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Chinese Launderer: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
{{quote|"''No tickee, no shirtee!''"
|Stereotypical phrase, first recorded use in 1886}}
Prior to the invention and mass production of modern laundry machines, doing laundry was a lengthy, hot, dirty and tiring chore. Naturally, many people turned to professional launderers to get the job done. In [[The Wild West]], many of these launderers were Chinese in origin. Since they were barred by law or custom from most other occupations, and they were willing to do hard work for low pay, this was seen as a good opportunity by the immigrants. Indeed, at one point, Chinese immigrants operated 89% of the laundries in San Francisco, and had a strong presence in other cities and towns.
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* ''[[The Seven Year Itch]]'': Richard Sherman's dress shirt was torn once when he sent it to a Chinese laundry service.
* At one point in ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'', {{spoiler|Mrs. Meers}} disguises herself as a Chinese laundress.
* ''[[The Warrior's
== [[Literature]] ==
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== [[Recorded and Stand Up Comedy]] ==
* The late [[John Pinette]]
{{quote|"No buffet here! We dry clean now. I take jacket, be ready on Tuesday. Now go!}}
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== [[Theatre]] ==
* The 1993 [[The Musical|musical]] ''[[The Last Hand Laundry In Chinatown]]'' was in part "an homage to the struggles of the pioneering NYC Chinese Hand Laundry Alliance."
* The 1876 play ''[[Two Men of Sandy Bar]]'' by Bret Harte featured a Chinese launderer named Hop Sing, who appears to have been the [[Trope Maker]] for the stereotypes associated with the character, including the notorious "No tickee, no shirtee" line.
* This referenced in an inversion in ''[[Hairspray]]'': the heroine's mother has a laundry business which is called something like ''Occidental Laundry'' (to set it apart from all of the "Oriental" ones.)
* ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'', as noted in ''Film'', above.
* Widow Twankey from various [[Pantomime]] versions of ''Aladdin''.
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[The Dagger of Amon Ra]]'' features a Chinese laundryman named [[Punny Name|Lo Fat]] in the game's first act, from whom you get a few clues and a dress. thewatersupply hasn't played the game since middle school; it might have been hilariously offensive.
* The ''[[Mount & Blade]]'' mod [[The Wild West|1866]] includes Frankie Luong, a Chinese former laundryman, as a possible party member. In keeping with the common stereotypical portrayal of Chinese laundrymen in Western films, he can't end a sentence without an exclamation point.
* Mr. Wong's Laundrette ("If It Ain't [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Wong]], It Ain't [[Incredibly Lame Pun|White!]]") of ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]''. The laundromat plays a minor role in the plot, as its transition from the established [[The Mafia|Mafia]] protection racket to a [[The Triads and the Tongs|Triad]] one sparks a mob war between the two sides.
== [[Web Original]] ==
* [http://notalwaysright.com/ironing-out-some-laundry-stereotypes/10789 This] ''[[(The Customer is) Not Always Right]]'' entry.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* Very borderline: In ''[[Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (animation)|Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers]]'', Fat Cat goes to a laundromat to see a pair of Siamese cats about a fighting fish.
* Dr. Wang runs his ''[[Minoriteam]]'' from a laundromat.
* According to his backstory from Disney's ''[[Atlantis: The
* Mr. Washy Washy from ''[[Family Guy]]''.
* A Chinese laundry gets attacked by a robotic "monster" in the fourth ''[[An American Tail]]'' movie.
* A Chinese laundry appears in the [[Daffy Duck]] short "China Jones".
* There's a Chinese Launderer in ''[[Wheel Squad]]'' but he doesn't show the typical stereotypes that come with the trope. He once taught martial
== [[Real Life]] ==
* The Royal Navy still uses Chinese laundrymen on their vessels.
* For some reason, there's a women's shoe company called "Chinese Laundry".
* As stated at the top this has a strong historic basis and is not entirely uncommon to see even today. Further, in many cities where renting an apartment is more common than owning a single-family home, wash-and-fold service is still prevalent at many dry cleaners as an alternative to doing your own laundry at a laundromat.
** Laundries are also run by Koreans or Vietnamese.
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