[KS] Fwd: Question

[michael Robinson]

Professor Chung: 

Thank you for your fulsome and enlightening update on the Ahn family and the cinematic doings of the boys.  When I was in Los Angeles working at USC (late 1980s) I went to an elaborate hwangap for Ralph.  It was a who's who of the LA Korean American second generation and their family plus a generous attendance of Koreans from the Consulate and some of the Korean companies in town.  It was a study in different identities.  Ralph's sister Susan gave a speech speech talking about their youth together in LA and to the horrors of the Diplomatic contingent was rather tough on the memory of her famous father who was absent during her teen years.  The venue was a Chinese restaurant in Panorama City bedecked with beaded curtains and with the walls festooned with stills from Philip's films.  I should have taped the procedings.  

MRobinson 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Hye Seung Chung 
  To: Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws 
  Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 2:10 AM
  Subject: Re: [KS] Fwd: Question


  Hello,

  As fate would have it, I gave a talk on Philip Ahn today at the University of Michigan (my Ph.D. dissertation was about him)!  

  I should point out that he had TWO brothers (Philson who pased away a few years ago and Ralph, the youngest, who is still very much alive and active as a part-time actor in such TV series as THE SHIELD).  Both Philson and Ralph appeared in a few films and television shows thanks to the connections their brother had been able to make.  Interestingly, Philson's role as Wang Lung's neighbor in THE GOOD EARTH was bigger than Philip Ahn's bit role as a Republican soldier.  At that time, Philip was working at Paramount in the production of GENERAL DIED AT DAWN and could spare only one day to go over to the MGM lot to appear in THE GOOD EARTH.  

  Philip Ahn had an exceptionally long and prolific career and played diverse roles.  He played two important Korean characters in CHINA SKY (Pearl S. Buck adaptation) and BATTLE HYMN (which is the best known Philip Ahn film in South Korea).  He also appeared as Anna May Wong's romantic interest in the Paramount 'B' films DAUGHTER OF SHANGHAI and KING OF CHINATOWN. 

  You can learn more about these films/ Philip Ahn's roles by reading my essays (abridged dissertation chapters) recently published in EAST MAIN STREET: ASIAN AMERICAN POPULAR CULTURE, ed. by Shilpa Dave, LeiLani Nishme and Tasha G. Oren (NYU Press) and HISTORICAL JOURNAL OF FILM, RADIO and TELEVISION 25: 1 issue.  

  I'm glad to hear that there is interest in this pioneering yet oft-forgotten actor (whose centennial coincides with the end of this month).

  Hye Seung Chung

  Postdoctoral Fellow

  University of Michigan



   

  >From: "michael Robinson" <robime at indiana.edu> 
  >Reply-To: Korean Studies Discussion List <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 
  >To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 
  >Subject: Re: [KS] Fwd: Question 
  >Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2005 16:04:37 -0500 
  > 
  >Thomas: 
  > 
  >re: The Ahn's acting careers (?)  aren't  Philson and Philip one in 
  >the same.  I thought there were only two boys in the family Philip 
  >and Ralph. 
  > 
  >MRobinson 
  >----- Original Message ----- From: "Thomas duvernay" 
  ><bluelake at handong.edu> 
  >To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 
  >Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 4:19 PM 
  >Subject: Re: [KS] Fwd: Question 
  > 
  > 
  >> 
  >>He could have been, as his acting career goes back to 1935 ("A 
  >>Scream in the Night").  He had a brother, Philson, with an 
  >>uncredited early role in "The Good Earth" (1937).  You can find 
  >>their bios on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB): 
  >> 
  >>http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0014217/ (Philip's) 
  >> 
  >>If you dig around on IMDB, you can find scores of people of both 
  >>Korean ancestry and/or Korean birth. 
  >> 
  >>Thomas 
  >> 
  >> 
  >> 
  >>-- Original Message ----- From: "michael Robinson" 
  >><robime at indiana.edu> 
  >>To: "Korean Studies Discussion List" <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 
  >>Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 12:16 PM 
  >>Subject: Re: [KS] Fwd: Question 
  >> 
  >> 
  >>> 
  >>>probably Philip Ahn, eldest son of Ahn Ch'angho as an Asian heavy 
  >>>in a replayed 1940s B film on TV. 
  >>> 
  >>>MRobinson 
  >>>----- Original Message ----- From: "joy kim" <joykim at usc.edu> 
  >>>To: <Koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws> 
  >>>Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:27 PM 
  >>>Subject: [KS] Fwd: Question 
  >>> 
  >>> 
  >>>>Dear List members, 
  >>>> 
  >>>>Can anyone answer this question? 
  >>>> 
  >>>>Joy Kim 
  >>>>Curator, Korean Heritage Library http://www.usc.edu/isd/korean 
  >>>>University of Southern California 
  >>>>University Park 
  >>>>Los Angeles, CA90089-0154 
  >>>>Tel: 213-740-2329 / Fax: 213-740-7437 
  >>>> 
  >>> 
  >>> 
  >>> 
  >> 
  >> 
  >> 
  >> 
  > 
  > 
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