Anna May Wong | Hollywood Yesterday

Anna May Wong, Island of Lost Men lobby card

February 18, 2021 By Joi

The exotic and beautiful Anna May Wong possessed a unique quality that always mesmerizes me. She often (at once, mind you) appeared to be as fragile, lovely, and delicate as a hyacinth but as powerful, fierce, and confident as a tigress. When I watch her, it always occurs to me that she is one of the few stars who embodied such a fascinating contradiction.

Anna May Wong films can be tough to come by – whether you’re trying to watch them on television or Prime Video or looking to buy a dvd, so if you come across one… grab it!

The gorgeous Island of Lost Men Lobby Card pictured at the top IS readily available, however. The link will take you to Amazon where the card is less expensive than I’ve seen it other places.

Anna May Wong, Limehouse Blues (1934)

November 13, 2020 By Joi

Anna May Wong, Limehouse Blues

Sadly, I don’t have a lot of Anna May Wong photos or information on Hollywood Yesterday but I have a pretty good reason for it… she’s relatively new to me! How I managed to go my whole movie-obsessed life without seeing this beautiful and talented lady in ANYTHING is beyond me, but somehow I managed.

I only recently have been able to see a couple of her films (in my defense, they can really be hard to find). I absolutely love her and will be adding a lot more to the blog from here on out.

Beautiful Chinese-American Anna May was born Wong Liu Tsong on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California. She has 64 acting credits – which is quite impressive when you consider the fact that she lived during a time when diversity in Hollywood was nearly unheard of.

A few Anna May Wong films on Prime Video:

Lady from Chungking

Bombs Over Burma

A Study in Scarlet

Her film Tiger Bay is available on DVD on Amazon.

Anna May Wong, Shanghai Express

June 3, 2020 By Joi

Anna May Wong, Shanghai Express

You would be very justified in asking why I only recently have added Anna May Wong photos to Hollywood Yesterday. My excuse is a valid one, however… she is very new to me! I only recently saw my first Anna May Wong film. While that may seem odd for someone who has watched classic movies all of their life, you have to take into consideration that this beautiful and talented actress’ films aren’t shown on television very often…. unfortunately, not often at all.

To complicate matters, the dvds can be pretty challenging to find as well.

I have fallen for the actress head over heels, though, and am on a mission to find more photos, films, and information. You’ll be seeing a lot more of Anna May Wong here from now on and my apologies for being so late to discover this exceptional actress.

Anna May Wong: Daughter of Shanghai, Picture of the Day

May 19, 2020 By Joi

Anna May Wong, Daughter of Shanghai

Anna May Wong was more than just a beautiful face – she was a very, very talented actress. You can see the talent in each and every scene. At the risk of sounding melodramatic (to the tune of Garbo-esque melodramatic), the talent is always right there… begging to be trusted with deeper roles than she was often given.

Like a true professional, however, she took what she WAS given and absolutely blew it out of the water. There was a mesmerizing beauty and reserved strength in her portrayals. If you aren’t sure what I mean by this, seek her movies out and watch them. You’ll see right away. The lady was extra special and – while I will forever wish she had been given even more to work with – I am extremely thankful that we have her filmography to enjoy.

Mesmerizing… it’s a word that keeps coming to mind.

Anna May Wong: Gorgeous Promotional Pictures from Tiger Bay

May 4, 2020 By Joi

Anna May Wong, Tiger Bay

Beautiful and talented Anna May Wong carries the distinction of being the first Chinese-American movie star. She was born Wong Liu Tsong (According to the British Film Institute biography, her birth name was Luong Liu Tsong) on January 3, 1905, in Los Angeles, California, to Wong Sam Sing and Lee Gon Toy.

A few of Anna May’s joys were horseback riding, golfing and skiing. This lovely actress is fairly new to me, so I am honestly just now reading about her. I’m devouring everything I can get my hands on and working my way through her filmography.

Expect to see much more of her on the blog!