Mr. Yunioshi
Question: What do you call a person of Asian descent who tolerates Mickey Rooney's (admittedly awful) casting in this otherwise lovely film?
Answer: a grownup.
Recall that director and sometimes writer Blake Edwards specialized in "accent humor" back in the 60's when it was allowed.
There was Mr. Yunioshi. There was Kato in A Shot in the Dark. Peter Sellers did a French accent as Clouseau(are French accents allowed today?) Sellers also played a funny(and very nice) Hindu Indian in Edwards' "The Party." (1968.)
Indeed, Peter Sellers made his name doing accents (Hindu, Asian) in TV and movies as a comedian for years. He did a German accent as Dr. Strangelove(are German accents allowed today?)
Its pretty much all over now. SNL producer Lorne Michaels says that Belushi's Samarai(also played by Richard Pryor once) could not be done today.
I'm not a racist, in any way, shape, or form, and do believe Rooney's casting is ridiculous, but when do people stop complaining about choices made in films of this vintage?? I'm a gay man and can handle gay jokes, or more to the point, can laugh my behind off at Archie Bunker asking Irene Lorrenzo (Betty Garrett) if her husband, Frank, is a f@# because he does all the cooking!!
share