Does anybody who watched "Kung Fu" even remember just whatever was
carried around in Caine's shoulder bag? I haven't seen this show
in many years and am curious as to the bag's contents. This was
such a great classic television show which the network canceled
much too soon.
Lawrence Sunny California
Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!
tbirdman-1, I don't remember everything that was in his bag, but I do remember he had some type of medicinal / first aid things in there. But, as I said, I don't remember the other items he had in there.
In regards to why the show went off the air, it was not because the network decided to end the show, but instead it was because DAVID CARRADINE decided to quit the series. Here below I have copied and pasted an explanation from the IMDb website about why the show ended (I put it in quotes) :
"The only reason this show went off the air was because star David Carradine quit the series. He had sustained so many injuries, he felt he could not go on. The show got high ratings all three seasons it aired."
Thanks for answering my post. And also for your explanation as to why
David Carradine had quit doing the Kung Fu television show. I was
not clear for many years as to the reason he left the show and now
I know why it ended after just three years. Btw I like your user
name as the film Top Gun is one of my all time favorite Hollywood
movies and I'm a longtime fan of Tom Cruise as well. 2011 marked
the 25th anniversary of this great action film and I do hope that
Tom Cruise and Paramount will eventually do an official sequel!
Lawrence Sunny California
Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!
Lawrence, Caine always had his fancy pajamas for ritual combat, a few herbs to put in his tea ('purely medicinal officer') and at times his flute, various carvings for specific episodes, seeds to plant on the graves of dead people he buried and occasionally some food.
shareWow and thanks for your very complete explanation of his bag's
contents! Now I know just what Caine carried around with him
during his travels.
Lawrence Sunny California
Call me a sailor or a swabby just don't call me a squid!
Happy to oblige tbirdman, bought all 3 series of DVDs. One of them talks about Carradine feeling that he'd done as much as he could with the Caine character and once he met his half-brother the series was complete really. Some posters on here say the third series went too mystical but I loved all 3 series. Loved Carradines directional debut episodes and the general innocence and nobility of the show. Watching it today is like a meditation with those lovely fade in/out shots, flash-backs and long uncut sequences, very relaxing.
shareI would say the original series never got more mystical than it should have. The later The Legend Continues, however, was just bonkers. Time travel by thought? Sure.
I expect a big part of the problem was that Carradine had begun to take himself and his "powers" (not real cuz he was just an actor) way too seriously.
I heard an interview with him on a radio show not long before his death, and when the show host obviously wasn't believing that Carradine - not just "Caine" - could actually travel through time by mind power or whatever, Carradine got huffy and had his PR person do the rest of the "interview."
He had definitely turned into a major-league d!ck in his later years.
It was mostly full of herbs and organic matter that Caine would use for medicinal purposes. I think Sholin Priests are a combination medicine man/priest/martial artist. He seemed to be able to make an a remedy for any injury.
In certain episodes he pulls out small trinkets that facilitate the plot. In season two, "The Well," he give a boy a magnifying glass as gift for saving his life.