As a 14 year old in 1972 It was by far, my favorite TV show. I would wait all week in anticipation for the next episode. The pilot, as I recall, debuted February 1972 and had very high ratings. Watching it 48 years later brings back wonderful memories of my teenage years.
I was 12 in 72 and loved the show too. My other friend and I use to play Kung Fu outside in the yard, with our neighbors dad....lol. We really had him matched....ha ha.
I was also 14 in (August) '72 and was an instant fan. You might remember having to wait more than a week in the first episodes of the first season since it only aired once a month (rotating with Alias Smith & Jones' time slot). Very well worth the wait as the first season was astonishing!!!!
I remember as a kid watching Kung Fu and being spellbound not only by the action but the life lessons woven into the stories. One scene that has stuck with me was during a time as a kid I felt alone, Grasshopper the child was in tears & lamented to Master Poh how lonely he felt being new to the monastery. Master Poh said to *_"Grasshopper tell me what do you hear?"_* Grasshopper remained silent for some seconds listening & replied *_"I hear birds, crickets, the wind in the trees"_* Master Poh replied *_"How is it you feel so lonely..."_* Still today that scene is profoundly comforting, something ALL kids should be able to access especially during all this isolation from other humans in recent times. Kung Fu had a way of profoundly nurturing peoples mental health especially for the kids who viewed it. RIP David!!
Hey, guess what, I'm here looking at the comments, cause I just happened to see that very same episode you are talking about. It was actually the very first episode, Episode 1, Season 1. That show was one of the best shows ever, a thinking Man's or child's type of program, amazing.
@@creativestudio101 thanks for the reference, I had forgotten which episode it came from, time to stop listening to birds & crickets & watch an episode of Kung Fu.... Thanks buddy.
Real life training in the martial arts will also nurture mental health. As well as physical, emotional and spiritual health. If you think the show was that good at it, your own martial arts journey will be exponentially better than it.
8 years old when the series started, discovered it at about 10. It rocked my world. The entire story captivated me.. moved to a tough neighborhood, started Karate but honestly fell in love with the cultures and traditions of all of it. Moved back to my childhood home, rejoined karate. I literally breated ate and drank marital atrts. My student call me Sensi infront if there students, in there dojo. I may not have ascended to heights some may imagine, but rose far above for myself. This series, Bruce, and my sensi created the man i am today. 40 years later, i owe every bit of my tenacity and drive to a vision given to me by great people who could speak the language of passion.
Glenn Hooper, you and I may be around the same age since I recall watching Kung Fu in 73 when I was between 9 and 10 years old. And, I must admit, Bruce Lee and my love of martial arts has been a great influence on my life and my career (when I was an ESL teacher in a Chinese school) and in my life. Thank you for sharing. It brought back memories.
As a teen, Kung Fu played a powerful influence towards my becoming interested in martial arts. David Carradine’s role of being a soft spoken and gentle man inspired me to fully grasp the true power of the yin yang philosophy!
I HAD A FEW MASTERS GROWING UP AS WELL AND DAVID WoZ ONE OF THEM AND YES I TOOK THE PEBBLE AND A FEW MILLION DOLLARS WHILE I WoZ AT IT DUE TO HIS TEACHINGS !
There were so many good things about the show that people missed. The moral lessons, the etiquette lessons, the cultural and spiritual aspects. The martial arts part of the show was the hook, but the real show was much more, bring on the new, i cant wait.
@@FactsVerse It was a moment when in a cave with other oriental either they were mine workers or railroad workers he was lithing a torch an his sleeves fell down to show his shaolin markings and everyone in the cave bowed
@@2007Tarkus I watched it as a kid...I was only 8 years old in 1972! But I remember it well.. loved it! I started learning kung fu because of it! I'm a black belt!
@@FactsVerse His walk in the raddlesnake pit and the expression on the white tyrants faces. Who is this guy He's insane. Those snakes were pretty huge. If not milked by snakehandler one Strike he would be in trouble. Be one with nature is the lesson.
David Carradine said he was “relieved” when Kung Fu ended after its third season. The problem was that Carradine was in 99 percent of the scenes in every episode. It was exhausting for him. Kung Fu, as great as it was, had no “sub-plot” which meant that Carradine had very few breaks during the filming of each episode.
Yeah for what he got paid and that it made him famous, he ought to roll with it. People work 9 hours a day in some shitty job for years without complaint. I can't much sympathy for Carradine to complain about his little job.
@ms.annthrope415 He never asked for sympathy. He didn't want to get locked into a long series in the first place, which is why he turned down the original offer of a 5 year contract. He stated that the injuries he was sustaining from making the show, made it impossible for him to continue. Although it's true that he receive many injuries over the course of his career, he was still an actor, not a stuntman and continually doing rough stuff on a weekly basis isn't something that most actors want to do. It's not like Kung Fu was his first TV series or film role. He had previously appeared on 19 TV shows, one of which gave him a starring role (Shane) which lasted 17 episodes. He also had more than 10 movies under his belt. In the end, he racked up about 230 acting credits in his career, so he was correct in thinking that he really didn't need to keep making the show if he didn't feel like it.
The way I heard it low ratings WAS one of the reasons the show was cancelled but there were other problems ranging from personal issues to the kung fu craze of the seventies running out of steam.
David Carridine played the gentle and peaceful monk so well. He was awesome at portraying Caine. This is what makes Kung Fu the series outstanding. What other actor could of done this so well. Today there are so many actors who can fight and be tough on screen, with spectacular fight scenes, but still they cannot play a kind and gentle being . . I have trained in Kung Fu for 15 years now and the true meaning of Kung Fu is to find inner peace in oneself, to be humble, this is what Carridine portrayed so brilliantly.
Peter Reddin beautifully said man. Thank you. I get the feeling DC was really a timeless-monk inside, and the show was a way for him to express his own true timeless-self through 'the master's' timeless teachings - just a serenely beautiful portrayal of a Wise man. It will live forever. RIP David.
@@pitbull_top5766 No Grasshopper, he was not. Master Po was not his father. His father was white. A man named Thomas Henry Caine. You will note, Caine is not a Chinese name. Caine mother was Chinese. One of the issues in the first episode was that the Shaolin Temple never admitted any one who was not full blooded Chinese before, and it was obvious Caine was half-white.
@@AtmxDawg24 Yeah...either that, or it's been so long since they watched it, they forgot. But that WAS a specific point driven home, that Caine was half white. I assume, it was to appease the audience of that time, when it first came out. AND Bruce Lee was RIGHT THERE! What a missed opportunity.
The famous James Hong appeared in Kung Fu many times in different outfits, but his unique voice always gave him away. It was fitting that he did the voice of Kung Fu Panda's father in the noodle shop. then again in Everything Everywhere. At 94 and after 456 movie credits, James Hong is still working in the industry.
This was a truly great series with good actors, stories, and beautiful life lessons in humility, patience and love. One of a kind show, very well done.
Kung Fu was the best. I watched it religiously. David Carradine was perfect for the lead. As it was mentioned, he took the role to heart and actually lived the role. That is dedication. Of everything that has played on television in my 65 years of life, this show touched my soul. I thank all who participated in the series. It was and is the best.
I'm so sad that David Carradine is the one who stop the show. Kung-fu was my teacher in life. I learned so much about living from the show. When I was young, I watched it for the fighting part. As I got older, I watched it for the spiritual part. I cried when I stopped watching it. Every once in a while, I watch parts of it on my phone. What a wonderful show. David was the perfect actor for it.
Hi. Enjoyed watching your mini-doc on my series. As the person who originated the role of "Grasshopper" (the Young Caine) in the majority of the flashback Shaolin temple scenes, I would like to both praise and substantiate a key claim your video contains and take the liberty of correcting an error. Besides the one which others already jumped on in abundance, Master Po was Kwai Chang Caine's teacher and never referred to him otherwise. I am grateful for your effort to put to rest the Bruce Lee "urban myth" which posits him as the originator of the concept of the show. You're correct that he did not and that Ed Spielman is the creator, having written the pilot movie years earlier. The most important correction I can offer is about how and why the show was canceled. You've repeated the "official story" which Warner Bros needed to put out in order to save the value of the property, which was oddly held from syndication (re-runs) for a whopping six years, unprecedented for any hit series, which typically find their way to another channel immediately. Not "Kung Fu". Certainly David's "injuries" didn't cause that. No, the rating suddenly dropped and the network (ABC) had to pull the plug because of a highly publicized screw up by Mr. Carradine. A veteran of many trips, he dropped acid one night at his hippie pad in Laurel Canyon and went on a mini-rampage, at one point breaking into a neighbor's house, cutting himself on the glass-paned door he busted through and leaving his blood all over a piano he was inspired to play there. The police found him curled up in a fetal position at his indoor/outdoor "tree house" and hauled him into the Hollywood Precinct. This immediately made national news and those folks throughout the Midwest with Nielsen Ratings boxes attached to their TV started changing the channel once they heard the story. The show was challenging enough as it was and this tipped the scale. So yes, as you reported, David did pull the plug on the show, in the only way he knew how, since the TV and studio execs weren't about to stop production on their biggest hit at the time. It took six long years for the story to die down enough that the 3-1/2 season series could be sold to syndication. But that also allowed a whole younger generation to discover it for themselves, too. So it kind of worked out in a somewhat fortuitous manner, culturally speaking. Well, that's the real story, from the horse's mouth. Thanks for letting me tell it.
Oh my god, you were GREAT! I had to say that. Are you saying David cancelled the show on purpose? I thought maybe the show just jumped the shark, since it shouldn't take three years to find one person in California.
One of my absolute Favorite TV Shows! Thank You for making it so REAL! I found a studio that taught Kung Fu, and took lessons until 1975, when I enlisted in the Air Force. Thanks for the Info on the series.
Kung Fu will never be replaced by a new reboot. For those of us lucky enough to be weekly viewers of the original show( I was in grammar school & watched it with my Dad all the time). Nothing can take it’s place or be better than Kane the original
It seems we are expected to believe that a woman spending a handful of years in a 'male monastery' ( do they have mixed sex or convent monasteries ) will come back with the strength and skills that Caine learnt in half a lifetime? Clearly being a woman is a gimmick to make it different from before but like superwoman series it will be hard to suspend belief and i think it will tank. Women warriors are essentially women pretending to be men
As a kid I totally LOVED Kung Fu the original series...Quai Chang Caine was so awesome because all of his riches were inside of him. He made me consider the idea that I truly could survive my lousy childhood with peace and calm... all the punching and kicking didn't hurt any either!
wrong, it is time to do this series justice by casting a real Chinese martial arts movie start like Donnie Yen or Jacky Chan cause they are both so old, even in their middle ages, they could make Carradine's Caine look like a paraplegic. The series was great but the fight scenes were horrible.
I began to watch Kung Fu (1972) after so many years. I'm 71 and now I have an entirely new perspective seeing this again. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Each episode as powerful than the next. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
What made the show so interesting for me was the flashbacks explaining the lessons of life taught by all of his Masters while growing up in the Temples! Our Nation’s Children would benefit if taught to follow similar lessons now!
I was a kid of 5 when I was attacked by a rooster when visiting a relative's farm. Thank God for the Kung Fu Show, because I knew what to do. This huge rooster came straight at me with its claws ready to shred my face. I yelled HI YA and kicked the rooster in the chest. He came after me again and I yelled again and hit with another kick. We must have gone 5 or 6 rounds until he backed down. Grasshopper's lessons saved me from some nasty scars~~
Almost 50 years after first watching the show as a kid....it is still on my list of things I want to do before I die.....learn Kung Fu! Such was it's impact on me and, no doubt, many, many others. It was a great show. Good values. Perhaps the west's first introduction to a positive glimpse at the amazing Asian culture.
Kung fu is a superior style to others such as karate, or even worse tae kwon do. I urge you to give it at least 6 months. You won't be anywhere near a black belt, but you will be 5 times the fighter you are now.
I would like to advise that you give Uechi Ryu a serious consideration. The founder travelled to China and studied the Arts there then returned to Okinawa to teach there.. Okinawa has the largest presence of Americans in the Far East. It will be very easy for you to find employment on a Military base while Training in the Art. Student of Master Kanei Uechi 1970's
I remember David saying in more than one interview on RU-vid that he simply got tired of doing the series and wanted to quit, but maybe he for some reason didn't want to admit he quit because of injuries. I quit watching TV when I was 14 and I'm 70. I am now seeing things I'd never seen and bought the entire series of Kung Fu and like it very much. In '72 my older brother called me to the TV and said how this series was an exception to the reasons I quit watching TV.
Being 48 years old and haven't seen the show since my youth, even I remembered that Master Po was not Caine's father... How could this dude botch that up?
MAD magazine had a short spoof of kung fu. the master monk says to......... grasshopper try to snatch the pebble from my hand. after about 3 trys, caine punches the grandmaster monk in the face. and the next drawing shows the pebbles flying up in the air and caine catches them.
Oby-1, unfortunately, David Carridine didn't walk off into the sunset. He continued doing movies and was killed in Asia while working on another movie.
I was a young teen at the time and loved the show. Yes most action scenes were terrible, but there was a cerebral nature to the show I loved. It was different. I loved it. Decades later, now I understand buddhism, I studied Tae Kwon Do for over 20 years on and off. I have been to Asia 15 times and will be spending maybe 1/2 of each year there as I coast into semi retirement.
I always admired the way David Carradine was presented in his role as a monk travelling throughout his journey meeting people but also helping those that needed help. I loved that concept. I would have loved to have taken Kung Fu while I was young but other important matters were necessary. However, that was my regret not taking up Kung Fu during my youth at that time. It would have been helpful.
I was 26 when Kung Fu first started. Even my kids loved watching it. David Carradine was perfect in the role. I have recently started watching season 1 on DVD bringing ack great memories.
Nothing can replace the original series (1972). Limited action (mostly in the last four minutes), flashbacks that tie the theme of each episode's plot from present to the past, superb acting by lead and supporting roles alike, and a humble personage taking on injustice in the Old West all combine to create a show that cannot be duplicated.
Master Kan was the best (as was Master Po). Philip Ahn, who played Master Kan, told a story about after he retired from acting and worked in his brother's restaurant. Kids would always recognize him from the show, so he took to keeping pebbles in his pocket so when recognized, he could hold one out to the child and say, "snatch the pebble from my hand." Pretty cool guy.
This was my favourite tv show growing up. One of my favourite possessions is the box set of all 3 seasons of the original show. Now they need to come out with the tv movies and series Kung Fu the Legend Continues, on dvd or bluray. Though they weren't as good as the original. One of the great things about the original series, that didn't continue in the sequels, was that each episode had a buddhist lesson. Always presented by proverbs from the masters then replayed in the episode. A fun introduction to philosophy and other belief systems. I always wonder what the show would have been like if Bruce Lee had been allowed to play the role of Caine. I own the Book of Caine. A great read, but a bit biased.
Bruce Lee was also a philosophy major in college. He studied both Eastern and Western Philosophy for 3 years. He was a very deeply philosophical person. It most likely would have been on an even higher level. ✨
actually all the proverbs are from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tze of the Taoist philosophy. I always found it amusing that Buddhist monks were teaching Taoist thought.
Kung Fu was great, but they should have left it alone after Caradine died. That new reboot sounds like trash, it has almost nothing to do with the original.
sounds woke as F... they need to let great things go INSTEAD of trying to modernize it. There will only be the original series and movies after that.. it isn't kung fu. .. GO WOKE go broke.
who cares. I vomited every time Carradine started fighting because I was already a Tae Kwon Do student with far superior kicks when the original came out. I would literally close my eyes and imagine Bruce in those fight scenes. I know the new reboot will have far superior fight scenes. David was horrible as a monk physically displaying martial arts skills but great when words came out of his mouth.
My friends and I watched it together, Religiously. After graduation from High School I practiced Martial Arts full time. Student of Master Kanei Uechi Futenma City Dojo. Once upon a very long time ago. How long? Not very long!
It is said from a Shaolin priest: looked at, he cannot be seen. Listen to, he cannot be heard. Touched, he cannot be felt. An iconic TV series. Just too short.
@@BobGolob LOL. They're CCP life-actors forcibly trained after the purges of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution when even the old school hardline communists were arrested by the young Maoist Red Guards in 1966.
One of the first albums I ever got was the Kung Fu speaking/soundtrack album based on the show in its first season in 1972. I loved that album, had it for decades. That show was hugely popular.
@@u.p.woodtick3296 Totally agree with you Lee should have gotten the role BUT you gotta admit Carradine was, if not perfect for the role, then damn close.
I was in Kung Fu The Legend continues. As an extra I appeared three times and was also hired as a stand in for one episode. I got to see David off camera. He was very business like.
Bruce Lee fits the role perfectly but was not consider because of Racism. Bruce was a American born in San Francisco. Racism against Chinese is still prevalent after trump’s presidency. Somehow White men fear the rise of Asians especially Chinese.
@@steelydan1242 more fabrications from liberals b******* We voted for a black president there is a Muslim senator Puerto Rican senators America as a whole are not racist. Because Donald Trump called the China virus to China virus That does not make him racist It makes him a realist and telling the truth
@@robertlulek1634 Asshole. Covid19 was developed in America and cases of infection was discovered here before Wuhan. This was admitted by your CDC Director during congressional hearing. Just because they didn’t name it then doesn’t exonerate America’s biological warfare against China. The only way for America to slow down China’s economy is to find an excuse to start a war. That’s the reality you Stupid Moron.
No, they don't. That's because in 1972 shows were made to either inform you (documentaries) or entertain you. Now they are made to push some type of agenda; they could care less whether you get entertained. @John Moore I don't think he is really comparing the content of the two shows. He is pointing out that the two shows were aired in the same time period of the 70s.
I agree 100%. I was a deep follower of D.C. but not of t.v.( until I saw the first episode of Kung Fu). A large part of my memory is of D.C. and all the emotions that he made come to the surface of my soul.
I agree. Stop with the reboots, stop trying to redo classics. Use them as inspiration but make something new. After Bruce Lee's death there was a search for "The next Bruce Lee" Jackie Chan became successful because he knew he couldn't imitate Bruce Lee and worked hard to be able to create his own version of martial arts films.
From the very beginning of the series, David said he was planning on performing the character for 3 years only. The reasons being: he didn't want to get too typecast. Secondly, he noticed that many the classic TV shows of the past were only on for 3 years.
I used to like the music at beginning, and the flutes. The program had a strange kind of suspense about it too. The start of the show was magical...the rice paper....the stick fighting...all the drills...and the red hot cauldron.
Master po was keye Luke who was in real life lived in a apartment in hollywood..he had a skin cap on and had more hair then most 18 y.o. had..was very down to earth..he took voice lessons from my grandmother..
I was a child when Kung Fu was on in the 1970's. I was a big fan of the show....I would find it difficult to believe any show could compare to it's caliber.
Pai Mei was not based on Master Po. Pai Mei (translation: "White Eyebrow") was an actual person, one of the five founding masters of the White Lotus school and style. He, like the other five, was a colorful individual, and kind of a legend in his own right. He was known to have a short temper and an abrasive personality, but rarely wrote a check with his mouth that he couldn't cash with his fists. As a result of the stories which grew up around his legend, he became a staple character/character type in martial arts movies. THAT is what the _Kill Bill_ character pays homage to.
@@FactsVerse Hee hee I love them all..but the gold star on top of the tree goes to The Flintstones.. I grew up with them..added something very magical to childhood.
This was a very interesting video but I wanted to add a possible correction. A RU-vid discussion concerning why the series was cancelled included comments made by Radames Pera, the actor who played young Caine. He stated that during a critical period when ratings were being tallied, David Carradine, went on a drug-fueled binge and broke into someone's home. The resulting publicity appalled both the households whose preferences were used as a basis for determining ratings as well as the network distributers.
Well all I know is there's a clip of him saying the series wasn't cancelled per say he just left it, which he regretted because he didn't understand at the time how many people it actually was helping in the Asian community jobwise
David addressed this on the Kung Fu DVD set extras. He was going through bad personal issues such as his breakup with Barbara Hershey and Season Hubley and wanted out of the series. He began filming Death Race 2000 two weeks after he walked as he wanted to stay busy - his words - and he told the producers he was leaving the series and gave them ample notification.
You are right. It really wasn't about "injuries" that ended the series. Carradine even admitted later in life that he probably should have done more seasons of the show and it ended prematurely. That's why he kept playing that character or something similar for decades after the original series ended.
Caradine was actually perfect for the role. I can't think of anyone who could have done a better job. It wasn't just the martial arts...it was the actual acting. Sorry Bruce Lee could not have pulled off the gentle monk.
Incorrect u dont know. What. Bruce lee could stop makeFiction damn thoughts. Icannot. Standsome1 always maken negative comments on some1 U donot know what are there Do's& Dont always assume sitdown look at your dont and do how about. That
Bruce Lee shopped the idea for the show to Warner, as "Warrior" about a half Asian wandering the US frontier in Western era, but they turned it down then brought back the very same concept as "Kung Fu". Ironically, Lee was even denied the role in "Kung Fu" due to being considered too 'Asian looking' (he was mixed Chinese and white) and the role given to a CAUCASIAN Carradine😀. Further irony, Bruce's son Brandon showing up in the sequel. A series based partly on Lee's original concept eventually made it onto tv, the series "Warrior" on Cinemax.
When I missed an episode of Kung fu my whole week was destroyed. The discipline of martial arts fascinates every young man. To be able to control ones emotions and body during chaos is every mans dream.
He didn't claim to be. He was trained in dance, which helped him simulate the kung fu moves. And Chuck Norris is no great actor himself, but I guess that was what he was saying.
That is what they said In the beginning he knew NO MARTIAL ARTS But started taking Kung fu and Tai Che And continued to do so even after the show ended But by the time he played with Chuck in Lone Wolf McQuade he was pretty good As good as Norris? No But he was as good as many who were in movies Damn sure a lot better than most extras
"Quickly as you can, snatch the pebble from my hand" After watching Kung Fu when I was a kid, I thought I was going to become a kung fu master, but I just turned out to be a middle aged fat guy who's only skill is making potato chips disappear
@@jimmysapien9961 how is it racism?? Do they have to pick Bruce Lee because he's really Chinese? Why not pick a real true actor who has acting experience that will come off better as a humble man and David carradine certainly pulled off the character better than I'm sure Bruce Lee ever would
@@jimmysapien9961 The character is also half white. Lee had his shot at the role and he didn't get it because he didn't fit the character and his mastery of English was a concern. There is plenty of real racism to get angry about in the world.
I loved Kung Fu, it was a great show. My brothers and I also loved watching the poorly "dubbed" Chinese Kung Fu movies on the weekends, you know the ones that had just about everyone speaking with an English accent, lol. It's a shame that Hollywood continues with the PC narrative and is making the new series with a female in the lead role. It's not an anti woman statement, it's just that some programs are better when they stick to the original theme and this seems like one of those shows. This endless attempt at being different has made just about everything they put out.....predictable. I never realized the Caradine connection in the show. It's great that they were able to make it a family event and help them all keep working. Even after all these years I would still be interested in this show returning, but in it's original concept, it really was a great show.
My favorite line in the entire series was the unnamed monk saying to those impatient boys, "please, go home." Don't know why I like that so much. Now I am 65 yo and still play a bamboo flute. You could look up "Erik the Flutemaker". Erik is the expert!
I loves this show, it actually changed my life. Because of it I took up the martial arts, got a black belt, and became a Buddhist. By the way, you stated that master Po was Caine’s father. As in many of your videos you got something wrong. Masters Po was his teacher Master, not his father. That’s why his name was Caine, and not Po.
72’ wow was it that long ago? I was 13 at the time and none of my friends and I would ever miss an episode. The following day we would head outside and immediately, yet as ungracefully as an newborn foal, begin to swing and kick at each other, using the new moves we learned. Big impact...oh yeah.
Loved Kung Fu,watched ever show as a young teen, so sad it ended and Caridine not only died by the way he died. God Bless Him and the show,thank you - Ken
Yeah, it would have been odd for someone who first traveled to the United States *as an adult* to have arrived here with a thick accent from his country of origin. 😂 Very transparent move, Hollywood. Anyway, I was a kid in the 70's and Kung Fu was my favorite television series bar none. Martial arts, Bruce Lee, Shang Chi comics...nothing was more popular in my neighborhood, which was over 90% Black. Everybody loves this stuff, back then. It warms my heart to see this show remembered.
“ Yeah, it would have been odd for someone who first traveled to the United States as an adult to have arrived here with a thick accent from his country of origin. 😂 Very transparent move, Hollywood.” You want to explain that? Raised in China, learns English as an adult, speaks with an accent. What’s unusual about that?
A female Caine. We’ve had a female iron man, a female, black panther, a female Thor, now a female Caine. It’s just so predictable and so unbelievably stupid!
And the same old tired plot. Super talented, graduate Kung Fu student, seeks payback for the murder of their much revered master/teacher/sifu. Never mind that there must have been at least a few hundred or so martial arts movies made with that theme as a major part of the plot. What's the bet Super Kung Fu Girl swears an oath to revenge his murder? ....Oh wait! Possible plot twist.... the Kung Fu master/teacher/sifu may have been a Transexual Shaolin master....so then it would be an oath to revenge the murder of whatever personal pronoun the revered master/teacher/sifu had preferred to identify with. That'll be the highlight of the plot, although other highlights may include Super Kung Fu Girl helping BLM "protestors" against the wicked Triad run Police Force. The rest of the show is just the same old crime fighter scenario again, but this time against the Triads. It will be the same enemy every episode, with Super Kung Fu girl getting closer to the murderer of her revered master (who will be top leader of the Triads) each episode, but always failing to seek final revenge. One of the defining successful elements of the original series was that Kwai Chang Caine's enemies, situations and locations were different in every episode. I predict a huge flop!
I like Bill Burr's comments on this type of stuff. Speakng to a female interviewer ...You got brains dont you? Go make up your own damn stuff. Love him.
@@GazGuitarz Come on be honest. You the screenwriter isn't ya? and yes I believe EVERYTHING you mention will come to pass. ESPECIALLY the last sentence
Kung Fu had a great story line and message. However, the fight scenes were often pathetic. Watch one of his episodes, even from season 3, and then watch a Bruce Lee or Jet Li film. Not even close. Still, it's one of my favorite shows from the 70s, thanks to you, Mr. Carradine. May you rest in peace.
I AM A HUGE FAN OF DAVID AS HIS WISDOM THROUGH THE SERIERS , I HAVE USED MANY TIMES, BUT THE WAY HE PASSED AWAY ???? EXPLAIN THAT ONE ???? HIS EX-WIFE SAID IT WoZ THE SHEMALE MAFIA ?????
Pai Mei from ‘Kill Bill’ was not patterned after Master Po on the Kung Fu show- there was actually a movie in the 70s that featured a character named Pai Mei that was identical to the one that was featured in the Quentin Tarantino series.
One error in the intro: Pai Mei isn't a representation of Master Po. He's the master of the White Lotus Clan who kills off most of the Shaolin Temple. You can see him in movies like Executioners from Shaolin and Clan of the White Lotus.
Kung Fu 🤩one of my childhood memories that I loved. As a child I was allowed to watch 1 hr of t.v. a day. I did not pick cartoons , I wanted to watch Kung-Fu. It was mesmerizing to watch Grasshopper fulfill such a majestic role. I loved his Spot-on honesty & wisdom. I love Bruce Lee, but I do love David playing the role.
I watched this series as a boy. I took notes of the "teachings". Altho' the notebook is long gone, I recall a phrase that has had a lasting effect, "the seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past". Earlier than this I recall my grandmother once writing, "Your future lies before you, like a path of fresh fallen snow. Be careful how you walk on it, for every step will show".
@@FactsVerse That is so cool that the actor that played Caine as a young child Radames Pera has commented with fantastic insight with the rest of the story. You might want to pin that.
David Carradine was perfect for the role. Bruce Lee was great a martial artist but a White Belt in acting. His facial grimaces during fight scenes almost made you laugh. They did the right thing picking Carradine. And I say this as a martial artist since 1959 with multiple degrees of Black Belt in Judo, JuJtsu, Aikido, etc and one time American Taekwondo Association Instructor Of The Year. I loved Bruce Lee. I admired Bruce Lee. I followed his example of turning down belt rank in a number of martial arts. After a while I, like Bruce Lee, came to believe, as Mr. Miyagi said to Daniel "Belt only mean no need rope to hold up pants" was the best way to study martial arts. Great video ! Thanks for sharing it with us.
That Quentin Tarantino he is the best. I love the way he has continuity with in his movies. I miss the connections between Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill and its relationship to the series Kung Fu. Good job facts verse.
I did not care for most of the television of the sixties or seventies. There were a few exceptions.. I liked Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp, Get Smart, Wild Wild West and Kung Fu. Kung Fu was absolutely my favorite and its core philosophy remained with me through my twenties. I always admired David Carradine for his role in the show, and while I realized he wasn't the martial arts expert that Bruce Lee was, he did influence a lot of young people to look into Eastern philosophy and martial arts.
I read that Carradine stopped Kung Fu because it was so stressful for him. He had to be in nearly every scene, except for the flashbacks, throughout the entire series. It must have been really tough, holding the entire series all on its own.
Actually, he had a bad acid trip (he was a frequent user), broke into a neighbour's house, cut his arms on the glass he broke, and bled all over the piano that he decided to play. The Hollywood police found him curled up in the fetal position, booked him, and it made the papers. As a result, the network pulled the plug on the show and kept it out of syndication (reruns) for six years, hoping that was long enough for the negative publicity to die down.
The new series won't last. My question is, how many reboots with female leads has to fail before Hollywood gets it? If they want female leads in shows, that's fine but try coming up with something new, stop rebooting old shows!
Once again, misunderstanding comes from NOT LISTENING properly to the whole thing. It’s NOT a reboot, it takes place after the events, so please get your facts straight before complaining
Kung Fu hung its' success on the recent popularity of martial arts films and their exciting fight scenes. These days even soap operas have fight coordinators. A protagonist fighting evil with skills isn't exactly novel and, of course, comes the question why the main character doesn't carry a taser and use it at every opportunity?
I grew up watching reruns of Kung fu in the early 80s , didn't know until now that the younger guy was his actual brother. I just recall looking forward to watching the shows. The show considering the times was very fair in portraying Asian actors and their characters . Surprisingly , later block buster movies such as Vietnam War movies , full medal jacket, hamburger hill, of the late 80s and 90s portrayed Asians in a bad light .
Green Hornet had an assistant Kato that used Karate in 1936. Charlton comics had comic book called Judo Master in 1965 although used both Judo and Karate. He had trainee called Tiger. Tiger trained woman called Night Shade that appeared in Captain Atom comics. Catwoman used Catrate (pronounced (cat rot-E) on 1966 Batman TV show. Green Hornet show came out shortly there after with Bruce Lee as Kato (even though Kato was Japanese and Bruce Lee from Hong Kong.) Wonder Woman comics changed Wonder Woman where she no longer had powers and was learned martial arts from a blind instructor in 1968 which they called The New Wonder Woman.
Bruce Lee got the ball rolling with his idea for a show called, ‘The Warrior,’ which eventually turned into the series, ‘Kung Fu.’ He had an idea, tried to actualize it, but the higher ups didn’t feel confident with an Asian lead and modified his idea into what they felt would work better for them. They can defend and say it was their idea because they altered certain concepts, but it was Bruce Lee’s initial idea that birthed this series into existence. Honestly, do you think this show would’ve even been made had Bruce Lee not existed? Martial arts on tv became a hit in the west because of Bruce Lee, and the people who took his idea and ran with it on their own shouldn’t feel the need to defend themselves by claiming it was all their idea. Bruce Lee himself even said he understood their lack of confidence due to his race, and he moved on to conquer cinema in a bigger way. All this being said, I still enjoyed watching Kung Fu, and appreciate how it gave the west a heavy helping of Eastern Philosophy (which I found helpful in my personal journey of self discovery during my younger days). I also found enjoyment in the sequel series, ‘Kung Fu: The Legend Continues,’ for the same reason. I even look forward to its newest CW 2021 series for finally bringing an Asian lead into the fold. However, I’m not going to ignore Bruce Lee’s initial influence on the creation of this franchise. It is good to know people in industry who understood what happened and respect the legacy of Bruce Lee are stepping in with the creation of ‘The Warrior’ and trying to deliver his original idea in a modern way. I still would’ve loved to see what Bruce Lee would’ve came up with had he been able to do his thing, but perhaps things worked out for the better. As I said, Bruce Lee moved on and established himself in a bigger, and better way.
it was not only influential for Tarantino, but also very much for me as well ... when I was 10 y old it showed me a whole new system of values and the potential greatness of man
Thanks for straightening out the facts, I am a big fan of the original Kung Fu and I hated to see it cancelled. The 2021 re-boot will be a flop! Hey Hollywoodthingies, if ya get Woke, ya go Broke! Ain't ya learnt that lesson yet!
Kung Fu was perhaps my immediate family's favorite TV show, at least until the last season, which ran while I was in elementary school. We assumed it was canceled due to poor ratings, which we assume happened because the last season was so weird. My family is Euro-Chinese, we certainly liked seeing something Chinese related on TV, but it was a good show until the last season. The last season got into mysticism and seemed psychedelic and lost us. Now it bothers me because I have since studied Chinese martial arts from a teacher that has a fair amount of experience using the arts. So I now can recognize Caradine's lack of power and clumsiness and it bothers me. But the stories were pretty well written until the final weird season.
You don't need to be skilled in martial arts to see the clumsiness but if he was too good fights would have been over too quick for the plot and you have to give his opponents some possibility of threat but the timings were obviously choreographed which made some actions look as if they had poor delivery. I'd be pretty useless in these fights but even i can see moments where i could have avoided blows, trips etc. You can also see the same in Walker Texas Ranger where the choreography and timing is so much poorer, with baddies almost standing in queue paused waiting to be hit and do their piece. Even today there seems to be a standard way of planning out these fights and if you watch without the sound on you can see how the fights are planned out
