A Brief History of Hollywood Yellowface
Also
Dis-Orientation: Japan from a Western Viewpoint in Mike Leigh's "Topsy Turvy"
When the "appearance of reality" becomes a secondary concern, the process of turning a white person into an Asian becomes fairly simple. For the eyes, prosthetic eyepieces are cast, using "real Asians" as models for the flexible molds. The eyepieces are then applied to the actor's eyelids and held in place with spirit gum. Finally, makeup is applied to hide the eyepieces, and rubber bands are attached to the top of the head to pull the corners of the eyes up into that familiar "slant."
My personal favourite is the Mexican actor, Ricardo Montalban, playing the great kabuki star, "Nakamura", in 1957's "Sayonara".
Ironically, this film was to provide the first Asian Oscar winner. Miyoshi Umeki won Best Supporting Actress for her role opposite Red Buttons. Since 1957, only three Asian actors have received nominations - Haing S. Ngor won for "The Killing Fields" while Pat Morita and Ken Watanabe didn't get the top spot.