Classic Movie Travels: James Shigeta
James Saburo Shigeta was born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, on June 17, 1929, to Satoko Tamura Shigeta and Howard Koichi Shigeta. His father was a contractor who immigrated from Japan.
Shigeta was a third-generation Japanese American, graduating from President Theodore Roosevelt High School and studying drama at New York University. When completing ROTC, he enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard’s 258th Infantry, ultimately enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He served for two-and-a-half years, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant.
Prior to enlisting in 1951, he won first prize on Ted Mack’s The Original Amateur Hour television show in 1950. He soon embarked on a singing career, teamed with Charles K.L. Davis, a Hawaiian operatic tenor. Their agent gave them the “non-ethnic” stage names for Guy Brion (Shigeta) and Charles Durand (Davis). They performed at superclubs in the United States, singing at the Mocambo, Los Angeles Players Club, and more.
During the war, he entertained troops in California. While on the way to Korea, the ceasefire led him to Japan. He was discharged from the Marines and hired by the theatrical division of Japan’s Toho Studios. He did not speak Japanese until Toho Studios invited him to be a musical star, working under his real name. He soon became a success and was dubbed “The Frank Sinatra of Japan.”
In 1958, Tokyo’s Nichigeki Theater starred Shigeta as the lead in their Cherry Blossom Show, bringing the show to Australia. The production toured throughout the country and Shigeta received many positive reviews.
Shigeta returned to the United States to perform on The Dinah Shore Show and later performed in Holiday in Japan at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Shigeta made his screen debut in Crimson Kimono (1959). This role was progressive for its time, as Shigeta, an Asian American, portrayed an Asian American detective with typical American speech patterns, rather than a non-Asian actor passing as Asian American and speaking in broken English.
He also appeared in Walk Like a Dragon (1960) while also continuing his Holiday in Japan performances. He was even transported by ambulance from his last Holiday in Japan show to Paramount’s studio to ensure that he would arrive on time.
Additionally, Shigeta appeared in Cry for Happy (1961) alongside Glenn Ford, Donald O’Connor, and Miyoshi Umeki. He also appeared as Wang Ta in the Academy Award-nominated film version of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (1961) with Nancy Kwan and Umeki. He appeared in Bridge to the Sun (1961) with Carroll Baker and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1965) with Elvis Presley.
He also secured the lead in The King and I, touring the United States as part of the production in 1969.
Shigeta carried out many guest appearances and recurring roles on television, including a guest appearance on Perry Mason and a recurring role in Medical Center. He continued his film work with Midway (1976), Die Hard (1988), Cage II: The Arena of Death (1994), and a voice role in Mulan (1998). His final film role was in The People I’ve Slept With (2009).
Shigeta passed away in his sleep on July 28, 2014, in West Hollywood, California. He was 85 years old. His funeral service was held at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, and he was interred in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In 1930 and 1940, the family resided at 1625 Liliha St., Honolulu, Hawaii. Shigeta’s father worked as a plumber and pipefitter at this time. In 1950, the family moved to 419A Liliha Court Ln., Honolulu, Hawaii. At this point, Shigeta’s father worked as a shop foreman for an engineering company and his mother worked as a salesperson at a bakery. Both homes no longer stand.
President Theodore Roosevelt High School continues to operate and is located at 1120 Nehoa St., Honolulu, Hawaii.
The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific is located at 2177 Pūowaina Dr., Honolulu, Hawaii.
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–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub
Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.
Annette Bochenek, Ph.D., is a film historian, professor, and avid scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the “Hometowns to Hollywood” blog, in which she profiles her trips to the hometowns of classic Hollywood stars. She has also been featured on the popular classic film-oriented television network, Turner Classic Movies. A regular columnist for Classic Movie Hub, her articles have appeared in TCM Backlot, Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, The Dark Pages Film Noir Newsletter, and Chicago Art Deco Society Magazine.
