Inktober Redux 2022 - Day 12 - James Shigeta, A Majority of One
12/10/22 22:25 Filed in: Personal | inktober redux 2022
Day 12 - “A Majority of One” - 1961 is a romantic comedy about a Japanese businessman and widower (Alec Guinness), and a Brooklyn widow played by Rosalind Russell, who share a bond over lives, their families, and their faiths, which develops into a romance. Alec played the role in yellow-face with latex prosthetics to appear Japanese. George Takei, recalls that while playing a minor role in A Majority of One, he was "shocked" at the "grotesquely offensive" latex make-up applied to Guinness's eyes. The film is still considered a warm film filled with humor and a message of tolerance and compassion that remains relevant today. WHAT IF the role were handled by James Shigeta? Shigeta was an American actor noted for his roles in The Crimson Kimono (1959), Flower Drum Song (1961), Bridge to the Sun (1961), Die Hard (1988), and Mulan (1998). He even won the Golden Globe Award in 1960 for Most Promising Newcomer. Shigeta often played romantic male lead roles, which were almost nonexistent for an actor of Asian descent during his time. It seems like a shoe in that he could have easily been cast in a role in a film that dealt with inter racial marriage and this film would probably be held in higher light in cinematic history.
