Farewell to Manzanar (1976) (TV)

Director:

John Korty

Writers:

James D. Houston (book)
James D. Houston (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 March 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Fact based drama about one of the internment camps used by the American military during World War II...

Plot Keywords:

Internment Camp | Japanese | WWII | Nisei | Based On Book

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win

Cast

Yuki Shimoda	...	Ko Wakatsuki
Nobu McCarthy	...	Misa / Jeanne Wakatsuki
Dori Takeshita	...	Young Jeanne
Akemi Kikumura	...	Koro
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Teddy Wakatsuki
Mako	...	Fukimoto
Pat Morita	...	Zenahiro
James Saito	...	Richard Wakatsuki
Momo Yashima	...	Alice
Gretchen Corbett	...	Lois
Kip Niven	...	Captain Curtis
Lou Frizzell	...	Lou Frizzell
Frank Abe	...	Nishi
Vernon Kato	...	Calvin
Seth Sakai	...	Joe Takahashi

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Korty Films

Movie Connections:

Featured in Slaying the Dragon (1988) (TV)

Manzanar was a WAR RELOCATION CENTER

These were internment camps, not concentration camps. Actually the authority that started up this terrible program wanted to call them concentration camps, until it came out what the Germans were doing at their camps in Europe. While these were not pleasant places and people were forced from their homes, giving up all their worldly possessions, there was no intended malice. I suggest you read some of the material by Milton Eisenhower.

About this movie, it was typical of the made for TV fare that existed from the late 1960s to the late 1970s--90 minutes long, not much budget. I think they actually filmed this on the site of the center, just south of Independence, California (the former site of Manzanar is in an area called "Alabama Hills.") The movie moves very similarly to the book, without all the details.

An interesting note is that Louie Frizzell (the late actor Lou Frizzell [1920-79]) took a job in Manzanar as a music teacher. In the movie he plays himself, although he was only in his early twenties when he was at Manzanar. He didn't take the job because of any patriotism or because he thought the Japanese-Americans were getting a raw deal. Rather, he needed a job!

For other information about Manzanar, I suggest anyone to take a visit. For many years, the site only had the dirt roads and "pads" where buildings used to be. About 3 or 4 years ago, the National Park Service began rebuilding the camp. I was last there in July 2004--a museum was built on the site of the Manzanar High School auditorium/cafeteria, which was where the center had special meetings, entertainments, and regular meals. There is also some interesting information about the center at the Eastern California Museum in Independence. It was here that I read about Louie Frizzell. At the museum you can also see what a typical room in the camp looked like.