Asian Film Festival of Dallas 2009 - ‘You Don’t Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story’

Jeff Adachi (THE SLANTED SCREEN) is a U.S. Public Defender, and in his spare time makes intimate documentaries about the path of Asian-American actors in pre- and post-WWII America. In YOU DON'T KNOW JACK: THE JACK SOO STORY, he focuses on a single man who was not only a success in both music and film, but made strides in breaking the stereotypes for minority actors during the era preceding the Civil Rights Movement.

Born Goro Suzuki and raised in California, Jack Soo was a successful nightclub singer for 20 years before finding broader fame in the 1961 film production of FLOWER DRUM SONG. This led to years of appearances in movies and television, culminating in the four-year run of the popular sitcom BARNEY MILLER, where he played Det.

Sgt. Nick Yemana. The role allowed him to showcase a trademark deadpan sense of humor. YOU DON'T KNOW JACK is a loving portrait of a man whose confidence and success went hand-in-hand with his efforts to bring dignity to the roles he played. Through interviews with family, friends and peers, as well as clips from his many roles, the film is a true American success story.

Information from the festival's website