Search - Oscar Hammerstein II, James Shigeta, Richard Rodgers :: Flower Drum Song (1961 Film Soundtrack)

Alfred Newman's orchestrations are the highlight

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 12/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This re-issue of the film soundtrack from FLOWER DRUM SONG coincides with the current Broadway revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein neglected masterpiece, which features an all-new book by M. BUTTERFLY's David Henry Hwang.This recording is highlighted by wunderkind musical director Alfred Newman's orchestrations. I absolutely love the Overture/Main Title music, as well as the "Dream Ballet" which follows on from "Love Look Away" (surely one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most heart-rending ballads).However, although the film featured original Broadway stars Miyoshi Umeki, Juanita Hall, Jack Soo and Patrick Adiarte, it also featured a few OBVIOUSLY-DUBBED performers; Nancy Kwan (as sexy nightclub performer Linda Low) has an ill-fitting singing voice provided by B.J. Baker, and Reiko Sato (as the lovelorn Helen Chao) has a singing voice by the legendary Marilyn Horne (who was then a young up-and-comer).There is also popular matinee idol James Shigeta, displaying his lovely, untrained singing with "You Are Beautiful" and joining Juanita Hall for the comical "Chop Suey". Miyoshi Umeki sounds more polished and confident here than on the original Broadway Cast recording. She is charming and lovely both on record and on film.This recording also features a lovely cover version of "Love Look Away", delightfully sung by the late Rosemary Clooney.A must-have recording."

Buy The CD But See The Movie Too

D.D. | Jacksonville, FL United States | 10/03/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Flower Drum Song" has never been rated alongside the legendary R&H musicals, which is unfortunate considering the excellent cast album and film adaptation that are easily available today. Its dated situations, less-familiar songs, and overall comedic edge have kept it from joining the ranks of its more serious-minded brethren, along with the fact that the screen adaptation was produced by Universal rather than Fox, which made the "Big Five." That means it's not in any box sets and loses any marketing synergies with the others. (Furthermore, Fox's frequent association of "State Fair" with the other five further marginalizes "Flower Drum Song.")The musical is just now being rescued on Broadway, with a totally new book and structure, and this has apparently prompted Decca-Universal to release the film soundtrack on CD, with liner notes by David Henry Hwang, the author of the revival's new book. But while the original Broadway cast album captures the magic of the musical, thanks to meticulous direction and superb work by Pat Suzuki, Larry Blyden, and Miyoshi Umeki, the film soundtrack's value is primarily nostalgic, as the magic of the movie was mainly visual. The wonderful 1961 film, produced by Ross Hunter, is a splashy, colorful production that features attractive personalities, endearing performances, and classic dance numbers. The soundtrack alone can't relate those qualities, so it must be enjoyed as a complement to the film. For example, compared to the cast album, the new soundtrack CD suffers from poor vocal sound quality, lazier lyric readings by the supporting cast, and the un-Suzuki plainness (and faux-Asian accent) of Nancy Kwan's studio-issue stand-in. Juanita Hall and Umeki, recreating their stage roles, sound better on the cast album, as does Jack Soo, who was great in a small role in the Broadway production (played here by a fun but struggling Victor Sen Yung, alias Hop-Sing). But if Soo seems a bit over his head on this CD, his excellent film performance wasn't about his singing, so isolating it just further misses the magic. And since there's no Nancy Kwan here at all, one of the film's greatest assets is entirely absent. Only Alfred Newman's showy arrangements survive the translation to an audio-only representation of the film. That said, however, the soundtrack does recall the joyous charm of the movie, which remains a milestone in American cinema as one of the few 20th century films to include a virtually all-Asian cast. It gave James Shigeta his most important role, and allowed Nancy Kwan to capitalize on the success she had just enjoyed in the film adaptation of "The World of Suzie Wong." (Broadway "Suzie" France Nuyen's abrupt exit from that film gave Kwan the break that allowed her to share with Nuyen their status as the century's only A-list Asian-American leading ladies, though their reign lasted all too briefly. Shigeta was their male counterpart, holding his title alone.)Shigeta is a truly winning personality, and his pleasant, untrained baritone is a charming vehicle for "You are Beautiful" (as well as "Chop Suey," which, having cut his character's only other song, producers made Juanita Hall share with him). His star would never again shine as brightly, and he logged many playhouse performances of "FDS" after starring in the film. But this CD freezes him in time as a Hollywood star, and it's a great tribute to him and the other actors for whom "Flower Drum Song" would not only be a career highlight, but a way of life for much of the 1960's."

Definitely the best of the Flower Drum Song Albums

Roger Rebec | Manchester, UK | 10/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At last, Universal have done fans of this score a huge favour by reissuing this soundtrack album. It's a very different listen from the Braodway Cast album. Several songs, eg You Are Beautiful, the Other Generation and Don't Marry Me performed slightly different functions in the film and frankly the placement of the songs works very much in this album's favour. You Are Beautiful, beautifully performed by James Shigeta, comes very close to the end and gives the score a heady romantic lift that doesn't happen on the Broadway album. Don't Marry Me coming immediately before the Wedding Parade adds a tension that wasn't there in the stage show too.However, the real reason for buying this version, as other reviewers have rightly remarked, is the contribution of Alfred Newman and Ken Darby. The romantic numbers are beautifully orchestrated, the fun numbers sparkle and the swingers swing. The singers give first rate performances but the outstanding contribution comes from the orchestra. The overture and the dream ballet are two of the highlights of the album. Incidentally even the maligned Chop Suey is fun here. I don't think it's R & H's worst song myself. Rodgers produced a bouncy tune and while the lyric isn't world shattering, the song isn't the leaden experience of the Sound of Music's An Ordinary Couple or the embarrassment of Me and Juliet's Big Black Giant in each of which both partners lost it temporarily.However, back to Flower Drum Song: given the orchestra's contribution is so good, it's a pity the reissue didn't include the dance arrangements of Chop Suey and Sunday in full but as a bonus, we do get Rosemary Clooney's fine reading of Love Look Away and a decent essay and some good pictures in the notes.If you've only heard the Broadway album and were less than knocked out, do give this a try. It is a totally different experience and is immensely entertaining to listen to.A sincere thank you to Universal for bringing this disc back to the catalogue and a request for a DVD issue of the film. Then we could see Hermes Pan's choreography as well as all the other treats that this underrated film contains."