A Conversation with Author and Filmmaker Professor William Gow

05/13/24 • 57 min

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 20! There are plenty of things we love... and for sure one of them is the world of film and entertainment... especially when it’s Asian American cinema. But what happens when what you see represented in Hollywood becomes blurred with the actual experience in an ethnic enclave... or even drives it? Our conversation today dives a bit into that. We’re excited to share this conversation with Professor William Gow.

Dr. Gow is a California-based community historian, educator, and documentary filmmaker who is currently an Assistant Professor at California State University, Sacramento. His forthcoming book, Performing Chinatown: Hollywood, Tourism, and the Making of a Chinese American Community is scheduled for release by Stanford University Press on May 14, 2024... and if you order direct from the publisher and use discount code GOW20, you get 20% off! The book examines Los Angeles Chinatown and its relationship to Hollywood cinema in the 1930s and 1940s. We really enjoyed the book and the depth of the research Dr. Gow presents. In fact, this has been one of the most insightful books we’ve read in the last few years, pushing our thinking of how Chinese Americans survived and represented themselves to often judgmental onlookers.

Professor Gow also has worked on several other projects. Some of the ones that we appreciated are More to the Chinese Side (click to watch an excerpt), The Five Chinatowns: A Community History (along with Dr. Kelly Fong one of our future guests and ), and the great article A Night in Old Chinatown (we talk about this one in the podcast).

We highly recommend purchasing Performing Chinatown! Don’t forget... if you purchase from Stanford University Press and use the discount code GOW20 (all caps), you get 20% off.

If you like what we do, please share, follow, and like us in your podcast directory of choice or on Instagram @AAHistory101. For previous episodes and resources, please visit our site at https://asianamericanhistory101.libsyn.com or social media links at http://castpie.com/AAHistory101. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, email us at [email protected].

We highly recommend purchasing Performing Chinatown! Don’t forget... if you purchase from Stanford University Press and use the discount code GOW20 (all caps), you get 20% off.

Previous Episode

The History of The Kim Sisters

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 19! Back in S03E03, we talked about one of the first popular Asian American singing groups, the Kim Loo Sisters, but there was also another group a few years later that made a longer lasting impact... the Kim Sisters. Originally from South Korea, the trio of ladies that included Sook-ja, Ai-ja, and Min-ja, were a dynamic vocal group that could also play a multitude of instruments.

They recorded several songs in the U.S. and made a splash in Las Vegas and on television through several variety shows. Their early life wasn’t smooth, but they overcame those struggles to succeed. We talk about their early life, journey to America, TV appearances, and more! In our recurring segment, we bring back Obscure Asian Comic Book Characters and talk about the DC hero Kai-Ro.

Segments

00:25 Intro Current Events
04:54 The History of the Kim Sisters
24:02 Obscure Asian Comic Book Characters Featuring Kai-Ro

Next Episode

Talking about the 2024 STAATUS Index

Welcome to Season 4, Episode 21! It’s time for the 2024 STAATUS Index published by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) with partnership from Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change (LAAUNCH), AAPI Data, and the Asian American Research Initiative.

This annual survey is a social tracking and national assessment of attitudes and stereotypes towards Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. In this episode, we review the report and provide an overview of it. We also dig into each of the sections and reflect on responses. As always, we highly recommend that you download the STAATUS Index and read it yourself. It’s very well written with easily accessible information, so don’t be afraid that it’s data-rich.

In our recurring segment we ask “What’s Going On?” as we reflect on the sheer number of Asian Pacific-led TV shows that have been canceled in the last year or so. It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that the last year has seen cancellations of The Afterparty, Kung Fu, Doogie Kamealoha M.D., NCIS: Hawaiʻi, Young Rock, Quantum Leap, American Born Chinese, The Brothers Sun, Warrior, and Our Flag Means Death. We look at ratings, viewership, and ultimately ask, “What’s Going On?”

Segments