It has recently been revealed that two Bruce Lee students wrote the Quincy episode “Touch of Death?” and it closely echoes some parts of Bruce Lee’s life and death.
Quincy, M.E. (also called Quincy) was an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976 to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role, as a Los Angeles County medical examiner who routinely engages in police investigations. The book Where Death Delights by Marshall Houts, a former FBI agent, inspired the TV series.
The episode of interest is in season 3 episode 10 and is called “Touch of Death?” It starred Frank Michael Liu as a Bruce Lee character, (he is also known for his work on Kung Fu (1972) and Forced Vengeance (1982) with Chuck Norris).
The story focuses on Quincy’s assistant Sam whose cousin Tad Kimura is a rising young star in martial arts movie production. Sadly, he dies unexpectedly while filming his latest motion picture. Quincy prepares to perform an autopsy on the body, but it is taken before he can perform the procedure. The reason given for the removal is that due to strict Buddhist beliefs, the body cannot be autopsied. Quincy agrees to do an external examination, but when several questions persist, he decides to go ahead with the autopsy, which causes not only conflict within the Japanese community, but also puts a strain on his close relationship with Sam.
Two of Bruce Lee’s student’s Joe Hymas and Pat Strong wrote the episode, the story line nearly follows Bruce Lee’s life, and the tales of how he may have died. Plus the star character’s name is Tad Kimura, remarkably similar to Bruce Lee’s friend and top Seattle student Taky Kimura.
Watch a version of the original here;
Joe Hymas trained under Bruce Lee and Ed Parker. He wrote a book called Zen in the Martial Arts, this is a short book written from the personal perspective of the author. He recounts more than 25 years of experience in the martial arts, writing how Zen principles gave him the mental discipline to cope with issues of self-image, work pressure and competition. Moreover, how, through mastering the spiritual goals in martial arts, you can dramatically alter the quality of your life, enriching your relationships with people and make full use of your abilities. He also co-authored with Chuck Norris The Secret of Inner Strength: My Story
Patrick Strong was one of Bruce Lee’s original students in Seattle, Washington – USA. Sifu Pat Strong, sometimes referred to as the “Lord of Speed”, is the founder of Deep Level JKD, which focuses intently on the deeper science as well as the physical and mental development behind Bruce Lee’s fighting methods. Deep Level JKD expands upon the original JKD methodology.
Curated by Gary Whitaker and Jun Fan Journal Team
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