The Left Hand Of God

1955

DirectorEdward Dmytryk
ProducerBuddy Adler
Production Company20th Century Fox
Release DateSeptember 2nd, 1955
CastHumphrey Bogart (James Carmody), Gene Tierney (Anne Scott), Lee J. Cobb (Mieh Yang), Agnes Moorehead (Beryl Sigman), E. G. Marshall (Dr. David Sigman), Jean Porter (Mary Yin), Carl Benton Reid (Father Cornelius), Victor Sen Yung (John Wong), Philip Ahn (Jan Teng), Benson Fong (Chun Tien), Leon Lontoc, Sammee Tong, Maria McClay (Woman in Kimono)

In 1947 Catholic priest Father O’Shea, played by Humphrey Bogart, makes his way to a remote mission in China to replace a priest who had been killed there. He meets Dr. David Sigman, Sigman’s wife Beryl, and nurse Anne Scott, the only other Western residents. They run a hospital for the surrounding villagers, at a time when competing warlords and communists are engaged in civil war. Anne becomes uncomfortable as she is romantically attracted to him. Beryl suggests to her husband that Anne be sent back to the United States, but he refuses to consider it, needing her at the hospital. Beryl suggests that O’Shea consult with Reverend Martin, a Protestant minister at another American mission, for advice. He agrees.

Maria had only a minor uncredited role in this film, described simply as “Woman in Kimono”, and appears among the family members of a man Father O’Shea must deliver some bad news to about the death of a woman he cared about. This minor role, however, allowed her to work with and appear next to one of the all-time greats, Humphrey Bogart.

Maria McClay as “Woman in Kimono”, 2nd from the left, watching Humphrey Bogart as Father O’Shea deliver some bad news to a family member.

Also among the cast are James Hong, who appears in a number of the same productions as Maria, Leon Lontoc, whom she’ll appear together with in an episode of “Burke’s Law” years later and Sammee Tong whom she also appears with in an episode of another series, “Bachelor Father”.

Scenes Featuring Maria

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Bachelor Father

1957-1962

Bachelor Father follows the adventures of Bentley Gregg (John Forsythe), a wealthy bachelor attorney living in Beverly Hills who assumes the responsibility of raising his niece, Kelly (Noreen Corcoran), after her parents died in an automobile accident. Other members of the cast included houseboy Peter Tong (Sammee Tong), teenage neighbor and Kelly’s on and off boyfriend, Howard Meechum (Jimmy Boyd), Kelly’s best friend, Ginger Farrell (Bernadette Withers) and Jasper, the dog.

John Forsythe, Noreen Corcoran and Sammee Tong.

This sitcom premiered on CBS in 1957 before moving to NBC for the third season in 1959. The series’ fifth and final season aired in ABC in 1961/2. The series was based on “A New Girl in His Life,” which aired on General Electric Theater on May 26, 1957. It is the only primetime series ever to run in consecutive years on the three major television networks, ABC, CBS and NBC.

Episodes

S05 E22 – Summer Romance (1962)

While in Yellowstone both Bentley and Peter find themselves in the company of attractive and interesting women, Loretta Prentice, who manages the waitresses, and lepidopterist Lin Sing (Maria McClay).
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S05 E22 – Summer Romance (1962)

Bachelor Father

DirectorEarl Bellamy
ProducerEverett Freeman
Production CompanyBachelor Productions, Revue Studios (later Universal Television)
AiredFebruary 20th, 1962, ABC
CastJohn Forsythe (Bentley Gregg), Noreen Corcoran (Kelly Gregg), Sammee Tong (Peter Tong), Allison Hayes (Loretta), Maria Tsien McClay (Lin Sing), Gary Clarke (Bruce Dalton)
Maria McClay as lepidopterist Lin Sing making the aquaintance of Sammee Tong, as house boy Peter Tong.

Bentley (John Forsythe) and Peter (Sammee Tong) panic when they hear from Kelly (Noreen Corcoran), who is waitressing in Yellowstone, and who informs them she’s getting married. They immediately head to the park to put a stop to her wedding to budding forest ranger Bruce Dalton (Gary Clarke).

While in Yellowstone both Bentley and Peter find themselves in the company of attractive and interesting women, Loretta Prentice (Allison Hayes), who manages the waitresses, and lepidopterist Lin Sing (Maria McClay). All three couples independently decide to spend some time in a near by mountain lodge, leading to all manners of confusion and hijinks and an encounter with a large bear.

Scenes Featuring Maria

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S01 E10 – Local Hero (1956)

The Man Called X

DirectorLeon Benson
ProducerEddie Davis, Maurice Unger
Production CompanyZiv Television Programs
AiredMarch 30th, 1956, WCAU-TV, Philadelphia, Channel 10
CastBarry Sullivan (Agent Ken Thurston), Marie Tsien (Sou Hei), Rolfe Sedan, Alex Montoya, Stella Lynn, George T. Lee, James Hong, Leslie Banning, Harold Fong, W. T. Chang, Joy Lee, Sammee Tong, Edwin Luke, Lawrence Ung
Maria McClay as Sou Hei, speaking with her husband.

Maria’s character, Sou Hei, finds herself with her husband among a group of refugees, desperately trying to escape from China. But a no-good traitor lurks among them. Agent Ken Thurston, the man called “X”, played by Barry Sullivan, is assigned to find the rat in the group and help them make it across the border alive. Among them a suspicious white lady, and thinly veiled love interest for Mr. X, whom none of the other members of the group trust as far as they could throw her.

Maria McClay as Sou Hei, expressing her distrust of the suspicious white lady in no uncertain terms: “She must die too!”

Compared to other shows and movies of the era, including many of the ones Maria appeared in, this episode has a surprisingly low amount of yellow face, though it is certainly not free of it. It also features a surprisingly high number of non-white actors in speaking roles.

Scenes Featuring Maria

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Maria McClay