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Keye Luke in "Phantom of Chinatown"

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Unidentified Artist
Sitter
Keye Luke, 18 Jun 1904 - 12 Jan 1991
Lotus Pearl Shibata, 18 Jul 1909 - 14 Sep 1990
Exhibition Label
Born Guangzhou, China
In the early 1930s, Keye Luke sidelined his promising artistic career to become one of Hollywood’s few Asian American actors. Through widely viewed film performances, he hoped to “clear up the debris of misunderstanding and misconception of the Chinese which Americans may have, and vice versa.” Although he resented ethnic stereotyping, Luke benefited from the popularity of movies featuring exotic, pseudo-Asian detectives played by white actors in “yellowface.” Between 1935 and 1949, he appeared in ten films as Lee Chan, “Number One Son” of detective Charlie Chan. In 1940, Luke starred in Phantom of Chinatown (advertised by this poster), becoming the first Asian actor to play an Asian detective in a lead role. Dogged by ethnic typecasting, he went on to originate several iconic roles, including Kato in the Green Hornet serials (1940–41), Mr. Wang in the Broadway musical Flower Drum Song (1958), and Master Po in the television series Kung Fu (1972–75).
Nacido en Cantón, China
A principios de los años treinta, Keye Luke hizo a un lado su prometedora carrera en el mundo del arte para convertirse en uno de los pocos actores asiático-estadounidenses de Hollywood. A través de interpretaciones en películas de gran difusión, esperaba “deshacerse de los malos entendidos e ideas erróneas que todavía pudieran tener los estadounidenses sobre los chinos y viceversa”. Aunque le molestaban los estereotipos étnicos, Luke se benefició de la popularidad de películas protagonizadas por detectives exóticos y pseudoasiáticos interpretados por actores blancos por medio de la práctica del “yellowface” (literalmente, “cara amarilla”). Entre 1935 y 1949, apareció en diez películas como Lee Chan, el “Hijo número uno” del detective Charlie Chan. En 1940, Luke protagonizó Phantom of Chinatown (publicitada por este cartel), convirtiéndose así en el primer actor asiático en interpretar un papel protagonista sobre un detective. Perseguido por el encasillamiento étnico, terminaría por originar varios papeles emblemáticos, incluidos el de Kato en la serie de El Avispón Verde (1940–41), el Sr. Wang en el musical de Broadway Flower Drum Song (1958) y el Maestro Po en la serie de televisión Kung Fu (1972–75).
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1940
Object number
NPG.2017.113
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Print
Medium
Chromolithograph on paper laid down on linen
Dimensions
Image: 99.6 × 63 cm (39 3/16 × 24 13/16")
Sheet: 105.3 × 68.3 cm (41 7/16 × 26 7/8")
Mount: 109.4 × 72.6 cm (43 1/16 × 28 9/16")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition
20th Century Americans: 1930-1960
On View
NPG, South Gallery 321
Alternate Title
The Phantom of Chinatown
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Headgear\Hat
Weapon\Gun
Indeterminable
Weapon\Knife
Poster
Container
Keye Luke: Visual Arts\Artist
Keye Luke: Male
Keye Luke: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor
Lotus Pearl Shibata: Female
Lotus Pearl Shibata: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2017.113
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm46290ecf8-769c-495f-91a3-3fa7a2e54dc3
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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