Hey all you Fu Fanatics, and everyone else dropping by! Thanks for stopping in. Welcome to The Faces of Fu, a blog dedicated to old school Asian kung fu cinema from the 70's through the 80's, and beyond. Do you remember Saturday afternoons back in the day? After cartoons like Scooby-Doo, the Smurfs, and the Superfriends finished, you'd go to the kitchen and grab a PB&J and stir up some Nestle's Quik, come back out to the couch and change the channel to Black Belt Theatre for some serious ass-kicking, sword-swinging, skull cracking action! Those classic flicks with the crazy dubbing ("Why does that Chinese guy talk like John Wayne?" "How come that Shaolin Monk has an Australian accent?") and high speed fights were certainly a memorable part of my younger years, and I still love those movies to this day! This blog will cover many of those movies, as well as some of the familiar faces that seemed to pop up in a lot of the films, with profiles, bios, reviews, and lots of other related information.
In the 1970's and 1980's, these films were a staple of the grimy grindhouse cinemas like Cine 42 and The Empire on 42nd Street in New York City and others like them across the country. Up and down both sides of the street, the marquees would be filled with numerous kung fu, horror, sci-fi, exploitation, and porn titles. What I wouldn't give to be able to take a trip back in time to go see a triple feature like Shaolin vs. Manchu/Snuff Bottle Connection/5 Pattern Dragon which actually played at the Rialto Theatre on 42nd Street! Luckily, many of these movies have made it to DVD in all their scratched and faded glory so they can live on as more than just a memory of what once was...
So how did these films end up on your television set on Saturday? Well... while I'm deciding on a Face of Fu to feature in my next post, take a trip over to dvddrive-in.com and check out this article by Chris Poggiali. It's a great in depth article that covers how these movies and other drive-in type fare made it to your TV for your afternoon and late night viewing pleasure. And after that, be sure to check out Chris' blog Temple Of Schlock which features a great piece called "This Week on 42nd Street" which gives 'this day in history' theatre line-ups and lots of other movie goodness!
In the 1970's and 1980's, these films were a staple of the grimy grindhouse cinemas like Cine 42 and The Empire on 42nd Street in New York City and others like them across the country. Up and down both sides of the street, the marquees would be filled with numerous kung fu, horror, sci-fi, exploitation, and porn titles. What I wouldn't give to be able to take a trip back in time to go see a triple feature like Shaolin vs. Manchu/Snuff Bottle Connection/5 Pattern Dragon which actually played at the Rialto Theatre on 42nd Street! Luckily, many of these movies have made it to DVD in all their scratched and faded glory so they can live on as more than just a memory of what once was...
So how did these films end up on your television set on Saturday? Well... while I'm deciding on a Face of Fu to feature in my next post, take a trip over to dvddrive-in.com and check out this article by Chris Poggiali. It's a great in depth article that covers how these movies and other drive-in type fare made it to your TV for your afternoon and late night viewing pleasure. And after that, be sure to check out Chris' blog Temple Of Schlock which features a great piece called "This Week on 42nd Street" which gives 'this day in history' theatre line-ups and lots of other movie goodness!
"Buddha bless you..."
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