Girls of the White Orchid

American TV series or program

Crime
Drama

Directed byJonathan KaplanMusic byBrad FiedelCountry of originUnited StatesOriginal languageEnglishProductionExecutive producers

Leonard Hill
Philip Mandelker

ProducerClaude Binyon Jr.Production locationJapanEditorBrent A. SchoenfeldRunning time98 min.Production companyHill/Mandelker FilmsOriginal releaseNetworkNBCReleaseNovember 28, 1983 (1983-11-28)

Girls of the White Orchid is a 1983 television film directed by Jonathan Kaplan. It was also known as Death Ride to Osaka.^[1]^[2]

Premise

An American woman becomes a prostitute in Japan.

Cast

Jennifer Jason Leigh
Thomas Byrd
Mako
Carolyn Seymour
Richard Narita
Soon-Tek Oh
Ann Jillian
Yvonne McCord
Philip Charles MacKenzie
Leslie Wing
John Hancock

Production

The film was based on a report by ABC's 20/20 show about women who go to Japan to work as entertainers but wind up as prostitutes under the control of the Yakuza. Producer Leonard Hill says NBC pressured him to cast a lead actress from an NBC show - Melinda Culea who was then on The A-Team - but he held out for Jennifer Jason Leigh. "I don't care about The A-Team" said Hill. "I may make a mediocre movie but I'm not going to make a mediocre effort."^[3] However Hill did cast two other actors in the cast who were then on NBC shows, Ann Jillian and Thomas Byrd.^[4]

The film was shot on location in Japan.^[5]

After the initial lack of success of Over the Edge, in 1979, Kaplan encountered difficulties in finding budget for new films, which explains why he sought direct financial support from TV producers.^[6]

Reception

One writer called it "the missing link between Kaplan's sensationalistic New World output (Night Call Nurses, The Student Teachers) and the socially conscious prestige dramas like The Accused and Immediate Family that he would make in the late '80s and early '90s."^[7]

References

^ Death Ride to Osaka Blu-ray (Girls of the White Orchid), retrieved 2023-04-24
^ "American Genre Film Archive DEATH RIDE TO OSAKA". www.americangenrefilm.com. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
^ "Crossing the Line". The Los Angeles Times. 12 September 1983. p. 66.
^ Miller, Ron (14 August 1983). "Producer's Patience is Short with TV and Movie Snobbery". The Wichita Eagle. p. 141.
^ Beale, Lewis (20 April 1987). "Chimps Were Champs On the Project X Set". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 54.
^ "Girls of the White Orchid (Death Ride to Osaka, TV)". They Live By Film. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
^ Hemphill, Jim (15 October 2021). "Death Ride to Osaka, The Equalizer and Escape Room: Tournament of Champions: Jim Hemphill's Home Video Recommendations". Filmmaker.