Discovering A New Star! When Bruce Lee died in 1973 the Hong Kong movie industry went into a frenzy trying to find a new Bruce.
In the space of a few months dozens of new 'Bruce' films appeared starring such unforgetables as Bruce Li, Bruce Le, Bruce Lai, Bruce Leung, Dragon Lee, Bronson Lee, Rocky Lee,etc, etc, etc!
Meanwhile, standing back dispassionately from all this was the man who had launched Bruce Lee's Hong Kong movie career, Lo Wei.
He had directed Bruce in "Big Boss" (AKA: Fists Of Fury) and "Fist Of Fury" (AKA: The Chinese Connection) and he realised that none of these lookalike wannabes was going to cut it.
He had had artistic arguments with Bruce on several occasions but realised that apart from Bruce's obvious attractions as a dynamic kung fu performer he also had great inner strength, amazing charisma and screen presence.
Lo decided that if he was going to find another star of Bruce's calibre he wasn`t going to look for a double with the right looks, but no talent, he was going to look for a REAL martial arts expert.
He wanted a man who could not only display amazing prowess at Kung Fu but also possessed incredible courage and had that extra something that none of the wannbes exhibited - 'star quality'.
Lo had worked on several films with a young, traditionally trained, kung fu expert, stuntman, actor who was fast making a name for himself. He remembered witnessing his incredible skills in martial arts and acrobatics and how he stood in for many Hong Kong stars when the moves were too intricate,
or the stunts too dangerous. He was especially impressed by one particular stunt in one of Lo's own films. To create the illusion of super-human power in the hero's kick, he had totally fearlessly run at a bamboo wall at full speed and by twisting around in mid-air at the last moment,
appeared to have been kicked backwards through the wall and (with the added assistance of a wire) flew twenty feet across a garden, before crashing painfully to the ground.
That film was "Fist Of Fury", the man kicking the guy through the wall was Bruce Lee and the man who stood in for the japanese villain to take that incredible fall was Cheng Sing Lung (known today as Jackie Chan). Lo Wei hired him as the leading man for his next project in what became an extremely one-sided, nine picture contract.
Lo Wei became Jacky's 'Godfather' and persuaded him to have extensive dental work done and then later, westernising, 'eye-opening' surgery! He also decided that if he was going to make his new signing an 'international' star,
like Bruce Lee, he would need a 'westernised' name.
What's In A Name? The name Jackie Chan was 'Americanised' from Jacky Chan for "The Big Brawl" in 1980. He has been known for years to his Asian fans as Sing Lung.
He was born in Hong Kong in 1954 (The Year Of The Horse) and named Cheng Gang Sheng, he had, as a boy, been using the English name Paul. He later started calling himself Jacky, which he considered more snappy. After 10 years at Yu Chen Yuen's school he was billed as Chen Yuen Lung (Chen Yuen's Dragon?) for his first lead role in "Little Tiger Of Canton"(1971).
He was also known as Cheng Sing Lung in the Chinese market, but this was shortened by Lo Wei for "New Fist Of Fury" to Cheng Lung. Interestingly, this might have been to avoid confusion with his co-star, 'The Headcrusher', Chen Sing!
When the western prints appeared he was 'Jacky Chan'!
New Fist Of Fury began filming and it soon became obvious to Jacky that Lo was not going to let him do his own thing. Lo Wei soon began insisting on seeing Bruce Lee style roundhouse kicks and ear-shattering kiais. Several surviving publicity shots show Jacky doing 'six o'clock' kicks in which he appeared to be targeting low flying aircraft!
However, although for the most part, he did not show his skills to very good effect, he certainly did NOT rip-off Bruce Lee. This was NOT another Bruce Lee look-a-like travesty. Although Jacky did not break any box-office records with this film, reaction from the martial arts section of the audience was very favourable. Especially impressive was his final showdown with Chen
Sing in which Jacky gave one of the best ever demonstrations of the three section staff.
Many people over the years have shouted "Rip-off ending!" as the film finished. It depicts Jacky, along with his compatriots, having been victorious over the villainous Japanese overlord, being shot dead in their moment of triumph by the overwhelming forces of the Japanese army. ie. very much like the way Bruce Lee died at the end of "Fist Of Fury". But these people are missing the point.
Lo Wei was saying to his Chinese audiences that if a man dies for his country another will take his place......and then another ......and that the Chinese nation was safe because of men like these.
By their actions they proved that China was NOT the sick-man of Asia, it was the home of the the world's greatest heroes.
Jacky!