With a cast that included Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Benson Fong, and Miyoshi Umeki, FLOWER DRUM SONG ('61) was the first film from a major Hollywood studio with a contemporary setting to have a majority Asian-American cast. Unfortunately, it was also the last to do so until Wayne Wang's adaptation of THE JOY LUCK CLUB ('93) over thirty years later. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

James Hong's first credited film appearance was as the headwaiter in FLOWER DRUM SONG ('61). This legendary actor has over 600 film and tv credits in a career spanning six decades. After an online campaign was launched by Daniel Dae Kim to get Hong a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year, it's happening. Hong has been inducted into the 2022 class. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

James Shigeta played a romantic lead in a number of films in the late '50s/early '60s, something that is still rare today for Asian American men. A Hollywood producer once told him, "If you were white, you'd be a hell of a big star. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM