Please join author and first-time filmmaker Leslie Li for a screening of her hour-long film-in-progress — Kim Loo Sisters: Portrait in Four-Part Harmony — a documentary about four sisters — daughters of a Chinese ‘paper son’ and a Polish refugee — who overcame poverty and prejudice to become a popular American jazz vocal quartet in the 1930s and 40s.
Spanning nearly a century, the Kim Loo Sisters’ recollections include the Jazz Age, when they cut their theatrical teeth in kiddie revues in their hometown of Minneapolis; the Great Depression, which they spent crisscrossing the country following the various vaudeville circuits; and the Second World War, during which they performed in Broadway musicals and Hollywood movies. The quartet became a trio when one “Kimmie” left the act to marry the son of the vice president of China and witnessed the Chinese Revolution first-hand — but not before her three sisters joined the USO to entertain American and Allied troops stationed in Europe during the “good war.” Their remarkable story — both on stage and off as well as their lives pre- and post-Kim Loo Sisters — adds a vivid chapter to contemporary Chinese-American history and makes a persuasive argument for the power of sisterhood.
This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP if you plan to attend, as seating is limited.
Dates and Locations
Date: Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Location: University Settlement, 273 Bowery @ East Hudson Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:15 p.m. — 4:15 p.m.
Contact: Alison M. Smith, Community Coordinator, 212-475-5008
Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Location: Stein Senior Center, 340 East 24th Street, New York, NY
Time: 1:30 p.m. — 3:30 p.m.
Contact: Robert Doxsey, Deputy Director, 646-395-8083/ext. 14
Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Location: Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, 268 Canal Street (between Lafayette and Broadway), New York, NY
Time: 5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Contact: Amy Liu, Administrative Assistant, Women’s Health, 212-941-2233/ext. 2529
Date: Monday, July 18, 2011
Location: City Hall Senior Center, Lower Level, 100 Gold Street, New York, NY 10038
Time: 9:30 a.m. — 11:30 a.m.
Contact: Lily Huang, Activities Coordinator, 212-788-5580, or email lily@hmhonline.org
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Location: Good Companions Senior Center @ Henry Street Settlement, 334 Madison Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Contact: Cenci DeRomero, Activities Coordinator, 212-349-2770 ext. 204
Date: Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Location: Grand Street Settlement Senior Residence, 711 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10002
Time: 2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m.
Contact: Carrie Chen, Senior Service Case Worker, 646-201-4260
Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Location: New York Public Library, Epiphany Branch, 228 East 23rd Street @ 23rd Street, Third Floor, New York, NY 10002
Time: 1:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.
Contact: RSVP is not required.
Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011
Location: Jewish Home Lifecare, Manhattan Division, 120 West 106th Street, New York, NY 10025
Time: 2:30 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
Contact: Miriam Levi, Director of Community Life Activities, 212-870-4618
A discussion of the film and Q&A will follow each screening. Light refreshments will be served.
This project is made possible in part with public funds form the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.