<Shudder>

Irving Allen was so desperate to assemble a big cast that Mason, and Wallach, in particular, were given free rein to develop their own characters, even rewrite their dialogue. Mason was intrigued at the thought of playing yellowface. It was only a few years after Mickey Rooney's Mr. Yunioshi, in "Breakfast at Tiffany's", and no one was about to notice his attempt as much more than an acting challenge. Mason had fun with the part, he didn't try to follow in the footsteps of Leo Genn in "55 Days at Peking", instead he crafting a rather honorable man who was also very effete and overly diplomatic, in a wishy-washy way. Mason's mannerisms are often borderline laughable, but it is clear that he is conscious of the effect. He tossed in many pained expressions, which we can read as deliberate attempts to comment on the job at hand, as much as the scripted moment. You can almost hear him saying, "I'll do it for you, Irving, but don't think I won't let the audience know, I did it for the cash and a chance to humor myself." This is the general style for all the yellowface Chinese characters in the film. Whether Mason, Morley, or a couple of their generals, they are all weak personalities playing it with a wink to the audience.