Anna May Wong

Anna May Wong (born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3, 1905) was a trailblazing Chinese American actress and the first Asian American film star in Hollywood. Her career spanned silent films, sound films, television, stage, and radio, making her an international icon. She grew up in Los Angeles, where her fascination with movies began early, often watching film productions in her neighborhood.

Although Anna Mae Wong’s career was not directly tied to burlesque, even in its early forms, her performances and public image often involved elements of exoticism and sensuality, which were associated with burlesque-style aesthetics. Her roles and fashion choices occasionally reflected the era’s fascination with theatrical glamour and allure, but she primarily worked in film, television, and stage productions rather than burlesque shows.

Burlesque and Early Motion Pictures

Burlesque and early motion pictures shared a fascinating interplay, shaping each other’s evolution in the entertainment world. Early filmmakers often drew inspiration from burlesque and vaudeville acts, adapting their visual and theatrical elements for the screen. Burlesque’s exaggerated performances, humor, and visual appeal made it a natural fit for silent films, which relied heavily on physical expression and visual storytelling.

Motion pictures, in turn, provided a new platform for burlesque performers, allowing them to reach broader audiences and experiment with their craft. This cross-pollination helped popularize burlesque’s themes and aesthetics, while also influencing the development of cinematic techniques. For example, the “leg shows” and playful striptease acts of burlesque found their way into early films, showcasing the female form and challenging societal norms in a new medium.

Early 20th Century Exoticism

Anna May Wong, while she wasn’t directly associated with burlesque, her work and public persona were shaped by similar forces of exoticization that influenced burlesque performances of the time. The exoticism surrounding Wong was a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allowed her to achieve international stardom by embodying roles that catered to Western fantasies of the “mysterious East.” On the other hand, it often confined her to stereotypical roles that emphasized her “otherness.” This mirrors the way burlesque often used exotic themes to captivate audiences, blending sensuality with cultural caricatures.

Wong’s performances, both on screen and in public appearances, often carried an air of theatricality and visual allure akin to burlesque. Her fashion choices and stage presence made her a style icon, much like burlesque performers who used costume and persona to craft their identities. However, Wong also challenged these stereotypes, using her platform to critique the limited roles available to her and to advocate for more authentic representation of Asian characters.

Anna May Wong in Nebraska

Anna visited Omaha, Nebraska in 1925 as she traveled to the east coast from Hollywood. She was with a group of movie stars that were eventually arrested in Des Moines after leaving an Omaha hotel without paying their bill. They stopped at the Hotel Fontenelle and failing to pay $287.10. She called it ‘ghastly business’ but forgave Omaha and returned 7 years later in 1931.

She stated in the Omaha Evening Bee News, ‘I will never forget Omaha as long as I live. That party! And then they had us arrested at 7am in Des Moines. That tour cured me of any more road show engagements. I don’t hold it against Omaha in the least. I think it is such a fine place.’ (Omaha Evening Bee News. “Chinese Star Pauses Here.” Page 2. May 30, 1931)

The various motion pictures Anna starred in were played in theatres across Nebraska:

• Bits of Life at the Lyric Theatre in Broken Bow, NE (Custer County Chief. “Holiday Bills Presented to Lyric Patrons.” December 29, 1921)
• The Toll of the Sea at the Rialto Theatre in Nelson, NE (The Nelson Gazette. “Rialto Program.” Page 1. January 29, 1925)
• Daughter of the Dragon at Ogallala’s Princess Theatre. (Big Springs News. Aad for “Daughter of the Dragon.” Page 3. December 8, 1931)
• Chu Chin Chow at the Fox Theatre in McCook, NE (The McCook Daily Gazette. “At the Theatres; Novarro Coming to Star in Fox Show.” January 29, 1935)
• When Were You Born at the Parrot Theatre in Alma, NE (Harlan County Journal. “Parrot Theatre Reviews; Thursday Only.” October 13, 1938)

Anna with the Troops

In December 1943, Anna May Wong stopped at the McCook Air force Base in McCook, Nebraska. She was the first movie actress to visit the base. Anna took an automobile trip from the North Platte to Mccook. she was taken on a tour of the whole base, including the hospital and an up close look at the B-24 Liberator on the ground. She had her choice for dinner and chose to sit in the Mess with the enlisted men where she ate beans and spinach. Anna even made an unscheduled appearance at the Post Theater, where a USO camp show was being held. She took the microphone and told the soldiers she was proud of them and she was thankful she was allowed to visit them. She then left and made her way to the Kearney Air Base, then to Omaha, before traveling back to the West Coast. (The McCook Daily Gazette. “Movie Actress Anna Mae Wong Sees McCook Air Base; Today G.I. Joes Want Dottie Lamour as Next Guest.” Page 1. December 28, 1943)

End of Life

Anna May Wong passed away on February 3, 1961, in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 56. The cause of her death was a heart attack, which occurred after a long battle with cirrhosis of the liver. Her passing marked the end of a groundbreaking career that paved the way for greater representation of Asian Americans in the entertainment industry.

Sources

• STASZAK, Jean-François. Performing race and gender: the exoticization of Josephine Baker and Anna May Wong. In: Gender, place and culture, 2015, vol. 22, n° 5, p. 626–643. doi: 10.1080/0966369X.2014.885885
• Anna May Wong: Chinese-American Actress
• Anielak, Katherine (2019) “Anna May Wong: Chinese-American Actress,” Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 23 , Article 8. Available at: https://openspaces.unk.edu/undergraduate-research-journal/vol23/iss1/8
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_May_Wong
• https://biographyhost.com/p/anna-may-wong-biography.html
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anna-May-Wong
• https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3232819/anna-may-wongs-incredible-life-and-legacy-one-first-asian-american-hollywood-stars-features-new
• https://daily.jstor.org/burlesque-beginnings/
• https://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/186/

Newspaper Articles:

• Custer County Chief. “Holiday Bills Presented to Lyric Patrons.” December 29, 1921
• The Nelson Gazette. “Rialto Program.” Page 1. January 29, 1925
• Big Springs News. Aad for “Daughter of the Dragon.” Page 3. December 8, 1931
• The McCook Daily Gazette. “At the Theatres; Novarro Coming to Star in Fox Show.” Page 1, 6. January 29, 1935
• Omaha World Herald. “Chinese Costume.” Page 64. October 30, 1921
• Star Herald. Scottsbluff, NE. Ad for “Daughter of the Dragon” at Orpheum Theatre. Page 2. December 31, 1931
• Harlan County Journal. “Parrot Theatre Reviews; Thursday Only.” October 13, 1938
• Nebraska Daily News Press. Ad for “Dinty” at the Liberty Theater. Page 3. January 20, 1921
• The Gordon Journal. Ad for “Artists and Models” at the Pace Theatre. Page 2. December 30, 1937
• The Lincoln Star. Ad for “Drifting” at the Strand Theater. Page 30. September 23, 1923
• The Lincoln Star. Ad for Java Head at the Liberty Theater. Page 18. September 6, 1936
• The Omaha Daily News. Ad for “Drifting” at the Moon and Muse Theatres. Page 26. September 30, 1923
• The Omaha Evening Bee News. Ad for “Bits of Life” at the Rialto Theatre. Page 20. October 30, 1921
• The Omaha Evening Bee News. Ad for “Limehouse Blues” at the World Theatre. Page 9. December 8, 1934
• The Wauneta Breeze. Ad for “Dangerous to Know” at the Oliver Theatre (Palisade, NE). Page 8. July 6, 1938
• Evening World Herald. “Where East Meets West.” Page 30. October 20, 1939
• Evening World Herald. “Chinese Film Star is Dead; Anna Mae Wong, 54, Has Heart Attack.” Page 14. February 4, 1961
• Harlan County Journal. “Parrot Theatre Reviews; Thursday only.” Page 10. October 13, 1938
• Omaha World Herald. “Bits of Life.” Page 53. September 4, 1921
• Omaha World Herald. “Anna Mae Wong, Back After 7 Years Forgives Omaha’s “Stupid Treatment.” Page 2. May 30, 1931
• Omaha World Herald. “Shanghai Banquet.” Grace Turner. Page 70. August 8, 1937
• The Custer County Chief. “Holiday Bills Presented to Lyric Patrons.” Page 10. December 29, 1921
• The Falls City Journal. “Unusual Combination of Types in “Dinty,” New Neilan Picture.” Page 2. April 5, 1921
• The McCook Daily Gazette. “At the Theatres; Novarro Coming to Star in Fox Show.” Page 2. January 29, 1935
• The Nelson Gazette. “Rialto Program.” Page 1. January 29, 1925
• The Omaha Daily News. “The Oriental Mary Pickford.” Page 19. September 4, 1921
• The Omaha Daily News. “An Exception to the Rule.” Page 18. September 23, 1921
• The Omaha Evening Bee News. “Chinese Star Pauses Here.” Page 2. May 30, 1931