Flower Drum Song (film)

Flower Drum Song is a 1961 American musical film directed by Henry Koster, adapted from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song, premiered on Broadway in 1958, which in turn was based on the 1957 novel by Chinese American author Chin Yang Lee. The film stars Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, Miyoshi Umeki, Jack Soo, Benson Fong and Juanita Hall. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Flower Drum Song is the first major Hollywood feature film to have a majority Asian-American cast in a contemporary Asian-American story.