11/07/2006

The Lord Giveth and the Lord Taketh away...



The scenes above are from the fat bank known as the Old Country Buffet, the Roommates and Dem Southside Boys combined forces to lay waste on all that was edible! After a couple of visits to the chamber of the Porcelain Kingdom and the song Up Where Belong being our battle cry, my companions and I picked clean each serving tray like locust to a corn field. There were no survivors...

Fatal Facial Hair

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalin


Okay one these guys isn't like the others, can you guess? Well lets look at their similarities: Mustache, Mustache, Mustache. That's right these gentlemen have push brooms on their faces, however two of these men are Villians. I'll let you figure it out...

What I really want to push here folks is the whole idea of the infamous Stache. You see the easiest way to distinguish a bad guy from a good guy, is that one has to have a mustache! Because, the facial hair makes a man look rough around the edges. Don't get me wrong I'm not hating on men who sport mustaches, beards, or goatees. I mean I am a big fan of the Tom Selleck!

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/MMPH/241861~Tom-Selleck-Posters.jpgBut its common for people to point the blame on a mustachioed man.
And people have used that image to give their villians more appeal or that extra something to give off that evil aura!

The writer known as Sax Rohmer is famous for using this charateristic to describe his most villainous creation. You see folks this man created the Fu Manchu.

http://www.njedge.net/~knapp/NewsOfFu.htm
Rohmer's inspiration for the character goes back to the days of Yellow Peril . You see he wanted to create... hmmm better if I just let you read what he wanted:

Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resouces of science past and present... Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man- The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu

Fu Manchu became the central villian of Rohmer's novels and in turn the character made him famous. Manchu became a popular character and an icon of evil, it wasn't long before people gave him a physical image.

Boris Karloff is best known for his portrayal as the Monster in the classic 1931 movie Frankenstien . He is also remembered giving the best rendition of Manchu.

http://www.sherlockiana.net/ego/fu%20manchu/fu%20manchu.htm


Now keep in mind folks that Mr. Karloff was not Asian, but according to Hollywood he was the best man to play the role of an Asian villian. Now can you imagine how he would go about portraying this chracater, he's going to use every Asian stereotype in the book.

If you don't know something, you're probably going to make it up!

So Karloff would prance around the silver screen, using makeup to slant his eyes and recite each of his lines in the most horrendous accent. In fact, Karloff would often ask that his makeup artists to give him a longer mustache in order to convey a more menacing appearence. If you don't believe me folks, go to the ol' Blockbuster or Netflix and rent The Mask of Fu Manchu. If you watch carefully Karloff wasn't the only one making a mockery of Asians. But, don't get too angry everybody... keep in mind that back then people like myself weren't around to point out this crap! I could go on forever on how Hollywood treats Asian characters, but lets keep the focus on Dr. Manchu. You see the Doctor became soo popular that it wasn't long before people began to make clones of him...

And like that we will have to wait next week, when we will be...

Attacked by The Manchu Clones!

http://thenostalgialeague.com/galleries/fuman/fuman2.html

Like the Green Lantern's light, please test my might by posting a comment to support or argue what is right.... Okay I'll stop rhyming!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Believe it or not, Ben, November is really the month of "Movember". Men around the world are encouraged to grow a moustache this month to raise awareness of men's health issues. People that don't normally wear them will be asked by friends and family and then that works as a bridge into talking about prostate cancer and chronic masturbation (and other men's health issues...). Don't believe me? http://www.movember.com/ is the link.

Benhur said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Benhur said...

Thanks for the comment! You know I've considered growing some kind of facial hair... I didn't even shave today!

But which style will I go for?

The Royal We said...

The hulihee or the french fork would suit you.

Benhur said...

Aww yes the french fork... hmmm how can I introduce that sexually?

Fatman said...

You've also got a positive Asian character in the form of Charlie Chan during the 30's to counteract the Fu Manchu villain. Sure its a Chinese variation of the minstrel shows of old but it WAS a step forward for back then.

Benhur said...

Good you brought that up! In the weeks to come I'll be talking about Mr. Chan! Keep reading...

Anonymous said...

Hello Former Vice-President of ACE! Are you a fan of "Flower Drum Song"? It is being released on DVD. Chock full of stereotypical, yet loveable Asian characters to blog about.

Benhur said...

Oh wow! I haven't seen that movie in ages... Do you remember the Chop Suey song, horrible! I will admit it one the few Asian American movies that had almost an entire cast of Asians. I'll have to watch it again. Thanks for the comment and keep reading... That is some nice ACE