Kung Fu Movies on 42nd Street (Article's & Related Content)

[DragonClaws]

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I recently came across files of ads for kung fu movies that played New York theaters back in the 1970s, material I’d accumulated while researching a proposed book in the early 2000s on Manhattan’s 42nd Street and its movie culture. I had planned to include a chapter on kung fu movies and even questioned several friends who’d regularly attended these movies on 42nd street. Add these files to a couple of original newspaper ads I’d saved myself from 1973 and I see that 42nd Street theaters are listed in 95% of them.

Link- https://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/kung-fu-on-42nd-street/

 

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by DragonClaws

[thekfc]

5 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Link- https://briandanacamp.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/kung-fu-on-42nd-street/

 

Nice article by Brian Camp.

I remember Brian used to come to the "Chamber" & I did exchange a few flicks with him. We took the #2 train together a few times - we both lived in The Bronx (his stop was higher up than me).

That picture of Shah in the "Chamber" was after the "Chamber" moved to 43rd Street.

I have been to a few of the movies theaters mentioned in the ads - mostly Manhattan but also a few in The Bronx.

 

 

[AlbertV]

Fantastic article and great anecdote @thekfc 

[odioustrident]

Never seen that Blood on the Sun poster. Fantastic. All the arrows are stuck in his groin area!

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

1 hour ago, odioustrident said:

Never seen that Blood on the Sun poster. Fantastic. All the arrows are stuck in his groin area!

Those aren't arrows, that is the traditional sumo outfit with those little things that stick out.

[thekfc]

One of the great things about these posters where the mini synopsis - they were a great selling point.

"He fought them all....with his masters Kung Fu Fists"

"You haven't lived until you've fought - Dirty Ho - and then you're dead!"

"The masters of death are about to meet their master!".

Read those back then and you were hooked. 

 

[NoKUNGFUforYU]

Loved seeing the posters. Some of the history is a little off. Chen Sing made a string of films where he played the good guy, and back in the early 70's that is how he was introduced to many fans. I did not realize at the time, but he was a Shaw Brothers heavy, then went to Taiwan and did a bunch of low budget roles as a good guy before returning to playing bad guys by 1976 or so. The basic mold for action heroes was a good looking young skinny guy (Fu Sheng, etc), not a burly fighter like Sing, Kam Kong or Paul Chang Chung (from his Cathay roles). Charles Bronson types just did not sell as well. Pretty sure the audience was young teenage males by that point, watch was a shift from the 60's where the movie audience were filled with housewives.

[DragonClaws]

 

@thekfc , @NoKUNGFUforYU , @AlbertV , @odioustrident ,  I'm glad you guy's enjoyed reading, and seeing the rare old-school posters, in the article.

 

This write-up, might also interest you too?.

 

 

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- Those weak points are overlooked once you realize the importance of the film from a  Hip Hop and martial arts perspective. Predating THE LAST DRAGON, it may possibly be the first film that merged martial arts and Hip Hop culture.

- Before Othello choked out the drunken masters, Time Square was the place where martial arts cinema thrived in New York City. It was here, that movies were seen and fans would take Eagle Claw, Preying Mantis and every other style that did not work in a real fight, back to their hoods. Although Nathan had further influenced him, Ahearn already had an affinity for the Kung Fu flicks. He was actually attracted to the diverse crowds who yelled at the screens, and had a connection or devotion for style. Watching a movie in Times Square wasn’t a problem for Ahearn. He knew the code of the streets, he knew better than to sit in the “Sho’s row!”

A Wild Style & Deadly Art By Nigel Clarke

Link- http://www.cloutonline.com/2011/10/a-wild-style-and-a-deadly-art/

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

(Social Media Links Expired)

Edited May 17, 2021 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

 

(Video Link Expired)

 

 

Edited May 17, 2021 by DragonClaws

[thekfc]

1 hour ago, DragonClaws said:

 

 

 

 

In the first video, the guy wearing the "READ!" cap is Charles Woods (Mr. Woods as we called him), the shop keep at the 43rd Chambers. That guy is full of knowledge, he is a walking encyclopedia. I haven't seen him in about 10 years or so, maybe more.

[DragonClaws]

 

The Impact of Kung-Fu Movies on Breakdancing. (Article)

 

 

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In the book “Kung-Fu: Cinema of Vengeance,” Verina Glaser said, “The basis for the success of the kung-fu films in the States was the same ghetto audience that carried the wave of ‘black’ Hollywood action films a year or so previously.” In New York City, the two places to see kung-fu movies were 42nd Street and Chinatown.

Kung-fu movies placed the majority of importance on the action, and less time on character development and production values seen in Hollywood films. There was a big parallel between Hong Kong and NYC. Hong Kong and New York were both densely populated with a large divide between the rich and the poor. Both cities had high crime rates and tough ghettos. These films were made as escapist fantasies for the people of Hong Kong and they ended up serving the same purpose for the inner city youth in the United States.

Source- http://hiphopchess.blogspot.com/2007/11/impact-of-kung-fu-movies-on.html

Edited March 1, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

The Original Grindhouse Theatre's, Located on 42nd Street, New York

Link- http://www.grindhousetherapy.com/the-original-grindhouse-theatres-on-42nd-street-new-york/

 

 

Edited March 29, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

New York's decades-old ban on nunchucks introduced amid flurry of popular Kung Fu movies in the 1970s is finally ruled unconstitutional by federal court

Link- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6508015/New-Yorks-ban-nunchucks-introduced-Kung-Fu-movies-1970s-ruled-unconstitutional-federal-court.html

 

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

Source- https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&channel=crow&biw=1366&bih=654&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=pwXGXNDEJ7KqgwesrIHYDQ&q=42nd+street+new+york+1974+cienams&oq=42nd+street+new+york+1974+cienams&gs_l=img.3...32143.33280..33601...0.0..0.77.487.8......0....1..gws-wiz-img.S9HUlNFZS_4#imgrc=ztXFScFMLnjlqM:

 

Edited April 28, 2019 by DragonClaws

[Killer Meteor]

Damn, build me a time machine Baby!!!

[DragonClaws]

8 hours ago, Killer Meteor said:

Damn, build me a time machine Baby!!!

 

A few more images from the same era.

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

The second image features a Chicago cinema, from the same era.

 

 

Edited May 4, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

1983 was a great year for film on 42nd Street

Source- https://bavatuesdays.com/1983-was-a-great-year-for-film-on-42nd-street/

 

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NORTH SIDE OF THE STEET

Victory: “3 Adult Hits”

Lyric: EAGLE’S SHADOW / THE REAL BRUCE LEE

Times Square: ONE-ARMED EXECUTIONER / EXIT THE DRAGON, ENTER THE TIGER / SYNDICATE SADISTS

Selwyn: 10 TO MIDNIGHT / SAVAGE WEEKEND

SOUTH SIDE OF THE STREET

Cine 42
Theater I: BAD BOYS / THE SOLDIER
Theater II: 10 TIGERS OF SHAOLIN / NINJA EXTERMINATOR / UNFORGIVEN OF SHAOLIN

Harris: LOSING IT / VICE SQUAD

Liberty: THE SWORD AND THE SORCERER / CLASH OF THE TITANS

Empire: DUEL OF THE IRON FIST / DIRTY HO / EDGE OF FURY

Anco: THE OUTSIDERS / SUPER FLY

I was 12 years old when these films were playing in Times Square, and I remember a lot of these films when they were in the theate. Hell, I even saw a few of them in the theater—like Bad Boys, The Outisiders, The Sword and the Sorcerer, and Clash of the Titans. I love the blog series “This Week on 42nd Street,” it is a simple and powerful way to reboot the nostalgia through a quick glance through any NYC newspaper’s archive of the time. I had wanted to do an entire series on films that I saw when they played at Long Island’s long gone Baldwin Century theater back in the late 70s and early 80s. One day I will do that series, but after seeing this list from Times Square, I am feeling a little cheated. We never had all those awesome Shaolin and martial arts billings—what gives? How cool would it be if you took any one of these “This Week on 42nd Street” posts and turned it into an ongoing film festival? One day I will have my own theater and do just that.

 

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by DragonClaws

[thekfc]

Reading these old clippings not only bring back memories but also how many movies did we see back then on the big screen under their original title/name.

[DragonClaws]

On 5/11/2019 at 6:09 PM, thekfc said:

Reading these old clippings not only bring back memories but also how many movies did we see back then on the big screen under their original title/name.

 

 

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Look a little closer, and you will see more than just the Caligula promotional sign.

Source of images, - Link- https://flashbak.com/5-disturbing-films-from-the-1970s-that-will-destroy-your-will-to-live-21264/

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2019 by DragonClaws

[Secret Executioner]

@DragonClaws Yeah, I too prefer being in a private booth when watching Fu films. 

[thekfc]

17 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Look a little closer, and you will see more than just the Caligula promotional sign.

Source of images, - Link- https://flashbak.com/5-disturbing-films-from-the-1970s-that-will-destroy-your-will-to-live-21264/

 

 

 

 

Caligula playing at the Victory Theater. They hand a triple bill of "Enter The Dragon",  "Fist Of Fury" & "Enter The Dragon"

Right behind the Victory Theater is the Rialto 1 Theater which is showing "Kung Fu Gold" & "Goodbye Bruce Lee".

About 2 theaters before The Victory was the old Apollo Theater (not to be confuse with the one in Harlem).

17 hours ago, Secret Executioner said:

@DragonClaws Yeah, I too prefer being in a private booth when watching Fu films. 

Actually, the "private booths" is for the Peep show place next door - Playland. Folk need their privacy while watching live action up close.