In Praise of Exploiting Christmas (An American Tradition)

Charlie Brown, Rudolph, Frosty . . .You know them and probably love them.  Names that are synonymous with Christmas entertainment.  We travel back to December 12th, 1969, when the CBS television network aired the oddest and creepiest Christmas themed special of all time.

No.  Not that one.

Creepy?  Yes.  But we're talk'n about . . .

CBS took flack.  The show's lone sponsor, General Foods, took flack. Singer Roberta Flack took flack. . . and she didn't even appear in the special. The backlash, which was predictable and inevitable caused heads to roll.  The Zodiac Christmas Special aired only once and has since disappeared from all media outlets.  Impossible to see unless you have a time machine.  Like us.

Here is the gun down:

The special begins on snowy outdoor set.  Gentile piano music plays.  The sound of laughter is in the air.  Two children, dressed warmly, are putting the finishing touches on a snowman.  Their mother calls them in for dinner.  The camera dollies around from the back of the snowman to reveal that the children were making a Zodiac Killer snowman.

The credits begin as ciphers that transform into the star's names.

The Zodiac dancers, twelve curvaceous ladies with glistening smiles, appear in the opening and closing musical numbers.

Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks fame, sings "All I Want for Christmas is a Cipher from You"

Comedian Avery Schreiber introduces the AP All-America Football team.

Edgar Buchannan appears as his character, Uncle Joe Carson, from Petticoat Junction, sitting in a rocking chair on the Shady Rest hotel front porch reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas."

A young Zodiac tells a befuddled Santa what he wants for Christmas.

A decoding expert from the US Army breaks down and solves a special holiday cipher from the Zodiac.

This is the Zodiac speaking.  I've decided to take some time off from hunting and killing people to send a message of peace and love.  This is my favorite time of the year.  The crispness in the air, the lights and decorations, a joyful spirit exuding from all and the Sears Christmass Book.   I ordered a Pro Style toboggan, a deluxe decorator vanity and a new hunting rifle - I couldn't resist.

Zodiac:  4      Santa: 0

It is unknown if the real Zodiac killer watched his special. 

 

In Praise of the Clones of Bruce Lee Part VI: Bambi Lee

In a time that was all about women's rights . . . lefts . . . and sweet middles, it would stand to reason that one of the better clones would be a female.

Bambi Lee's career only lasted five years, none the less, she left an indelible impression on kung fu film fans.

For a brief period, Bambi Lee was the female face of 1970's kung fu cinema.  Dubbed the "Mistress of Mayhem" by Golden Rod Film Studios head, Phillip Kang, and "The Jade Tigress" by some guy in Baltimore, she was proficient in Hapkido, Wushu and Taekwondo.  This slender, raven-haired beauty packed an equally powerful blow with her hands and her feet. 

Bambi Lee, born Siu Liu, never intended to be an actress.  Aged twenty-five, she was married and had a young daughter.  She initially went to Golden Rod Film Studios to apply for an office job.  Phillip Kang, known for his sharp eye for talent, took one look at her and immediately hired her as a clerk/typist.  

Occasionally Siu Liu would be needed as a background extra in movies.  One day, while helping out on the set, an actress was injured in a multiple rickshaw pile-up and couldn't appear in the movie.  The director asked Siu Liu to fill in.  Her first speaking role would be a comedy, sans kung fu, called HONG KONG LOVE AFFAIR (1975).

Siu enjoyed filling in for the day and the director was suitable impressed by her talent.

It was at this point where Kang discovered that Siu Liu had been diligently studying martial arts with her older brothers since she was a child.  He had her work with fight coordinator Chen Yee-Sheng, who felt that with the proper guidance Siu Liu could carry an action film as the lead.

Kang was willing to move forward with a starring role for Siu Liu but felt one change was needed. 

Siu Liu would now be known as Bambi Lee.

Kang reckoned that there were dozens of Bruce Lee clones . . . All men.  Why not a female clone?

All but one of Bambi Lee's films would be produced and released by Golden Rod Film Studios, commencing with LADY DYNAMO (1975).

PLOT:  A run of the mill revenge for slaughtered family plot is greatly enhanced by an energetic Bambi Lee performance and director King Wong working with the outstanding fight choreographer Chen Yee-Sheng.

Chen Yee-Sheng knew how to stage action and fight scenes and did so for over one seventy-five movies.  BUDDHIST WITH THE BLOODY FISTS (1975), OLD STUDENT, YOUNG MASTER (1976), NEW AND IMPROVED FIST OF FURY (1976) and THE SILVER ARROW AVENGERS (1978).

LADY DYNAMO was a major hit, and Bambi Lee was a star in the making.

Phillip Kang, knowing that he had a hot commodity in his hands, signed Bambi Lee up to an exclusive contract.

LADY DYNAMO was followed in quick succession by CONFLICT OF THE DAMNED (1976), KUNG FU TRIO FROM CANTON (1976), NIGHT OF THE LADY ASSASSIN (1977), MY LITTLE SISTER, MY BODYGUARD (1977) aka THE GIRL WITH THE KUNG FU GRIP and COURTESAN'S REVENGE (1978).

PLOT:  Bambi Lee plays an abused high-class escort who goes on a full throttle revenge spree on all of the men that had used her.

Nineteen seventy-nine would bring the best of Bambi Lee's starring vehicles.

In THE CLONES OF BAMBI LEE, Bambi finds that she has a fatal disease, and the doctors have given her only two weeks to live.  The distraught Lee is approached by a shady fellow who introduces her to a scientist who offers to clone Lee so that her talents can live on.  Lee agrees, then shortly thereafter passes away.  A long line of clones attends her funeral.  Her fatal disease was also passed on to the clones, so their shelf life is around two weeks.

THE CLONES OF BAMBI LEE is considered by Bruce Lee clone fans as a top tier clone movie in the genre and had worldwide success at the time of its initial release, but playing five different clone roles took a lot out of her physically and mentally.  

Siu Liu was finished being Bambi Lee.  She had fun, but it was time to return to a normal family life.

Phillip Kang was not happy, as the Bambi Lee films were popular. 

Bambi Lee had actually announced her retirement from the business, but she was lured back for one final film by a triad connected movie producer, who promised her a bigger salary and the release of her kidnaped daughter.

Her final film appearance would be in WAR OF THE BRUCE LEE CLONES (1981).

Which we will cover in our next, and final, look at the clones of Bruce Lee.