Kung Fu Time Capsule: Marquees and Admat

Hey everybody!  We're taking a trip back to May 1982, so let's skip down to the Deuce and hit The Cine 42 for a Billy Chong double feature!  Showing first we have "Kung Fu Zombie," an over the top kung fu horror comedy flick that sees Billy taking on ghosts, ghouls, vampires, and more!  Second on the bill is "Kung Fu Executioner," which sees Billy taking revenge on a criminal and his clan who murdered his father and family.  Here's an admat for that double feature: 

Next up we'll jump to 1983.  The Empire was also showing a Billy Chong double feature as well.  This time it was "Fistful of Talons" paired up with "Kung Fu Zombie."  "Talons" is another great display of Chong's fighting prowess!  Here's a picture of the Empire marquee from that run in 1983:

Interesting to note for you grindhouse and cannibal flick fans, right next door at the Liberty they were showing "Make Them Die Slowly" (AKA Cannibal Ferox).  In this picture you can see the bottom of the Empire marquee peeking out.  Quite the advertising campaign, huh??

I wish I had the opportunity to see all these glorious martial arts masterpieces back in the day, at some dingy and dank theatre...  But I'm sure glad I can watch them at all, thanks to many being available on DVD.  It's probably safer seeing them from the comforts of my own home anyway!

"Kung Fu Zombie" Intro

"Buddha's name be praised..."

Kung Fu Time Capsule: Admats

Here's an admat for a Shaw Brothers double feature that played at the Lyric Theatre on the Deuce back in the early 1980's... The first film, "Kung Fu Warlords" is better known under it's actual title of "The Brave Archer." This classic starring Alexander Fu Sheng and directed by Chang Cheh spawned three sequels. The second film, "Masked Avengers," was another feature directed by Chang Cheh, this time starring three of the famous Venoms.

Overall I'd say it's a pretty cool double feature!

Scenes from Masked Avengers

“As you think, so shall you become...”

Kung Fu Time Capsule: Marquees

Back in the late 70's and early 80's, it was common to find dingy grindhouses showing double bills, triple bills, or even all day marathons of kung fu flicks. Here's a picture of a 42nd Street NYC theatre marquee in the process of being changed. I'm not sure what's coming or what's going, but I'm damn sure I would have spent the day in there watching it! How about you?

"Never take your eyes off your opponent... even when you're bowing!

Welcome

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!

"Buddha bless you..."