By Radio Reaper
Welcome, all lovers of Bruce Lee movies! Welcome to my Radio Spot Reliquary.
Prior to the success of Enter The Dragon, Bruce Lee had found fame in Hong Kong cinema, and starred in two successful films, The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972). As their success grew, United States film distributors decided to release them to American markets. After redubbing The Big Boss with new dialog, new music cues and editing, it was released under the title Fists of Fury. Oddly, Lee’s second film Fist of Fury had already been released in a limited run under the title The Chinese Connection. Both proved to be successful in America and Bruce Lee was on his way to worldwide stardom with Enter The Dragon.
As was to be expected, success brings out the copycats, all vying for a piece of the financial pie. All kinds of Kung Fu/ Martial Arts films began to saturate the market, often with shoddy production values and questionable dubbing practices. Actors began to capitalize on Bruce Lee’s name by calling themselves Bruce Li or Bruce Le. The women, too, found their place in the genre and soon became stars in their own right. Angela Mao and, later, Michelle Yeoh became the queens of their realm.
Enter The Dragon co-stars Jim Kelly went on to star in Black Belt Jones (1974) and Sammo Hung became a mainstay in Chinese martial arts films.
In recent times names such as Jet Li and Donnie Yen dominated the genre as they depicted Chinese heroes Huo Yuanjia, co-founder of the Chin Woo Athletic Association, and Ip Man, Bruce Lee’s mentor in the ways of Wing Chun. Jackie Chan also starred in a series of movies wherein he did most of his own incredible stunts, often at the expense of his health and body.
To close out this series on martial arts films I have included spots from the two Bruce Lee films and spots I have from various movies, from those well-produced to those that seem thrown together, often with hilarious titles and results. Don’t get me wrong, they all display great choreographed fight sequences and the various martial arts are presented well. Sometimes, though, the characterizations and make-up are often taken to extremes.
Bruce Lee! The Chinese Connection! Fists of Fury! The Chinese Professionals! Kung Fu Mama! Martial Arts Mania!!
Fists of Fury, The Chinese Connection
Black Belt Jones, The Hong Kong Cat, Kung Fu Mama, Lady Kung Fu, Queen Boxer, Shanghai Lil and the Sun Luck Kid, The Chinese Professionals, and The Shang Hai Killers