Homicidal lunatics armed with loganberries!

Hi Iain,

Looked at from our perspective it is an early example of martial arts satire. As someone very wise once said, it differs from other martial arts comedy as "the martial arts have become the object rather than the medium". I included it in part one of my "Martial Arts Satire" series.

This clip is also great.

But if you're really after something to laugh at, you gotta watch this entire movie...

I'm on the floor, spitting coffee.

THe 70's, especially the early and midyears, were interesting times for karate. I've seen guys who actually thought you could break a concrete block with a nukite. Ouch.

Some of my fondest memories from back then are seeing the Billy Jack movies at the theater then trying to apply Billy's kicks to real-world, full-contact sparring. it didn't work and I had the black eye and broke ribs to prove it.

Other things that come to mind are "What's your karate name?" Elvis was big into that, both him and his first wife had karate names. Silk Gis and capes. James Brown didn't have nothing on this one guy I saw wearing a cape.

Karate schools that overnight became kung-fu schools when Bruce Lee hit the big screen. I mean what's the difference between karate and JKD? Answer: More money.

Death touch proponents who swore they could kill you with a flick of their wrist but would never step into the ring.

Polyester suites worn the the shirt unbuttoned to the waist and some guy sporting a karate medallon he bought in a oriental gift shop.

$10.00 dollar gis and $20.00 dollar tuitions which allowed you to work out 5-6 nights a week. There wasn't much competition back then where I live, no Martial Arts academys on every street corner, so my instructor could aford to run his dojo like a health club. You paid your memebership and came as often as you liked because the dojo was open 5 houra a day.

Hard tile floors, there wasn't any of this foam flooring stuff which meant you'd better be able to fall correctly.

Cloth fist protectors, later styrofoam, but that was all. No head protection was worn, nor chest protection, though cups were required.

Old bull in the ring drills. Put one person inside the ring then line up 10-20 outside and make him or her fight them one at a time in 30 second rounds with no break in between.

The list goes on and on...Someone pass me a banana and turn up the disco music. I feel like dancing, er, I mean doing kata.

Aye, them were the days. the youth of today don't know they're born......

Andrew Carr-Locke wrote:

This clip is also great.

I love that Jim Carey clip. So well observed it's scary ... and I bet everyone here has met that guy .... and if not, you probably are that guy!