"Kung Fu" (1972) TV series 1972-1975

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Directors:

Alex Beaton
Barry Crane

Writers:

Theodore Apstein (writer)
Bernard Bossick (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

14 October 1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Western

Plot:

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu In Title | Martial Arts | Fugitive | Cult TV | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

David Carradine	...	Kwai Chang Caine (45 episodes, 1972-1975)
Radames Pera	...	Young Kwai Chang Caine / ... (36 episodes, 1972-1975)
Keye Luke	...	Master Po (34 episodes, 1972-1975)
Philip Ahn	...	Master Kan (30 episodes, 1972-1975)

Also Known As:

The Warrior (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (60 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Television

Trivia:

The set for the Shaolin Temple was originally a set used for the Camelot (1967) that was inexpensively and effectively converted for the Chinese setting.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Jeopardy (#3.22)" (2006)

Beautiful

Martial arts movies are full of great action and well choreographed fights, from the days of Bruce Lee to the stunning visuals we have with todays wire work and cgi. But Kung Fu is not a martial arts movie/series.....

Kung Fu is about a shaolin monk; Kwai Chang Caine. He travels around the wild west, seeking to help others and avoiding bounty hunters. The amazing thing about kung fu is that the flashbacks show Caine's past, we see that he has been trained to use kung fu, but he is a monk and would not harm a fly if it wasn't necessary. Caine chooses not to fight but when he has no other choice he proves that he can take anyone. The character is really brought to life by David Carradine, it would have been great to use Bruce Lee (Another of my idols) but I don't think the energetic Bruce would have been able to pull of the calmness of Caine.

I was expecting to see a martial arts series in the wild west but kung fu is its own genre. The teachings of Masters Po and Khan are wonderful and make you think about life. Apparently after seeing the series people seeked more information because they wanted to raise their children under the same morals.

It doesn't matter if you don't like martial arts or westerns, you need to see this. It has changed my life and the way I think about life.