Shigeta was known for his role as Wang Ta in Flower Drum Song (1961), a film adaption of the musical that was the first Hollywood film to have a majority Asian American cast and was nominated for five academy awards. Upon his return to the United States, he began his American career as a nightclub entertainer under the pseudonym “ Guy Brion.” The phenomenon, steeped in racism, was triggered by multiple factors, including the fear of possible military invasion from Asia, perceived competition by Asian workers to the white labor force and potential ethnic contamination as a result of genetic mixing between Asians and white people.Ĭarroll Baker and James Shigeta in the 1961 film, 'Bridge to the Sun.'īorn in Hawaii, James Shigeta was a third generation Japanese American who served in the Korean War. The Golden Age of Hollywood’s depiction of Asia and Asian people was intertwined with the threat of “ yellow peril,” a cultural phenomenon marked by the fear that East Asian people posed a social, economic and political threat to the United States. The Golden Age of Hollywood, also known as Classical Hollywood or Old Hollywood, spanned the decades between 19 and typically featured white movie stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart and Elizabeth Taylor-but Asian American actors also acted in prominent roles during the time.
