The Blonde Hair Monster (1962)


Movie ad from the back cover of a romance magazine

In my recent post about Shaw Brothers' Oriole, the Heroine, I mentioned that martial-arts queen Yu So Chow had portrayed the character in eight films, the last of which was The Blonde Hair Monster, starring a young Connie Chan. Well, it just so happens that one of my favorite YouTubers, SHUESIK, has made an awesome 3-minute music video that distills the pulpy essence of this fun little movie.

Fanny Fan: Oriole, the Heroine (ca. 1957-58?)


Au Kar-wai and Fanny Fan as pioneering female action heroes

According to available data, the next film starring Fanny to be released after The Pink Murder (1959) was not Les Belles — which, although completed, was being held for a 1961 Chinese New Year's release — but Oriole, the Heroine (also known as Miss Nightingale, the Flying Fencer), a Cantonese crime thriller starring Pearl Au Kar-wai as the titular heroine and Fanny as the trusty sidekick.

Although the release date is given as June 19, 1960, the film must have been made some time before Fanny joined Shaw's Mandarin division the previous year. The back cover of a program (printed in Singapore) for Oriole, the Heroine advertises Patricia Lam Fung's 1957 debut, The Fairy Sleeves; furthermore, the older Shaws and Sons logo appears in the program rather than the newer Shaw Brothers logo. This seems to indicate that Oriole was released — in Singapore at least — sometime in 1957-58. This article from the July, 1958 issue of Universal Screen offers further evidence of an earlier release date.

The character of Oriole (or Wong Ang) the Flying Heroine first appeared as the protagonist of a popular series of pulp novels in 1940s Shanghai. Written by Siu Ping, an intelligence worker during the Sino-Japanese War, these stories depicted the social injustice and inequities of the era and gave the people a hero who fought on their behalf. In 1950s Hong Kong, the Wong Ang novels remained as popular as ever.

Previously, I had assumed that the first film adaptation of Wong Ang was How Oriole the Heroine Solved the Case of the Three Dead Bodies (1959), which featured reigning martial-arts queen Yu So Chow in the title role. Yu played the crime-fighting heroine seven more times in the next few years. Her final Oriole film was The Blonde Hair Monster (1962), which also starred a 15-year-old Connie Chan as the sidekick Heung At. Naturally, I thought that Shaw Brothers was just cashing in on the popularity of these films with their own version. But the evidence seems to indicate that it was in fact Shaws that first brought the beloved pulp hero to the silver screen.

Yu So Chow's Wong Ang films are rightfully acknowledged as the precursor to "Jane Bond" films of the late 60s, but it is indeed unfortunate that the Shaw Brothers' Oriole, the Heroine — very likely the first film adaptation — is in danger of being forgotten.

Obviously, as a fan of Miss Fanny Fan, I would love to see one of her pre-bombshell films, especially one where she plays a fighting heroine. Further stoking my interest in Shaws' Oriole is a tasty bit of information from the Hong Kong Film Archive's online catalog: leading lady Au Kar-wai was allegedly coached in sparring for three months by none other than Lau Cham — real-life kung fu master, pioneering martial-arts choreographer, and father of Lau Kar-leung!

Stay tuned for more about Pearl Au Kar-wai and for my ongoing exploration of Fanny Fan's colorful career...


Chiang Feng, Au Kar-wai, and Fanny Fan in Oriole, the Heroine

(As always, I welcome further information and correction of errors on my part.)

Fanny Fan: Les Belles (1961)


Sweet girl Fanny Fan, ca. 1960

Fanny's transformation from Man Lei Hung, second-string actress in Shaw Brothers' Cantonese division, to Fanny Fan, rising star in their Mandarin division, was a great success. Following the release of The Pink Murder, Fanny was featured for the first time on the cover of Southern Screen (November 1959), and in the next issue, she made her centerfold debut: "Le Girl Fanny Fan". (I'd scan it for you Fanny fans, but sadly it's missing from my copy.)

So, what was next for Miss Fanny? According to this article from Southern Screen No. 26, she flew to Tokyo on February 23, 1960 to shoot dance scenes for the musical Les Belles. Being chosen to star in this film was a big deal. Not only was it a great opportunity to work with superstars Lin Dai and Peter Chen Ho and esteemed director Tao Qin, but Les Belles was also Shaw's first Eastmancolor production shot in CinemaScope (or ShawScope, as it was redubbed).

Of course, given that the film was first and foremost a vehicle for Lin Dai, Fanny was pretty much relegated to the sidelines. Still, in a dramatic turnaround from her femme fatale role in The Pink Murder, her "dumb blonde" role in Les Belles gave Fanny a chance to show her sweet side, an aspect of her personality that, in my opinion, was sadly underused during her film career.

In Les Belles, Fanny is paired off with Mak Kay as the film's secondary couple, and the two of them are quite charming. Truth be told, I would much rather have seen them as the centerpiece than the bickering Lin Dai and Chen Ho (who would repeat the same stale dynamic a few years later in Tao Qin's Love Parade).

But if Fanny and Mak Kay were to become the stars of a musical romantic comedy, it should be something along the lines of Viva Las Vegas. Here I go again, creating "What If" movies in my head that could never have possibly been made. Seriously though, Fanny's sweet and sexy demeanor is very comparable to Ann Margret. And Mak Kay was known for his "teddy boy" roles opposite Lam Fung: in fact, he played a character named "Elvis" in Young Rock (1959).

Anyway, here is a clip from Les Belles which offers a glimpse of the rarely seen sweet side of Fanny Fan.

Li Lihua: All Hail the Queen


This is one of my favorite photographs of Li Lihua (shot by American photographer Peter Samerjan and featured in Southern Screen No. 8, July 1958). It beautifully captures Li's regal stature.

Woefully misused as a "china doll" in her Hollywood debut, Li wisely returned to Hong Kong, where she continued her reign as one of Hong Kong cinema's top stars. In November, 1959, nearly two years after her marriage to Yan Jun, she gave birth to a child (her second). In those times, most Chinese actresses retired after getting married, usually before the age of 30. But not Li Lihua. Well into her 30s and just months after giving birth, Li resumed her film career — at Shaw Brothers now — with A Shot in the Dark (1960), a crime thriller directed by husband Yan Jun. She even appeared in Southern Screen No. 26 (April 1960) as that issue's centerfold: "Li Li-Hua, Ravishing Beauty"!

The 1960s were Li Lihua's third decade as an actress, and her star power shone brighter than ever. No 'china doll' roles for this screen queen. Li gave iconic performances in Yang Kwei Fei (1962), The Empress Wu Tse-tien (1963), and The Goddess of Mercy (1967) and refused to let herself be relegated to minor roles supporting the new generation of starlets.

In the early 70s, Li finally stopped acting to take care of her family, but she was coaxed out of retirement to make a few more films, including King Hu's The Fate of Lee Khan (1973), in which she played the leader of a group of female patriots fighting against the Mongols. This movie was my first time seeing Li Lihua. At the time, I had only read about her, but as soon as she appeared on the screen, I knew by her majestic presence that this was Hong Kong cinema's legendary evergreen queen.

Here then is Li Lihua — almost 50 years old and in her fourth decade on the Chinese silver screen — in The Fate of Lee Khan.

Li Lihua: Beauty and the Barber


"Li Li Hua is a Chinese movie star who is dressed, made up and coiffured with as much care and attention as any Hollywood star ever receives."

China Doll (1958) was not the first time that Li Lihua was introduced to the American public. Ten years earlier, stories about Li and her record-breaking Shanghai film The Barber Takes a Wife (aka Fake Phoenix) were featured in both Time and Life magazines. The stunning photograph above accompanied the following article in the October 27, 1947 issue of Life.

CHINESE MOVIE
Comedy about an amorous barber is breaking records in Shanghai


The smiling beauty in the picture above is Miss Li Li Hua, Chinese film actress and leading lady of a new movie called The Barber Takes a Wife. Partly because of Miss Li Li Hua's following and partly because it is a good comedy, The Barber is now smashing Shanghai box-office records and may end up the biggest movie hit ever shown in China.

The Barber Takes a Wife is a romantic comedy with a plot like a Hollywood B-picture. Miss Li Li Hua plays a young girl who advertises in a newspaper for a husband, saying she is rich. Mr. Sheh Huei plays the barber who answers the ad, saying he is also rich. Each learns that the other is lying and they quarrel, but love conquers all in Chinese movies, too. At first Shanghai barbers objected to the film, claiming their profession was libeled by the hero, who touched lady customers and attempted suicide with a razor. A few changes mollified them, however, and now The Barber has a sure-fire audience: 50,000 barbers in Shanghai alone.



BARBER IS URGED to answer a marriage advertisement from a rich girl. His adviser is a wealthy customer who would answer himself except that he is married. The two conspirators agree to split profits right after the wedding.



COURTING BEGINS the same day when the barber pays a call on the girl. He wears dressy clothes lent him by his customer but forgets to change his white barber's shoe, explains its presence by saying he has athlete's foot.



HIS PROPOSAL REFUSED by the coquettish girl, the barber pretends to slash his own throat with a razor. SELF-STRANGULATION with tie replaced the scene at left when Shanghai barbers objected to use of a razor.



COURTSHIP CONTINUES when the barber takes the girl to a swanky restaurant. In a forgetful moment he whips the napkin around her neck as if she were a customer. Then he proposes again, is accepted and gives her a large ring.



RING IS RETURNED when the girl finds out it is made of glass. The barber, slicked up in rented morning clothes and ready to be married at once, is crushed. Later on he learns by accident that the girl is just as poor as he is.



ANOTHER SUITOR, ancient but this time authentically wealthy, also proposes and anxiously proffers a box of money to seal the bargain. The ending is pure Dorothy Dix: the oldster's gold is virtuously refused and Hua gets Huei.

The Time articles are available online at the following links and are definitely worth checking out.

Li Lihua in the U.S.A., Part 2


United Artists publicity photo of Li Lihua, 1958

Li Lihua had sailed for the United States in 1956 under the impression that her Hollywood debut would be a musical called The Buccaneer produced by Cecil B. DeMille and directed by and starring Yul Brynner. As it turned out, she made a film called China Doll starring beefcake idol Victor Mature, directed by diehard romantic Frank Borzage, and produced by John Wayne's company Batjac Productions. Thankfully, the movie is not as bad as the odd recipe (or the poster below) makes it out to be.



I don't think I need to say that China Doll has its share of cringe-inducing moments, yet it nonetheless manages to be a sensitive portrayal of interracial romance. Remember that it was only in the 1950s that anti-miscegenation laws began to be repealed and overturned throughout the United States (beginning in 1948 in California and ending much later in the South). No wonder then that "the kiss" — or rather the lack thereof — became the crux of the film's publicity. Interracial kissing was strictly forbidden by the Hays Production Code, which was adopted in 1930 and not fully abandoned until 1968.

But if we are to believe the news items below, the real reason for the missing kiss is that Chinese actresses don't kiss onscreen!


BY HERSELF LiLi strikes about as daring a "cheesecake" pose as a self-respecting Chinese actress usually will agree to. Her "vital" measurements are 34-19-34.

LILI HUA FROM HONG KONG...
She's a living 'doll'

HOLLYWOOD
How do you make an English-language motion picture with a leading lady who speaks no English? This problem recently confronted veteran Frank Borzage here. It arose when actor John Wayne, who also heads up Batjac Productions, assigned Borzage to China Doll, co-starring Victor Mature and LiLi Hua, the No. 1 box-office favorite of the Far East.

LiLi had been brought to town from Hong Kong by Cecil B. DeMille, who wanted her for Buccaneer, then changed his mind. A veteran of 63 profitable Chinese films, she is a devout Catholic who left China when the Communists took over. At 30, she looks much younger; never married [in fact Li Lihua had married Yan Jun the previous month], she is considered the catch of the Orient because she owns her own movie company. But still she had that problem — no English.

Borzage solved it by sending her to language school for six weeks, then giving her a script of the movie with her dialogue reduced to the bare essentials: "Yes. I go" . . . "No, I stay." LiLi learned her lines phonetically, translated each into Chinese to get the meaning, then sailed through the part.

"It was a breeze," Borzage says, "except that she was shy about clinches. Apparently the Chinese don't like their screen stars to kiss. Vic Mature, however, got her into the spirit."

The picture done, LiLi returned to Hong Kong to star in a film for her own company. By then she had learned enough English to describe Mature. "I think," she told a reporter, "Vic is big, bad wolf."

Parade, January 12, 1958

Not For Li Li Hua!
By GLORIA KLEIN
Central Press Writer

NEW YORK — Let other movie stars kiss handsome actors and display their feminine charms to a drooling public — not Li Li Hua!

East is East, and this Chinese film star refuses to meet Western standards by allowing her leading men to kiss her or by posing for Hollywood's favorite delicacy: cheesecake.

"I act. I do not pose," maintains this Eastern star from Hong Kong. "I do not believe my legs are a reflection of my ability as an actress!"

IT WAS while working on a forthcoming film called China Doll that Miss Hua absolutely refused to be kissed by her co-star, Victor Mature. "I've been kissed by leading ladies of all nationalities in over 30 pictures," Mature pointed out.

Although he marries Miss Hua in the picture, the ceremony is a kissless, Buddhist rite and there isn't a smack on the screen at any time.

"I have 63 pictures to my credit." Miss Hua declared, "and haven't been kissed in any one of them. In China things are different."

* * *

HOW VERY DIFFERENT they are, she again proved, by again refusing to pose for cheesecake photographs. "I will not pose in bathing suits or anything like that" the Oriental beauty said. "Besides, I can't swim."

"In China, movie fans are interested in the face, in dramatic poses, in dramatic accomplishment, not in the dimensions of the figure."

Miss Hua's idea of sultry fashion is the traditional form-hugging Chinese gown with its high neck and side slits. "Chinese gowns have been attractive to men for centuries," she points out, "and without revealing all. I'll leave cheesecake to the others."

In laying down her "austerity" policy, the Chinese actress follows in the no-cheese footsteps of such western stars as Bette Davis, Loretta Young, Greta Garbo and Olivia de Havilland.

The Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, July 24, 1958

Judy Westbrook's Li Lihua fansite has this amusing anecdote about Li Lihua's "refusal" to kiss.

"May I have a kiss?"

During the filming of the last scene of "China Doll", Victor Mature moved forward to kiss Li Lihua on the lips, but she turned her head away and muttered, "You've been eating onions!" Humiliated, Victor stomped off to his dressing room. Li, too, returned to her room. Director Frank Borzage went after her to get an explanation. Li (via an interpreter) pointed out that there was no mention of kissing on camera in the contract. Borzage went to console Victor and later they both returned to finish filming the movie.

When news of this episode reached Hong Kong, Yien Chuen (Li's fiance) said it was just a Hollywood promotional campaign and that there was indeed no kissing in the movie contract.

Thirty years later, when Li was approached about the incident, she claimed that it was not true that she told Victor off. "In fact," she said, "Victor was very helpful and respectful and I am very grateful to him. He came to the set to be with me even when there was no shooting on his part. A few years later when a friend of his visited Hong Kong, he sent his regards to me."

The incident of Victor Mature's stinky breath is amusingly referred to in this article about Li Lihua's marriage to Yan Jun from the December, 1957 issue of International Screen. "Their marriage made big headlines. One of the headlines reads: 'Chinese Garlic is Better Than Foreign Onion'."

In a like manner, Hong Kong was definitely better than Hollywood for Li Lihua. China Doll is a testament to the limitations faced by Chinese actors working in the West. That it is the only one of Li's films from the 1950s (her most prolific period) currently available on DVD is one of history's great ironies.

Without further ado, here is a glimpse of the glorious Li Lihua in her first and last Hollywood film.

From the eBay Archive: Li Lihua and Clark Gable


Clark Gable and Li Lihua, ca. 1954

Clark Gable traveled to Hong Kong in November, 1954 to shoot location scenes for Soldier of Fortune (1955), in which he plays an expatriate Chicago gangster living in Hong Kong who helps an American woman save her photojournalist husband held captive in Communist China.

I don't know the circumstances of his meeting with Li Lihua, but she must have made quite an impression on him. According to Dorothy Kilgallen in her "Around New York" gossip column, "Clark Gable... still exchanges pash notes with Miss Li Li-hua..." (June 30, 1955).

BTW, Soldier of Fortune did feature an up-and-coming Hong Kong star in a small role... none other than the lovely Grace Chang!


Don't be a dirty old man, Clark... watch your hand!

Li Lihua in the U.S.A., Part 1


What?! Yes, the evergreen queen of Hong Kong cinema did in fact journey to the West seeking fame and fortune on Gold Mountain. I do believe she was the first Hong Kong star to cross over to Hollywood (please correct me if I'm wrong). Here's an article from International Screen No. 13 (November, 1956) covering her trip.

Li Li Hwa in U.S.A.

After the completion of "Rain Storm in China Town" and "Nonya and Baba", Li Li Hwa has left Hongkong for San Francisco by S. S. President Wilson. While in San Francisco she was accorded a warm welcome by overseas Chinese, and then she proceeded to Hollywood, where she was introduced to Mr. Frank Freeman, vice president of the Paramount Motion Picture Co., Mr. Cecil De Mille, director of the "The Ten Commandments", and Mr. Henry Wilson, production manager of the production. After two days sojourn, she began her tour over all the leading cities in the United States.

While in Washington, D.C., Li Li Hwa was also accommodated by Mr. Judd, the congressman, who accompanied her to visit the Chinese Embassy, being entertained also by the Chinese Ambassador Tong Shen Kwong. In New York, Li Li Hwa also entertained the local press in a big party, and was finely impressed.

Some press men said she looked much like Elizabeth Taylor; others said she looked like Merle Oberon, but above all, Mr. Cecil De Mille entertains a high hope and estimate in Li Li Hwa because of her unique and distinguished Oriental personality.

Li Li Hwa is expected to be back to Hollywood to report for her part in "The Buccaneer", the preparation work for the said production will soon be started.

Li Lihua's arrival in the U.S. was also followed with great interest by American newspapers.

CHINESE FILM STAR SIGNED BY DE MILLE

HOLLYWOOD, June 7—Cecil B. DeMille announces that he has signed Li Li-Hua, Chinese actress, to a contract and hopes to co-star her with Yul Brynner in a musical version of "The Buccaneer".

DeMille filmed the life story of the famed pirate, Jean Lafitte, in the thirties. The remake, which the veteran director calls a musical dramatization, will be made under his banner next year.

Brynner will direct as well as star and DeMille's assistant, Henry Wilcoxon, will produce.

DeMille said he has never met Li Li-Hua personally but she was so highly recommended to him that he sent for some test footage of her.

"She is a very fine actress endowed with great beauty, charm and grace. She also has a very fine singing voice."

DeMille, recalling the success of Anna May Wong, said the American screen long has needed a popular, Chinese actress.

In the silent era, one of DeMille's most popular discoveries was another Oriental — the Japanese Sessue Hayakawa.

Oakland Tribune, June 8, 1956

HOLLYWOOD BOUND

China's leading movie actress Li Li-Hua poses prettily on rail of SS President Wilson on arrival in San Francisco. She's in the U.S. under refugee act and is on her way to Hollywood under contract to Cecil B. DeMille. She is accompanied by her nine-year-old daughter. Miss Li made 63 movies before fleeing to Hongkong when Communist armies swept across China in 1948.

Port Angeles Evening News, July 9, 1956

Chinese Movie Queen Balks at Cheesecake

NEW YORK, Aug. 6 (U.P.)— Chinese movie queen Li Li-Hua gave notice to American moviegoers today not to expect her to appear in bathing suits, low-cut dresses or high-split gowns.

The lovely five-foot, four-inch 98-pound actress explained to a news conference in Chinatown that those were the only personal measurements she cares to make public.

"I do not consider myself a Marilyn Monroe type," she said through an interpreter, when asked if she could be compared with the American ideal of sex appeal. A reporter suggested she was more like Grace Kelly.

Li Li-Hua, who is the top Chinese movie star and one of the most popular actresses throughout the Far East, agreed.

—United Press, August 6, 1956

Well, it turned out that Li Lihua never did make The Buccaneer with Yul Brynner. It was eventually made two years later, but without Li as leading lady. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. In "What If" fantasy, it would have been a swashbuckling romance along the lines of the Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland film Captain Blood (1935). But in reality, it turned out quite differently. And Li Lihua ended up starring with Victor Mature in China Doll (1958), her first and last Hollywood film.

And what about Yul Brynner? Well, according to information on Judy Westbrook's fantastic Li Lihua fansite, although Li and Brynner didn't get the opportunity to work together, Brynner was quite charmed by Li and showered her with attention. When Li was living in California waiting to shoot China Doll, Brynner would buy groceries for her everyday and leave them at her doorstep! At the time, Li was engaged to actor-director Yan Jun, but rumors of Brynner's interest spread like wildfire in Hong Kong.

Li maintained that she and Brynner were just good friends. "Oh, you mean that baldy? He was very nice to me and we are good friends. No, I was not romantically involved with him. Oh, you reporters are so weird! Baldy Yul, Baldy Yan [Yan Jun was balding]... really, it's none of your business!"

Fanny Fan: The Pink Murder (1959)


Fanny Fan strikes a Jayne Mansfield pose for The Pink Murder film program.

The release of The Pink Murder on October 29th, 1959 marks the beginning of Fanny Fan's decade-long reign as Hong Kong cinema's leading sex symbol. As blogger Miss Su Zi astutely observes in a recent post, by unabashedly embracing the role of sex symbol in an industry where virtuous "jade girls" ruled the screen, Fanny boldly chose a "road of no return" that — for good or bad — would define her career.

Yet Fanny's decision was also a shrewd one which prevented her from vanishing into the limbo of forgotten actors. At Shaw Brothers' Cantonese division, where she had got her start in 1957, the lead roles were practically monopolized by Patricia Lam Fung and Pearl Au Kar-wai. Staying there would have been a certain dead end, especially considering the closure of the division in 1963.

At the studio's Mandarin division, there was more competition (such as established stars Li Lihua, Lin Dai, Loh Tih, and Chang Chung-wen and fellow newcomers Ting Ning, Ting Hung, and Tu Chuan), but with Diana Chang Chung-wen intent upon hanging up her swimsuit and bath towel and demanding more serious roles, the position of studio bombshell was open for the taking. And boy, did Fanny take it!

Here's an article from Southern Screen No. 18 (August, 1959) announcing the release of The Pink Murder. I've also made a PDF of the original article (582 KB).

The Pink Murder



Shaw's latest suspense thriller "The Pink Murder" revolves around the theme of a woman's seductive powers to enslave men and bend them to her will.

In the spicy and torrid role of the enchantress is Shaw's curvaceous Fanny Fan, whose natural gifts make her a most fitting choice for the role.

Countless men in the film fall under the spell of this beautiful and ruthless woman, and they commit murder for her sake.

Her first victim is none other than her old millionaire of a husband, whose wealth was his undoing. To inherit the vast fortune, she gets her paramour to dispose of the old man.

Another victim of hers is the lawyer who is charged with altering the will of the old man. He falls prey to her seductive wiles and becomes the victim of blackmail. In desperation he kills to extricate himself from his predicament.

In the role of the lawyer is Yen Chun, who takes on the dual role of director and star in the film.

Others in the film are Yu Kwong-chao who plays the millionaire husband, and veteran character actor Yang Chih-ching who is the blackmailer in the film.

Here are a couple of cool pics of Fanny and actor-director Yan Jun from The Pink Murder film program.





And here's an article from Southern Screen No. 22 (December, 1959) covering the enthusiastic response to Fanny's star debut.

Fanny Fan An Overnight Success


Curvaceous Fanny Fan is a success overnight with the release of her first Mandarin film "The Pink Murder".

Her maiden film on the Mandarin screen enjoyed a record-breaking run at the Rialto and Zenith Theatres in Hongkong and Kowloon.

Her fame spread so rapidly that when she volunteered to model a set of the latest creations in the way of Cheong-sams for amateur camera enthusiasts she attracted more than a 1,000 eager shutter-bugs. They had all gone there to capture this buxom star on celluloid.

Plate-Spinning Patricia Lam Fung


Always eager to please her fans, Patricia Lam Fung demonstrates her plate-spinning skills in the January, 1960 issue of Southern Screen.


Beauteous Betty Loh Tih


Boy, it's getting a little hot in this blog with all my recent posts about Z-bomb Fanny Fan. To cool things down a bit, here is a centerfold of the always classy Betty Loh Tih from Southern Screen No. 23 (January, 1960).

Beauteous Betty Loh Tih

Real name: Hsi Chung-yi
Age: 21
Native of: Pootung, Kiangsu Province
Has played in: "The Magic Touch", "Love Letter Murder", "Adventures of the Thirteenth Sister", "The Enchanting Shadow" and "Malaya Affair".

Meeting Loh Tih for the first time, you may find her the picture of a cold classic Chinese beauty, aloof and proud on a pedestal.

You speak to her and as if smiling, radiating charm and warmth lights up that lovely face. You'll find her friendly and that aloofness was just a figment of your imagination.

During her short time with Shaw Studio, she has starred in roles that are diametric opposites, and her versatility has become a byword among movie circles.

She has starred in "The Magic Touch", and "Love Letter Murder" and is starring in "Adventures of the Thirteenth Sister".

The 21-year-old beauty hails from Shanghai, where she grew up. Her real name is Hsi Chung-yi.

Kuntum-Maybank Melacca Camp for kids... had a blast facilitating it

15th November 208; Mini ASEAN Village, Malacca - It was one of those times where you feel good because you helped to make someone else happy. Seeing the smiles on the kids faces, just makes you think that you made a difference in the world somehow, no matter how small it was. I went there with the weight of the world on my shoulders because of my stress at work and social life but when the camp ended, i felt like the burden was lifted... thanks to the kids. They really made me realise what innocent fun was... a feel i lost a long long time ago. The thing I learned: "Sometimes you've just got to drop everything you're doing and have some fun".

KUDOS TO THE MALACCA KIDS! 

The Facilitators Gang


My Troop


Yes, 150 kids... how on earth did we manage?

Fanny Fan: "The Brigitte Bardot of China"


Man Lei Hung (aka Fanny Fan)

This pinup of Fanny Fan appeared in Universal Screen No. 7 (July, 1958), back when she was working in Shaw Brothers' Cantonese division and was still known as Man Lei Hung. Here's the accompanying article.

And here are two more articles, for which Dev Yang was kind enough to provide translations. Any errors are a result of over-enthusiastic editing on my part.

Chinese Brigitte Bardot — Man Lei Hung


It's important to choose the right stage name. It must be inspiring and beautiful, yet easily remembered by moviegoers. Here comes Man Lei Hung [literally "a thousand miles of red"]. This is a vivacious and youthful stage name for a new star, and she has been given the precious chance to be leading lady in a coming feature [not specified]. Man Lei Hung has put a great deal of effort in preparation, and there is no doubt that she will have a positive outcome. In the studio and on the film set, friends and colleagues have given her another name — "the Brigitte Bardot of China". This nickname has caught on more than her stage name, but Man Lei Hung regards this as a compliment. In real life, the lovely Man Lei Hung possesses a touch of innocence. She is courteous and respectful of her veteran colleagues, and they love and care about her. Man Lei Hung is bound to have a bright future.

from Film Star No. 21 (1958 or 1959)

The Seductions of Man Lei Hung


In such a freezing cold winter, even if you are "bold and daring", you must possess real courage to pose for photos like these! When we came to Man Lei Hung's residence for an interview about her transition from the Cantonese to the Mandarin screen, she was very courteous and polite, asking what kind of photos we wanted. We told her that our editor wanted something "special" and truly exceptional. Man Lei Hung cleverly read between lines and said, "Please wait for me a minute, and see if this is special enough". Here is her "special" sarong outfit. These photos, from the perspective of art, are neither obscene nor vulgar but indeed prove that Man Lei Hung possesses a true beauty that gives a feeling of "reality and tangibility"!

from The Movietune Pictorial No. 6 (March, 1959)

Fanny Fan: Before She Was Fanny


Man Lei Hung (aka Fanny Fan) on the cover of Film Star

Fanny Fan wasn't always known as Fanny Fan. She was born in Shanghai on October 16th, 1940 as Fan Wai-chuan. At some point she moved to Hong Kong, as did so many Chinese during the turbulence of the Sino-Japanese War and the Nationalist-Communist Civil War.

I'm not clear on the chronology of Fanny's entrance into showbiz, but according to the Hong Kong Film Archive's online catalog, she first appeared under the stage name Man Lei Hung in a small role in Lui Chen-sing's Many Adventures (1956), a Cantonese martial-arts movie starring Tso Tat-wah. Also around this time (probably either December 1955 or December 1956), Fanny was crowned "Miss Exhibition" at the Hong Kong Products Expo, a popular annual retail fair that featured pageants and performances.

Sometime in 1956, Fanny joined Shaw Brothers' newly formed Cantonese division and was given a supporting role in Pearl Au Kar-wai's star debut, Pearl of the Island, released on January 1st, 1957. Later that year, Fanny was introduced in the premiere issue of Southern Screen (December, 1957) as one of "Seven New Faces" being promoted by the studio. The other faces included fellow Cantonese stars Patricia Lam Fung and Au Kar-wai and Mandarin star Pat Ting Hung. But fame eluded Fanny as she got stuck playing second fiddle to Lam Fung and Au Kar-wai throughout 1958.


Fanny Fan (right) and Pearl Au Kar-wai (center) in Crime of Passion in the Hotel (1958)

Perhaps Fanny was just too sexy for Cantonese audiences, who tended to be culturally conservative and instead adored Lam Fung, the virtuous (and bankable) "jade girl" who was quickly becoming the "Jewel of Shaw". Whatever the reason, in 1959 Fanny switched over to Shaw's Mandarin division, where she made her career-defining transformation into a full-fledged Z-bomb.

The actress formerly known as Man Lei Hung was now dubbed Fanny Fan, a suitably sexy name that alliteratively riffed on her reputation as "the Brigitte Bardot of China". Her first Mandarin film was Enchanted Melody, where she joined pioneering bombshell Helen Hsia Hou Lan to provide a double dose of voluptuousness (tempered — lest things got too hot — by the sweet and cooling goodness of leading lady Ting Ning).


Fanny Fan in Enchanted Melody (1959)

Fanny also starred — as Man Lei Hung — with Mak Kay (famous for his "Teddy Boy" roles opposite Lam Fung) in Behind the Hidden Scene, a Cantonese-language "erotic" musical financed by Shaw Brothers and directed by Chow Sze-luk, the head of Shaw's Cantonese division. Mak Kay plays a man who learns that his long-lost daughter (played by Fanny) has been found in Japan working as an erotic dancer. He travels there and visits all the dance halls looking for a Chinese girl with a birthmark on her leg. Shot in color (rare for a Hong Kong film at that time) and on location in Japan, it featured performances by Japanese erotic dancers. Two years later Fanny and Mak Kay would work together again on another musical set in Japan, but this time they played in the shadows of superstars Lin Dai and Peter Chen Ho in the decidedly unerotic Les Belles (1961).

The adult-themed Enchanted Melody and Behind the Hidden Scene were clear signals that Shaw Brothers was building up the payload for the detonation of their deadly new weapon of mass seduction. On October 29, 1959 the Z-bomb was unleashed in actor-director Yan Jun's The Pink Murder. Stay tuned for the aftermath!

References
  • Biography at HKFA Online Catalogue (in Chinese)

  • "Shaw's Cantonese Productions and Their Interactions with Contemporary Local and Hollywood Cinema" by Law Kar in China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema (2008)

Yu So-chow: Double Pistol Heroine


This is hands-down one of the crown jewels of my memorabilia collection: some rare original artwork advertising Double Pistol Heroine, a martial-arts Western starring Yu So-chow. I was never able to find out much about this movie, but according to Jean Lukitsh's recently posted profile of Yu So-chow, it happens to be her first film!

The ad (which probably originated from Singapore) also mentions a cofeature: Yu's 1951 movie Hwu San Niang the Heroine (also known as A Girl in Green and A Woman as Sharp as a Blade), based on the character from the classic novel Water Margin.

Bruce Lee: Cha-Cha Champion

The year before he won the 1958 Crown Colony Cha-Cha Championship, 17-year-old Bruce Lee demonstrated his steps in the movie Darling Girl (1957).



Hmmm... I wonder if Bruce ever chanced to dance with Miss Grace Chang. Earlier that year, she had shown her own cha-cha moves in Mambo Girl, a film that was tailored to her dancing talent. The two of them together would have been a sight to see.

Speaking of sights-to-see, how about this one of Bruce dancing the cha-cha with Diana Chang Chung-wen when she visited the United States on a three-month promotional tour for her Shaw Brothers film The Amorous Lotus Pan (1964). Pretty cool!


Diana Chang and Bruce Lee do the cha-cha.

Origins of the Z-Bomb


Fanny Fan was Hong Kong cinema's "youngest Z-bomb" in 1959.

In my quest for all things Fanny Fan, I came across a photo piece from the May 1959 issue of The Happiness Movieland referring to her as "the youngest Z-bomb". It doesn't take much imagination to figure out what exactly makes a "Z-bomb". Still, I was curious about the term, since it was also used in the same issue to describe Lau Leung-Wa ("a real Z-bomb").

According to War Slang: American Fighting Words and Phrases Since the Civil War, a Z-bomb is "a mythical bomb of such power that exploding it would 'end it all'. The term was used in the 1950s, and a stripper of that period, Lolinda Raquel, billed herself as Margo the Mexican Z-Bomb 'The Absolute End'."

Thanks to Newspaperarchive.com, I discovered this tantalizing piece about Margo from the November 25, 1960 issue of the San Mateo Times:

Margo the Z Bomb "Blows" in Dec. 1

Six years ago, Margo the Bomb "blasted" away at Luz Garcia's Sinaloa. Anyone who visited the San Francisco Powell Street night club during that time will never forget her. Never before, or since, has anyone been able to shake her torso in so many directions at one time as formful Margo.

After a long run at Sinaloa, Margo received an offer (a three figure sum) to appear in a Manila club with the contract understanding that if she was a big hit, her salary would double at the end of six weeks.

Never one to hold back the career of any of her acts, Luz Garcia wished Margo "bon voyage" and good luck — thinking she would return to the Sinaloa in three or four months.

Margo was such a "shaking" success that all options on contracts were picked up and for the past six years she has been in the three figure weekly salary bracket. The publicity raves from all over the world stamp this little lady as being "number one" in her field.

Because Miss Garcia was kind enough to release her from the local contract six years ago, Margo has agreed to again headline the Sinaloa all-Mexican show beginning next Thursday, December 1.


Well, the world is truly a small place. Not only am I familiar with the building in Chinatown/North Beach that used to house the club where Margo danced (and which currently houses the Lichee Garden Restaurant), but Margo also makes a stunning appearance in the Grace Chang musical Mambo Girl (1957).

Wow! All hail the "Mother of Hong Kong's Z-Bombs"!


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