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Lionel Heavyweight Member
Joined: 25 Jul 2016 Posts: 783
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Posted: Tue May 16, 2017 8:29 pm Post subject: Bruce Lee fans, a question |
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Without a doubt the 1960's "The Green Hornet" TV show was among the most inspirational for boys growing up in that era.
Number 1: Al Hirt played a version of "Flight Of The Bumble Bee". Transcribed for the Bill May's big band and performed by the great Al Hirt. The tune then renamed "Green Hornet Theme" Damn! Al rocked!
(Previously I had tried to skip my private trumpet lessons but aftet hearing Big Al? I grew closer to the horn.
2. Every kid liked Kato more than the Hornet. Not just in Hong Kong either. As we boys in the USA would pretend to play characters from the show and all the kids preferred to be Kato.
Okay so here's my question,
While we know the the Green Hornet was really newspaper publisher "Britt Reid", did Kato have another name too? To the best of my recollection he was called "Kato" regardless of whether he was wearing his mask or not. The only difference seems to be that while playing the role of Reid's valet Kato didn't have much dialog. Indeed in those scenes where he us working/assisting Britt Reid Kato is seen usually in the preparation of the two of them about to change into their super-hero masks.
Like we see Kato switchin the Chrysler over to the Black Beauty, performing all the room changes to access their alternate appearances etc. To my knowledge Kato's dialog was much more extensive as the Hornet's comrade. Not as Reid's.
Bruce Lee was outstanding. _________________ "Check me if I'm wrong Sandy but if I kill all the golfers they're gonna lock me up & throw away the key"!
Carl Spackler (aka Bill Murray, 1980). |
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Bflatman Heavyweight Member
Joined: 01 Nov 2016 Posts: 720
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 5:12 am Post subject: |
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Dialogue is not real dialogue, by that I mean that is is not conversational. If the dialogue does not help develop the scene or the character it is usually cut from the scene.
The Kato character was primarily a creation to assist the green hornet as a sidekick and as such his dialogue needed to be minimal when not being the superhero sidekick.
Kato was primarily martial arts and fighting skills and as such Kato's dialogue in many ways just defuses and weakens the characterisation.
I believe this is the primary reason for the lack of dialogue you see.
While I am a bruce lee fan I have little knowledge of the green hornet so my comments are conjecture.
One throwaway line from bruce himself used was that he got the Kato role because he was the only chinese actor who could pronounce "Green Hornet",
While amusing,this hints at an expectation in the production company of difficulty of the Kato actor to deliver lines, so the writers may just have not written much for Kato because of that assumption. |
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kehaulani Heavyweight Member
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9025 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:31 am Post subject: |
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Bflatman wrote: | While amusing, this hints at an expectation in the production company of difficulty of the Kato actor to deliver lines... |
I believe that by the time Bruce did the Kato role, he was already an experienced actor. Also, his English was just fine.
I used to work out with the Jeet Kun Do guys - even enjoyed a lunch with Linda Lee once - and I never heard that there were problems casting the role. More just a result of agent's negotiations - that stuff. _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
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pinstriper Veteran Member
Joined: 25 Sep 2013 Posts: 340 Location: Portlandia, OR
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 6:48 am Post subject: |
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I thought Kato was Inspector Clouseau's sidekick. _________________ ~'77 DEG Dynasty II Soprano Bugle in G
'13 Chinese POS "Hawk" branded Flugel
'59 Olds Ambassador Cornet
'51 Olds Super
'69 Olds Studio
'40 Olds Special Cornet, Military Issued |
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Robert P Heavyweight Member
Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596
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Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: Bruce Lee fans, a question |
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Lionel wrote: | Number 1: Al Hirt played a version of "Flight Of The Bumble Bee". Transcribed for the Bill May's big band and performed by the great Al Hirt. The tune then renamed "Green Hornet Theme" Damn! Al rocked! |
It was inspired by FoTBB but was a composition unto itself. They're not the same composition at all.
Quote: | did Kato have another name too? To the best of my recollection he was called "Kato" regardless of whether he was wearing his mask or not. |
I believe Kato is a first name, as far as I'm aware his full name isn't discussed. Looking on the 'net the character's nation of origin changed numerous times depending on the era. Apparently someone came up with a story called "Nothing Gold Can Stay: An Origin Story of Kato" but it's not part of the original story and I don't know if they give his full name or not.
Quote: | Bruce Lee was outstanding. |
Supposedly he was the original choice to play the main character in the Kung Fu TV series but they decided to go with David Carradine. I don't know if Bruce would have been better or worse in the Caine role, he certainly would have been different. _________________ Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C
Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Flugel |
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kehaulani Heavyweight Member
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9025 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
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Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: Bruce Lee fans, a question |
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Robert P wrote: | Supposedly he was the original choice to play the main character in the Kung Fu TV series but they decided to go with David Carradine. I don't know if Bruce would have been better or worse in the Caine role, he certainly would have been different. |
Bruce had a ton of more martial arts chops than David. But with censorship regulations of the day, there was a very limited time that "violence" could be shown. You didn't really need an accomplish martial artist to fill such a short time span. But there were probably other factors that came into play, as well. _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
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LittleRusty Heavyweight Member
Joined: 11 Aug 2004 Posts: 12663 Location: Gardena, Ca
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Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:47 pm Post subject: Re: Bruce Lee fans, a question |
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Robert P wrote: | Lionel wrote: | Number 1: Al Hirt played a version of "Flight Of The Bumble Bee". Transcribed for the Bill May's big band and performed by the great Al Hirt. The tune then renamed "Green Hornet Theme" Damn! Al rocked! |
It was inspired by FoTBB but was a composition unto itself. They're not the same composition at all. |
According to Wikipedia it was a arrangement of FoTBB, not a new composition.
Wikipedia wrote: | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's orchestral interlude, "Flight of the Bumblebee," used for the radio series, was so strongly identified with The Green Hornet that it was retained as the series theme, but it was rearranged by Billy May, who also composed the new background scores,[citation needed] and conducted by Lionel Newman,[citation needed] with a trumpet solo by Al Hirt, performed in a jazz style nicknamed "Green Bee". |
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BGinNJ Veteran Member
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 380
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:00 am Post subject: |
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I spent a lot of years training in JKD, so I've been a fan of Bruce Lee's martial art, more so than the acting. One of the documentaries about him claimed he was so popular in Asia in the Green Hornet that they called it "the Kato show".
Re: Kung Fu, the sad truth is, Bruce came up with the story idea (he was half Caucasian like the hero) but the studio, because of the racism of the time, felt they needed to cast a white guy, and David Carradine was better known in the US. |
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kehaulani Heavyweight Member
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9025 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 11:41 am Post subject: |
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(An aside.)
BGinNJ wrote: | I spent a lot of years training in JKD, |
(Where did you work out? I was in California. Just curiosity from a fellow martial artist.) _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
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BGinNJ Veteran Member
Joined: 02 Mar 2010 Posts: 380
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 12:24 pm Post subject: |
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East coast, mostly with Tim Tackett's Wednesday Night Group people. |
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Bflatman Heavyweight Member
Joined: 01 Nov 2016 Posts: 720
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 7:56 am Post subject: |
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kehaulani wrote: | Bflatman wrote: | While amusing, this hints at an expectation in the production company of difficulty of the Kato actor to deliver lines... |
I believe that by the time Bruce did the Kato role, he was already an experienced actor. Also, his English was just fine.
I used to work out with the Jeet Kun Do guys - even enjoyed a lunch with Linda Lee once - and I never heard that there were problems casting the role. More just a result of agent's negotiations - that stuff. |
Yes he was there well spoken and a good actor there was never a suggestion otherwise. I quoted Bruces words, and they may have been tongue in cheek and said for comic effect.
Before he gained that role the usual assumptions and questions of competence from the writers will I am sure been articulated, and I have seen prejudice unspoken that questions capability.
Just because Bruce was a well spoken accomplished actor doesnt mean the writers acknowledged that. |
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kehaulani Heavyweight Member
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9025 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 8:16 am Post subject: |
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BGinNJ wrote: | East coast, mostly with Tim Tackett's Wednesday Night Group people. |
I don't understand. I studied with Tim in California where he had a permanent job (and residence) with a local high school. He had a Wednesday night class on the East Coast? _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn |
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