Now we come to our final look at the clones of Bruce Lee. The big daddy of all Bruceploitation! The film that is lousy with Lees! 1981's WAR OF THE BRUCE LEE CLONES, which was released by the fine folks at TRANSCONTINENTAL INTERNATIONAL PICTURES.
The world's love for Bruce Lee manifested itself in many ways. Some of them touching, some of them loving and some of them odd. Very odd. The Bruce Lee clone became a minor phenomenon in the film world after the little dragons shocking, untimely death in 1973.
With its biggest star no longer available for a close up, the genre was in full blown crisis mode. What does a producer do when the face of the kung fu movie genre is no longer around to bring in guaranteed box office?
Barring the lack of the real McCoy, you make movies with fake McCoys, or McClones, if you will. The industry that road the Bruce Lee gravy train turned to these clones and Bruceploitation was born. The casting call went out to near and far... from glen to glen... and the call was answered with an emphatic Yeeaw!, by anyone with passable martial arts skills and a bowl haircut. The clones came from, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea and the Philippines. Male. Female. Midget. It would help if they bore a slight resemblance to Bruce Lee, but not being Asian wasn't even a deal breaker. There was even a one-off Jewish Bruce Lee clone from Tel Aviv, who went by the name of Boaz Leepschitz in A FISTFUL OF SHEKELS (1976).
A Taiwanese lensed cluster fuck, which is a hell of a lot of fun. As far as Taiwanese lensed cluster fucks go.
WAR OF THE BRUCE LEE CLONES collects the best of the bunch and some new faces. Any Lee, who was any Lee, played a part in this film.
PLOT:
An all-out no-holds-barred rock 'em sock 'em kung fu spectacle!
Ho Pang Nu directed well over one hundred films, some of his better being; MASTER OF THE FLYING ELECTRIC CHAIR (1974), A SMALL DOSE OF DEADLY KUNG FU (1973), ENTER THE SIAMESE DRAGON (1972) and THE WON TON KID (1978).
Starring: Shitake Lee, Bruise Lee, Bruce Do Re Le (who sings a song while fighting), Atlas Lee, Adolph Lee (with Hitler mustache), Shades Lee, Florsheim Lee, Rikki-Tikki-TavLe, Sun Tea Lee, Mecha Lee, Spike Le, Bruce PresLee (dressed like Elvis), Kraken Lee, Sambo Lee (in black face with big afro), Bambi Lee and Juice Lee
Shades Lee also appeared in THE KILLER BEHNID THE FOSTER GRANTS (1979)
Sambo Lee would also appear in ENTER THE JIVE TURKEY (1980)
Bruce PresLee would have no other film appearances.
Atlas Lee, who was a weightlifter, went onto to star in ATLAS LEE VERSUS CHINESE HERCULES (1982).
Adolph Lee escaped to the Philippines and appeared in A CLOSE SHAVE IN BURMA (1982) and COMMANDOES FOR RENT (1983). In 1993 he wrote his autobiography, MY STRUGGLE. . . AS AN ACTOR.
Spike Le would go on to star in NUNCHUK NUMBSKULLS (1982)
Rikki-Tikki-Tav Le was never heard from prior or after
Sun Tea Lee would star in HOPPING MAD (1981)
WAR OF THE BRUCE LEE CLONES would be the only clone film released by Transcontinental International Pictures. Typically released on a double bill with CHING CHONG CHARLIE (1980) a some-what humorless comedy that featured no clones. . . Lee or otherwise.
TIP's Klark Kincaid was drinking buddies with a higher up in the View-Master organization. He was able to make a deal for the release of a View-Master movie tie-in.
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