"Kung Fu" (1972) TV series 1972-1975

Directors:

Alex Beaton
Barry Crane
(more)

Writers:

Theodore Apstein (writer)
Bernard Bossick (writer)
(more)

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 | Shaolin | Monk | Slow Motion Scene | Kung Fu Classic

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

David Carradine	...	Kwai Chang Caine (59 episodes, 1972-1975)
Radames Pera	...	Young Caine / ... (44 episodes, 1972-1975)
Keye Luke	...	Master Po / ... (44 episodes, 1972-1975)
Philip Ahn	...	Master Kan (37 episodes, 1972-1975)

Series Directed by
Richard Lang		(12 episodes, 1973-1974)
Jerry Thorpe		(6 episodes, 1972-1973)
John Llewellyn Moxey		(4 episodes, 1973-1974)
Robert Butler		(4 episodes, 1973)
Walter Doniger		(3 episodes, 1973)
Charles S. Dubin		(3 episodes, 1973)
David Carradine		(3 episodes, 1974)
Robert Totten		(2 episodes, 1973)
Alex Beaton		(unknown episodes)
Barry Crane		(unknown episodes)
Marc Daniels		(unknown episodes)
Harry Harris		(unknown episodes)
Gordon Hessler		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Herman Miller		(5 episodes, 1972-1975)
Katharyn Powers		(4 episodes, 1973-1974)
A. Martin Zweiback		(4 episodes, 1973)
Michael Michaelian		(2 episodes, 1973-1974)
William Kelley		(2 episodes, 1973)
Gerald Sanford		(2 episodes, 1974-1975)
Norman Katkov		(2 episodes, 1975)
Theodore Apstein		(unknown episodes)
Bernard Bossick		(unknown episodes)
Kittridge Buston		(unknown episodes)
Frank Dandridge		(unknown episodes)
Paul F. Edwards		(unknown episodes)
Larry H. Gibson		(unknown episodes)
Spooner Glass		(unknown episodes)
Elinor Karpf		(unknown episodes)
Steven Karpf		(unknown episodes)
Charles McDaniel		(unknown episodes)
Simon Muntner		(unknown episodes)
Abe Polsky		(unknown episodes)
Eugene Price		(unknown episodes)
Del Reisman		(unknown episodes)
Lloyd Richards		(unknown episodes)
Robert Schlitt		(unknown episodes)
Robert Sherman		(unknown episodes)
Robert Specht		(unknown episodes)
Ed Spielman		(unknown episodes)
Daniel B. Ullman		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Jerry Thorpe	....	producer / executive producer (9 episodes, 1972-1973)
Alex Beaton	....	associate producer / co-producer / ... (5 episodes, 1973)
John Furia	....	producer (2 episodes, 1973)
Herman Miller	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Jim Helms		(1 episode, 1973)

Series Cinematography by
Richard L. Rawlings		(3 episodes, 1973)
Chuck Arnold		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Gary Griffin		(2 episodes, 1973)

Series Art Direction by
Eugène Lourié		(5 episodes, 1972-1973)

Series Set Decoration by
Antony Mondello		(3 episodes, 1973)

Series Makeup Department
Mary Skolnik	....	hair stylist (1 episode, 1973)
Frank Westmore	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1973)

Series Production Management
Edward Haldeman	....	production manager (1 episode, 1973)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerry Ziesmer	....	assistant director (1 episode, 1973)
Morris R. Abrams	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Lou Watt	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
William Randall	....	supervising sound editor (1 episode, 1973)

Series Special Effects by
Joseph A. Unsinn	....	special effects (1 episode, 1973)

Series Stunts
Jesse Wayne	....	stunt double: Jose Feliciano (1 episode, 1975)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Grady Walker	....	utility stunts (unknown episodes)
Greg Walker	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Henry Salley	....	costumer (1 episode, 1973)

Series Other crew
Kam Yuen	....	technical advisor (1 episode, 1975)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Television

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Television (1972-1975) (worldwide) (all media)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1972-1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Cuatro (2006) (Spain) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2005-) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005-) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes

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 only reason this show went off the air was because star David Carradine quit the series. He had sustained so many injuries, he felt he could not go on. The show got high ratings all three seasons it aired.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the title sequence the view of young Caine is looped in the pebble scene, as the smoke behind him reverses twice.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Office: Pilot (#1.1)" (2005)

One of the best TV shows ever...

I saw this series exactly 20 years after it was released, but its excellence made the viewing experience timeless.

Carradine plays the immigrant drifter Caine, who walks through the Wild West encountering different situations, people, etc, there was a different plot for each episode. This was more a "Drama" than a "Western" but the interesting sparring moves and Caine's relaxed personality made it a decent alternative to the more violent and rowdy martial arts movies that released around that time.

Whenever this series is brought back to your TV station or one episode happens to be on, it would be an excellent show to tape and watch again and again - if not already released, I'm sure they'll have the show reissued on an official DVD/VHS set.