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

[Secret Executioner]

1 hour ago, thekfc said:

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

Thanks for that background, I guess it was obvious I was joking but still... Interesting that you seem to know all the places there though.

[DragonClaws]

 

If the BL triple bill isnt your kind of thing, looks like Infra-Man is playing in the other cinema.

 

Edited May 27, 2019 by DragonClaws

[thekfc]

2 hours ago, Secret Executioner said:

Thanks for that background, I guess it was obvious I was joking but still...

I know that you were just jiving.

2 hours ago, Secret Executioner said:

 Interesting that you seem to know all the places there though.

I know these area very well because I used to work close by - a few blocks down. That area is also a major transportation hub - Port Authority Bus Terminal, Times Square & Penn Station to the south. Anyone who frequent midtown Manhattan at that time period and kept their eyes (& ears) open would know these places.

Also it is was later a hang out/buying spot for some of us Kung Fu fans (our hand out spot was called the 42nd Chamber then later The 43rd Chamber after it moved) and it was located a few doors down from these theaters. The 42nd/43rd chamber was a place where all we Kung Fu fans used to hang out, back then we meet many a stars there (Wesley Snipes, RZA, Paul Mooney, etc,). 

Though this was not my main hand out spot - it was around Chinatown. Back then Chinatown was rough but we didn't give a crap we didn't bother anyone, we just went there for movies & food.

Thinking back, we ignored most of these XXX place as we pass by, we were in the area for the Kung Fu. 

[DragonClaws]

5 hours ago, thekfc said:

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).

 

Thanks for this extra information, in regards to locations and cinema names. My only knowledge of early 70's 42nd Street, comes from the watching Taxi Driver(1972). Where he passes on one of the theatres, and its screening Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Just before all the Kung Fu madness hit the citys theatres.

 

 

31 minutes ago, thekfc said:

Thinking back, we ignored most of these XXX place as we pass by, we were in the area for the Kung Fu.

 

For anyone who's not big into Kung Fu. You would think the movies were even more low brow, than they actually are. Having to appear alongside cinemas screening sexploitation/porn all day. Guess only ETD73, would be the only Martial Arts flick playing in more high end cinema's during this era?. Not that these things stopped any of the fans enjoying the movies, at least thats the impression I get.

[thekfc]

17 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Guess only ETD73, would be the only Martial Arts flick playing in more high end cinema's during this era?.

Actually no. 

A lot of Martial Arts movies  were playing were playing in "high end" cinemas back then, especially the one's distributed by the big companies like Warner Brothers (looking at old ads King Boxer did play in some regular theaters & that was before ETD). 

In addition to these movies playing on 42nd St, they also played in neighborhood theaters throughout the city but 42nd St was the go to place because there was a much bigger selection as multiple theaters were playing different movies - you could have done theater hopping (spend your entire day going from one movie theater to the next).

For many fans/people this was a 2nd showing as many of these movies had already play in some of the Chinatown movie theaters as was now getting a "new" life in these theaters (& many were now dubbed in English).

17 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Having to appear alongside cinemas screening sexploitation/porn all day.

It is a little bit deceiving thinking that area was all "bad" but that is what gets the most press (sex sells).

Right there was the Theater district and Broadway shows like A Chorus Line, Cats, Grease, Annie, La Cage aux Folles, the Wiz, et al, we playing a few blocks away.

Right to the south is the Garment district where tailors & store keepers would go buy fabric, accessories and the likes. 

Also the New Year's Times Square Ball drop is right there on 42nd St.

On a side note, the "famed" Studio 54 was about 12 blocks north.

[odioustrident]

DragonClaws you are bringing up an interesting topic that I've wondered about for while. Slightly lesser known films like Chiba's The Killing Machine and Stranger from Canton (AKA Karate Killers) were playing in suburban theaters across the US. It seems like a few different distribution companies were successful at selling kung fu to major theater chains... but those relationships probably didn't last.

There were also these sort of satellite grindhouse theaters that were not in major cities but still played some of the stuff you'd see on 42nd St. I never got to experience any of this in person and I don't know the full story.

 

 

 

I wish we had a list of these types of titles that got wider theatrical distribution.

[DragonClaws]

8 hours ago, thekfc said:

Actually no. 

A lot of Martial Arts movies  were playing were playing in "high end" cinemas back then, especially the one's distributed by the big companies like Warner Brothers (looking at old ads King Boxer did play in some regular theaters & that was before ETD). 

In addition to these movies playing on 42nd St, they also played in neighborhood theaters throughout the city but 42nd St was the go to place because there was a much bigger selection as multiple theaters were playing different movies - you could have done theater hopping (spend your entire day going from one movie theater to the next).

For many fans/people this was a 2nd showing as many of these movies had already play in some of the Chinatown movie theaters as was now getting a "new" life in these theaters (& many were now dubbed in English).

 

Interesting post @thekfc, gives me a new perspective on how these films were sold in the United States.

 

 

8 hours ago, thekfc said:

It is a little bit deceiving thinking that area was all "bad" but that is what gets the most press (sex sells).

 

For sure, every major city in the world has these seedy areas. I've just never seen it mixed so blatanlty. Alongside cineamas screening non pornogrpaphic movies.

 

 

5 hours ago, odioustrident said:

DragonClaws you are bringing up an interesting topic that I've wondered about for while. Slightly lesser known films like Chiba's The Killing Machine and Stranger from Canton (AKA Karate Killers) were playing in suburban theaters across the US. It seems like a few different distribution companies were successful at selling kung fu to major theater chains... but those relationships probably didn't last.

 

I guess, once the dozen of Bruceploitation title hit, alongside the lesser Kung Fu films. Most mainstream cinema goer's must have ditched the genre pretty quick. I got talking to a taxi driver here in the U.K, and we got onto the subject of Bruce Lee/Martial Arts cinema. He asnt fans of th genre like we all our, but he clearly remembers being turned off Kung Fu films. After being misled by companies trying to sell non BL movies, as BL movies. Though he did make a point of saying he later got into Jackie Chan, during the 80's.

 

 

Actor, comedian and New Yorker Joey Diaz, talks about when he stopped watching Kung Fu movies and why.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

N.T

 

Edited June 7, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[panku]

15 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

Great thread, I don't think I've looked at it before today even though I've seen it at the top a few times.

I think this theater is in Buffalo about 300 miles from Manhattan.

[DragonClaws]

1 hour ago, panku said:

I think this theater is in Buffalo about 300 miles from Manhattan.

 

Hi @panku, The description only said New York, its not 42nd Street. I thought it might be elswhere in the city?.

 

1 hour ago, panku said:

Great thread, I don't think I've looked at it before today even though I've seen it at the top a few times.

 

Thank-you, any related content I find I just post it here.

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited June 8, 2019 by DragonClaws

[Secret Executioner]

@DragonClaws Born Invincible most certainly belongs among the "best Martial Arts films". 

 

Not sure about the other 2, their titles lead nowhere on hkcinemagic. I figure they could be Unbeaten 28 (Taiwan, 1980) and Kick of Death AKA Prodigal Boxer (HK, 1972), two movies starring Meng Fei. 

[panku]

4 hours ago, Secret Executioner said:

Not sure about the other 2, their titles lead nowhere on hkcinemagic. I figure they could be Unbeaten 28 (Taiwan, 1980) and Kick of Death AKA Prodigal Boxer (HK, 1972), two movies starring Meng Fei. 

I believe 'Death Kick Master' aka 'Incredible Death Kick Master' is 'The Leg Fighters' (1980)

[panku]

22 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

Hi @panku, The description only said New York, its not 42nd Street. I thought it might be elswhere in the city?.

Here is a page on the theater:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/8270

[DragonClaws]

4 hours ago, panku said:

Here is a page on the theater:

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/8270 

 

Thanks for that @panku, more Kung Fu on 42nd Street related content to come.

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited June 10, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited June 21, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

 

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited July 5, 2019 by DragonClaws

[panku]

19 hours ago, DragonClaws said:

 

US posters for all but Shaolin Incredible Ten.
LOL, 1984.

[DragonClaws]

On 7/6/2019 at 5:39 PM, panku said:

US posters for all but Shaolin Incredible Ten.
LOL, 1984.

 

My search for the poster came up empty too.

 

Anybody out there with the Shaolin Incredible Ten U.S theatrical poster?.

Edited July 8, 2019 by DragonClaws

[DragonClaws]

 

Edited July 11, 2019 by DragonClaws