Role: Australian POW (uncredited)
Film Presence: Extremely small
Role Type: Frisky and flirty
Film Information and Summary: IMDb, TCM, Wikipedia
Release Date: February 20, 1950
Douglas Walton's role as Australian POW
In a World War II Japanese-occupied prison camp in Australia, a group of Australian POWS sneaked into the women prisoners' quarter and flirted with them behind a fence. The women at the windows, including Agnes Newton Keith (played by Claudette Colbert) and Betty Sommers (played by Florence Desmond), were amused by this and some actually went quietly towards the Australians. As the fraternization became louder, Mrs. Keith feared that the noise would alert the Japanese soldiers and they would kill all the men at the spot...which they did with a machine gun.
Douglas Walton was among the group of Australian POWS, though not very noticeable in the crowd. Like the other POWS, he was very frisky and wanted that female interaction. He called out to the ladies, "I got loads of lipstick!" beckoning them to come his way while bouncing behind the fence. And then he got killed with the rest of the guys.
This is Douglas Walton's last movie appearance.
Watch the clip below:
Considering that this film was released in 1950, only five years after the end of World War II, I was amazed by this film's sensitive treatment of the Japanese characters, particularly that of Colonel Suga (played by Sessue Hayakawa). Films, cartoons, documentaries, and well basically anything that was made during the 1940's were obviously dehumanizing towards the Japanese after the bombardment of Pearl Harbor by Japanese military forces. In "Three Came Home," we see a different depiction of such representation (what a breath of fresh air!). Colonel Suga commanded a cruel army that treated its prisoners miserably, but at the same time was portrayed to be very human due to his life background and admiration for Agnes Newton Keith's written works. He spoke fluent English and studied at an American university. And at the end of the film there's a sympathetic scene that involves the Colonel, and yes, you're probably going to feel bad for him too. This is definitely a good movie and I highly recommend it!
Because of his performance in this film, I had to look up on Sessue Hayakawa. Little did I know that he was a Hollywood silent-movie MEGASTAR in the 1910's and 20's. The first Asian to achieve "leading man" stardom in America and Europe, and probably the first male sex symbol in movies. He was EXTREMELY popular back then and his fan base were mostly Caucasian women! Just think of it as somewhat of today's Western fan base for K-Pop, J-Rock, and Asian pop culture! It totally defeats the extremely false stereotype that Asian men are not sexy. But wow, for a time when most of America had anti-miscegenation laws and "Yellow Peril" xenophobic views, it is astounding how much moviegoers loved Hayakawa. When working in Hollywood, he was mostly given the roles of villains or the exotic lover. He realized that his portrayals did not leave a positive impression about Japanese or Asian culture to the general American public and would only perpetuate prejudiced notions. Because of that, he established his own studio and created films that would depict Japanese, Asian, and Asian-American characters in a more realistic and thoughtful representation. And to add, he generated $2 million a year through his production company (that's $32 to 33 million a year in 2018 money). His life story is incredible. More about him on IMDB and Wikipedia.
Wow, this entry is more about Sessue Hayakawa than Douglas Walton. Hey I can't help my excitement when I read up on inspirational people!
Release Date: February 20, 1950
Douglas Walton's role as Australian POW
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| Douglas Walton in "Three Came Home" (1950) with Claudette Colbert. "I got loads of lipstick, cutie pie!" |
In a World War II Japanese-occupied prison camp in Australia, a group of Australian POWS sneaked into the women prisoners' quarter and flirted with them behind a fence. The women at the windows, including Agnes Newton Keith (played by Claudette Colbert) and Betty Sommers (played by Florence Desmond), were amused by this and some actually went quietly towards the Australians. As the fraternization became louder, Mrs. Keith feared that the noise would alert the Japanese soldiers and they would kill all the men at the spot...which they did with a machine gun.
Douglas Walton was among the group of Australian POWS, though not very noticeable in the crowd. Like the other POWS, he was very frisky and wanted that female interaction. He called out to the ladies, "I got loads of lipstick!" beckoning them to come his way while bouncing behind the fence. And then he got killed with the rest of the guys.
This is Douglas Walton's last movie appearance.
Watch the clip below:
Considering that this film was released in 1950, only five years after the end of World War II, I was amazed by this film's sensitive treatment of the Japanese characters, particularly that of Colonel Suga (played by Sessue Hayakawa). Films, cartoons, documentaries, and well basically anything that was made during the 1940's were obviously dehumanizing towards the Japanese after the bombardment of Pearl Harbor by Japanese military forces. In "Three Came Home," we see a different depiction of such representation (what a breath of fresh air!). Colonel Suga commanded a cruel army that treated its prisoners miserably, but at the same time was portrayed to be very human due to his life background and admiration for Agnes Newton Keith's written works. He spoke fluent English and studied at an American university. And at the end of the film there's a sympathetic scene that involves the Colonel, and yes, you're probably going to feel bad for him too. This is definitely a good movie and I highly recommend it!
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| Sessue Hayakawa in "Three Came Home" (1950) |
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| Sessue Hayakawa during the Hollywood silent-movie era. |
Because of his performance in this film, I had to look up on Sessue Hayakawa. Little did I know that he was a Hollywood silent-movie MEGASTAR in the 1910's and 20's. The first Asian to achieve "leading man" stardom in America and Europe, and probably the first male sex symbol in movies. He was EXTREMELY popular back then and his fan base were mostly Caucasian women! Just think of it as somewhat of today's Western fan base for K-Pop, J-Rock, and Asian pop culture! It totally defeats the extremely false stereotype that Asian men are not sexy. But wow, for a time when most of America had anti-miscegenation laws and "Yellow Peril" xenophobic views, it is astounding how much moviegoers loved Hayakawa. When working in Hollywood, he was mostly given the roles of villains or the exotic lover. He realized that his portrayals did not leave a positive impression about Japanese or Asian culture to the general American public and would only perpetuate prejudiced notions. Because of that, he established his own studio and created films that would depict Japanese, Asian, and Asian-American characters in a more realistic and thoughtful representation. And to add, he generated $2 million a year through his production company (that's $32 to 33 million a year in 2018 money). His life story is incredible. More about him on IMDB and Wikipedia.
Wow, this entry is more about Sessue Hayakawa than Douglas Walton. Hey I can't help my excitement when I read up on inspirational people!
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