Madame Liu-Tsong (portrayed by Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong, whose real name was actually Wong Liu-Tsong) was the owner of an international chain of art galleries and a dealer in Chinese art who doubled as an exotic – and beautiful – sleuth in this short-lived Monday night series from Dumont.
Liu Tsong (whose name means “Frosted Willow”) was born in Los Angeles and was the daughter of parents who operated a Chinese laundry. She worked after school and on Saturdays in the laundry ironing clothes, and developed an interest in art at an early age.
She carried this fascination into adulthood when she began her business. Stolen treasure, international intrigue, and shady operators provided material for the stories.
From 10 October, the title was shortened to just Mme. Liu-Tsong.
Critics bemoaned the terrible stories, slow pacing, poor acting and direction, and bad lighting and staging, and the series lasted for just 13 episodes.
Anna May Wong died of a heart attack as she slept at home in Santa Monica on 3 February 1961. She was just 56.
In 2021, the United States Mint featured Wong on the reverse side of the quarter (25 cents) as a part of the “American Women quarters program” featuring notable women in American history, commemorating the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. She was the first Asian American to appear on US currency.
Mme. Liu-Tsong
Anna May Wong
Episodes
The Egyptian Idol | The Golden Women | Spreading Oak | The Man with a Thousand Eyes | Burning Sands | Shadow of the Sun God | The Golden Caravan | Message from Beyond | The Prodigal Stepson | Tinder Box | The House of Quiet Dignity | Boomerang | The Face of Evil
