All language subtitles for Fist Of Death

[Music]

[Applause]

hey

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

hey

[Music]

[Applause]

fun

we're here outside madison square garden

for the 1979

world karate championships to my right

one of the key organizers of the event

aaron banks who earlier in the week

created great controversy with his

startling new remarks

about the death of bruce lee aaron i

wonder if you'd mind repeating some of

your remarks for our tv audience

well i believe bruce lee was murdered by

something called the touch of death or

the vibrating poem

this is where a person can touch

somebody in a particular area of their

body in a way that

can reverse or change the normal bodily

functions

the result is that within three or four

weeks the person will drop

dead so somebody was out to get bruce

i think so perhaps he just was revealing

too much of the chinese martial laws

you know like taking the mystery out of

it all

the secret of karate is power internal

power from the ear

the vibrating palm how does it work

it's internal power the chinese

scriptures call it the chi

the japanese call it the key it's heat

that emanates from the poem

right here i see and this palm is simply

placed against

any portion of the body and death will

result in three to four weeks

yes it could and no one would know what

happened to the individual as in the

bruce lee case

corner there put the cause of death as

misinvention now all misadventure means

is that they really don't know what

happened to the man

the one thing we do know is that bruce

wasn't too good of condition to die of

natural causes

and i wouldn't have been a freak injury

because he knew exactly where he was

what he was doing in terms of exercise

now what portion of the body is this

palm placed upon

could be any part that's the yuri think

about it it all depends on how strong

the applied power is

tell me something aaron are you able to

do this i'd like to think so

before he died bruce was experimenting

with it and showed me the basic

are prison saying then that bruce was

starting to find out too much about the

vibrating palm

and therefore had to be silenced

something like that

one last question who do you think

killed bruce lee

i really don't know uh aaron

aaron

this is adolf caesar outside madison

square garden for the 1979 world karate

championships

[Music]

so

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

peace

[Music]

this was the scene one year ago madison

square garden

world karate championships black belt

champion bill louie is maneuvering for

position against his opponent

and then suddenly he grabs over the eyes

and twists violently ripping them out

from the sockets and

in a dazzling piece of showmanship

tossing them to the crowd

hello i made off cesar here at ringside

to bring you the 1979 world karate

championships

and the big question on everybody's mind

is who will be

bruce lee's successor and can he live up

to the legend

of the king of the martial arts for this

evening's main event

is the welterweight divisions

championship which most

experts agree will go a long way in

determining the eventual successor

to bruce lee however not everyone here

agrees with that assumption

and tonight and during the course of

this show we'll talk to many guests

feels no one has a right to claim

bruce's king of kung fu title

so stay with us it should be a

fascinating evening

but before i go any further let me say a

word about the extra special

significance of tonight's

competition last week the tournament

sponsors announced that they were

dedicating this event

to the memory and the martial arts

legacy of bruce lee

bruce lee perhaps the greatest karate

expert of them all

certainly the most influential in fact

many of the guests here tonight owe

their skills

to bruce's dedicated training methods

and his inspirational leadership

so you better believe they'll be out

there tonight giving there something

extra in honor of their mentor

shortly before he died i did a series of

interviews with bruce

and in them they show something of his

philosophy of life and the martial arts

they also reveal what a special person

he was

in this first one he talks about the

mind

in martial arts you must realize

that 90 of the martial arts is mental

agility

and that your body is a weapon that can

kill a man

therefore you must use this mental power

to control your actions so you're saying

that the

mind must be trained and conditioned as

well as the body

the mind must be cultivated

so you can eventually know yourself

well how do you cultivate your mind

mental exercises

such as what yoga

and even zen meditation helps

then you're performing almost a sort of

self-hypnosis

you make it sound so so mysterious and

elusive

but it's really not like that at all but

would you mind

elaborating more on that it's making the

mind respond instinctively

you do this by eliminating all variables

and behavior

but why all these variables bad they're

too unpredictable

well that should make it interesting

such risks

are counterproductive to everything

you're trying to do

[Applause]

[Music]

now as i mentioned earlier we have a

title bout in the welterweight division

later on

however early in this week a note of

controversy attached itself to this

match

as well as bruce lee himself aaron banks

mr karate and a key organizer of

tonight's match

raised new questions about bruce's death

in a series

of interviews he gave this reporter

among others

his remarks not only enraged bruce's

friends

but also the managers of the two

fighters who are fighting tonight here

for the championship

they were furious because banks later

went on to imply

that the touch of death would kill any

heir apparent of bruce

just as it did himself they called it a

cheap trick to publicize the event

and castigated banks for worrying their

fighters on the eve of the match

with what amounts to a death threat

recently

banks demonstrated to this reporter the

basic principle

behind the touch of death

this is very difficult to do the kind of

thing you get right away

the problem is you have to generate

power from such a short distance and

really can't depend on any momentum

you've got to concentrate

concentration is everything so there we

have it ladies and gentlemen

the stage is set and tonight we'll have

the answers to these questions

who will be bruce lee's successor and

will he meet the same fate as bruce a

fate which aaron banks calls

the touch of death we'll talk more about

that later on

but first let's take another look at a

remarkable bout from the past

this one hits ass bonnie lee against

spreads of flying batman

the flying fat man sure lives up to his

name

this is a comedian or free sparring

match where the object is to score

points

by means of

[Music]

you can't get much more specific than

that

just behind me down by ringside is fred

williamson

looks like he's having a little trouble

with his fans i wish i had that kind of

trouble

but seriously folks fred will be with us

later on to talk about his feelings

towards bruce lee

and also this event so be sure to stay

with us for that

all fred almost didn't make it here it's

quite a story

uh how much time do we have five minutes

okay let me divert for a second and tell

you about it

it all started around 10 a.m this

morning

[Music]

[Music]

what it's ten o'clock mr belafonte

time to get up

10 o'clock

wake up calls for 8 o'clock not 10

o'clock

my name is not belafonte it's fred

williamson

two hours late

damn

that's what i'm paying 200 a day for huh

i gotta be downtown in 20 minutes

friend forget about it

and get back under the covers

yeah that's a nice idea baby butter i

gotta get moving

but why it's just a karate match

that's all it is all right just a karate

match

somebody's got to be there to keep

reminding him that that's all it is just

a karate match i mean whoever heard of

fighting for a bruce lee tyler don't

even exist

[Music]

you've broken promises before

last night you promised you'd satisfy me

and here i am still wanting

what i mean ain't five times enough for

you oh

fred let's make it a six-pack

yeah i'll call room service and get one

please

[Applause]

[Music]

is

you don't mind man i'm in a hurry

this is my cab i was here first

i know you're harry belafonte and all

that but so what i'm jasper milk toast

oh hey put me down hurry up come on

where are you come on

eight million people in new york and i

gotta pick fred williams

[ __ ] oh

that'll stick well i'll just have to

walk to plato's retreat

[Music]

this isn't my day first the hotel

doesn't wake me up on time i can't find

a cab and some clown tries to pick a

fight with me

well i'm a little late myself but

nothing short of a death in the family

is gonna make me miss this event

yeah some event two guys fighting for

bruce lee's title that don't even exist

i mean that's kind of absurd

look fred i just work for the tv

networks

i don't have anything to do with it i

just call it like i see it

yeah anything for high ratings huh i

mean if they want higher ratings why

don't they just put me in the ring with

you

save your anger for the tv cameras i'd

like to get all of that in my interview

it's not anger it's just professional

concern

but don't worry when the cameras roll so

will i

well put on your charisma my man

your fans are waiting

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

so

[Music]

wow harry belafonte

but he made it despite 101 obstacles and

distractions which would have deterred

any less determined man

so you better believe he's really

psyched up for tonight's competition

and hold it hold it just a second has it

been a commotion around

yes i do believe bill louie has just

entered into the arena let's see if we

can pick him up on one of our remote

cameras

bill lewis he's quite a showman and the

crowd really loves him

and with good reason too for he's one of

our most exciting martial artists

here he is in a demonstration from last

year's event

many people think of bill as a possible

successor to bruce lee

because of the strong physical

resemblance and bill's mastery of the

lee fighting form

but don't let that fool you builds his

own man with his own particular martial

art style

notice for example the lightning quick

use of hands and feet

karate fans watch this man he could be

number one before long

he certainly ranks up there on my list

of karate champions

an exclusive interview with

international film star and martial arts

magician

ron van cleef live from a gym here in

new york where ron is currently training

in future defense of his world karate

championship

ron can you hear me

good who would you say has been the most

influential person in your life

bruce lee and then in 1969

at the national championship he gave an

exhibition

we talked about martial arts he

introduced me to the chinese style

which developed my fluidity and

flexibility

[Music]

he also got me into movies

[Music]

hong kong what he was doing into the

dragon

[Music]

and you've come a long way since then

i've been world champion three times

twice in the middleweight and wants the

light anyway

i've also won 20 tournaments a year as a

blackout ron tell me

how did you get started doing this sort

of thing of martial arts that

is i've been involved in martial arts

since 1955.

my father told me judo and boxing

one day i came home with a black eye you

better learn how to defend yourself son

one of the striking similarities between

the two of you

is the dedication you both have toward

training and building up your body

how many hours a day do you work out i

train five hours a day

seven days a week i do a thousand

punches and kicks

on the heavy bag every day

[Music]

[Applause]

rigorous exercise is a must

if your body is to be a weapon you know

ron

the question is often asked about him

that if he had lived

would he have been as great an action

film star as say uh clint eastwood or uh

charles bronson do you think he would

have possibly been i don't think so

he was really interested in television

he wanted to get on

the television series tell me do you

think there will ever be anyone like

bruce lee

in terms of approaching his popularity

i don't think anyone could be as popular

as bruce wayne

he was the prototype everyone else is an

imitation

i think everyone should develop their

own style of the individual style

uh one last question ron do you think

bruce lee died of natural causes no way

the blow he was seeking ahead could have

been qualified

any technique was swelling

[Music]

i believe he was murdered thank you ron

this has been a most

interesting conversation but before we

return to our matches though

i wonder if you could show us another

demonstration of your skill

next beat is what i call the test of

courage

i place two carrots on the necks of two

of my students

and i will attempt to cut these carrots

without cutting the heads off

well this should be something else are

you ready

incredible ron absolutely incredible

would you mind doing that trick again

i'm sure it was so fast some of our tv

audiences missed it

amazing

[Music]

look at her move she's got glass in the

end hey baby what you doing later wow

mommy stop wearing it

hey babe wait up girls like that

only cooking

that's the tightest little ass i've ever

seen she's good for only one thing

[Music]

as you heard me mention i was the first

to spot bruce lee's talent

but if the truth be told there were many

signs of bruce's ability long before i

came on the scene

first of course there was the hereditary

factor

bruce's great grandfather was one of

china's greatest samurai master

swordsman of the 19th century

a fact which takes on greater

significance when one realizes

that bruce was not only born under the

same astrological sign as his

great-grandfather

but that he was born on the same day

also

as a result his birth itself was an omen

an omen that became harder to

disassociate himself from

as he grew up reading stories of his

great ancestors legendary heroics

heroics that could not fail to influence

a young boy's mind

[Applause]

huh

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

bye

[Applause]

[Applause]

uh

after his 18th birthday when his older

brother returned home to visit

after a long absence

[Music]

things haven't been the same since

you've left

park the car around the back okay

[Music]

yesterday i learned some terrific

maneuvers in karate class sue

hey bruce bruce

jack sue it's my brother he's come home

jack it looks like he's been training

again

[Music]

ah yes he practices every day kung fu is

his whole life it worries her mother

very very much

she doesn't know what to do no kidding

here's your keys anything else nah then

i'll take your bags inside

jack or jack you look great

ma ma guess who's back

i missed you so much has happened since

you left

karate classes are incredible yes but

the folks

they don't want me to be a black belt

calm down

there'll be plenty of time to talk about

it first let me say hello to mom

there's mom would you he'd come back mom

he must have forgot something perhaps

his family please

it wasn't nice the way you did

i know tell me do you know what your

brother's done while you were away

yes he told me

more karate lessons mother why are you

so upset over my happiness

ah your brother has some explaining to

do

no brother

[Music]

well whose fault was it nobody's

you have a short memory who was it that

plastered his walls with karate posters

i don't believe this

don't let her bug you she does this to

me all the time

no kidding she doesn't know when to stop

and pops just as bad i think they both

enjoy it

bruce how can you say that your mother

still deserves some respect

nothing's changed

boy it's great to have him back isn't it

[Music]

ma are you feeling okay

ma i wish you'd look at this from my

side

we're lucky to be the heirs of a great

fighting tradition

i just want to follow in their footsteps

and get yourself killed

ma karate is our family tradition

just like our business besides

it's much more exciting i'm sure that's

just how his great-grandfather felt in

his days

[Music]

me

[Music]

hot

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

oh and tell moeyan chan i wish to

challenge him to a duel

to kill him as he killed ting tao chang

the man i want is moyen chan the rest of

you stay out of my way

or you will die

[Laughter]

go get it

for all your men will die like them

hey

[Music]

[Music]

if you only knew know what

i don't understand you hey ma

can i go to the karate matches you'll

have to ask your father

ma you should have seen me in karate

class today

what happened well um

i got my black belt bruce

that's very good proud of me

of course

[Music]

[Laughter]

what's so funny pretty soon i'll be as

good

as great grandfather was and carry on in

the fighting tradition

[Music]

can't you see you're over romanticizing

again bruce

i think it's exciting well you'd think

that

i'm not a baby anymore you know i can

think for myself

i'm the best fighter there is i can whip

anyone

i can kill with my bare hands you don't

understand me

i know exactly how you feel dear all

boys go through this stage you know

what stage this is what i want to do

with my life

oh you're so silly bruce she's humoring

me

she's got it all wrong that isn't the

way it was back then

you having a chance i'll overcome you

all

[Applause]

i

[Applause]

bye

thank you

so sue wait a second

please bruce not now sue

i have tickets to the karate matches

don't you want to go with me

i've saved plenty of money

no keep your money use it for your

karate lessons

oh this is for you

well i was wrong i'm sorry

it's been very selfish of me please

forgive me

oh bruce i know that i'm no longer the

most important thing in your life

please sue don't force me to make a

choice

please let's not discuss it anymore but

sue we've got to have an understanding

once and for all

hey bruce come over here i want to talk

to you

stay out of this it's none of your

business

ruth you're asking for a fat lip come on

cut it out if you had some intelligence

you'd drop this guy

he's karate crazy

wait a second i know how you feel

i do sound a little crazy but i love sue

and don't want to hurt her

i'll make good one day you have to be

patient give me a chance

and i'll show you what i'm made of

we've been patient we've put up with

this karate talk long enough

now when you're going to go out and get

yourself a good job

you can't break boards for a living it

doesn't think you're such a smart guy

bug off you're asking for it you're nuts

listen i'm saying this for the first and

last time

if i ever catch you talking to my sister

again i'll take your head off

brother what's wrong with you

listen to him he's only showing off

all right i understand

you really hate my guts

but let's not leave angry like this

i'm willing to part friends i don't like

european gestures

well all right

well now are you satisfied you

insensitive brute you

you'll thank me years from now for this

no i won't i'll hate you

like bruce does we'll see what his

father has to say about that

go home

what is it it's your son

i don't want him going out with my

sister he's putting crazy ideas into her

head

oh really

crazy ideas huh sure it isn't the other

way around my sister

she's a good girl and my parents and i

think she is too bright a future to

throw it away on a lazy

daydreamer like your son bruce

so she's a good girl huh

then what about the delivery boy that's

nothing but gossip

what proof do you have how dare you

stain our family name with all these

vicious

and tasteless accusations either back up

what you're saying

or i'll expect an apology from you this

very instant

before i apologize

take a look at this letter that i just

happen to have

chuck last night was great let's do it

again love

sue my sister she wrote all of this

so you see your sister isn't the angel

you thought her to be

is she how dare you

dad what are you saying shut up you've

said enough

i'm warning you if you spread that

letter around i'll kill you

i swear to it i'll kill you in your

rotten son his father realized that

bruce was driving everyone

karate crazy and felt it was time to

have it out with bruce

once and for all we know we must clear

the air

well it's about time now i'll be able to

sleep at night

i hope so ah then you won't be such a

royal pain in the ass

right ah bruce

tell me why do you like to hurt your

mother but i love mother

love your mother ah you do nothing but

bring her grief and sorrow

you know if he'd been taught to respect

us at an early age

this wouldn't have happened ah what's

happened to today's youth gone to hell

papa do you mean to tell me that you

never wanted to be like

great-grandfather

a samurai warrior the greatest samurai

he was the king of them all oh i guess i

thought about it

once or twice then you understand

papa i want this more than anything in

the world

it's my whole life i want to be the best

so you want to be the greatest don't you

remember what i told you about the touch

of death and i would haunted and

destroyed your great-grandfather

sure but that's nothing but a lot of

superstitious mumbo-jumbo

so you really think so huh do you

realize your great-grandfather's death

is still a mystery

huh they found a buyer outside his body

and face all distorted

that's what the martial arts did to your

great-grandfather he never had any peace

[Music]

ah

[Music]

i'm

is

[Music]

he will always have to defend himself it

wasn't me to be otherwise

all this talking has made me hungry it's

time i had some lunch

always eating is that all you can think

of

i'm hungry but what about bruce

well it's something to consider

give me some time to think thank you for

understanding

papa does that mean i can continue

studying martial arts

well i don't know well then can i go to

the matches this afternoon

karate matches why of course karate

matches

oh too i won't know can i have something

to eat for lunch please

this is your lunch

[Music]

what's this consummate doctor's orders

consummate can you bring me a steak

how do you want it medium rare you know

it's no good for you

get it uh-huh

papa like i was saying before

if i could go to the match about these

stupid matches will you

and you stop your sulky now

uh bruce did you finish your homework

assignment on the art of the ming

dynasty

well it's almost done come to your room

yes sir

right now could i do it tonight it

should have been finished yesterday

please honorable father no

[Music]

so so

oh jack have you seen sue i think she

went to the movies

she should be back pretty soon gee

that's odd

we had a date this afternoon so

driving you crazy with all that karate

talking

although jack understood what sue was

going through she still sought other

advice

so she went to the wise old caretaker

who had long served the lee household

to understand bruce's obsession with his

martial arts ancestry

it all began long ago in a remote

village where there lived an exciting

samurai warrior

a real legend a living champion

[Applause]

uh

uh

[Applause]

hey

[Music]

what

oh yes and he was known as the greatest

fighting warrior

throughout the land but his family was

forever cursed

however that's only one side of the

story

for it wasn't long before bruce's

great-grandfather tired of killing

and settled down with his wife and child

to a peaceful existence

this piece was often disturbed for his

reputation attracted many who sought his

assistance

listen chan general hai's death has

created

an important vacancy on our council

which i wonder if you will consider

taking the fringe benefits are nice and

you'll be adequately furnished with the

house of your own

you'll be accountable only to his

highness with you on the couch

[Music]

you're quite generous your highness yet

i must refuse

if i go on there'll be no end to it

there's been too much bloodshed please

i wish you to have this sword to protect

your highness i would deem it an honor

if you would

here

i rather think you should reconsider

for others may surely want to challenge

you there is really nothing to be

considered no disrespect intended your

highness our house is here

as it happens we are thinking of

retiring i shall have my house to attend

to wild my husband will fish

bruce's ancestor chan lee spent the next

five years living a sheltered existence

that calm though was shattered when he

confronted another in an endless parade

of warriors who wanted to challenge him

[Music]

oh

[Music]

forgive the intrusion tangent asks me to

extend to you

his warmest greetings chan dan chan

i don't know the jungle

[Laughter]

meanwhile back at chan's house things

were heating up

your name is chan

the gentleman thinks that we're just

playing

no quite the contrary stop that you're

here

you take us for idiots he's because

that's right you mustn't be angry with

her lucha you might get the little girl

mad at her

she just needs a little gentle prodding

that's all and she'll come with us

peace meal isn't that so lucha

why do you always ask me

let's show this little man who we are

we are the warriors known as the hc

monster

let us show everything or two

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

what happened she was attacked quite

brutally they came to your house

no no

i'm leaving home

what i'm running away from home jack

it's the only way to follow in the

footsteps of great grandpa

and so bruce with nothing more than the

clothes on his back left home to pursue

his dream

never to return again father i

i know

it's bruce he's gone

he left me a note this morning i never

thought it would have come to this

and he had such a promising future

but all that is nothing more than a

dream to us now

nothing more than just a dream

[Music]

a waste such a terrible waste

papa it was bruce's decision to do this

oh it's all your fault why did you have

to come home again all i did was open

old wounds

well but he followed your example and

ran away

but papa but what i tried yeah you tried

oh no tried like hell no more for those

crazy ideas about inner peace that you

brought home from the big city of god

knows where

you crazy kid

[Music]

papa let's drop it all no way

sorry uh-huh perhaps you'd like to

forget it was your fault too

well he's on his own now i guess

like you wanted i don't think you ever

really understood him

i knew it just had to end this way

maybe he'll find the happiness he seeks

he certainly didn't find it here

yes

[Music]

maybe it was my fault and through

judging him

let our ancestors do that

after all it's their reputation he has

to live up to

his fate is now in their hands

ah

[Music]

huh

[Music]

[Applause]

okay

[Music]

oh

hey

[Music]

he has a lot to live up to perhaps too

much

i hope he finds happiness well

there's nothing

upon leaving home bruce visited several

hong kong film studios

trying to find work as a martial arts

performer he knew this was the fastest

way to build a reputation

and gain the respect needed to become a

samurai soldier of fortune

like his great ancestor he had no luck

until one day what can i do for you mr

lee

do you have a job for me in your picture

it depends uh what can you do

i can do karate i'm also a practic

aikido kung fu some of this stuff

involves stunt work

can be pretty dangerous will your family

approve

my family has no say in the matter i

hope you're not one of those

spoiled kids who thinks it's too

important to get his hands dirty there's

no way

then you've got the job now like i told

you some of this stuff is pretty

dangerous you'll have to do a lot of

hand-to-hand combat

three or four guys are gonna jump you at

one time if you don't know what you're

doing you're going to get seriously hurt

now i'm not promising you anything this

is a low budget chinese picture

but if it turns out okay you'll get some

international exposure

now what i understand the thing together

is some sort of comic strip performance

which features a

martial arts character so if you play

your cards right

i could get an audition possibly a

contract

to appear in american pictures yeah sure

and become more famous than my ancestors

right kid but one thing let's get this

picture done first

now take this card come to this address

tomorrow morning

and we'll have the wardrobe departure

ready with your new clothes

bruce did that film and he did it well

he was a natural talent

with a tremendous charisma that movie

cameras were able to capture

here he is in a scene from that film

[Music]

after that roll he was as the producer

promised given a screen test

for american television bruce lee screen

test

take one the results were

overwhelming and bruce was immediately

given a hollywood contract

this was important or it gave him the

credibility he needed to be able to

speak out on the martial arts

yet though bruce was widely respected by

his peers

he never did feel at home amidst the

tinsel and glamour of hollywood

all he really wanted was to popularize

his great-grandfather's fighting

techniques

and he felt the fastest way to do this

was to become one of the world's most

respected action-oriented film stars

american audiences got their first

exposure of bruce during the run of the

green hornet tv series

meanwhile he was expanding during these

early years

he created many memorable characters the

most popular of which

was undoubtedly cato

[Music]

seems like there's nothing happening

around here today

[Music]

ain't nothing happening here today

[Music]

hey look at that check it out

[Music]

[ __ ] [ __ ] cantaloupe tits

i sure love to get my hands on some of

that what are you waiting for

come on hey let's get the guys

[Music]

[Music]

hey i got a tenant surprise for you baby

[Music]

oh

[Music]

it

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Applause]

[Music]

guys have no

who's this clean cut and bright eyes

you really shouldn't have done that

hey baby

[Applause]

[Applause]

oh [ __ ] i'm getting the [ __ ] out of here

[Music]

i don't think my friends wouldn't like

that

[Applause]

[Music]

footprints

you're asking for it mother don't get it

man come on

come on come on come on let's get this

sucker let's get it

[Music]

[Music]

ah

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

so

wow

[Music]

i believe this is yours why thank you

who are you anyway

the name's louie phillip thank you so

much

i'd like to stay but uh duty colts

[Music]

who was that master said his name was

louis

bill louie

that bill louis interpretation of cato

suggests another interesting aspect of

bruce's career

namely the incredible amount of

emulation that bruce lee inspired

few stars in any medium have been copied

as frequently

as bruce some of the imitators were

remarkably good

but none ever captured the spirit and

charisma of bruce's personality

witness for example this clip of bruce

lie

perhaps the most famous lee imitator

although the moves are technically

accurate

the power is noticeably absent let us

gain more light into this

the key area of bruce's personality from

one of his friends

aaron banks you knew bruce well around

this time

what was he like we met while he was

doing the green hornet he was a great

guy with a fine sense of humor and he

was always experimenting with new things

in the martial arts

uh when you got together what did you

two discuss

well we spend most of our time

complimenting each other about our

various accomplishments

all finished that's quite a scrapbook

you're really accomplished a lot thank

you

but i don't think so you've done more in

a few years than most men

have done in a lifetime don't you agree

nope

aaron it's you who've done a lot you're

the number one promoter of martial arts

in the world no bruce it's you who's

been the number one promoter of martial

arts

hey while we're here come on show me

that uh new maneuver you've been working

on

occasionally though uh you would show me

one of the maneuvers he was working on

watch closely aaron it's a very fast and

deadly maneuver

that is a pretty sharp maneuver it's

something i've been working on for a

while

my friend is it related to the touch of

death principle you recently

rediscovered

a variation of it hustle psychological

get it very much what are you smiling at

aaron

that looks just like what one of my

students at the credit king on it

because i

showed it to him for the extra work you

added really

gives it a whole new dimension you

better believe it

splits the attention it's really meant

to distract you aaron

can i teach it to the fighters i train

even though you're the best handler of

fights around

i don't think so if that's the way you

feel i'll go along with it one hundred

percent

so you see bruce was really a very good

nature interesting glimpse of bruce's

square decide

i know you have to get back to the table

so i won't keep you any longer thank you

so there you have it the bruce lee story

the early years told by the people who

knew him

a colorful story which gives great

insight into an often ignored but

nevertheless a critical part of his life

big match

this one featuring the incredible skill

of terry yuka higa

and his okinawa kempo karate academy

higa is highly respected by his peers

for his insistence on maintaining the

traditional aspects

of martial arts yet despite this he

always manages to thrill his audience

with some exciting new delay

like the one you're seeing now it just

goes to show you

that the traditional and innovative can

find a happy marriage in the martial

arts

and now let's look at the scene right

out of that i am a fugitive from a

karate change

look at those attackers go at it there's

no love lost there

now kids i know this looks like a lot of

fun but i don't advise you do this

without parental supervision

it can be very dangerous

[Applause]

and now let's watch as a couple of higas

students engage in a little freestyle

sparring

you've undoubtedly noticed that they

look somewhat like fences

but all that protection is necessary for

a stray kick

can be just as dangerous as a sharp

blade

this is a very good exercise in

developing timing balance

and overall coordination higa is a

strong proponent of stressing the basics

and the skills of his students reflect

that

eager students are setting up for their

next demonstration but what's this

the proud appreciation for the marvelous

show he's put on

is giving him a rousing ovation listen

to those fans

but he does not want to rest on his wall

and he's already out there for his next

demo

this is a two-on-one attack using sticks

look at those moves

reflex is so quick that his own body

doesn't know what he's going to do next

and now in keeping with his tension for

innovation

he has prepared a real treat for us

tonight a beat never before performed in

the united states

the crowd can sense the significance of

this

there's an electricity in the atmosphere

that's hard to describe

higa is readying himself now as his

assistant places the sledgehammer

the other students are leaving the ring

area to avoid any distraction

and to give everyone the best possible

view

the nervous excitement fills the air

assistant this stroke very carefully the

slightest miscalculation

could shatter he goes on beyond repair

if this goes as planned higa's arm will

split the boards in half

while itself withstanding injury

he's done it but wait he's not just yet

there are still some boards unbroken

they set up quickly yes the remaining

boards are shuttered

[Music]

you can see how emotionally draining

that was but let's hope eager can summon

the strength to take

one last bow with his students in front

of this appreciative crowd

that terry yuka giga he's really

something else

don't you think so fred i don't know

as i mentioned earlier not everyone here

this afternoon feels that this

afternoon's bout will accurately

determine

bruce lee's successor many feel that

there's no way anyone can make such a

claim to bruce's title

perhaps the most vocal of these people

is the man sitting here next to me

i'm speaking of course about

international film star and former pro

football player

fred williamson fred would you mind

repeating some of your views for our tv

audience

well these are not just my views at all

these are the facts and the fact is that

this

match is just another fight between two

good karate fighters

i mean it's an insult to bruce lee but

think that either one of them could

succeed

well tell me what about your martial

arts background do you think you're as

good as bruce lee

why should i have to be and why should

they and bruce lee was

great at what he did i'm fantastic at

what i do

but you're avoiding the questions what

about the martial arts do you really

feel that you have the skills

necessary to live up to bruce's

reputation look adolf i do all of my

karate fighting in all my films i do all

my stunts

i mean they didn't call me the hammer

for nothing well fred you do present a

most convincing argument

but as we both know it's the public that

decides these things

and it's been the public who has labeled

this match the one that will determine

bruce's successor

well unfortunately there's nothing i can

do about that

but i feel that in order to achieve the

success that bruce lee reached

one has to be physically developed as

well as mentally developed i mean these

two things have to become

one but in the meantime we'll see one of

my movies and you know what i'm talking

about

well thank you very much fred williamson

for your observations

and good luck in your quest to be the

best

i don't let's get back to some ring

[Music]

action

[Applause]

karate fans will recognize that man in

red white and blue

as richie varate what's this one of his

sparring partners appears to be hurt

looks like barathe put a little too much

power into that kick

the fighters do wear protective padding

but that's not much protection against

that kind of brute force

fortunately for this fellow he can

manage to walk away from a kick like

that

that's probably the worst stomach ache

you'll ever have but seriously folks

he appears to be okay bharathi also

looks to be regaining his composure

something he'll really need to do

because they're now setting up for

richie's main attraction

[Applause]

is fast becoming a household name as a

result of his recent appearances on the

johnny carson show

it was there he smashed 13 flaming

boards to pieces with a hammer fist

incurring in the process serious

third-degree burns

he won't be performing that trick

tonight not because he's afraid

but because his doctors have forbidden

it in order to compensate for this

cutback though

he's added another board bringing the

total to 14.

if he smashes this it will be a new

world's record

and water would be especially

considering the handicaps he's had to

overcome

for instance when he was two he lost the

sight in one eye in a tragic accident

loss of sight in an eye means a

reduction of depth making even simple

acts of coordination

very difficult over the years his peers

have been amazed at his ability to

maintain control over his techniques

without dental perception another

handicap has been a serious blood

disease he's had since he was 17.

it's dormant now but he's had to suffer

through heart attacks

and for long periods of incapacitation

in learning to live with it

he's just about ready to begin so we

better lower our voices

as the height of concentration is

[Applause]

required

[Applause]

come on

he's done it he's done it a new world's

record

richard j baratheon has beaten the best

he has

every right to feel proud listen to

those fans

they know what he's had to go through to

reach this moment

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

well there's not much you can do for an

encore after that

except just pick up the pieces

and now it's time for the big two in the

big one the main event

for the welterweight full contact karate

championship of the world

louis neglia versus john's not

much discussed in the press this week

because of its claim to be the

determinant of bruce lee's successor

and much discussed because of the entire

touch of death controversy with

surroundings

here we seek not only a winner but an

answer to the following question

will that winner in succeeding groups

also inherit

his so-called purse

then we two losses in full contact and

now look at blood

he appears to be coming on strong with a

series of up-protection accommodation

flurries

negligence waiting for an opening watch

out cyclone niglia's feet have his

attention too

and there it is even though flood is the

champion

nigley is the crowd favorite tonight

because he's literally fighting in his

own backyard

having been born and raised in brooklyn

hey look at this exchange

[Applause]

there's the bell ending round one

boy that was some exchange it's hard to

imagine how someone can last through 10

rounds of that

by the way each round is scored on a

10-point must system with three judges

the referee not being allowed to score

word is apparently coming down from the

press box that neglia won the first

round on a split decision

two of the judges going with neglia and

one with blood

[Applause]

[Applause]

the referee is giving him a mandatory

account

and flood says he's okay

[Music]

[Applause]

this is turning into one pillow

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

so

[Music]

[Applause]

uh

[Applause]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

the garden is empty now the fighters

have gone home

the building is closed for the night

what have we discovered from all this

a new champion perhaps

a successor to bruce lee

i doubt it well you see

what most heir appearance to bruce seem

to forget

is that to be the best you must beat the

best

and bruce lee was the best and he can no

longer be beaten

so all else is just speculation

and i for one am glad but why should we

try to topple his legacy

its existence i think has such a

positive influence

to sum it all up i cannot help but

recall ron van glee's remark about bruce

he was the prototype everything else

is just an imitation

[Applause]

the secret of karate is power internal

power from the air the vibrating car

how does it work it's internal power i

don't think anyone

is part of this some of this stuff

involves networking can be pretty

dangerous the best fighter there is

i can whip anyone i can kill with my

bare hands

in order to achieve the success that

bruce lee reached

one has to be physically energy

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

six to five

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

come on

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

um

[Applause]

oh

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

oh