Tag: Alan Mowbray

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A Majority Of One

1961

DirectorMervyn LeRoy
ProducerHarry Stradling
Production CompanyWarner Bros.
Release DateDecember 27th, 1961
CastRosalind Russell (Bertha Jacoby), Alec Guinness (Koichi Asano), Ray Danton (Jerry Black), Madlyn Rhue (Alice Black), Mae Questel (Essie Rubin), Marc Marno (Eddie), Gary Vinson (Mr. McMillan), Sharon Hugueny (Bride), Frank Wilcox (Noah Putnam), Francis De Sales (American Embassy Representative), Yuki Shimoda (Mr. Asano’s Secretary), Harriet McGibbon (Lily Putnam), Alan Mowbray (Cpt. Norcross, his final film role), George Takei (Mr. Asano’s Majordomo), Maria McClay (Mr. Asano’s Maid)

A Majority Of One is an American comedy film adapted from the play of the same name by Leonard Spigelgass, which was a Broadway hit in the 1959-1960 season, starring Gertrude Berg and Cedric Hardwicke.

Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell), a Jewish widow, is convinced by her daughter Alice Black (Madlyn Rhue) to move from Brooklyn, New York to Tokyo in order for Bertha to be closer to her along with her husband Jerry Black (Ray Danton), now stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Her feelings about the Japanese with regards to her son’s death in World War II start to change on board the ship to Tokyo, where she meets Koichi Asano, a Japanese Buddhist and businessman (Alec Guinness), who also lost a spouse and two children in the war. The two share a bond over lives, their families, and their faiths, which develops into a romance. When she announces to her family of Asano’s courtship, her daughter and son-in-law object to the idea of an interracial marriage.

Maria McClay as a maid at Mr. Asano’s place with another maid, Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell), Mr. Asano’s daughter-in-law (Tsuruko Kobayashi) and Mr. Asano (Alec Guinness).

Maria plays a maid in Mr. Asano’s household and helps get everything set up for an unplanned dinner for two when Bertha Jacoby (Rosalind Russell) shows up unexpectedly at Mr. Asano’s (Alec Guinness) home. Mr. Asano instructs her to pile up some pillows for their guest who is not used to Japanese style seating arrangements. Aside from Alec Guinness’ being in Yellow Face, which is rather uncomfortable to watch for modern eyes, there is a lot of good acting here and one would imagine that Maria very much enjoyed meeting one of the all-time great actors of her time.

Scenes Featuring Maria

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The King And I

1956

DirectorWalter Lang
ProducerCharles Brackett
Production Company20th Century Fox
Release DateJune 28th, 1956
CastDeborah Kerr (Anna Leonowens), Yul Brunner (King Mongkut of Siam), Rita Moreno (Tuptim), Terry Saunders (Lady Thiang), Martin Benson (Kralahome), Rex Thompson (Louis Leonowens), Patrick Adiarte (Prince Chulalongkorn), Alan Mowbray (Sir John Hay), Geoffrey Toone (Sir Edward Ramsay), Carlos Rivas (Lun Tha), Maria McClay (Royal Wife)

This American musical film was based on the 1951 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical of the same name, based in turn on the 1944 novel “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon. That novel in turn was based on memoirs written by Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. No Thai actors were cast into any main character roles, although a few roles were given to Philippine-American and Chinese-American actors, and Brynner was of part East-Asian ancestry.

A widowed schoolteacher, Anna, arrives in Bangkok with her young son, Louis, after being summoned to tutor the many children of King Mongkut. Both are introduced to the intimidating Kralahome, Siam’s prime minister, who escorts them to the Royal Palace, where they will live, although Anna had been promised her own house. The King ignores her objections and introduces her to his head wife, Lady Thiang. Anna also meets a recent concubine, a young Burmese, Tuptim, and the fifteen children she will tutor, including his son and heir, Prince Chulalongkorn. In conversation with the other wives, Anna learns Tuptim is in love with Lun Tha, who brought her to Siam.

Maria McClay as one of the Royal Wives of King Mongkut of Siam played by Yul Brunner, seen here with Deborah Kerr as Anna Leonowens during the musical number known as the “March of the Siamese Children”.

Anna still wants her own house and teaches the children about the virtues of home life, to the King’s irritation, who disapproves of the influence of other cultures. She comes across Lun Tha and learns that he has been meeting Tuptim in secret. He asks her to arrange a rendezvous. The lovers meet under cover of darkness, and Lun Tha promises he will one day return to Siam and that they will escape together.

Maria appears as one of the Royal wives in various scenes throughout the movie.

Scenes Featuring Maria

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Maria McClay