Unsung History14 Aug 2023

Anna May Wong

As a child in Los Angeles, Wong Liu Tsong knew she wanted to be an actress. Adopting the screen name Anna May Wong and dropping out of school to pursue her passion, Wong landed her first lead role at age 17. Despite Hollywood racism that would limit the types of roles she would receive, Wong’s impressive career spanned over 60 films, in addition to stage and television work, and she was the first Asian American woman to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Joining me in this episode is Dr. Yunte Huang, Professor of English at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and author of Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History.

Our theme song is Frogs Legs Rag, composed by James Scott and performed by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons. The mid-episode music is “Anna May Wong singing in three languages -Rudy Vallee Radio Show from July 11, 1935,” posted on YouTube by Robert Fells, who attributes the original discs to Jerry Haendiges. The episode image is a press photograph of Anna May Wong, from: Press photographs of Anna May Wong, 1930s, Postcards and Press Photographs of Anna May Wong, circa 1930-1981, MS Thr 2095 Case 1, Folder 4. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

Additional Sources:

“Anna May Wong, 1905-1961,” by Kerri Lee Alexander, National Women’s History Museum.
“Life Story: Anna May Wong (1905–1961): The First Asian American Movie Star,” Women and the American Story, New York Historical Society.
“Anna May Wong: Trendsetting Movie Star and Fashion Icon / 1905-1961 [video],” UNLADYLIKE2020.
“Actress Anna May Wong Championed Asian American Representation in More than 60 Films,” by Chelsea Cozad, Smithsonian, October 24, 2022.
“Anna May Wong: the legacy of a groundbreaking Asian American star,” by Pamela Hutchinson, The Guardian, October 19, 2022.
“The True Story of Anna May Wong and The Good Earth,” by Yohana Desta, Vanity Fair, May 1, 2020.
“Lucy Liu Speaks Out for More Diversity at Hollywood Walk of Fame,” by Jordan Moreau, Variety, May 1, 2019.
“Anna May Wong Will Be the First Asian American on U.S. Currency,” by Soumya Karlamangla, New York Times, October 18, 2022.

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