Why Was Everybody Kung Fu Fighting In The 70s?

[@luvzfrance24]

I love Bruce Lee because he was willing to teach martial arts to anyone who wanted to learn especially during a time when that notion was deemed taboo.

[@salvambala7779]

Facts

[@RuthD913]

I remember a program called Longstreet about a blind lawyer and they had Bruce Lee as a recurring character teaching Longstreet to defend himself.

[@luvzfrance24]

@@RuthD913 I never heard about that show but it sounds intriguing. I need to check it out.

[@joelman1989]

I love how organic the diversity in the game of death is. Like Bruce gives this great role to his friend Kareem because Kareem loves the sport. Considering this and his opinion of Ali. He considered him the greatest fighter of all time and said he’d never beat Ali in a fight and he incorporated his movements into his own martial arts style. It’s kind of beautiful the exchange between these two communities.

[@JArtsChannel]

The influence Kung Fu had in black films is excellent and I'd like to see actual collabs between black and Asian studios one day... But in my heart of hearts I just want to see Jordan Peele and Bong Joon-ho collaborate on a horror film. Black and Asian horror are so similar and it would be so amazing.

[@darkservantofheaven]

I'd be interested in an essay on that,

[@aupz23]

That would be fantastic to see a collabo between Jordan Peele and Bong Joon-ho

[@SlapstickGenius23]

The classic Afro Samurai was basically a collab between Samuel Jackson and Madhouse.

[@Mr_DPZ]

Peele and Bong also both have great senses of humor. They would really be a perfect pairing.

[@badboyonibaku]

Not gonna happen.. There's still animosity towards both.

[@TheMrswardy88]

Thanks for connecting some dots for us. I love how Kung Fu was an art to show strength against the oppressor...never put that together. And now we see martial art in our superhero movies as they fight the bad guys.

[@henrikhansen1023]

I also loved Kung Fu for a whole lot of years - but then I realized how overrated the style is. Kung Fu only works in movies. Most efficient Martial Art that you can train for is still boxing.

[@Roni_makes]

Oh I would love to hear your take on Blaxplotation/ Kung Fu movies vs. the Rise of the Blerd/Anime Community. History repeats and I feel Like the Black Anime community mirrors the Black Kung Fu era. And Idk if you know about the Tik Tok term of the Nightskins but it's a good social recall to look into!. Love the channel, I'm sooooooo happy ya'll are Back!

[@Moscato_Moscato]

Yes please!! I know it’s a very niche genre but I would love to learn more about black artists and animators and about Black animation I think there’s a story from the dark history of minstrel shows being animation’s first references but also you have famous dancers like Cab Calloway being one of the first persons to be rotoscoped to now where you have writers and directors like Peter Ramsey working on projects Spiderverse or the team behind The Boondocks and/or Kipo

[@Caterfree10]

Vox did a video on why Black people got into anime today, actually! definitely worth a watch imo

[@isa_me198]

@@Caterfree10 Going now to watch that, thanks for the rec

[@MarkBorja]

PLEASE & REFERENCE SHOWS LIKE COWBOY BEPOP & SAMURAI CHAMPLOO & everything cause it dumbfounds me how certain people are so offended by black representation in anime. I’ve seen those videos about how people have talked about this on tik tok & literally asian & black culture have been intertwined for decades. Like i can’t understand how people are just utterly ridiculous.

[@Roni_makes]

@@MarkBorja Exactly and it goes DEEEEEEPPPPPP

[@tresvegan3633]

This warmed my heart. I remember watching that movie as a kid probably 100 times with my brother who loved Bruce Lee ♥️

[@CamiloSantana]

watching these movies as a kid is what led me to playing/practicing Capoeira now for over twenty years. in Capoeira, we find these anti establishment sentiments and fighting for freedom. Axé

[@tecpaocelotl]

I remember my dad got his first vcr in the 80s. First movie was either game of death or enter the dragon. Jim Kelly from enter the dragon was in other films where he used his material arts. Also sad not to see wu tang referenced.

[@jasonallen3678]

Loved all the movie mentioned ..

[@floridaman_85_58]

One thing i noticed is that black people worldwide just seem to LOVE kung-fu flicks. When i was kid growing up in south africa i remember 95% of the friday/saturday night movies on e-tv would be martial arts movies and over 95% of people all had the same movies on DVD. Titles like Enter the dragon, Fist of legend, once upon a time in china, crouching tiger hidden dragon and fatal flying guillotine were basically in everyones home. New school masterpieces like van damme's kickboxer were also popular but nothing could really compare to the joy of watching a terribly dubbed 70s kung-fu movie during school holidays.

[@GMoneyXL1969]

As a young Black kid, Bruce Lee was cool. He was charismatic and had great rangne as an actor. I'm an anime guy, so I also like Blaxploitation shows like Black Dynamite and Afro Samurai.

[@jso6790]

This was sooo good. Thank you. I love the idea, and I am SURE it was deliberate, that Luke Cage was continuing the sort of solidarity that emerged from the movements and movies you discussed in this episode. I am also happy, AGAIN, that you are back, Dr. Bainbridge, and bringing along some of your smart friends! :)

[@pbsorigins]

We are glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sticking with us!

[@Dolla_Dolla_Dan_Yall]

In addition to the Wu Tang comments, I found it interesting that the blaxploitation/kung fu theme still lives on in Kendricks Kung Fu Kenny persona. But I feel somewhat affirmed that I wasn’t the only one that saw this connection and is part of historical analysis.

[@TheBrowserAcct]

Have to appreciate the link up of two cultures into something so influential. ❤️

[@antoniapineiro7124]

We need more of this in the present day to combat the erasure of history that's happening in state legislatures and schoolrooms across the country. Intersectional movements like the Black Panthers are very inspirational since it's only through finding our common humanity that we will have the strength and power to fight back.

[@QUIRK1019]

This channel reboot is wonderful! Great job y'all

[@pbsorigins]

Thanks for sticking with us!

[@liriodendronlasianthus]

@@pbsorigins glad the channel is back!

[@b3h8t1n]

Spending time with dad was watching blaxploitation and Kung Fu flicks 😎 best memories

[@JArtsChannel]

Great vid! I'm great you guys talked about Luke Cage. I told a friend of mine that it was neo blaxploitation but he had never heard of the genre.

[@binoyandpinay777]

Those episodes in Luke Cage, Movies like the Art of War, Rush Hour Movies, Animation/Cartoons like Afro samurai, Dragon jake Long, Adventures of Juniper Lee, Hey Arnold, Invincible, Little Bill, Shows like California Dreams, Night Court etc etc al have Black and Asian elements.

[@dropkickcorpse]

RZA of Wu-Tang Clan gives really good Kung Fu movie recommendations.

[@noirettebeauty]

RZA with Lucy Liu for recent times came to mind for me!

[@shoesncheese]

Watching kung fu movies as a kid in the 80s was a treat. The Seven Venoms stuck with me for life and Enter the Dragon is a bona fide classic. Then we got The Last Dragon which is still a favorite. Thanks for explaining how these two genres ended up perfectly complimenting each other.

[@salvambala7779]

You should watch Jackie chan's entire catalogue. Hes one of the actors who introduced kung fu comedy

[@leewightman8619]

Blacksplotion flicks are dope and kungfu was ill so perfect combination its like that wutang thing

[@nimblebimble]

It’s interesting how blaxploitation can be empowering and exploitative at the same time.

[@ElementalWildfire]

Y'all, this show is so good. Thanks for making it!

[@ranaylewis]

I read the legendary bruce lee book about Bruce and his life and being a martial artist. In the book, Jim Kelly said to Bruce during the filming of Enter The Dragon how much he admired him for breaking racial stereotypes in Chinese movies. Jim Kelly had mentioned to Bruce, " I know what you are doing to make Enter The Dragon a success, and I know that your people are proud of you. Bruce Lee returned the compliment " Jim, I realize that your people are proud of you as well." Two martial arts legends giving each other great respect and treating each other as brothers.

[@Divineeyereadings]

Something that I always felt was important to mention was that Bruce Lee was not only of Chinese descent but little did people know his mom was half white/German. Here he was in the United States frustrated with the racism. Not only in America but also by Kung Fu teachers in the states who didn't allow non Chinese people to learn Kung fu/Gong Fu. This is important because Bruce always said "we are all brothers and sisters living under the same sky". He knew how it felt to be an ethnic minority but he also allowed people of all walks of life, all races to learn Kung Fu and casted them in his films as a form of inclusion during a time when major films were often exclusionary with their casting. Bruce was often dubbed as too Asian during his early acting days. Which is ironic considering as mentioned before, he was a quarter white. Which also brings in the other topic of how most African Americans actually have some white ancestry in them but because of how they appear, they too were considered "too black". Bruce really knew how it felt to be a racial minority actor and he always pushed for diversity and acceptance.

[@Oncopoda]

I understand what you're trying to say with this comment, but I cannot stress this enough: RACISM IS A SYSTEMIC FORM OF OPPRESSION AGAINST A SPECIFIC CLASS OF PEOPLE. Individual acts of prejudice is not racism.

[@IVIUT3D]

@@Oncopoda there is more than one system at play, being deemed "too black" by main hollywood is systemic.

[@markschroeder5559]

Kung Fu went pretty mainstream in the 70's. That's messed up that a martial arts master would not teach someone due to their race or gender. This made me think of how in a lot of these films, there's always a school that posseses a secret move that must not be taught for it bring down governments or be detrimental in some way to their clan or leader. Culture is meant to be shared and expanded upon. It makes life much more interesting for everyone. Well, except for crabby people.

[@aaronpoole5531]

Honestly, this channel makes me excited to learn new things as an adult and I appreciate that!

[@pbsorigins]

Thanks for sticking with us! You won't be disappointed :)

[@sarahwatts7152]

Commenting for the 0s and 1s. Great video!

[@kadeng8085]

I love the new style. keep it up

[@pbsorigins]

Thanks for sticking with us!

[@deebsooreal]

How did y’all make this video without mentioning Wu Tang Clan?

[@feministadentata4041]

Or Samurai Champloo! (If I got a buck for every time a black man says they identify with the main character...)

[@cindyoftheyear1121]

I'm so glad origin is back... I had missed danielle Bainbridge's educational videos

[@jamesellerbee4406]

As an African American male who grew up in 70s, I loved both martial arts and black exploitation films. Even till this day.

[@kaileebroadway7723]

I grew up watching Kung fu films, my favorite film was Wing Chun with Michelle yeoh and Donnie Yen. It was a classic.

[@nomsg7942]

can u do a video on how this ties in to ur previous blaccent video? would love to see ur perspective on how it correlates in terms different cultures influencing each other. enjoyin these vids 💯💯💯

[@russharold307]

Glad you're back!

[@cucummmber]

Black kung fu (or as my father called it ‘N word’ kung fu) was my fatherʻs favourite film genre. I used to HATE them! I thought they were poorly made compared to other films. That was until Wesley Snipes started making films. And as children from a family of colour, I never really understood why it was so important until I got older.

[@sacredsapphire]

Weasley Snipes is awesome, Blade is a great martial art master

[@rperkins723]

Grew up watching both. They were perfect moments of that time. The authors are correct in poointing out that it took us out of the John wayne white male hero and made it more urbran. Both had their heroes empowered, we need more of that. Kudos!

[@Bmans88]

So cool and enlightening to learn about this connection, great video!

[@locojazz5770]

I still watch kung fu movies and blaxploitation movies just because I feel there’s freedom of expression in self defense are rarely seen in reality.

[@victoriaalbastra6325]

I love kung fu movies! IP Man is awesome! Such a noble character ❤️ He was Bruce Lee's master!

[@bnthern]

beautifully presented and broad in scope and real - I knew and was protected by a family in Nam, and wish i knew what happened after i went home - ALL PEOPLE MUST BE RESPECTED not because they are anything other then HUMAN!!!

[@richardkato9791]

Great historical presentation in this video. But I would criticize Tarantino for misportraying Bruce Lee in a movie he did about Bruce. Sorry man, Tarantino missed the mark there.

[@Raja-bz4yw]

Undercover brother was the first movie I thought of lol great black Kung Fu movie

[@cristophercrapello7124]

How was The Last Dragon not mentioned?! BRUCE LEEROY! SHO NUFF!

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

Excellent analysis and commentary! Thanks for the video.

[@labestia8099]

I hoped Black Dynamite would be mentioned in this video

[@JustJami74]

Another great episode.

[@DreTheCoolest]

Great video it all makes sense now

[@jeremythreat844]

Wonderful video.

[@jamesonstalanthasyu]

Danielle has THE GLOW!

[@lgziabeher]

Can someone please tell me what that funky tune is at 2:46

[@dassandavis5507]

Thanks for the content

[@Dragon_With_Matches]

Great video but I would have liked an explanation of why they call it “blaxploitation”

[@itumo2645]

She touched on it a bit at 6:30. The movies were centred on Black stereotypes

[@mikloridden8276]

@@itumo2645 Doesn’t that continue to this day though? Media continues those stereotypes even self made

[@jesusfreaklol1]

awesome video

[@valeriecee54]

This was such a good video! I’m just sad that there’s no mention of Romeo Must Die though. . .

[@newzealand703]

Ah lovely video. I had absolutely no idea on the topic. Thanks alot. Please please do a video on black hair. The racialised history of it all the way to the current debates on cultural appropiation when it comes to black hairstyles. I would love to see the origin of all of it. Thanks in advance.

[@MetalMavenMilieu]

i was 10 in the 70's, martial arts movies from china were popular with everyone cause the were something new, different and awesome. any film makers who liked them incorporated them into their own movies. movies made for and or by people of color, which i did not know at the time, covered all genres, my favorites were Blackula and Brother from Another Planet. sometimes a good movie is just a good movie.

[@Annendoim]

Such a cool video!!!

[@calloway2117]

Ahhhh I STILL dig that song Kung Fu fighting. Even had my own Judo book!

[@j_go.]

9:43 I didn't quite get what this statement was about. When you say "communities of color" you mean which community of color? Does this mean all communities of color that aren't "White"?

[@CursedCommentaries]

Colour means non white

[@krysisstorm2703]

They showed clips from Black lightning, Batwoman, and Luke Cage. All of these shows were canceled by season 3. It doesn't matter how good or bad they are. Anything on TV that shows black, brown, or LGBTQIA as the main hero get canceled by season 3.

[@feministadentata4041]

To be fair: 3 seasons is pretty average for a show to run. I don't think that's abnormal. A better argument would be: shows aren't made because "that kind of lead wouldn't sell" or the opposite: let's call it wokexploitation. I don't believe corporate suits are interested in the emancipation of minorities when they forcibly insert characters in shows. They don't care about the people, they care about the money.

[@krysisstorm2703]

@@feministadentata4041 I do agree with what you are saying, but maybe I wasn't as clear as I intended. My point was that the show could get ALL the ratings and making ALL the money and it will STILL be canceled if it possibly leads to the emancipation of minorities in the country/world ....i.e. Lovecraft Country. One of the best horror/sci-fi/fantasy shows in history, an it still got canceled after only 1 season. No has yet seemed ready or able to pick it up!....(come on netflix, apple, or amazon)

[@feministadentata4041]

@@krysisstorm2703 I seem to remember that HBO made that, right? You'd think Amazon would be happy to steal it. :p They did the same with The Expanse (the first 2 seasons I saw on Netflix). Also a great show btw, diverse cast too (despite the white cookie cutter MC).

[@SlapstickGenius23]

The truth is that most shows featuring a black woman as the main heroine are not as sellable and merchandise driven as something like Takara’s Jenny or Mattel’s Barbie.

[@youngboyneverbrokeagain1899]

Bruh plzz stfu there are many black shows with more than 3 seasons you just wanted to bring race up huh

[@Mr_DPZ]

Short answer: Because kung fu is awesome. Long answer: Everything else in this excellent video.

[@samwill7259]

It's funny that you bring up Luke Cage here because comic books are a lovely place to look at this crossing of different genres into one (note, I am a white comic fan so I'm mostly coming at this from a comic's history angle, what I say could be bullshit to your ears). Luke Cage's decades long partnership with iron Fist, a character who was VERY much part of the wave of Kung-Fu infatuation here in the states shows just how closely linked these two ideas were even at the time. And DC's much vaunted anti-hero Bronze Tiger hits a lot of the same 70s pop culture beats of the East Asian idea of martial arts as a just equalizer being applied by downtrodden black protagonists against corrupt systems.

[@kincamell2]

Much Gratitude

[@loron99]

These programs are short and to the point, great work,thx

[@juliancornejo1402]

The PHD immediately defined the style and purpose of Blaxploitation ‘FUBU’ lol

[@scotteverett9409]

Yes!!! Origins is Back!!

[@jetleeroy33]

My only critique of the video is that there was no mention of The Last Dragon (1985). That movie is an 80s classic!

[@Jumpoable]

But they need to bring back them 70s fashion. Man, those big hats r so fly.

[@picturethis4903]

7:43 fw?

[@AWFarmer]

Great, and wonderful. Thank you.

[@alwaystheone]

Originally in Enter The Dragon Bruce Lee and Jim Kelly characters suppose to partner up in the last battle to fight Han, Bolo, and the goons. The best of worlds would really made Enter The Dragon more brilliant than it is today.

[@andrewharris7517]

I was raised on these movies … The First film I saw in the Theater was Shaft.. I remember 3 The Hard way and how we all wanted to be Jim Kelly in the projects of East New York Brooklyn.. And Who didn’t want to be Bruce Lee… “Lawd have Mercy!! “these films are the reason why I studied Martial Arts and Became a filmmaker…. This Video is Electric!!!

[@JamesJones-cv4wf]

This episode littering had me crying multiple times! Thank you for helping me expand my understanding of our history. 🙇🏽‍♂️

[@ricanredru4760]

Could some of this fascination with Asian culture with be Kung Fu or karate also stem from the fact that a lot of Asian Americans especially Chinese men were marrying black women for example back in the early 20th centuries leading up to the end of the Asian expulsion act??

[@myavaughn85]

Whaaat? Ive never heard of this theory now im interested to learn more!

[@mumandubula1788]

Five fingers of death and Deep thrust feel like weird titles in this age 😂😂😂, now I wanna watch the movies.

[@alexwixom4599]

"Am I the Master?!" "SHO-NUFF"

[@yonathanmengistu731]

Not mentioning the LA Rebellion movement is a big omission. Other than that cool video.

[@ADF-fe7fv]

I was around back then. I don't know the answer. I just know those cats were fast as lightnin'! Seriously, tho...I was a Bruce Lee fan since the Green Hornet days. Because of him I learned martial arts. He is THE sensei!

[@lisdoreto8232]

Loved! Thanks for the video and the shared info. I’d like to have seen you guys comment about feminism there, too. I think the comments would have fit there well, not only about the movies but also about the history. I’ve learnt a lot by reading Angela Davis.

[@GuerrillaGorilla023]

The yellow jumpsuit from Game of Death is more popular than the movie is. Everybody has seen Bruce Lee movies but very few people I know have seen Game of Death.

[@primaryification]

Not only did these films portray black protagonists fighting the "man", but more importantly, they portrayed blacks uplifting their communities. Not selling drugs, or exploiting women. Not to mention, the advocating and encouraging black men to raise their sons and daughters. To respect their spouses. Yeah right...

[@vbrown6445]

You did hear the part about the NAACP's criticism of the genre, right?

[@JonConstruct]

That's not true. Many blaxploitation films were about pimps and dealers.

[@omartistry]

@@vbrown6445 Actually I watched plenty of blaxploitation films and yes many were against drugs, only a few I seen supported pimps or dealers.

[@gcboy16]

We need black kung fu comeback films they were amazing

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

Nah, street cred movies tho...

[@fairytalesrfake1621]

Fist comment 😁😁

[@darinbauer8122]

It's a funny title. It's almost like if kung fu fighting fell in the woods in the 70s, would it make any noise. It was the 20th C, so outside of the woods at least it made a lot of noise obviously, and still does.

[@s.beccari4678]

Wu-tang has kept the tradition alive

[@taylorbee4010]

The Luke Cage comics are from an era that's not that far removed from those films that's why it looks like that.

[@matthewmagda4971]

Nothing about The Last Dragon??!!!?!!

[@rezidentbivrip]

How in the hell do you mention blacksploitation, Kung fu, AND music, and show a clip of Ice Cube and not the Wu-Tang clan?!?!! 🤦🏿‍♂️

[@LottoLogista]

It was possibly a licensing issue. You can't post any music clip without getting the chop.

[@rezidentbivrip]

@@LottoLogista True, but they don't need a full clip just to mention the name 😆

[@EvanTateMusic]

"Game of Death" was unfortunately never completed by Bruce Lee due to his untimely death. The rest of the film was done very, very badly. The "real" iconic film was "Enter The Dragon" due to the "Asian-Black-White" trio.

[@___Anakin.Skywalker]

Why Bruce Lee was killed

[@vincentvega5686]

You didn't mention the 80s movie The Last Dragon. A perfect blaxploitation meets kung fu flic.

[@markschroeder5559]

🐲Jim Dragon Kelly 🐲 as BLACK BELT JONES - An all time favorite. Do yourself a favor and go right down to the family owned video rental store and ask them for this vhs tape right now! 🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉🐉

[@Duane-tl2zc]

Cool, but I don't think "Game of Death" premiered in the 70's ( well 1979)because it was unfinished during it's making because of Bruce Lee's death. Some consider it a 80's film, kinda late for the "kung fu movie" era.

[@JoeBardales]

Pam Grier is a national treasure!

[@reggiefurlow1]

Black people and Chinese people secretly get along very well lol.

[@youngboyneverbrokeagain1899]

No they don’t stop lying to yourself

[@bizkits]

Susan storm... my girl. If only you could have seen this.

[@qarljohnson4971]

Reminds me of an odd 1970's series of what I call "Hippie Vengence" movies around the character "Billy Jack". White acting as first nations using east Asian martial arts to wield retributive "justice".

[@thunderkatz4219]

Man I do martial arts but man Bruce lee is cool

[@MrNic919]

Wutang is forever

[@alexandermontanez4058]

There can be so many reasons but I mainly think. Its because guys like watching other guys get their ass kicked. And the fighting is just so cool looking and fast paced

[@AltRightMustDie]

Are you trying to speak for black folks???

[@tonyvalente]

looks like my channel. but mine is real.