TEAHOUSE OF THE AUGUST MOON, THE

by Patrick, John

As told by McClain in the New York Journal-American: “…pursues the career of an Army of Occupation officer stationed in a remote town in Okinawa. His duty is to teach Democracy to the natives, and there is a stern and stupid Colonel breathing down his neck to insure the strict enforcement of the Manual of Occupation. But the young officer has not prepared himself for the ingenious charm of the people. Within a matter of days he finds himself the owner of a Grade A geisha girl; the materials sent him for the construction of a school are being used to build a teahouse and he himself, in an effort to improve the economy of the village, has taken to selling the principal product, potato brandy, to all the surrounding Army and Navy Officers’ clubs. The gala opening of the teahouse is, of course, the moment chosen by the Colonel to make his inspection of the village, and the ensuing eruption is volcanic. The officer is sure to be court martialed, the Colonel demoted. But when life is darkest, word arrives that Congress, that old standby, has received reports that this is the most progressive village on the island, and all is forgiven.”