When comedian Harold Lloyd announced he was producing his first talkie, fans were squirming in anticipation of hearing his voice. The actor had pretty much finished a silent version of the movie which began filming in August 1928. But when the cascade of talkies flooded the theaters in 1929, Lloyd realized his silent days were over. He had been reluctant to make a talkie, saying "I do not believe the public will want spoken comedy. Motion pictures and the spoken arts are two distinct arts." He reshot half of the film and released the October 1929 "Welcome Danger," his first talkie.
Loyal Lloyd fans flocked to the theaters to listen to the words of the comic they followed for over a decade. The reviews from the press was reassuring, even though much of his dialogue was ad libbed. As a novelty, viewers couldn't have been happier. Motion Picture News wrote that "Harold Lloyd has nothing to fear from talking pictures. His voice registers excellently, and there is personality in its reproduction."
But certain Chinese activists were not happy with the portrayal of Asian-Americans in "Welcome Danger." The film's plot deals with Lloyd's character, Harold Bledsoe, traveling to San Francisco from Boston on the invite of the police in hopes he's as good as his father was as a detective there. There's a crime wave in the city, including the smuggling and selling of opium in Chinatown. The movie depicts the inhabitants of Chinatown as traffickers in opium and contained lines of Lloyd saying the Chinese all look the same.
When "Welcome Danger" first played in Shanghai, an activist, Hong Shen, a United States educated student in theater, stood up and protested against its depiction of Chinese. He was brought to the Shanghai police, who told them the movie was just a farce. Shen didn't buy it, and lobbied China's Film Censorship Committee to stop showing the film in Shanghai. Its members agreed. Not only was "Welcome Danger" banned in the country, but it began a series of Hollywood films that were prohibited from that country's theaters showing scenes demeaning Chinese-Americans.
As far as future Lloyd movies being shown in China, after some defensive statements from the comedian justifying the scenes in Chinatown, he did eventually offer his apologies. The actor reassured the county's authorities his admiration for the Chinese people, its civilization and its culture. His movies were allowed to be shown again in China, every one except "Welcome Danger."
Loyal Lloyd fans flocked to the theaters to listen to the words of the comic they followed for over a decade. The reviews from the press was reassuring, even though much of his dialogue was ad libbed. As a novelty, viewers couldn't have been happier. Motion Picture News wrote that "Harold Lloyd has nothing to fear from talking pictures. His voice registers excellently, and there is personality in its reproduction."
But certain Chinese activists were not happy with the portrayal of Asian-Americans in "Welcome Danger." The film's plot deals with Lloyd's character, Harold Bledsoe, traveling to San Francisco from Boston on the invite of the police in hopes he's as good as his father was as a detective there. There's a crime wave in the city, including the smuggling and selling of opium in Chinatown. The movie depicts the inhabitants of Chinatown as traffickers in opium and contained lines of Lloyd saying the Chinese all look the same.
When "Welcome Danger" first played in Shanghai, an activist, Hong Shen, a United States educated student in theater, stood up and protested against its depiction of Chinese. He was brought to the Shanghai police, who told them the movie was just a farce. Shen didn't buy it, and lobbied China's Film Censorship Committee to stop showing the film in Shanghai. Its members agreed. Not only was "Welcome Danger" banned in the country, but it began a series of Hollywood films that were prohibited from that country's theaters showing scenes demeaning Chinese-Americans.
As far as future Lloyd movies being shown in China, after some defensive statements from the comedian justifying the scenes in Chinatown, he did eventually offer his apologies. The actor reassured the county's authorities his admiration for the Chinese people, its civilization and its culture. His movies were allowed to be shown again in China, every one except "Welcome Danger."