"Kung Fu" (1972) TV series 1972-1975

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 | Slow Motion Scene | 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:

The only reason this show went off the air was because star David Carradine quit the series. He had sustained so many injuries, he felt he could not go on. The show got high ratings all three seasons it aired.

Goofs:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Thick of It: Spinners and Losers (#2.2)" (2007)

One of the best TV shows ever...

I saw this series exactly 20 years after it was released, but its excellence made the viewing experience timeless.

Carradine plays the immigrant drifter Caine, who walks through the Wild West encountering different situations, people, etc, there was a different plot for each episode. This was more a "Drama" than a "Western" but the interesting sparring moves and Caine's relaxed personality made it a decent alternative to the more violent and rowdy martial arts movies that released around that time.

Whenever this series is brought back to your TV station or one episode happens to be on, it would be an excellent show to tape and watch again and again - if not already released, I'm sure they'll have the show reissued on an official DVD/VHS set.