Thread: ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ filmed at Bangkok’s Malaysia Hotel

Published: December 3, 2017 04:01 PM GMT+8

‘Good Morning Vietnam’ starring the late Robin Williams was shot on location in Malaysia Hotel in Bangkok. — Reuters pic



BANGKOK, Dec 3 — In the heart of this modern metropolis sits Malaysia Hotel, a modest hotel which has no relations whatsoever with Malaysia although it shares the same name with Thailand’s southern neighbour.

But unknown to many outside of this family-run business, the hotel which just celebrated its golden anniversary holds a very special place to Hollywood’s film enthusiasts and fans of one of its most well-known actors who shockingly took his own life several years ago at the prime of his career.

It was this hotel, founded by entrepreneurial Chinese immigrant Peng Hui Saebae in 1967, which hosted late Hollywood funnyman Robin Williams for the shooting of his 1987 award-winning film, Good Morning Vietnam.

“They (the film crew) spend about a month here. Robin Williams came and shot the film here,” Saebae’s 73-year-old daughter Mayuree Rungsaeng told Bernama in an interview here, recently.

According to Mayuree, who helped run the hotel when the shooting of the Hollywood film took place in the 1980s, one of the rooms on the second floor of the hotel had undergone extensive renovation to resemble a radio studio.

The comedy-war film which won William a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in the Motion Picture Musical or Musical Category and an Academy Award nomination and other accolades, also starred another of Hollywood’s greats, Forest Whitaker.

In the Barry Levinson directed film, Williams who tragically committed suicide in 2014, played the role of radio DJ, Adrian Cronauer, a performance which won him not only awards but also fans across the globe.

The hotel, Mayuree said, also received a lot of patronage from American military officers during the Vietnam war, either for rest and relaxation or for official duties at nearby Joint United States Military Advisory Group (JUSMAG).

According to Mayuree’s daughter Chanthiman Rungsaeng, who is currently the managing director of the hotel, William’s did not stay at the Malaysia Hotel throughout the filming but only came to shoot the film.

On how her family came up with an idea to name the premises “Malaysia Hotel”, she said, it was the desire to maintain the family’s ancestral name “Ma” which drove them to name the hotel with a name of a South East Asian country.

“Our family name is “Ma”, so the family decided to name it Malaysia Hotel, so the name carries our family name and Malaysia, as it is easy for the customers to know,” she said of the 130-room hotel located in Sathorn area in Bangkok.

“Ma” in Chinese means “horse” she said, adding that an iron statue of a horse was placed at the entrance of the hotel to greet customers.

The hotel just underwent an extensive renovation to commemorate its 50th anniversary as well as an effort to draw new customers in view of the increasing competition from other hoteliers in the area, said Chanthiman.

In the renovation works completed in September, many parts of the hotels was painted in golden yellow colour to mark its golden anniversary which coincidentally was similar to Malaysia’s national colour, she said.

The hotel receives a small number of customers from Malaysia but aims to attract more with efforts like providing more Malaysian food and delicacies at its restaurant as well as halal food for them.

“We also hope our unique name, Malaysia Hotel will attract more Malaysians to stay with us,” said Chanthiman of the hotel where the standard rooms start at about 900 baht (RM113) per-night. — Bernama

?Good Morning Vietnam? filmed at Bangkok?s Malaysia Hotel | Showbiz | Mobile | Malay Mail Online

That is really old news. Now find Robin in Woodstock in Nana Plaza during the filming. He loved the food and atmosphere as at that time Kim Fletcher of Jools fame was running the kitchen and Peter Gale the action. The "joint" upstairs and the White Rabbit restaurant down. Memories, it was not the same at all back then.

Originally Posted by aging one

That is really old news. Now find Robin in Woodstock in Nana Plaza during the filming. He loved the food and atmosphere as at that time Kim Fletcher of Jools fame was running the kitchen and Peter Gale the action. The "joint" upstairs and the White Rabbit restaurant down. Memories, it was not the same at all back then.

If I'm not mistaken, the film locations were largely Thailand.
City scenes: Bangkok and environs.
Country scenes: To the south, in and around Phuket.

What's the Malaysia like these days?

As I recall, first popular with druggies, later with gays. Any updates on the area overall?

Woodstock, good place, great memories, yeah definitely had a very unique ambiance, and food was good enough with beers

Soi ngam duplee, round the corner ftom the malaysia was the place to be in the eighties.

the blue fox bar, the boston inn hotel and the malaysia hotel 24hr coffee shop , all the sleaze you could eat served up on a plate. Wonderful times.

I was an extra in good morning vietnam, a lot of the farang extras were pressgamged ftom the blue fox bar, williams was a down to earth character who mingled happily with the extras and his thai minders.

I ended up on the cutting room floor sadly, otherwise who knows, i coulda been the next deniro.

the scene i was in was an explosion outside a bar popular with gi's

Happy days. Tuk tuk to patpong 15 baht, to nana 30, and they let us drive the thing too. Cops just waved us through. It really was the land of smiles back then.

Originally Posted by aging one

That is really old news.

I think the "news" is that they refurbished a hotel.

Fucking hell eh, that will be on every website in the world by midnight.


Or maybe not.

I stayed at Hotel Malaysia, not knowing anything about it at first, still it was inexpensive and the swimming pool was good.

What...no video?

This young lady came out of the blue as an extra and got a featured role.

- ROBIN WILLIAMS & CHINTARA SUKAPATANA GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (1987

One of those films worth watching again, every ten years, when you have remembered Williams’ acting genius.

Chas, do you intend to switch between nicks indefinitely?

Originally Posted by aging one

This young lady came out of the blue as an extra and got a featured role.

- ROBIN WILLIAMS & CHINTARA SUKAPATANA GOOD MORNING VIETNAM (1987

News?

Originally Posted by Dillinger

News?

Being broadcast on the radio as we speak.

Robin Williams death or the Malaysian Hotel advert?

Shite thread is all. Belongs in the lounge at best.

Originally Posted by stroller

As I recall, first popular with druggies, later with gays.

Originally Posted by wasabi

I stayed at Hotel Malaysia,

OK. Good to know

A good article I finally found. Really a true survivor with a good story the Malaysia.

A Salute to 50 Years of Late Nights at Bangkok?s Malaysia Hotel

Originally Posted by tomcat

Coffin dodgers settled on lobby sofas in the mornings: wigs, teeth and walkers in place to chat about the dimensions of their...conquests.

Butterfly, in the toilets, putting on his dress and scarlet lipgloss.

Originally Posted by aging one

A good article I finally found. Really a true survivor with a good story the Malaysia.

A Salute to 50 Years of Late Nights at Bangkok?s Malaysia Hotel

Thankyou. Very interesting, I wonder if anyone has any old photos of the hotel?

The squeal will be"Good Morning Malaysia " filmed in Vietnam's Bangkok hotel

Shouldnt that be sequel Fluke?

Good ole predictive text eh