Shameful Yellow-Face: Hawaii Five - O
Perhaps 50 years ago, Hollywood was insane. Or maybe they just didn't care.
The 1950’s and 1960’s were a weird time in film. For some reason, when an Asian face was needed (or appropriate) for a show/movie, instead of looking for an actor who was, oh, I don’t know ASIAN, a white man was cast, and makeup was used to create the epicanthic folds on the eyes, and rather insulting false accents were employed.
For the classic example of this, refer to Mickey Rooney’s role as Mr. Yunioshi in the otherwise fabulous film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”:
I have to wonder what was going on with the casting group of the producers. I mean, was James Hong not available? I know he was active in the late 1950’s (he is in a couple of the old Perry Mason episodes), and he looks the part.
For this episode of Hawaii Five-O, they could even have called upon George Takei, an ethnic Japanese American.
But no, they valmorphanize Ricardo Montalban to “look” Japanese.
Shameful. Racist. Insensitive.
But Woke is bad, amirite?