"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 | Shaolin | Monk | Shaolin Kung Fu | 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)

Also Known As:

"The Warrior" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min (60 episodes) | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

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:

In several episodes, a younger Kwai Chang Caine was played by Keith Carradine, David Carradine's younger brother. Their other brother Robert Carradine and their father John Carradine also appeared in episodes (as Sonny Jim and Serenity Johnson, respectively).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Sopranos: The Fleshy Part of the Thigh (#6.4)" (2006)

Something Different

This will always be one of the more original series to come out of the 1970's. Imagine a Western where the main character is half Chinese and half Caucasian and doesn't use a gun. Now think of how this series wound up as one of the great cult classics of its era. Even though this series originally was the idea of Bruce Lee and would have featured him as the star, David Carradine still pulls off the job and comes off as very believable as Caine. You also can see that he tries not to play to stereotype, but he does make this show very mystical, which can be seen as a positive and as a negative. Also wonderful were Keye Luke as master Po, Phllip Ahn as master Kahn and, of course, Radames Pera as the young Caine. This show will always be a cult classic of its era.