Kung Fu
1 9 7 2- 1 9 7 5 (USA)
63 x 60 minute episodes
Premiering in February 1972 with a two-hour pilot originally
titled Kung Fu: The Way of the Tiger, The Sign of the
Dragon, the world was introduced to "Grasshopper" -
The nickname for the young Kwai Chang Caine, given to him by
Master Po, the blind Shaolin priest.
In flashbacks, Master Po
playfully teaches the young, orphaned Caine of the ebb and flow of
life and the interconnectedness of all things.
Caine also had another, stern mentor called Master Kan, the
head priest at the Shaolin temple. They tutored him in a mystic,
philosophical way of harmony and the "oneness of all
things," and a strict code of non-violence whenever possible.
They also taught him the martial art of kung fu. By challenging
him to "Snatch the pebble" time and time again, Kan
instructs Caine in the self-awareness and concentration needed to
achieve any goal in life. "When you snatch the pebble from my
hand," Kan would say, "then it will be time for you to
leave."
 That time comes when Caine kills a member of the Chinese royal
family in self-defence and is forced to travel to the 1870s
American west with a price on his head. Once in the US, Caine
begins to search for his lost half-brother Danny, who is wandering
the Western countryside.
And so his quest to find Danny and, hence, himself began. He
travelled through the Wild West, following up clues to his
brother's whereabouts, and familiarising himself with his new
homeland.
He also discovered an intolerant air of anti-Asian racism. In
combating that racism, Caine's martial arts training came into
play.
When confronted with a thug or bigot that threatened him, he
would calmly and with no fanfare dispatch the villain with a
flexing of his Kung Fu skills.
There were many unusual, things about Caine. Besides being a
"Chinaman" in the United States, he spoke very softly
and hardly at all, uttering cryptic statements about the nature of
being and universal harmony, often flashing back to something he
was taught by the Masters ("Remember, the wise man walks
always with his head bowed, humble, like the dust.").
Only when he absolutely had to defend himself, would he use the
ancient Chinese martial arts instead of modern-day weapons.
Kung Fu used many gimmicks to lend it a surreal aspect, such as
slow-motion photography and including frequent flashbacks to
Caine's days as a youth in China where his teachers, Master Po and
Master Kan appeared. Caine was usually a loner, although in the
final season, an American cousin, Margit, began to make frequent
appearances.
Of interest is the long list of guest-stars who wandered the
show's credits, including Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Barbara
Hershey, Robert Urich, Gary Busey, Tina Louise and William Shatner.
The star, David Carradine, was responsible for much of the
publicity surrounding the show. A member of a respected theatrical
family (his father was legendary actor John Carradine),
David dropped out of Hollywood's glittery world and lived an
unconventional life in a rundown old house in the hills,
reflecting the same philosophy of mysticism and "oneness with
nature" that his character Caine's represented.
The lame syndicated update Kung Fu - The Legend Continues,
sullied the Kung Fu legacy in the early '90s.
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