Correspondent A J Staton writes;
We celebrate November 27th 2020 as it marks what would have been Bruce Lee’s 80th birthday if he hadn’t tragically died in 1973 after suffering a fatal cerebral oedema caused by an allergic reaction to pain medication. Lee was an incredible athlete, inspiring teacher, thoughtful philosopher and sensitive poet who was responsible for popularizing martial arts in America and broadening our narrow perception of Asian actors. Inspite of many personal hurdles and professional disappointments, he was able to overcome widespread industry racism and establish a new kind of Hollywood action hero who was admired by millions around the world.
Lee’s death at the young age of 32 was a great loss to us all but his family, friends and fans have kept his legacy alive and today he remains a recognizable pop culture figure as beloved and admired as Elvis, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe.
We at WoMA, with thanks to James Staton for pointing out this footage, want to celebrate the day with a reflection on one of the pivotal moments in Bruce Lee’s short but dynamic life notably the Greenway Screen Test. This is the moment that, arguably, launched his success in Hollywood.
We have highlighted this moment because someone has gone to the trouble of colourising the original black and white footage and brought a new dimension to this moment in Bruce’s life. Interestingly it is incorrectly labelled the Green Hornet Screen Test, however the real history to this moment in time goes like this;
In 1964 William Dozier was planning a series based on the popular Chinese detective character Charlie Chan. It was his intention to update the traditional concept of the format and focus on Chan’s eldest son. The “Number One Son”, as the series was to be titled, would star a young, handsome and dynamic lead character. He would have knowledge of Chinese martial arts as well as being adept with a myriad of gadgets and gimmicks making the character not unlike an Oriental James Bond.
During his search for a potential actor to play the role, Dozier was contacted by a famous Hollywood hair-stylist Jay Sebring. Sebring had attended a martial arts tournament in Long Beach and had been stunned, along with all of those in attendance, by a young Chinese martial artist named Bruce Lee.
At the tournament Lee had put on a dazzling display of his skills fighting along with a number of feats of speed and strength. Ed Parker, the organiser of the event, was contacted by Dozier and he explained to the producer that much of Lee’s demonstration had been captured on film and that he would be welcome to view it. Dozier was stunned by the footage, as Sebring had been at the tournament, and arranged for Bruce to come to Hollywood for a screen test.
Between 4th & 5th February 1965 the American born, twenty-four year old Lee found himself before the camera and all those present realised they had found a very special personality. This was a bittersweet moment for Bruce as several days later his father died in Hong Kong 8th February 1965.
Not only was Lee an obvious master of his chosen martial art but was also an incredibly charismatic young man, possessing matinee idol good looks and enough of a “hip” personality to hopefully be accepted by US viewers. Dozier could not believe his good fortune when Lee explained that he was not only a martial artist but also an actor with a long string of successful feature films to his credit in which he had either starred or co-starred, that were made whilst living in Hong Kong with his family during his youth.
Dozier immediately signed the young Lee and all was set for Number One Son to take the nation by storm. Possibly Dozier’s allocation of good fortune ran out when he found Lee as the series progressed no further than the screen test and some script outlines. When, however, a year later his tv series Batman had broken all viewing records across the country the Green Hornet was positioned as the follow up hit series.
Dozier already knew he had his Kato.
Although Van Williams was Dozier’s favourite to play the Green Hornet it was not an easy road to get him and, in the meantime, Bruce starred in two more screen tests in which the part of the Green Hornet was the subject of the test.
These rare screen tests were obtained from Twentieth Century Fox by Tony Taglienti of STAX entertainment, when he secured the rights to the Bruce Lee Documentary ” Bruce Lee The Immortal Dragon” to release on DVD. Tony bought this title under the endorsement of The Bruce Lee Association, a fore runner to the Jun Fan Journal.
On this 80th Birthday of Bruce Lee remember all these little stages in his career led to the legendary legacy he has today, and without one thing, it all could have been totally different . So, treasure all of Mr Lee’s life as a totality as he led a life worth remembering.
Also at this special moment amidst the wealth of merchandise that has appeared and has little to do with the Bruce Lee legacy we celebrate Steve Kerridge and Darren Chua’s long awaited & informative book Bruce Lee Intercepting Fist.
Author: Andrew J. Staton:- British Jun Fan Journal
