Bloody Mary (South Pacific)

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Bloody Mary is a character in the book Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener, which was made into the musical South Pacific by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and later into a film in 1958.

The Bloody Mary character is an islander, often cast as Black (most famously by Juanita Hall, who originated the character on the stage, and later portrayed her in the 1958 film), Asian or Pacific Islander. She trades with the US sailors who are stationed on nearby islands during the Second World War. She is learning English, and is proud that she will eventually "speak English as good as any crummy Marine". When the American spurns her daughter's hand out of prejudice, her most famous line is "Stingy Stinker!" (angry and hurt... in her endearing "pidgin English" - "Steen-gee Steen-kuhh!"). Juanita Hall won a Tony Award for best featured actress for originating this role on stage.

A song from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about her makes U.S. Navy sailors sing, Bloody Mary is the girl I love, her skin is tender as DiMaggio's glove, and that she chews betel nuts, and doesn't use Pepsodent, with the refrain Now ain't that too damn bad!

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