The Quest: Welcome to America Jade Snow

Maybe the Old West wasn’t so different from our current times. Unions were just as violent back then and unchecked lawlessness could destroy a community quicker than anything. That is what brothers Morgan “Two Persons” Beaudine and Dr. Quentin Beaudine learn when they blow into a striking miners’ town. They were the lead characters of The Quest, a series that was like the lite beer version of The Searchers. Instead of their abducted sister, they find plenty of violence and prejudice in “Welcome to America Jade Snow,” which airs Sunday night on getTV.

As a child, Morgan lived in captivity with the Cheyenne, until the Army reunited him with his brother Quentin. Now into adulthood, they are searching for their still missing sister. Morgan retains an affinity for Native American culture, especially when it comes to his wardrobe and he is naturally more inclusive. In fact, we learn in this episode he was formerly in a relationship with a Chinese immigrant, rather unoriginally named “China,” with whom he now crosses paths with again.

She has since remarried and given birth to little Jade Snow. Unfortunately, her husband and the rest of the town’s Chinese population have been scapegoated by the striking union. Load-mouthed Jensen stokes their resentment, inciting the strikers to attack the Chinese laborers recruited by the Machiavellian mining magnate to replace to replace them. The decent Sheriff Bradley understands how this anarchy will rot the town’s character over the long run, but the city fathers don’t seem to care.

Back in 1976, The Quest died a quick death on network television. It was scheduled against Charlie’s Angels, so no boys between 13 and 21 were watching. Yet, given the pairing of Kurt Russell (who looks like he had Goldie Hawn’s hair back then) and Tim Matheson, it is a little surprising it hasn’t been revived in re-runs more.

Of course, this episode presents the Frontier in revisionist terms. The way it addresses tolerance and bigotry actually ages surprisingly well, whereas, its presentation of mob rioting suddenly looks uncomfortably timely. It is also bizarre to see George Lazenby, the former James Bond, listed as a guest star with absolutely no fanfare (seriously, there were even fewer Bonds back then, but he was one). He isn’t bad either, playing blokey Sydney, an Aussie immigrant, who tries to be a voice of reason among the strikers.

Becoming Bond: The Lazenby Affair

If George Lazenby had re-upped with the James Bond franchise producers, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service would probably be remembered as the best Bond movie ever. It featured Telly Savalas as Blofeld, Diana Rigg from the Avengers and Joanna Lumley from The New Avengers as Bond Girls, and Louis Armstrong’s final chart-topping hurrah, “We Have All the Time in the World” as the theme song. Yet, Lazenby didn’t, so now he is known as the one-and-done Bond. Arguably, it was the worst case of career self-destruction in movie history. However, Lazenby spins it as well as he can in Josh Greenbaum’s documentary profile, Becoming Bond (trailer here), which releases on Hulu this Saturday.

Lazenby is happy to admit to Greenbaum he was just a working-class bloke in Australia, who only came to England in pursuit of Belinda, the great love of his life. After a bit of scuffling, he fell into a successful modeling career. Unfortunately, he succumbed to the temptation represented by his female counterparts, thereby sabotaging his relationship with Belinda yet again. Frankly, the newly single Lazenby pursued a lifestyle that would make James Bond look like a celibate Trappist. He managed to catch the eye of an agent who arranged meetings with the director and co-producer of the first non-Connery Bond film, Peter Hunt and Harry Saltzman, which turned out to be dates with destiny.

So, what happened? Contrary to popular belief, Majesty’s Secret Service was a huge hit. Lazenby was offered a huge contract for six more Bond pictures, but he turned it down, for reasons he still has trouble explaining today. It is fair to say he chafed at some of the contractual controls they wanted to exert over his career, but frankly he obviously could have used their guidance.

Greenbaum’s novel approach intersperses close-up interview segments of Lazenby dishing on his notorious life with dramatized vignettes, in which actors play the Aussie Bond and the major figures revolving around him. It keeps things rather lively and certainly gives us a taste of the wild times. The only drawback is Josh Lawson, who is far too sleight of stature for the broad shouldered Lazenby. In contrast, Jeff Garlin and the ageless Jane Seymour are both quite scene-stealing scenery-chewing riots as Saltzman and Lazenby’s vampy agent Maggie.

Still, it is rather striking (and ultimately quite poignant) how much time Lazenby and Greenbaum devote to Belinda, the one who kept getting away. In fact, Becoming Bond starts out as an ironic pop culture documentary and evolves into a bittersweet love story. Fear not Bond fans, there are still plenty of juicy behind-the-scenes details.

Indeed, Bond is the focus of Becoming Bond, because it is the association that defines Lazenby’s career. However, it seems strange Greenbaum omits Lazenby’s stint with Hong Kong’s Golden Harvest. He was supposed to team up with Bruce Lee, but the martial arts legend died before their scheduled lunch meeting. Instead, Lazenby made the awesome Stoner with Angela Mao Ying and the fan favorite The Man from Hong Kong with Jimmy Wang Yu. There have to be some crazy stories from that time, but did Greenbaum think to sign Lazenby for a sequel? Regardless, it is quite entertaining to hear the forgotten Bond have his say. Recommended for all James Bond fans and anyone who enjoys movie-making gossip, Becoming Bond starts streaming this Saturday (5/20) on Hulu.

Old School Kung Fu ’16: The Man from Hong Kong

You know it’s a successful co-production when both the Hong Kong and Australian leads are injured during the production. Reportedly, it was a slightly contentious set, but at least Jimmy Wang Yu shook off his hang-gliding injuries and George (one-and-done James Bond) Lazenby was not visibly scarred by his burns. The important thing is Ozploitation director Brian Trenchard-Smith got his shots. Fans will agree it was all worth it when The Man from Hong Kong (trailer here) screens during Subway Cinema’s Old School Kung Fu 2016 at the Metrograph.

Win Chan was busted smuggling drugs by Australia’s two most racist cops, but he clams up, playing the “No English” card. Inspector Fang Sing-leng of Hong Kong’s Special Branch will make him talk—and not just because he speaks Cantonese. The trip to Australia comes at an opportune time for Fang. It will give him a chance to hook-up again with Caroline Thorne, the hang-gliding bombshell who crashed landed on the Royal Police Academy grounds during the opening credits—and what credits they are, featuring some lovely aerial photography, Inspector Fang schooling a bunch of short short-wearing cadets in Kung Fu, and the infectiously smooth disco hit “Sky High,” performed by the British top-40 band Jigsaw, who would eventually evolve into the villain of the Saw franchise.

Even before Fang beats it out of him, everyone knows Win Chan was running drugs for the untouchable “reputable businessman” Jack Wilton. Unfortunately, Win Chan will not survive extradition (through no fault of Fang’s). Consequently, Fang will make it his business to create trouble for Wilton’s fronts, including his dojo.

Lazenby might have played 007, but Jimmy Wang Yu gets both girls in Man from Hong Kong, which was arguably rather progressive for 1975, considering they were played by Anglo-Australians Ros Spiers and Rebecca Gilling, both of whom were budding starlets who would have long and productive careers in Australian film and television. Spiers is particularly charismatic as Fang’s hang-gliding instructor.

When you combine the exploitation stylings of Trenchard-Smith, director of the original Turkey Shoot, with the fight choreography of Sammo Hung (who also appears as Win Chan), you know you are going to get plenty of action. Technically, it is several cuts above average, especially the sky high cinematography of future Oscar winner Russell Boyd and the appealingly 1970s trappings.

Jimmy Wang Yu does his thing, throwing it down with authority in the massive fight scenes. He also shows reasonably credible leading man chops, especially opposite Speirs. As Wilton, Lazenby and his moustache are entertainingly villainous. The ex-Bond seems to enjoy chewing the scenery in his second Golden Harvest production, but Stoner, his first Hong Kong outing with the awesome Angela Mao Ying, is far and away his best (whereas, he basically phones it in during Queen’s Ransom, co-starring both Mao and Yang).

To recap, Man from Hong Kong brought together Jimmy Wang Yu, George Lazenby, Sammo Hung, Brian Trenchard-Smith, and Jigsaw. It all comes together pretty much exactly as you would hope and expect. Highly recommended for martial arts fans, The Man from Hong Kong screens today (4/9) and tomorrow (4/10) as part of this year’s Old School Kung Fu at the Metrograph.

The Angela Mao Ying Collection: A Queen’s Ransom

In 1975, Hong Kong was a Crown Colony that wanted to stay that way. Therefore, do not expect them to have much sympathy for an Irish assassin. The HK police will do everything in their power to protect the Queen during her royal visit, but they are already stretched thin dealing with the massive influx of immigrants from Vietnam and Cambodia. There is also some business about a gold shipment in Ting Shang-hsi’s A Queen’s Ransom, which is included in The Angela Mao Ying Collection now available from Shout Factory.

Poor police chief Gao already has more than he can handle, but when Jenny the bargirl’s tip regarding a Filipino client pans out, he assigns Det. Chiang to watch over her. She is relentlessly cute, but also ethically flexible, so it is not just for her protection. It turns out her thuggish customer is part of a team recruited by IRA splinter-group leader George Morgan to assassinate the Queen during her state visit.

Meanwhile, in what seems like an entirely different film, a former Cambodian princess has arrived in a refugee camp, where she stoically accepts her fate. She hardly ever speaks, but she still has her dignity and martial arts skills. The latter will come as quite a surprise to Ducky, the working class HK laborer who befriends her.

Ransom was clearly conceived as a HK version of the 1970s Alistair MacLean film adaptations that usually featured dozens of tiny little boxes of cast photos running across the bottom of their one-sheets. True to form, Ting compulsively introduces new characters throughout the film. Yet, somehow he successfully ties up all his rangy subplots, but not exactly with an elegant knot a salty seafarer would admire.

Frankly, the first two acts are somewhat slow and the interconnectedness of many scenes is not readily apparent. However, it provides an intriguing time capsule of mid-1970s Hong Kong. As go-go as times then were, it probably still seems quaint to residents of today’s mega-mega HK. Ting also cleverly integrates archival footage of both the Queen and the real life refugee camps.

Just as notable is the assembled rogues’ gallery of evil, which one would not even see in American films of the era. In addition to his IRA roots, Morgan hires Jimmy, an HK expat who had become a specialist in guerilla warfare with the North Vietnamese. Like a good Viet Cong, he is only interested in money. Morgan also recruits an African American clearly inspired by the Black Panthers. To create sexual tension Judith Brown (a women-in-prison cult movie favorite) duly taunts him into some rough sex as Black Rose. However, the most ideologically driven members of the gang are unquestionably are the Japanese Red Army terrorists, who also turn out to be the dumbest.

At least Ransom finally delivers a showdown between George Lazenby and Angela Mao. Without question, it is the best choreographed fight of the film. Mao still brings all kinds of grace and presence as the Princess, but Ting criminally under-employs her. During Stoner, his previous Golden Harvest film, George Lazenby was clearly inspired to hold up his end by Mao and their fight choreographer-co-star Sammo Hung. In contrast, here he mostly just seems to be playing out the string as Morgan. Even legend-in-the-making Jimmy Wang Yu’s namesake seems a bit lost in the convoluted backstories and digressions. Still, there is no denying future HK horror maven (Tanny) Ni Tien lights up the screen as Jenny.

Ransom is an odd mishmash of elements, but it is likely to excite the curiosity of HK film fans. It is not a great showcase for Mao, but it is not a bad filler film to go along with more representative outings like the seriously cool Broken Oath, so it is sort of recommended as part of the value-packed Angela Mao Ying Collection, recently released by Shout Factory.

The Angela Mao Ying Collection: Stoner

Which is more deadly, Angela Mao Ying’s hapkido or George Lazenby’s mustache? It had better be Mao, because the one-and-done Bond eventually shaves his ‘stache to throw off the bad guys. It is all part of the sex-and-drugs-and-martial arts glory of Feng Huang’s Stoner (trailer here), which is included in The Angela Mao Ying Collection now available from Shout Factory.

Joseph Stoner is an Australian cop, whose girlfriend was deliberately hooked on a new form of sexually-charged heroin in retribution for his relentless investigations. Sometimes they also say he is American, but that would make him one of those Yankee coppers that drive on the left side of the road. Either way, its not worth getting hung up on.

Angela Li Shou-hua is also a cop, who has been sent undercover into Hong Kong from Taiwan to investigate the mysterious syndicate that keeps buying creaky decommissioned freighters at auction for ridiculous prices. They are both investigating the same outfit, but drug lords have no idea the shy young immigrant selling sodas on a desolate stretch of beach is actually a lethal martial artist. 

However, they see Stoner coming from a mile away and put Agnes Wong Yen-yen, their designated femme fatale, on the case. After a contrived meeting, they capture a blackmail shot of Stoner in bed with Wong. Yet, it really doesn’t seem to bother him because, A: it’s the 1970s and B: she’s hot.

In fact, you really cannot get much more 1970s than this. Supposedly, the bare bones of Stoner were originally conceived as a vehicle for Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba, but the latter dropped out after the former’s tragic death. Frankly, it is impossible to glean much of the initial concept from the final film that is Stoner. The irony further compounded with the casting of Betty Ting Pei (in whose apartment Lee somewhat scandalously passed away) as the temptress Wong.

Add in an incredibly funky soundtrack and some wild psychedelic interludes (that go on much longer than they should because they are designed to accommodate bare breasts) and you have cult movie gold. Believe it or not, Stoner is not a perfect film. Huang keeps his co-leads plugging away separately for way too long and he somewhat favors the title character over Mao’s Li. Still, it is wildly entertaining when they take on the collected bad guys (while Stoner fights off a dose of horndog H).

As usual, Mao throws down with grace and authority, just generally commanding the screen in all respects. It is important to remember the love-him-or-hate-him Bond also had skills, which is why the Broccolis hired him in the first place. Ting adds some smart, saucy smolder as Wong and you knew Sammo Hung had to be in here as one of the chief henchmen.

This is the sort of film you can watch over and over and over again. The normal critical standards do not apply—it just delivers. Highly recommended for fans of Mao, Ting, Hung, and Lazenby (you know who you are), Stoner is now available on DVD as part of Shout Factory’s Angela Mao Ying Collection.