Member Josh Baker Posted June 1, 2020 Member Share Posted June 1, 2020 I already know of Don Wong Tao and Jimmy Wang Yu, but can anyone think of anyone else Golden Harvest tried to position as the Next Bruce Lee/Bruce Lee's replacement between 1974-1977? I dont count Jackie Chan because the films he made with Lo Wei were distributed by Lo Wei's Production Company. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Iron_Leopard Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 Golden Harvest tried to get Jimmy Wang Yu and make him their next star? I didn't know that. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 2, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Iron_Leopard said: Golden Harvest tried to get Jimmy Wang Yu and make him their next star? I didn't know that. Yeah in the US promotional material of The Man From Hong Kong it marketed Jimmy Wang Yu as 'the new King of Kung Fu' even had him pose with a butterfly sword in a similar way to Bruce 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted June 2, 2020 Moderator Share Posted June 2, 2020 5 hours ago, Josh Baker said: I already know of Don Wong Tao and Jimmy Wang Yu, but can anyone think of anyone else Golden Harvest tried to position as the Next Bruce Lee/Bruce Lee's replacement between 1974-1977? The obvious one that springs to mind is Park Jong-kuk in 1976's 'Tiger of Northland'. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) Robert Lee, Bruce Lee's real brother, did one Golden Harvest flick in 1977 called Lady Killer. Not sure if they had him in mind as a "replacement", but it was definitely a cash grab since it was Bruce's blood. Others: Ko Chun Hsiung (The Devil’s Treasure), Chan Wai Man (The Handcuff), Carter Wong (The Skyhawk), Dorian Tan Tao Liang (Hand of Death) and Yue Bing Lung (The Association). Even one-time Bond, George Lazenby (Stoner), was high on GH's "new star" list to gain some much needed, world-wide momentum. Spring rolls don't come for free! Edited June 2, 2020 by mpm74 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) Would I be wrong in thinking, comedian/singer/actor Sam Hui was the next big thing for Golden Harvest post Bruce Lee?. He even co-starred with Jimmy Wang Yu in The Tattooed Dragon(1973). Edited August 11, 2020 by DragonClaws 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 Interesting that, except for Carter Wong, none of them stayed very long with Golden Harvest. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 One last thing in regards to Sam Hui, didnt some of his movie fair better at the box office than Bruce Lee's early 70's output?. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 2, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 5 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: The obvious one that springs to mind is Park Jong-kuk in 1976's 'Tiger of Northland'. Wow, I have literally never heard of that film ever. It doesn't even have a wikipedia page! I'm guessing that the film flopped on release. Also, even though the film was a hong kong/korean co production, was there any chance of this film being given an international release? I mean they didnt even give Park Jong Kuk an anglicised name! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 2, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 By the way thank you all for your responses. Some of you mentioned people that I thought were just stock leading men for Golden Harvest and never meant to be Bruce Lee replacements! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 2, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 hour ago, DragonClaws said: They must have had sme succes with Tan Tao LIang?, as they hired him again for the Himalayan(1976). Would I be wrong in thinking, comedian/singer/actor Sam Hui was the next big thing for Golden Harvest post Bruce Lee?. He even co-starred with Jimmy Wang Yu in The Tattooed Dragon(1973). Do you know if there was any prospect of Sam Hui being in a film that would be pitched to the international market (America, Europe) Because I know that the comedies he starred in had a quite localised Cantonese sense of humour, so I wonder if they even tried? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mpm74 Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, Josh Baker said: By the way thank you all for your responses. Some of you mentioned people that I thought were just stock leading men for Golden Harvest and never meant to be Bruce Lee replacements! I think they were. But that doesn't mean that Golden Harvest was pulling stock actors for out of desperation... after all, they were running around like headless chickens trying to find someone/anyone who can carry the momentum they gained with Bruce. In the end, post 1977, all they really ended up with were the Game of Death/Tower of Death (ie official "Bruceploitation") scenarios and this continued until they reached another high peak in the tail end of the 70s with with super-duper leading man, Jackie Chan, who had his own thing going on. Edited June 2, 2020 by mpm74 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted June 2, 2020 Member Share Posted June 2, 2020 14 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: The obvious one that springs to mind is Park Jong-kuk in 1976's 'Tiger of Northland'. Yes, physically he was amazing, just stiff emotionally, and not a very good actor. He did not have the same pedigree that Bruce had to overcome his limitations. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 3, 2020 Member Share Posted June 3, 2020 13 hours ago, mpm74 said: I think they were. But that doesn't mean that Golden Harvest was pulling stock actors for out of desperation... after all, they were running around like headless chickens trying to find someone/anyone who can carry the momentum they gained with Bruce. In the end, post 1977, all they really ended up with were the Game of Death/Tower of Death (ie official "Bruceploitation") scenarios and this continued until they reached another high peak in the tail end of the 70s with with super-duper leading man, Jackie Chan, who had his own thing going on. It was the Hui Brothers who kept GH going at the local box office, but I expect Sam Hui wasn't a big draw internationally. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DragonClaws Posted June 4, 2020 Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 On 6/2/2020 at 12:09 PM, Josh Baker said: Do you know if there was any prospect of Sam Hui being in a film that would be pitched to the international market (America, Europe) Because I know that the comedies he starred in had a quite localised Cantonese sense of humour, so I wonder if they even tried? I don't think there were any plans to push Sam Hui on the international market?, I could be wrong. While the Bruce Lee movies had already played in Hong Kong. Golden Harvest still made a lot of money selling them to Western, and other world markets in the mid to late 70's. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 4, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, DragonClaws said: I don't think there were any plans to push Sam Hui on the international market?, I could be wrong. While the Bruce Lee movies had already played in Hong Kong. Golden Harvest still made a lot of money selling them to Western, and other world markets in the mid to late 70's. Oh yeah that's a good point; way of the dragon didnt get a us release till 1974; wasn't released in Japan until 1975 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Omni Dragon Posted June 4, 2020 Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 Having Michael Hui in The Cannonball Run might be the closest they got to pushing the Hui Brothers internationally. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 4, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, Omni Dragon said: Having Michael Hui in The Cannonball Run might be the closest they got to pushing the Hui Brothers internationally. Yeah and that wasnt even until 1981 lol- I guess Golden Harvest were more concerned about how they did locally than I previously thought? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl1441996347 Posted June 4, 2020 Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Josh Baker said: Yeah and that wasnt even until 1981 lol- I guess Golden Harvest were more concerned about how they did locally than I previously thought? Golden Harvest had their fingers in other pies internationally in the likes of : The Boys in Company C, The Amsterdam Kill and later The High Road to China. and that thing with Barry Bostwick! Edited June 4, 2020 by shukocarl1441996347 more 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 4, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 (edited) 19 minutes ago, shukocarl1441996347 said: Golden Harvest had their fingers in other pies internationally in the likes of : The Boys in Company C, The Amsterdam Kill and later The High Road to China. and that thing with Barry Bostwick! Most of them were bombs though lol- and started Western actors and had no inkling of Chinese culture/filmmaking sensibilities (except for High Road to China,but that was an Indiana Jones rip-off) Edited June 4, 2020 by Josh Baker 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 4, 2020 Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 1 hour ago, shukocarl1441996347 said: Golden Harvest had their fingers in other pies internationally in the likes of : The Boys in Company C, The Amsterdam Kill and later The High Road to China. and that thing with Barry Bostwick! Shaws also did the same - Inseminoid, Cannonball, Blade Runner. At least they aimed higher then just rehiring Robert Clouse endlessly! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member shukocarl1441996347 Posted June 4, 2020 Member Share Posted June 4, 2020 52 minutes ago, Killer Meteor said: Shaws also did the same - Inseminoid, Cannonball, Blade Runner. At least they aimed higher then just rehiring Robert Clouse endlessly! Totally agree KM! You forgot Shaws also co-produced with Hammer and Carlo Ponti on several films! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted June 5, 2020 Member Share Posted June 5, 2020 From what I can tell they were both guys with Financial backing, and not a ton of talent. A lot of it was luck and money for Golden Harvest. They were lucky to shift when things went upbeat for HK, while Shaw Brothers for the most part kept their action fairly depressing. And let's get real, Fu Sheng dying was a terrible blow to their 80's plans. He would have been giving Jackie a run for his money in the comedy action part. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 5, 2020 Member Share Posted June 5, 2020 Shaws didn't seem interested in promoting their talent in the 80s - GH put Jackie in American movies, Shaws never did the same with Fu Sheng or Gordon Liu. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Josh Baker Posted June 5, 2020 Author Member Share Posted June 5, 2020 13 hours ago, NoKUNGFUforYU said: From what I can tell they were both guys with Financial backing, and not a ton of talent. A lot of it was luck and money for Golden Harvest. They were lucky to shift when things went upbeat for HK, while Shaw Brothers for the most part kept their action fairly depressing. And let's get real, Fu Sheng dying was a terrible blow to their 80's plans. He would have been giving Jackie a run for his money in the comedy action part. Oh I didnt realise Shaw were planning to push Fu Sheng as their main weapon against Jackie Chan in the mid 80s. I thought Shaw stopped in 1985 because it was sort of the end of that cycle of films and that style of filmmaking and HK had moved on, not because Fu Sheng had died. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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