Jack Soo: Pioneering Actor and Comedian

Today Jack Soo is probably best remembered as Detective Nick Yemana on the classic sitcom Barney Miller and Frankie Wing in Flower Drum Song (1961). Even so, he played many more roles throughout his career. In fact,  Jack Soo would be a pioneer among East Asian actors in that most of his roles, like Detective Yemana and Frankie Wing, broke from the stereotypes of East Asians that had persisted in American cinema and television since their beginnings.

Jack Soo was born Goro Suzuki on October 28 1917 on a ship crossing the Pacific Ocean. His parents, who lived in Oakland, California, decided that they wanted him to be born in their native Japan, but he arrived sooner than they thought. He grew up in Oakland and received a degree in English at the University of California, Berkeley. It was while he was a student at Berkeley that his entertainment career began. He played in nightclubs in the evening, like Andy Wong's Sky Room in San Francisco. He also got small parts in plays. During World War II, like other Japanese Americans, he was interned. He was sent to the Topaz War Relocation Center in Utah. To help with morale he put together shows and entertained the internees.

It was following World War II that Goro Suzuki adopted the stage name "Jack Soo" to avoid any anti-Japanese prejudice that persisted. He performed in nightclubs in Cleveland, Chicago, Akron, and other Midwestern cities. Eventually, Jack Soo played at the famed Chinese American nightclub Forbidden City in San Francisco. It was there that he was discovered by famed dancer, actor, singer, director, and choreographer Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly was directing the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song and cast him in the role of Frankie Wing, the emcee at the Celestial Gardens, in the musical.

It was after Flower Drum Song had been running on Broadway for a year, that Jack Soo took over the role of Sammy Fong, the owner of the Celestial Gardens, originated by Larry Blyden. Jack Soo continued in the role of Sammy Fong on Broadway until May 1960 and then toured in the role from May 1960 to October 1961. Of course, he also reprised his role as Sammy Fong in the 1961 movie adaptation of Flower Drum Song. Sammy Fong was a sharp break from earlier Chinese American characters. He was a smooth-talking, rakish, but ultimately decent businessman 

The movie Flower Drum Song (1961) proved to be a disappointment at the box office, but it was instrumental in launching Jack Soo's film and television career. Among the roles he played following Flower Drum Song was Rockwell "Rocky" Sin on the sitcom Valentine's Day. While Rocky was the valet to publishing executive Valentine Farrow (Tony Franciosa), he was a sharp break from such earlier East Asian characters as Hey Boy and Hey Girl on Have Gun, Will Travel, and Hop Sing on Bonanza. Indeed, there was nothing stereotypical about Rocky. He was a smooth-talking, wisecracking, womanizing con man who was in many ways brighter than his employer. Valentine's Day is then historic not only for being one of the earliest shows to feature an  East Asian character who was not a stereotype but for being the first American television show since The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong starring Anna May Wong and the very first sitcom to feature an East Asian American in a lead role.

Unfortunately, Valentine's Day only ran for one season. Regardless, Jack Soo would still have a healthy career. He guest starred on several television shows in the Sixties, including The Jack Benny Program, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, Julia, and Hawaii Five-O. He appeared in m such movies as Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963) and The Oscar. Although known for comedic roles, Jack Soo appeared as Colonel Cai in the controversial film The Green Berets (1968). Jack Soo was known for being critical of East Asian stereotypes, although he did play a stereotype at least once. In Thoroughly Modern Millie he played one of Mrs. Meers's two Chinese henchmen. To make matters worse, he was credited as "Oriental #1." "Oriental #2" was played by another well-known Japanese American actor, Pat Morita. 

Of course, in the Sixties, it was very hard for any East Asian American actor to avoid playing at least a few stereotypes during their career. The fact that Jack Soo played so few is remarkable. The Seventies would see Jack Soo continue to play roles that broke with stereotypes, as well as a combination of comedic and dramatic roles. He appeared one last time in movies playing Mr. Yokomoto in Return from Witch Mountain (1978). He guest-starred on such dramas as The Name of the Game, Ironside, Police Story, and Police Woman. He played a doctor in the 1973 TV movie She Lives! (the same TV movie that turned Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" into a posthumous hit). He guest starred on the sitcoms as The Jimmy Stewart Show, The Odd Couple, M*A*S*H, and Busting Loose.

It was in 1975 that Jack Soo began playing Detective Sergeant Nick Yemana. Sgt. Yemana was good-natured and even-tempered. He was known for his deadpan sense of humour, often making humorous remarks about the sometimes bizarre goings on in the squad room. While he always saw cases through, he constantly had a pile of paperwork to complete. He was also known for making the worst coffee known to man. Along with Sgt. Fish (Abe Vigoda), Sgt. Yemana proved to be one of the most popular characters on the show, and the role brought Jack Soo a level of fame he hadn't known since the early to mid-Sixties.

Unfortunately, Jack Soo would not get to remain with Barney Miller until the end of its run. It was towards the end of the fourth season that he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. Due to receiving treatment for the disease, he missed the last five episodes of the season. Jack Soo returned to the show at the start of the fifth season, but the cancer had already metastasized. Worse yet, it also had spread quickly. He only completed nine episodes for the season before having to quit due to his illness. He last appeared in the episode "The Vandal" on November 9 1978. He died only two months later, on January 11 1979. He was only 61 years old. The fifth season finale of Barney Miller was a tribute to Jack Soo titled "Jack Soo: A Retrospective." At the end of the episode, the cast raised their coffee mugs in tribute to him.

While Jack Soo's career was tragically cut short, in that short time he proved to be a true pioneer with regards to East Asian American actors. He played a major role in the first mainstream Hollywood movie with a primarily East Asian cast, Flower Drum Song. He was the first East Asian to play a lead role in an American television show, Rocky Sin in Valentine's Day. Throughout his career, he played roles that defied stereotypes and he refused to play stereotypes. Indeed, Jack Soo saw his career as a means of fighting stereotypes. Certainly Rocky Sin and Sgt. Yemana were a far cry from Hey Boy on Have Gun--Will Travel or Hop Sing on Bonanza. In a career on Broadway, in film, on television that only spanned about twenty-one years, Jack Soo made a difference.