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Flower Drum Song

Play trailer Poster for Flower Drum Song 1961 2h 13m Musical Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). To get out of the arrangement, Sammy pawns her off to wealthy Master Wang (Benson Fong) as a fiancée for his son, Wang Ta (Victor Sen Yung). Mei Li falls in love with Wang, but he wants to pursue Linda, who takes advantage of his affections to test Sammy's love.
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Flower Drum Song

Flower Drum Song

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Critics Consensus

Flower Drum Song's story may be somewhat skimpy, but this Rodgers and Hammerstein adaptation blooms with brilliant songs and choreography.

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Critics Reviews

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Marjory Adams Boston Globe Feb 28, 2023
This is genuine holiday joy-making, and the Rodgers tunes give zip and romance to the film. Go to Full Review John L. Scott Los Angeles Times Feb 28, 2023
The plot is flimsy, but it serves as an adequate framework for the bright dances and some clever songs. Go to Full Review Myles Standish St. Louis Post-Dispatch Feb 28, 2023
Breezy, appealing, splashy with color, wistful on occasion, and embellished by the tuneful score. Go to Full Review Louie Robinson Jet Magazine Jan 16, 2024
The songs, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, are the show's best insurance, but a brilliant cast... handles this delicate bon bon of a story with all the sensitivity, wit and understatement that it deserves. Go to Full Review Birch Storm Honolulu Advertiser Mar 17, 2023
It's wide-screen and dripping with color from the very beginning when Dong Kingman's brilliant-hued paintings illustrate the titles to the very final scene when everyone ends up happily, lifting their voices in song. Go to Full Review Phil Mayer Honolulu Star-Bulletin Mar 17, 2023
Miyoshi Umeki and her great song, "A Hundred Million Miracles," are the best reasons to see Flower Drum Song. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Rosa K @Rosa321 Mar 5, 2026 I love this movie! I love everything about it. I love the story, especially when the couples get with the wrong person and try to figure out how to fix it. The young man who is the lead dancer of the three children is also the young prince who is the son of Yul Brynner in The King and I. He is a terrific dancer! I love all the songs. I don't mind that Nancy Kwan is not singing. She is beautiful and a wonderful dancer. And the singing voice they chose for her, matches her speaking voice perfectly. I can't count how many times I have seen this film. And I plan to keep watching it. This is another triumph from the spectacular team of Rodgers and Hammerstein! The director, Henry Koster, also directed the marvelous movie Harvey, starring James Stewart. See more David S @RT68837966 Feb 21, 2025 Very entertaining and well made production See more Autumn M @RT26919073 Jan 15, 2023 Flower Drum Song is one of the lesser known Rodger and Hammerstein musicals. The story is one of immigrants who sneak into San Francisco, and request that a nightclub owner honor a marriage contract he had made at the behest of his family. I thought that the music was very blasé. I did like the story, and the many different love triangles kept the story moving along nicely. The overt sexist and anti-feminist messages did grate a little bit on my modern sensibilities, and the one-note characters were a little boring, but overall a passable musical. See more Aug 19, 2020 Considering the period during which it was written and made, this film developed from a musicale is interesting and educational. Also shares immigrants' experiences. May even make some people feel less entitled and more understanding. See more steve d @RT35616104 Jul 19, 2020 Poor adaptation of a below average show. See more Thomas M @TMProofreader Jan 26, 2019 The best romance movie ever made! With the best movie song ever sung: I Enjoy Being a Girl! See more Read all reviews
Flower Drum Song

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Cast & Crew

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Henry Koster

Director

Nancy Kwan

Linda Low

James Shigeta

Wang Ta

Miyoshi Umeki

Mei Li

Juanita Hall

Auntie Liang

Jack Soo

Sammy Fong

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Flower Drum Song

Flower Drum Song (1961) Flower Drum Song (1961) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In this adaptation of the 1958 Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, Chinese immigrant Mei Li (Miyoshi Umeki) is betrothed to nightclub boss Sammy Fong (Jack Soo), but he wants to marry showgirl Linda Low (Nancy Kwan). To get out of the arrangement, Sammy pawns her off to wealthy Master Wang (Benson Fong) as a fiancée for his son, Wang Ta (Victor Sen Yung). Mei Li falls in love with Wang, but he wants to pursue Linda, who takes advantage of his affections to test Sammy's love.
Director
Henry Koster
Producer
Ross Hunter
Screenwriter
Joseph Fields
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal/Universal Int
Genre
Musical, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 9, 1961, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 13, 2018
Runtime
2h 13m
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