Sayonara (1957) on Netflix
Major Lloyd Gruver, an Air Force pilot in Japan, opposes marriages between servicemen and Japanese women. His crew chief Joe Kelly plans to marry Katsumi. Gruver is drawn to the dancer Hana-ogi.
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- Rotten Tomatoes82%
Trailer
Plot summary
Major Lloyd Gruver is a fighter pilot in the US Air Force, and his father is an Army general. He is based at Itami Air Force Base, near Kobe, after General Webster, Eileen's father, brings him out of combat duty in Korea. Eileen is Gruver's fiancée, and the general wants the two of them married. Gruver's crew chief, Airman Joe Kelly, intends to marry Katsumi, a Japanese woman, and the military refuses to recognize such a marriage. Gruver argues with him about it, then agrees to be his best man. Through Katsumi he meets Hana-ogi, the lead performer of an all-female revue, the Matsubayashi, and is drawn to her.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
- William Meaderas General at Tokyo Airport (uncredited)
- Shochiku Kagekidan Girls Revueas Theatrical Revue
- Jane Chungas Undetermined Secondary Role
- Carlo Fiorias Chaplain
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Sayonara (1957)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
Marlon Brando was the first choice and turned the film down, so the part was offered to Rock Hudson, who had too many obligations at Universal; Brando eventually agreed to do it on condition that the novel's ending was changed so the two lovers got married instead of the American leaving.- When Audrey Hepburn turned Joshua Logan down, he looked to cast an unknown: Miiko Taka, then working as a clerk at a travel agency in Los Angeles, was discovered by a talent scout at a local Nisei festival and cast despite having no previous acting experience.
- At the 30th Academy Awards the film was nominated in ten categories and won four, including Best Supporting Actress for Miyoshi Umeki - the award that made her the first East Asia-born woman to win an Oscar.
- James Garner wrote in his memoirs that he actively lobbied to play his role, one of the few times in his career he did this; the part had originally been cast with John Smith, but Garner succeeded in getting it.
