Kung Fu (1972–1975)

The adventures of a Shaolin Monk as he wanders the American West armed only with his skill in Kung Fu.

Creator:

Ed Spielman

Stars:

David Carradine, Radames Pera, Keye Luke

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
David Carradine	...	Kwai Chang Caine (63 episodes, 1972-1975)
Radames Pera	...	Young Caine (46 episodes, 1972-1975)
Keye Luke	...	Master Po (45 episodes, 1972-1975)
Philip Ahn	...	Master Kan (39 episodes, 1972-1975)

Storyline

Kwai Chang Caine is a Shaolin Monk who is on the run after he killed the Chinese Emperor's nephew after that coward killed his teacher in cold blood with a gun. He flees to America both to escape retaliation and to search for his brother in order to settle down in this new land. However, in his travels in the wild west, he can not help but continually run into trouble from desperados and other ruffians as they oppress the innocent, while bounty hunters pursue the price on his head. Against this, he has his skill of Kung-fu martial arts which proves to be devastatingly effective in this gun-dominated land.

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Plot Keywords:

shaolin | kung fu | monk | martial arts | on the run | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Western

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Warrior

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (60 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

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).

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Goofs

In the title sequence the view of young Caine is looped in the pebble scene, as the smoke behind him reverses twice.

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Connections

Featured in Office Space (1999)

User Reviews

"do you not hear the grasshopper at your feet?"

David Carridine plays the shoalin monk, philosopher, priest, drifter, defender, dreamer, ......as he simply says, "I am Caine."

The music of Jim Helms is eerie and completely apt.

Performances are good, especially that of Keye Luke as the venerable Master Po.

People often ask, "why don't they make shows like this anymore?" Some answer, "because no one wants to watch them".

Truth is, the art of writing a decent screenplay for television has gone the way of the Dodo bird. They're all mediocre, untalented, overpaid, underworked hacks!