnepianocanada

    3 жыл бұрын

    Paul was a 'name' star who could bring in ticket sales. One he (or any white) was cast, there could be NO kissing with a nob-whute co-star.

  • @bstapleton3248

    @bstapleton3248

    4 ай бұрын

    Because racism

  • @Bossmanrocks

    @Bossmanrocks

    4 ай бұрын

    @@arnepianocanada There was no kissing in that movie.

  • @djpzn.9188
    @djpzn.91884 жыл бұрын

    Very good and informative, thank you! She was amazing.

  • @nicholasschoonbeck6866
    @nicholasschoonbeck68666 жыл бұрын

    I'm sure you already know that women's histories are hidden & not featured as much as they should be, so thank you for making these. I'll be sharing.

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much, that's the exact reason I started making these videos :)

  • @waynej2608

    @waynej2608

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@WeirdWonderfulWomen Well done. Keep up the fine efforts.

  • @envyliao
    @envyliao5 жыл бұрын

    she's so beautiful

  • @sunitathind8440
    @sunitathind84404 жыл бұрын

    Trail blazing beauty

  • @ttp436
    @ttp4366 жыл бұрын

    I had never heard of Anna Mae Wong. Thank you for sharing and uploading.

  • @rexco2700
    @rexco27006 жыл бұрын

    Awesome!

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :)

  • @627631
    @6276314 жыл бұрын

    Anna May Wong was amazing

  • @snakewhitcher4189
    @snakewhitcher41894 жыл бұрын

    That was some amazing shit she did with her life I reckon. We owe her a great deal.

  • @TheWickedMerman
    @TheWickedMerman6 жыл бұрын

    It's amazing how I hadn't heard of her until I started trying to look up Asian actors and actresses to figure out a fan-cast of a remake of The King and I and one of the actors I saw listed was her. I'm glad I found out about her because she really was inspirational and I feel helped to open the doors for other Asian actors and actresses, just like Dorothy Dandridge did for black actors and actresses. I can't believe I'm just now learning about Anna Mae Wong! Now I wanna see if there is a documentary somewhere about her.

  • @TheMarapasa

    @TheMarapasa

    4 жыл бұрын

    it is always so surprising that fabulous people of color are always accidentally on purpose left out of the fabric of amerikkka

  • @Annabella7Hu
    @Annabella7Hu4 жыл бұрын

    Great articles, but WEIRD? Maybe this should be re-titled UNIQUE WONDERFUL WOMEN, or Wonderful Warrior Women considering the patriarchies and racism they have to fight. I wouldn't describe Harriet Tubman as 'weird', but a warrior and wonderful? YES.

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    4 жыл бұрын

    People always react negatively to the word "weird", like it's a bad thing. Weird and unique are basically the same thing - they both mean different and special. Plus, "unique" doesn't alliterate.

  • @waynej2608

    @waynej2608

    4 жыл бұрын

    I was thinking the same thing, initially. But, the originator's explanation, clears it up fairly well.

  • @wvanderwahl

    @wvanderwahl

    4 жыл бұрын

    I agree- Anna was anything but weird. She was a pioneer, an icon, a trailblazer, an intelligent woman, a talented actress, and in fact, a legend which is why we are all here on this platform called KZread. So that's my two cents.

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@wvanderwahl please read previous reply.

  • @9grand
    @9grand3 жыл бұрын

    So modern !

  • @starrynightfall00
    @starrynightfall006 жыл бұрын

    Great video thank you! She was so inspiring :O

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    6 жыл бұрын

    Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed it! She was indeed :)

  • @LittleTut
    @LittleTut4 жыл бұрын

    I learned about Wong Liu Tsong from Google Doodle 1/22/2020. Beautiful woman.

  • @chykim1
    @chykim15 жыл бұрын

    Lovely and informative video, thanks for sharing ❤️

  • @ericahinman8416
    @ericahinman84165 жыл бұрын

    Thank you 💓

  • @zdenekmarek3843
    @zdenekmarek38435 жыл бұрын

    My generation probably understood that the word weird was to frighten readers. Of course don't change your title since the word fits your needs.Its just part of the generation gap and I need to up date to present word usages by the younger generations. Be Blessed . Remember Knowledge bringing understanding is so important. P.S Thankyou for your explaination .

  • @kinvo1982able
    @kinvo1982able5 жыл бұрын

    And She Didn’t stop Once for whining or complaining .. She push and work harder . Wonderful Beautiful Talented Woman .. they have some of her Dresses on the Met museum in New York.

  • @MW-eg4gu
    @MW-eg4gu9 ай бұрын

    I'm sorry I will get this out of the way first because I believe in it so much. I seem not allowed to say where it can be bought (but it can be from the usual company) but I wrote the novel Sayonara Revisited, based off the great novel Sayonara. This said in 1957 the original came out as the movie Sayonara, and I want to give tribute to the late, wonderful actress Miiko Taka. In my opinion she was not given the recognition she deserved. God rest her soul.

  • @beverlyledbetter4906
    @beverlyledbetter49062 жыл бұрын

    A lovely woman. I have yet to get her biography

  • @levieenrose7646
    @levieenrose76464 жыл бұрын

    Please change the title of this video! Anna May Wong was a beautiful, strong, talented woman but by no means 'weird'. This is disservice to Anna and her talent.

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    4 жыл бұрын

    I couldn't agree more, Anna was all of those things. Weird just means extraordinary; and she was definitely extraordinary as well. Be assured, in the context of this channel, it is not said in a derogatory way at all :)

  • @aab2831

    @aab2831

    4 жыл бұрын

    its just the title of their series...

  • @rococo9342
    @rococo9342 Жыл бұрын

    美人でスタイルがよく優しい人だったようです。

  • @Hx_jamie
    @Hx_jamie5 жыл бұрын

    Wow 😲

  • @CLASSACHERRY
    @CLASSACHERRY5 жыл бұрын

    This commentary is lifted from Wikipedia 😂😂👍

  • @27philippe
    @27philippe4 жыл бұрын

    sad story

  • @dennisholiday1868
    @dennisholiday1868 Жыл бұрын

    Did I miss something because the people who won The Academy Award did not say anything about her. Her name should been the first person they mentioned.

  • @NoName-vx6up
    @NoName-vx6up4 жыл бұрын

    Surprised there was no mention of her being casted in Flower drum song, though she had passed on in the same year. Ironically the role she was suppose to portray went to another non-asian.

  • @TheMarapasa

    @TheMarapasa

    4 жыл бұрын

    i was thinking the same thing about Flower Drum Song...FDS was to be her big comeback to hollywood...Anna May Wong was a remarkable human... she created her own life as an artist...it's a damn shame how few people even know who she even is...that she was a pioneer, a classy activist pushing thru after suffering the cruel racism of "Hollywood" she is a fabulous role model for all of us....Yeah I think it was mixed race black actress Juanita Hall that played Auntie AMW's role in FDS

  • @waynej2608

    @waynej2608

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@TheMarapasa Yes, Anna was a special lady. A true beauty and a natural actress. It would've been awesome to see her with Nancy Kwan in Flower Drum Song. Kwan was especially anticipating working with her. Sadly, she passed away before filming. And yes, more people should be aware of this amazing lady. Despite the odds and injustices, Wong perservered and maintained a career in her chosen field, moreover, a field that she loved.

  • @MrJm323

    @MrJm323

    3 жыл бұрын

    @Hsis Hdj ....It's okay. During World War II Japanese roles were played by available Chinese actors. During the Cold War, when all the Chinese in America were under suspicion of being agents of Mao Tse-dung, the Japanese (who were re-habilitated by Douglas MacArthur and Marlon Brando [in "Sayonara"]) could now play the Chinese roles. All you Asians look alike to us -- including Austro-Hungarians such as Luise Rainer and Tilly Losch!

  • @ericdahl1514
    @ericdahl15144 жыл бұрын

    she was a lesbian, but it's okay, I'm trans. she was beautiful

  • @Chinitsu3
    @Chinitsu34 жыл бұрын

    Don't think the racial discrimination is much different now than the 1920s... sad.

  • @H3nry488

    @H3nry488

    4 жыл бұрын

    Yes, sad to hear she was rejected in China for being "too American"

  • @gregh7457

    @gregh7457

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@H3nry488 touche'

  • @louarmagno515
    @louarmagno5154 жыл бұрын

    One can only applaud her efforts at such a time of Anti-Chinese sentiment. BTW, the narrator sure sounding like Ms. Alicia Malone from TCM...another trendsetter!

  • @christopherheselton9421
    @christopherheselton94215 жыл бұрын

    You literally copied word for word the wikipedia page.

  • @chykim1

    @chykim1

    5 жыл бұрын

    And???🤷

  • @Tony-hx2fj

    @Tony-hx2fj

    4 жыл бұрын

    no photos though

  • @bartakin
    @bartakin4 жыл бұрын

    ALL WOMEN HAVE BEAUTY RARELY DO THEY HAVE OUTER AND INNER BEAUTY..THIS IS BEAUTY THAT RADIATES...BEAUTY IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE AN INSIDE JOB NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE OR THINK YOU ARE...

  • @zdenekmarek3843
    @zdenekmarek38435 жыл бұрын

    I think and know that you better retract the word WIERD from the title of your video here. This word is inapropriat totally. Anna is not wierd ! Be respectfull ! Be Blessed.

  • @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    @WeirdWonderfulWomen

    5 жыл бұрын

    Won't be retracting anything, it's the title of the channel. I've had so many comments like this... It is your opinion that the word "weird" is negative, in this context I don't believe it is. Weird just means out of the ordinary, which all of these women are. They've either had extraordinary careers, achievements or personal lives. There is nothing disrespectful about this video or channel.

  • @chykim1

    @chykim1

    5 жыл бұрын

    How about you just leave the page....!!!!

  • @kowens1956
    @kowens19564 жыл бұрын

    She was not really beautiful. She had quite a plain looking face and not much of a figure, but she MADE herself beautiful by her style, personality and sheer will. She made herself a hot commodity when there was no audience for her. She made an audience for herself. There's no one around that could do that today. She was a true STAR.

  • @scotnick59

    @scotnick59

    4 жыл бұрын

    Same could basically be said for Norma Shearer

  • @MrJm323

    @MrJm323

    3 жыл бұрын

    "...She had quite a plain looking face and not much of a figure...." You know, optometrists these days are doing wonderful work in corrective lenses! You should look into it. As far as her figure, fashion designers loved this kind of figure. It's why she looked absolutely gorgeous in their clothes. Really, optometry has come a long way!

  • @vufsh4004

    @vufsh4004

    Жыл бұрын

    Mmmmm???? She was beautiful.

  • @MrJm323
    @MrJm3236 жыл бұрын

    "Although she had a starring role, she was only paid $6,000 while an actor who only appeared for 23 minutes was paid double!" 6:51 . Um. ....that other actor was Warner Oland, himself, wasn't it? This is the man playing Fu Manchu - the main character of the story; and playing him for the third and final time. ....Yeah, they don't pay actors by the minute. These things are negotiated, and they generally earn based on audience recognition and popularity ("box office draw"). The race and sex of the performer had nothing to do with it. I like this short documentary, but it is a little tendentious. She had by any gauge a successful Hollywood career. She was one of the few silent-film stars who successfully made the leap to talkies. Many actors and actresses complained of being type-cast; it wasn't just a race issue (although race was obviously a major factor in her case).

  • @nicholasschoonbeck6866

    @nicholasschoonbeck6866

    6 жыл бұрын

    Oh look, a man has some mansplaining to do.

  • @MrJm323

    @MrJm323

    6 жыл бұрын

    Oh! ......Quick! ....Show your social studies teacher what you did! ...You dropped "mansplaining" into a comment thread, and just shut that man down! ....Tee-hee-hee-hee-heeee !! ............Yaaay!! Aren't we clever?!?

  • @healingandrestoration2807

    @healingandrestoration2807

    5 жыл бұрын

    Chill out both of you, Anna had an amazing career. For an Asian woman or any non white person, she was definitely successful in that industry at the time. And was recieved quite well by the European and American public

  • @hulahands7833
    @hulahands78335 жыл бұрын

    I can’t finish watching. The voice over “talent” sounds like a lispy mouse. Please don’t ever use that voice again.

  • @LarsOlsen-nd2eu
    @LarsOlsen-nd2eu11 ай бұрын

    Another headline about race. WHO CARES.