Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio Blog

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Many do not realize that in addition to being a martial artist and an author that Mr. Ed Parker, the founder of American Kenpo, was also an actor. He appeared in many films and shows over the years.

Here are some of the films and television shows Mr. Parker was in (taken from imdb.com). I have also included shows where he appeared as a stuntman.

Actor:

• Curse of the Pink Panther (1983) …. Mr. Chong (Truly a classic!)
• Seven (1979) …. Ed Parker
• Kill the Golden Goose (1979)… aka Kill the Golden Ninja (I own this one and love the action it!)
• Seabo (1978) ….aka Buckstone County Prison (USA)
• Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) (uncredited) …. Mr. Chong (another classic!)
• The Money Jungle (1968)
• “I Spy” …. Rico (1 episode, 1967) The Trouble with Temple (1967) TV Episode …. Rico
• The Secret Door (1964) (uncredited)
• “The Lucy Show” (1 episode, 1963) Lucy and Viv Learn Judo (1963) TV Episode

Stunts:

• The Wrecking Crew (1969) (stunts) (uncredited)
• The Green Berets (1968) (stunts) (uncredited)
• Gunn (1967) (stunts) (uncredited)
• Dimension 5 (1966) (stunts) (uncredited)… aka Dimension Four (UK)
• “I Spy” (1965) TV Series (stunts) (unknown episodes)
• “Run for Your Life” (1965) TV Series (stunts) (unknown episodes)
• Experiment in Terror (1962) (stunts) (uncredited)… aka The Grip of Fear (UK)
• “The Case of the Dangerous Robin” (1960) TV Series (stunts) (unknown episodes)
• “Mike Hammer” (1956) TV Series (stunts) (unknown episodes) … aka Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer (USA: complete title)

He also choreographed “The Perfect Weapon” using 100% American Kenpo but was not personally in the film.

Which ones have you seen? Leave your answers in the form of a comment below.

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Just when you thought the “wax on, wax off” references have finally started to fade, Will Smith decides to remake a modern day version of “The Karate Kid.”

The original movie is a classic. Great story, great portrayal of martial arts philosophies, spot on life lessons, and more. I still laugh over the whole Cobra Kai Dojo as I know of plenty of studios out there who are spitting images of that mentality to this day. In fact, I still make references to this film in class as they did an outstanding job of simplifying basic concepts in the martial arts that are easy to relate to.

The remade film will star Smiths’ son Jaden (from “Pursuit of Happyness” fame) as well as, you guessed it, Jackie Chan who will play Mr. Miyagi. I expect a great film coming from Will Smith but wonder if they will be able to make Jackie Chan out to be more of a serious character or lean towards his usual comic relief role? I don’t know that I can personally take him too seriously so time will tell which way they go and hopefully he surprises me.

No word yet on a launch date.

What did you most like about the film? Leave your thoughts below in the form of a comment.

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This past weekend I finally went to see the Bourne Ultimatum with Matt Damon.

As a martial artist, I love going to films that demonstrate martial arts in a realistic manner. So what did I think of the martial arts in this film? Read on.

If you think I’m going to say I didn’t like it because they weren’t doing Kenpo on the screen, think again. When I first saw these movies, it reminded me a lot of Kenpo so I was immediately sold. So what did I think? Simply put, the fight scenes alone are worth the price of admission. Anyone who has seen the movie I’m sure will agree.

Many people are bugged by the shakey camera effect however I will say it makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action. A nice touch, if you ask me. The use of environmental weapons was a great twist when Bourne uses a hardbound book to overwhelm an “asset” that was sent to kill him. In Kenpo, environment is defined as everything in you, on you, and around you. Bourne used this idea incredibly well and a good reminder that if ever put in position to defend ourselves that environmental objects can be a great equalizer.

I was impressed at how believable Damon was with the martial arts moves. He looked very natural and it didn’t seemed forced. You can tell he did a lot of training before the film started and from what I understand it was a form of Escrima/Kali. From my perspective, he moved like he knew what he was doing. So was it acting or is he that good? Frankly, I don’t care. He nailed it.

The film started with a bang and didn’t let up for the rest of the movie. Good plot. Good pace. Good action. This is by far the best of the trilogy (although there are rumors of more to come).

My overall review: Run, don’t walk, to go see this movie!

Agree or disagree? Leave your opinion in the form of a comment below.

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I just caught wind that Bruce Lee’s 1973 classic martial arts film “Enter the Dragon” is to be remade.

Its going to be written and directed by Kurt Sutter who is the producer of “The Shield” on the FX channel; so it should be pretty gritty. The new title will be “Awaken the Dragon.”

Hopefully they don’t screw this one up as its going to be a hard movie to beat. It will no doubt involve a ton of wire work and unbelievable digital effects.

The Associated Press is said to have received an email today from Warner Bros. publicist that the remake will tell the tale of an FBI agent who is assigned to investigate a Shaolin monk and underground Kung Fu fight clubs. No word yet on who will be cast in the lead roles.

If you’ve never seen the original Bruce Lee classic, I highly recommend renting it. It’s one of the all time best martial arts movies, ever. Period.

BONUS: Rumor has it that the dojo scene in Enter The Dragon takes place at a Kenpo Karate Studio.

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