Bruce Lee Death by Misadventure

[isamoo]

Hi. I just got through watching the Bruce Lee documentary "Death by Misadventure". It was quite good. I thought the interview with Brandon towards the end was unnecessary though. But the scenes discussing the circumstances surrounding his death were very intriguing. Are there any more Bruce Lee documentaries similar to this one? I want to collect every documentary on Bruce. What others do you recommend? Doesn't matter if it's a PAL DVD either.

[shukocarl]

Unfortunately a lot of Bruce Lee documentaries are almost the same. Same talking heads, same stories, same clips and almost nothing controversial. Thats why I like Death by Misadventure...it's different. I suspect that we'll never see a 'true' doc on Lee for legal reasons.
Carl

[Markgway]

I remember thinking it was tasteless when I saw it as a teenager. No idea what I'd make of it now.

[Chinatown Kid]

I found Death By Misadventure a very informative documentary on Lee's death. The interview with Bruce's own doctor(Dr. Don Langford) definately lended credibility and authority to the documentary. I was shocked to learn that this doc came from the dubious George Tan if i'm correct.

[morgoth]

I was amazed by how good that documentary was. Good bonus feature on the commentary track gives you another extended interview with the doctor.

[mormovies]

I always wondered why the information in this documentary never filtered to any books or articles. It seems so definitive, especially the interview with the doctor who autopsied Lee! The autopsy photo blew me away! So much information and it seems well researched. I've been telling Bruce fans about this for a while. I found it first as a HK VCD and later the DVD. I collect every Lee documentary I can get my hands on. There's a brand new one from Lions Gate.

[morgoth]

I thnk I saw that at Best Buy. Is it in the red case? How is it?

[theportlykicker]

The autopsy photo blew me away!

Whaaa?! I haven't seen the doc so I don't know exactly what it shows, but that sounds pretty effed up to me!

[morgoth]

Haven't seen it in a while. I don't remember them showing his body but I think they showed a photo of the autopsy report.

[Chinatown Kid]

I don't remember any autopsy photo of Lee but it's been a while since I watched it. They do have interviews with the HK coroner who gave his autopsy and also his personal Physician who give very interesting imformation about his death. It's the most in depth information I've seen on the subject.

[isamoo]

It was a photo but a very disturbing one at that.

By the way, has there been any evidence that Bruce was having an affair with Betty whatshername?

Oh and I'm also curious...Is John Lezby the same guy who played Stiener in Game of Death?

[killer meteor]

George Lazenby was 007 in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and was meant to have a part in Bruce's version of Game Of Death

Hugh O'Brian was Steiner in Game Of Death

[greenbamboo]

yeah DBM doc was done by George Tan is response to Dragon BL Story which he hated. He wanted to show the truth rather than frabricated Hollywood lies. GT has more unreleased materials on BL than anyone - extensive interviews with all people associated with BL, thousands of unreleased photos. Many now deceased - Lo Wei, Unicorn Chan, Bob Baker, Paul Wei etc.

[Squid Lips]

Yeah, I remember that photo of Bruce laying on that slab was the reason when this came out everyone was buying it. It is pretty depressing but at least the documentary is different from most others out there.

[Chinatown Kid]

I'm surprised I can't remember seeing the photo when watching the film but agree that was in poor taste, they should have had more respect for the man's family and Bruce himself than to show it.

[Markgway]

I think it was the photo that turned me sour now that it's mentioned again - totally gratuitous and exploitative. I don't mind an intelligent examination of Bruce Lee's death - but this was made for the quick buck.

[WalkOn]

Yep! Saw this documentary sometime ago. Cheaply made and very controversial indeed. Not for your Bruce Lee fan boy, which I was guilty of being. I appreciate the indepth look into the mystery surronding BL, but I'm in agreeance with Markgway, this was made for a quick buck, without a doubt, just like most of George Tan's projects, from what I understand. Extremely poor taste with the BL pic.

I would just take most the views on this documentary as information because some the statments made were not proven, what's fact is fact and speculation is just that, speculation. It's up to the viewer to accept it truth or whatever else.

It was good to hear Jim Kelly talk about Bruce.

[greenbamboo]

yeah and many fans around the world still believed that Bruce didn't die - yeah i know it's crazy. But this pic atleast confirmed to these fans that he did die. Bad taste or not. Sometimes truth hurts.

[Chinese Sausage]

One of the best documentaries of Bruce Lee I've ever seen. It touches some topics which most documentaries don't cover (i.e. the detailed reason of Bruce Lee's unfortunate death).

Highly recommended.8)

[killer meteor]

None of the Bruce documentaries I've seen impressed me. I do reccomend the book Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit by Bruce Thomas.

[morgoth]

I don't agree with Walkon that this movie was made just for a quick buck since it is very intersting and while it looks in quality like your average Video Asia movie, it actually is vey well done. Now the fact that ths doc. is done by VA, I have to agree with Walkon on what he said abotu fact and speculation. It is intersting but there is nothing credible about it.

[stormybman]

This documentary, DBM, was made for a couple of reasons, primarily because the people who put out Warner's Curse of the Dragon, had the information, however, elected not to use it. It was yet another attempt to gloss over Lee's life in reality and to continue to give false impression this was a man with little or no flaws.
I don't feel DBM to be done in poor taste for a quick buck when information never provided before, finally saw light: i.e. the interviews with Dr.'s Peter Wu, and Charles Langford.
Doesn't anyone out there feel it's awfully strange these men were NEVER consulted before, or even interviewed on Lee and his collaspes prior to his death, when they were the ones who treated him? It's all a combined effort of a cover up by his estate, and the people of Hong Kong.
Fact of the matter is this, Lee was becoming the biggest star of Hong Kong at the time, he wasn't handling stardom well, his unsavory lifestyle off screen was taking him down the drain, and his philandering was jeopordizing his marriage. Do you understand, according to Chinese culture, how terrible a loss of face it is for a married man to not only die in another woman's home, but also a woman he's rumored to have been carriying on a very public affair with for quite some time? This is one of the biggest reasons why no real monuments are in Hong Kong, for Lee, other than the new statue. Factor in his drug usage, and there you have it.
I cannot understand why his family continues to try and uphold the squeaky clean image of the guy. He's long gone, and, there are reasons for it. He himself contributed significantly, and the truth needs to be brought forth, not to embarrass him, but to lay to rest the falsehoods because when he was becoming a star, the world knew nothing of the man. We learned everthing after he died. That was angled tampered info at that.
When he first died, the estate had to lie to receive proper payouts from insurance companies... Imagine that!!! The family wouldn't have been taken care of because of his lifestyle, so they had to fabricate info. so they can receive their benefits! That alone tells you what kind of man he was.
Listen, i'm not bashing the guy, only saying fans deserve the truth since he's been placed in a position for people to admire him, and i feel the documentary Death By Misadventure goes a long way to dispelling the glossy lies of other productions like Curse of the Dragon.
One final note, the morgue photo, on display in the piece, shows a Lee that was in serious distress at the time of his passing. First, it's not an autopsy photo, it's a morgue shot, prior to autopsy. Second, anyone can tell there are bruises on the left side of the brow, around the forehead, and the neck is terribly swollen, almost as if it's broken. Third, the shot is in black and white, hiding further detail. Someone should have tracked down the photographer, he may have had something to say. Hell, I'm glad the guy snuck in and stole the shot. It's the only proof we as fans have, Bruce is dead, and, all was not right, here.

[Chinatown Kid]

I agree Stormy that this documentary was interesting and gave alot of interesting info, and I do believe alot that was said about his death was very credible, especially what Dr. Langford said. Bruce was human and wasn't perfect and had faults too just like the rest of us. This doesn't make the achievements and accomplishments he made any less valuable and I respect him for it. I do think it was in poor taste to show the autopsy photo though and wish they would have respected his family more than to show it. I never did buy the euqagesic theory as his cause of death because the same thing happened to Bruce a few months before his actual death and the doctors were able to bring him back. And when the first incident happened he hadn't taken any of the euqagesic. For more interesting info I suggest reading the book Fighting Spirit by Bruce Thomas if you haven't already done so. ;)

[stormybman]

You're right. I've read so much material on the man, being a tremendous fan since a kid. I've read both Fighting Spirit and Fighting Words, and not to mention what I've personally enjoyed best, Unsettled Matters, written by Tom Bleecker, who married Linda Lee for a short while in the late '80's. His book really shed light on the estates' reasons for projecting and marketing Lee the way things have been done since the late '80's.
After reading his recollections, and revelations, I personally contacted Mr. Bleecker, who was more than pleasant, and spoke freely. We exchanged emails over a period of a month and he finished with this tidbit: There's far more important things out there to concern yourself with, and the circumstances surrounding this entertainer were no more mystery than what happens in everyone's life. The fact that no one bothered to truthfully inform the public 30 years ago made this bigger than it really is. Had Lee died in a car accident ala Fu Sheng, he may have no where nearly reached the pinnicle of his noted achievements. That's the reality.
If you haven't read Unsettled Matters Kid, you may want to seek that book out. Numbers of Lee Loyalists condemed the book, citing Bleecker a Lee hater, and a betrayer of Linda. I didn't quite see that way. As he wrote himself, being a Martial Artist for over 40+ years, and married to Linda for the better part of two, his loyalties were to the Martial Arts community. He simply pulled the curtain back, so we could see what went on backstage, and as Bruce himself always spoke about, honestly expressing himself. I think Bruce would have respected Bleecker's candor. It's the estate who has problems with reality.

'till the next subject, WALK ON!! :D

[Chinatown Kid]

I haven't read Unsettled Matters yet but it sure sounds like an interesting read stormy and worth adding to the collection. Do you know the best place to find this book, maybe a site online where I can buy it?

[Beat TG]

By the way, has there been any evidence that Bruce was having an affair with Betty whatshername?

Betty confirmed there was nothing deep going on between her and Bruce other than Bruce being a good friend but neighbors at the time stated that Bruce visited her more than once. If there ever was an affair, I believe Bruce wanted to end this but only to resume it after Betty tried to commit suicide.

[stormybman]

Well interestingly, Unsettled Matters is not a book that's readily available. I found my copy through a book search conducted by an old bookstore in my city. What's more, info. came back stating this: No new copies available, used copies going for $200.00, $125.00, and $36.00 were accessable. Naturally, I purchased the one for $36.00, and it's in great shape! I believe the Lee Estate bought out the publication due to the information this read provides. It's the single most revealing potrait of BL ever, and i now understand a great deal more about his story.
************************************

Yes, Bruce was having an affair with Betty Ting Pei, and what's more is he never realized she was purposely placed in his life so that a certain party would have greater access over his career. Samson slain by Delilah, people. It happens. Look at Mike Tyson, once Robin Givens came along, it was over for him. However, we're talking about individuals with flaws, and everone doesn't have the same flaw. You may get a guy with this, but maybe not that...
For BL, his flaws were magnified by his ego, and once drugs entered the picture, they intensified beyond the eccentric.
Many spoke of his last months, even days of his life and he seemed to be in a fog, repeating himself, having fits of rage, drinking heavily, staying nights away from home and family, and constant run ins with his constituants.
These are signs of chemical imbalance, and when you identify that as a problem, you then seek out the cause. Betty knows SO much more than what she says today. Back in 1974, when Felix & Ayeto wrote their book, King of Kung Fu, Betty revealed to the author she and Lee were indeed having an affair and she somehow felt " responsible " for what happened. She felt Lee would regain consciousness and that's why she delayed calling for medical assistance. Bull@#$*!!!
No one around Lee that day were going to assist him, he'd burnt his final candle. :rolleyes

[Chinatown Kid]

To bad Bruce had to get tied up with Ting Pei, she was bad news. That movie Bruce Lee and I she did for the Shaws supposedly telling the story of her and Bruce's relationship seemed like a crock of bullshit to me although I don't doubt he was having an affair with her. Bad choice on Bruce's part. :\

[WalkOn]

I too was a fan boy and didn't want to hear anything negative about Bruce Lee since childhood. I'm still a fan, but now I grew up and realize he was human and like the rest of us, with flaws, which gives me a new found respect for him. I will always have respect for him and his accomplishments. I try to read all I can about him, positive or negative, and take the information as just that, information. It's great that more and more information is becoming available. BTW, Unsettled Matters was posted on Nick Clarke's forum for free in it's entirety.

Bruce did drugs and fooled around, big deal, that about describes 85% of the fellas I know! (joking) Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, everyone's entitled to their opinions, based on factual information, anecdotes, rumours and everything else. This is what makes the world go round. It's all good, we can't judge anyone, including Bruce. Either way you look at it, Bruce Lee will not be forgotten.
R.I.P. Bruce Lee.

[stormybman]

I appreciate your comments, and would simply like to add I'm not judging, even if my comments may sound that way. I'm only passing on info. and my thoughts about Lee and his legacy remain positive. I would also like to say my disappointment only came from so much truth being withheld for so long.
There are probably no greater fans for this man than myself, and i'm now convinced we all share a common thread in how his career affected us.

keep punching! :D

[WalkOn]

and i'm now convinced we all share a common thread in how his career affected us.
Yes siirr! ;)

Thanks for the comments and information.

Respectfully,

Cesar

[WalkOn]

I forgot to mention that it was the author himself, Tom Bleecker, that posted his book on Nick's forum for free.

[greenbamboo]

www.sanjosekenpo.com/UNSETTLEDMATTERS.pdf (http://www.sanjosekenpo.com/UNSETTLEDMATTERS.pdf)

The book is posted at my forum with permission from Tom Bleecker - somewhere on the forum LOL. I got a few extra chapters that were edited out of the the released book that is found in the above link. Thanks, Nick Clarke
p.s. Death by Misadventure dvd released by Video Asia has excellent extras with full interviews with the Doctors. Also interviews with co-stars, stuntmen etc. The doc was done by George Tan and Davis Miller helped in the writing. Davis worked on Curse of the Dragon with Fred Weintraub and hated the experience.

[Chinatown Kid]

Bruce Lee should be remembered for his great accomplishments in the Martial Arts and in Martial Arts Cinema and I will always respect him for that. His faults and weakness just make him all the more human. He will always be an inspiration to me in striving for greater heights in the Martial Arts. Often imitated but never duplicated, he will never be forgotten. ;)

[Squid Lips]

I spoke with Bleeker a lot for a couple years. He even sent me a copy of a script called TEA LEAVES he wrote that was a fictional account of the death of a "certain martial artist" and he used all the info he found about Bruce and his death. The guy was VERY knowledgeable and most of what he told me I took as very sincere.

A lot of surprising things about Bruce. But he said that he thought Bruce was phenomenal, it is just much of his human side (drugs, steroids, infedelity) was down played to keep the cash cow going.

[greenbamboo]

yep i've got his script. I liked it. It's called 'Tea Money' - what u pay triads.

[Soda drink]

thanks for the PDF link Chinatown kid

[Chinatown Kid]

Sorry but I can't take the credit for that link Soda, it was greenbamboo that posted it. ;) Funny thing is, when I click on that link all I get is a blank page. I wonder why it won't work for me? :(

[Dion Brother]

While UNSETTLED MATTERS is sensational and tabloidish, I don't consider it to be all that factual. Bleeker's obsession with Bruce's testicles was a little weird. His time spent posting on a pixie fetish group on Usenet was also odd. Oops, did I just say that? Though I dislike him, George Tan did an interesting rip on points in the book in an interview. Tom seemed bitter that neither Ed Parker, Joe Lewis or Chuck Norris were as popular as Bruce. I'm not even a Bruce fan, but I thought Bleeker's material was petty and childish. He was also ignorant of the artistic sensibilities of Hong Kong cinema.

The best book about Bruce is Jesse Glover's self-published work. It portrays Bruce as a flawed, but likeable and interesting human being. That should have been the basis of the stupid DRAGON movie.

[Yakuza954]

Bleeker's obsession with Bruce's testicles was a little weird.
Why? It was an abnormality and one of the first things Bruce always mentioned to people he met. It also was used as a possible explanation for Bruce's personality defects later on in life. It's not like the author just started talking about it for no good reason.
He was also ignorant of the artistic sensibilities of Hong Kong cinema.
I sorta agree with this. He talks about how poor Bruce's HK movies were, but then doesn't say anything negative about Enter the Dragon (which I think is Lee's worst film). That's just a minor gripe though.. I think Unsettled Matters is a very necessary look into a subject about Bruce Lee that isn't covered very much - his dark side. Bruce was obviously troubled, especially late in his life, and reading the whole thing reminded me of the disarray Henry Hill's life was in at the end of Goodfellas. Bruce was a great martial artist, but not the saint he's often cracked up to be.

[Dion Brother]

Having an undescended testicle doesn't turn you into a power mad looney, at least according to medical sites i've looked on. Bleecker had an axe to grind. The fact that he was Linda's ex-husband is very telling. Its actually a classless betrayal of privacy, and not very manly in my book. Also the implications of Bruce's steroid use are laughable. Yeah, at 130 lbs he was just a monster! Bleecker got his ass reamed on Usenet by some skeptical posters on his revelations. Its old news.

I wasn't impressed by Bleecker's attempts at journalism, and its obvious he thinks the other California martial artists got the short shrift (reason: they had no screen presence...duh!). Most who knew him have no negative opinions of Bruce, other than Lee Marvin. I'm sure Lee was egomaniacal but like BFD. Who isn't that way in Hollywood?

[stormybman]

How about the fact that Betty Ting Pei was intentionally inserted into Bruce's life at the time when he had just become a free agent so to speak after completing his two film contract with GH? That comment seemed to go over everyone's head here. Unless, no one gives a damn. I believe that's the time the curtain began to fall, and if you were to trace her connections to whom, you can sort of see the writting on the wall. Drugs, weight loss, erratic behavior, removing sweat glands, and other weird sorts came suddenly afterwards.
And, as Bleecker said, what's all the talk of her starring in GOD? This woman was BL's mistress, not some actress he sought to star in his movie! What was BL taking anxiety medication for? Sedatives cloud the judgement, if they're being abused.
Where were Lee's children on July 20th? Where was Wu Ngan and his family? They lived there also! Why did Chow come to his home? The floating hour that Linda said she missed her husband and Chow leaving their home, and the time Chow said they left? Dinner with Lazenby? Nobody cared about him! Set up! Betrayal! Lies! Deception! Cover-up! Conspiracy! Murder! It goes on and on, and now we are left with the Grassy Knol!!!! Man this is such BS!!!!

[greenbamboo]

Raymond Chow introduced Betty to Bruce. I was told that Bruce was going to split with Chow and take him to court for not showing him the financial books from their film company 'Concord Productions'. In his last letter on July 20th he writes to his attorney Adrian Marshall, "I would like to meet with you first before meeting with Raymond Chow and then both of us will hear him out." Bruce also told his stuntmen who included Bee Chan, Yuan Wah, Peter Chan, Jackie Chan, Philip Ko Fei, Lam Ching Ying, Wu Ngan etc that he was taking them all to the US with him. Bruce was moving back to the US so no doubt Chow was pleased about all of this NOT. There's definitely a strong motive for murder if this is the truth.

[Beat TG]

interesting opinion you got there, stormybman. Lee's death is probably the one celeb death that fascinates me the most, considering how much facts/rumors and so on just keeps floating around since then.

[stormybman]

Now see Greenbamboo? That's my point here. Bruce was a man who spoke his mind to people directly and in this case it may have been fatal. I have always felt funny about him stating he'd take that talent with him to the U.S.. The HK stuntmen were the pool where this industry's future depended on. In getting Bruce out of the way, what better signal to send to the rest of the talent crop to tow the line. Chow was a very shrewed business man. Don't forget, he eventually toppled Sir Run Run Shaw. Bruce was very small potatoes.
If Bruce left for America, followed through with his plans, the HK fim industry would have remained extremely mediocre for years to come. With him out of the way, the cash cow that he was, he would be even more profitable in death, and the finacial windfall would go dirrectly to Chow, for decades to come, which did eventually happen.
Chow was present both times when Lee suffered his attacks, the second being fatal. People are saying " he took cannabis", ok, so what? Chow WAS present both times! Poison is the logical explaination here, and motives in abundance! When BL was admitted to the hospital on May 10th, he had the symptons of someone who had been poisoned. Also the huge insurance policy taken out on him in April, came into effect on May 5th, and on the 10th, he nearly died? Strange?! Chow took out that mysterious third policy on Lee, And he received a benefit after Lee died. Mo' Money, Mo' Problems!!!
It's a shame, but given the information at hand, the motives, profits and gains, one doesn't need to look far to get to the point, murder was the case.

[stormybman]

There's more to consider here, Beat. Being in the Orient, the Triads have as much clout as government. They went out of the way for hundreds of years getting people to tow the line.
I don't know why Bruce pretended to be above all this being from there, and also not aligning himself with some serious "backing" of his own. Who knows, maybe Lee was attempting to pull a Triad move with the stuntmen idea, however, those mean have taken their own blood oaths.:rolleyes
There's really no mystery. In HK at that time in particular, you played ball or game over. :hat

[Dion Brother]

Or Bruce just burned out. Happens with his type of personality. Overtraining, not sleeping enough, work obsessive, partying too much. From all accounts, he seemed tense all the time, which has bad side effects. If he didn't die that night, he would have died soon after.

Bleecker's book is tenditious, like a Michael Moore or Oliver Stone movie. You make a predetermined conclusion, and then take everything out of context to prove your point. It's just bad journalism.

The Hong Kong industry did just fine without Bruce. Hell, the Hui Brothers movies were bigger in the 70s, and so was HOUSE OF 72 TENANTS. This myth that their industry depended on Bruce is just lazy theorizing by inept writers in the West.

[Johnnie freeze]

Bruce was the man, and thats what got under Ton Bleeker's skin ...just a jealous/bitter man who wanted to "de-throne" Bruce...maybe it was to get back at Linda, or maybe because Bruce was a better Martial Arts then he...whatever reason, this book did not read as impartial or unbiased...Bleeker put a negative spin on EVERYTHING. The one thing he couldn't dismiss was Bruce's impressive physique, so he did the next best thing and attibuted it to steroid use.
In my opinion, Bleeker made himself look bad...We all know Bruce was a human being just trying to do the best he can, which is better then then what most people can accomplish.
"This or That" may be true, but my response is "SO WHAT, I'm as big of fan of Bruce Lee's as I've ever been".
'nuff said. :hat

[stormybman]

Dion, when i spoke of the industry, i was speaking about the Martial Art film industry, not the entire film industry. The films that were referred to as chop sockey, and kung fu, were not expected to earn decent box office beyond '76, as the trend was already forcast as dying out at the timeof Lee's death.
His death extended the interest in kung fu films because he died before ETD was released.
It wasn't until Ng See Yuen and Yuen Woo Ping, along with Liu Chia Liang came up with comedy kung fu, naturally, around '76/'77.
It's easy to look back at films like House of 72 Tenants as classics now, just as a film like Secret Rivals ('75), maybe also be considered a classic. However, those films were only popular there. Lee was quickly becoming international, faster than probably anyone before him, and to take the heart of the HK stunt talent to hollywood at that time? C'mon, even by today's standards, Jackie Chan, Sammo, Yuen Bio, Yuen Kwai, Yuen Wah, and others, are all considered legends, with nary a replacement on the horizon. Lee's death opened the doors for them all to have success, and if he had taken those men to the U.S., what would have been left in HK? Not very much my friend.... :D

[stormybman]

BTW, remember Mr. Bleecker posted a $25,000 reward/bonus to ANYONE, who could disprove the evidence he had to substanciate what he had written? I'm not saying you have to like it, however, libel is serious in this country and even the estate had to back off. I'm totally uninterested as to what underlying motives cynics claim he had, all I know is it's funny the documentation he brought to light seems darker now because it wasn't released years earlier. Who would've cared back then, if it was released? Not many, because the world didn't know Lee then. The image you have of him now was manufactured and you're not realizing it. Madison Ave. stuff, man. Same thing in Hollywood, they were only beginning to realize his box office Potential, shortly before his death. If they would have known earlier, Silent Flute would have been made sooner.Hindsight being 20/20, it's easier to look back and question someone, however, always remember: " Truth Crushed to the Earth, Shall Rise..." ;)

[stormybman]

.... I still remain a huge Lee supporter,(notice i didn't say fan).
As an adult you have to understand that with maturation they way you view life changes, with experience. ;)

[Dion Brother]

Actually, you can't libel dead people. That's why you can write trashy books about JFK or Jim Morrison, and the family/survivors can do nothing about it. It's also referred to as the Bela Lugosi Law, because his widow tried to sue some gossip rags or something or other and the judge declared you cannot defame the dead. It simply would have note been in the Lee estate's best interest to give any attention to what Bleecker wrote or challenge it.

Lee's prior girlfriend, use of hashish, etc. was known for years. If you find old issues of Fighting Stars from the 1970s, the articles by M. Uehara are quite frank about Lee's imperfections and drug experimentation. Jesse Glover mentioned Amy Sanbo in his book. So did Robert Clouse. No mention of steroids, mainly because Bleecker probably made it up. If Bruce had done roids, he'd have been as big as Bolo Yeung.

I suspect Bleecker was supposed to do what John Little did...author a series of hack books rehashing Lee's notes and cribbed quotations. But the divorce killed that cash cow, and Bleecker had a serious chip on his shoulder.

As for the martial arts industry, any look at the HK box office charts shows the Shaw action movies were doing just fine. Golden Harvest had trouble catching up because they often made shoddy productions and signed contracts with hasbeens (in box office terms). It was Cinema City that actually drove the nail in the Shaws coffin, not GH. Raymond Chow was a cheap SOB, and it shows in his non-Jackie productions. In terms of an exportable star to the US...yes, Lee's death killed that for two decades, but it had more to do with lack of innovation in Hollywood. Lee was planning on making a movie for Carlo Ponti and who's to say he'd even bother taking his stunt team with him to Italy.

And if UNSETTLED MATTERS is so wonderful, shouldn't it be in print? Truth is, its a poorly written book that no major publisher would ever bother with. Bleecker can't write, the books personal bias and jealousy is displayed in the first several pages.

Another funny thing is he refers to Bruce as looking very geeky because he wore glasses. By today's standards, yes he did. But check out any high school or college yearbook from the 1960s, and nearly 85% of the male population had short hair and thick, black frame glasses, so by 1960s standards, Bruce wouldn't be considered geeky at all. Bleecker took every shot at Bruce he possibly could.

It's odd that I'm defending Bruce and I'm really not a fan. I just hate bad journalism and bad books. And I really hate misinformation. Bleecker makes Ric Meyers look like a staffer for The Economist.

[Squid Lips]

Well written Dion, but I would make a point about the steroids. Bruce quite possibly may have tried them. He was so obssessed with being stronger and more muscular that it would stand to reason. We did not have the information of steroid anger back then quite the same as we do now which may have swayed him (or not).

And the misconception about roids is if you take them you turn into "Bolo". Some get you more "cut" (which Bruce certainly was), some help with endurance and some with strength and unless you train with the focus of looking like Bolo (and eating like him), it probably won't happen. Some boxers like Fernando Vargas were caught taking steroids for fights and that guy did not look anything like a steroid user. Not everyone turns into barry Bonds.

I agree that some of the ideas presented in the book to show his body change in Way of The Dragon to what it was in Enter The Dragon as an example of steroid use and lack of them was a stretch, but I spoke with Tom about 25 times and he got the information from several people close to Bruce and I found his explanations credible.

But, not everything in that book rings true to me either but did find it pretty interesting at times.

[Yakuza954]

So the person accusing the author of passing on wrong information is misinformed himself. How ironic..

And if UNSETTLED MATTERS is so wonderful, shouldn't it be in print? Truth is, its a poorly written book that no major publisher would ever bother with. Bleecker can't write, the books personal bias and jealousy is displayed in the first several pages.
That's poor reasoning. Lots of good books are out of print. Just because it doesn't sell well doesn't mean anything. Not to mention the prevailing notion among the general public that Bruce could do no wrong. It being OOP doesn't discredit it in any way.

Most importantly, if Tom Bleecker offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who could disprove his book, then where were all the skeptics then?

[greenbamboo]

exerpt from Unsettled Matters

"When The Way of the Dragon was released, critics, with few exceptions, viewed the picture as a foolish, self-indulgent, routine film of home move quality. Essentially the film's tiresome plot amounted to a group of Japanese villains trying to force an innocent and naive Chinese family to sign over the deed to their restaurant. The end product was two hours of episodic violence (5% of the film's $100,000 budget went to buy gallons of artificial blood) fueled by more racial slurs aimed at Japanese-bashing. Aside from the ending fight sequences between Bruce and Chuck Norris, the film had little redeeming value. Prior to the release of The Way of the Dragon, Bruce had boasted to the press that the film's box-office would eclipse his two previous movies, further predicting that the picture would gross HK$5,000,000 (US$1,060,000) in Hong Kong alone. When the film was released in early 1973, the gross receipts fell far short of Bruce's bold predictions, netting a measly US$179,000 profit throughout all of Southeast Asia in 1973. Rather than concede that the film had been a financial disaster, Bruce and Raymond reported to the press that the film's grosses had surpassed Lee's earlier predictions."

Name the mistakes? Japanese villians in Way of the Dragon - what? They were Italian Tom LOL. 5% budget was used on artificial blood. Few blood was used in this film. BOSS and FURY have lots more blood. The gross receipts is the most interesting. WAY at the time smashed box office records. Now Bleecker is claiming the film was a financial disaster and they lied. Hmmm.......................Maybe Chow lied in his book keeping which takes us back again to him hiding the financial books from Bruce.

[stormybman]

Isn't this interesting how the real topic, DBM, is lost with all the Bleecker bashing? Remember a couple of things here:
1.) The man, despite what you think of his writting, has DOCUMENTATION!

2.) The tainted depiction of Bruce Lee, manufactured by his
estate in order to market his name, likeness, etc., and providing you the image you currently have of him. Remember, a few co-stars and people in the industry respected his abilities, However, he wasn't the most charming, well liked guy around at the time: he rubbed plenty of folks the wrong way and didn't seem to mind doing it.

3.) Bleecker was already a successful man in hollywood prior to his marriage to Linda, therefore he didn't need her as a cash cow....

4.) No one was interested in picking up a "cool" $25 grand.

5.) Lastly, the man has documentation!!! Medical records, legal papers from lawsuits, access to Lee's physician files, and the fact people refuse to believe this man could take steroids, doesn't hide truth. Bruce Lee's physique was not simply the by product of exerscise, look at his photos from the '60's, and look at him in FOF, then ETD. Just like Stallone going from Rocky to RockyIII. Bruce was juicing, and it didn't affect his body like others. due to his cryptorchism condition, muscle mass was always going to be a problem for him. In fact, right up to the time of his death, he was losing serious muscle mass. He was smaller than his wife! If he wasn't in the shape from working out all the years he had, he'd probably would've looked like a severe cancer patientor similar.

[Johnnie freeze]

I read the book..and I found it interesting that Bleecker really didnt have one postive thing to say about Bruce. His goal [other then to make $$] was to knock Bruce from his thrown. Surely he couldve said *ONE* nice thing in the entire book...?
I'm still a fan regardless of this book [true or not] and I believe people like me are Tom Bleeckers worst nightmare :rollin

[stormybman]

:rollin !!!!!

[killer meteor]

I thought Unsettled Matters was a sleazy mess. The title says it all

Mind you, I'm not too keen on the John Little stuff either. To me, Bruce is an icon but do we really need all these private correspondences published?

[greenbamboo]

They'll only publish what they want you to see. Everything goes through Linda. She has final say.

[Dion Brother]

The man may have documentation, but its the wild stories he hypothesizes from those documents. I'm sure Bruce experimented with steroids, but used them regularly? Nah. His physique in ENTER THE DRAGON is the result of low bodyfat more than hard weight training. In fact he was reportedly only jogging as a workout. It's a definition trick used by bodybuilders like VInce Gironda that gives the illusion of mass.

And yes, its lack of attention from a major publisher is telling. Bruce Lee is a huge icon worldwide, and the book could have been a huge international seller instead of an undergound book sold to the Bruce Lee cult. John Belushi isn't nearly as well known, but WIRED! sold millions. And the book is badly written. As was previously noted, Bleecker's stupidity and erroneous summation of WAY OF THE DRAGON shows he can't be trusted to present the facts. He announces his bias right away: he's writing the book because Ed Parker, Mike Stone and Joe Lewis aren't globally idolised the way Lee is. What a silly reason to write a book. By ignoring these facets of the book shows that the fans of the book are just as blind as the partisan Bruce Lee cult.

Is the money still up for grabs? Because greenbamboo deserves it just for the WAY OF THE DRAGON baloney. Hell, give me about $1,400 for the point that testicle problems don't turn you into a psycho, or that Bruce must be the most failed steroid taker in history because he don't look it. Didn't George "pimples" Tan point out that Wu Ngan (or whoever) is easily findable in England?

Apparently, Bleecker is angry because teenagers didn't have posters of Ed Parker's fat ass on their walls.

[stormybman]

:eek !!!!!

[stormybman]

The venom with which some of your comments are written is almost as if this has been a personal assault on you. Wow, this is exactly the type of thing that would have been avoided had certain truths been revealed 30 years ago, instead of the hype that managed to become more profitable.
There were some questionable mistakes made in this publication, however, even after coming across them myself, and having read as much material as i did prior, i understand the misinformation and know the corrections pertaining, like the misquote on the percentage of the budget of WOTD going to blood, that's a miscue from Alex Ben Block's Legend of Bruce Lee (1974). The context was taken from comments about Shaw Bros. Wu Xia films, after Block spent time interviewing Shaw himself. Why this got mixed up in UM, only Bleecker can explain.
Lastly, I'm not defending the man who wrote this book, he can do that himself. The only point I've attempted to stay with is, after 30 years the cracks in the foundation of truth have finally started to show up, and this was unavoidable. From everything written and shown early on until now, it is now a less mythical figure we have, not some "Fighting God". None of us were as great as we remember, or as bad as others said we were, the truth lies somewhere in between.
Death By Misadventure was the beginning of an honest account of BL's life, at least more realistic in terms of disclosed fact, and someday we may get an even handed film on the star. On things for certain, due to where his story ended, we may never know the depths of the deceptions, for there was definatly a cover up for some reason. :D

[Chinatown Kid]

Weather any of what is written in Bleeker's book is true or not, I'll approach it with an open mind. I'm just interested in reading his point of view and whatever is in it, I will still always respect Lee's acheivements in the Martial Arts and be a fan of his films. ;)

[Squid Lips]

I'm a huge Lee fan from way back and still enjoyed the book. I take it with a grain of salt as well but don't think it comes from someone who is knowingly going out to deceive. Bleecker believes what he wrote. When I was exchanging emails with him he would write extremely long and well thought out replies with facts, figures and numbers and really felt that he wanted to show what he called the more "human" side of Bruce, which when compared with the "Legend" comes across like blasphemy.

Now, I don't know about the roids and all the rest of it, but I do know there are things in there that we were never really exposed to (particularly with the insurance after death and all that) that I see a lot of merit in. And also plays right along with things I have discussed with Lee's actual family members and close friends.

Lee may not be the way Tom paints him exactly in this book, but I also believe that when he wrote it, he believed what he was putting in there.

I like the picture books the best though :)

[Dion Brother]

Everybody acts like the truth has been "hidden" for years, but ask anybody over the age of 35 about Bruce and they all say he died from drugs and was a womanizer. Bruce was tabloid fodder in the early 70s and the Albert Goldman Penthouse article set the standard for beliefs about Bruce for years. The Linda Lee version of Bruce has only been a mildly popular myth for a decade (and big with people who don't bother checking other sources of info, like Michael Moore fans) . I've never encountered any fan who believes Bruce was a saint. Maybe one MMA-training numbskull a few years back on a messageboard, but that barely counts. Nothing detracts from the fact that the guy had great screen presence, which was his one true gift, because with anybody else in those roles, his movies would have been hideous.

[Jesse Smooth]

Nothing detracts from the fact that the guy had great screen presence, which was his one true gift, because with anybody else in those roles, his movies would have been hideous.

Just imagine if James Tien had been the star of THE BIG BOSS as supposedly planned before Bruce came on the scene.

[Chinatown Kid]

Yeah Jesse, if Tien had been the star of the Big Boss that would have been one lousy ass film because Bruce was the ONLY thing that made it good. James Tien is as stiff as a board in his martial arts movements and he has the charisma of a rock. :lol

[killer meteor]

I actually quite like James Tien, especially as a villian, but he doesn't have the charisma to uphold a shoddy film

[Chinatown Kid]

I guess he's alright when he just has to puff on a cigar and act evil like in Dragon's Forever or Righting Wrongs, but in the action department he's never looked to hot. He's definately no Yuen Wah.;) He even looked stiff under Lee's direction in those Game of Death outtakes. Tien kinda reminds me of Carter Wong who i'm also not a fan of. :b

[Jesse Smooth]

Tien kinda reminds me of Carter Wong who i'm also not a fan of.

C-Town, you should check out DRAGON TAMERS (which is a good film) in which they both play taekwondo fighters.

[Chinatown Kid]

Haven't seen Dragon Tamers yet but when you said Taekwondo fighters you definately got my attention Jesse. Hard to picture Tien and Wong doing good TKD but since you say it's a good film I'll definately have to track it down, thanks!

[stormybman]

Tamers is also directed by John Woo, one of his earliest works.
Lots of female fighters in this one as well. James Tien was only as good as he was asked. In Iron fisted monk he was credible, and in other roles like Dragon Fist, he was adequate.
Personally I think he was lazy, and became more so when he realized it wasn't happening for him (stardom).:lol

[uodukduk]

Bleeker's obsession with Bruce's testicles was a little weird. His time spent posting on a pixie fetish group on Usenet was also odd. Oops, did I just say that?





Hi:

I'm actually interested in Bleecker's posts on a pixie fetish group. Got any really juicy ones you'd like to share? What's his handle?

If you'd like, you can e-mail me at:
nugtop00@yahoo.com

Thanks!

[Dion Brother]

Ladies and gentleman, the Bleecksters famous postings via
groups.google.com/groups/...JJ12Kwosda (http://groups.google.com/groups/profile?enc_user=0emDSA8AAAAZTNIapUAh6_JJ12Kwosda)


Here ya go:

. shodan View profile
More options Apr 24 2000, 12:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.sex.fetish.waifs
From: sho...@west.net
Date: 2000/04/24
Subject: TAC! SAY IT AIN'T SO, LAD!
Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original | Report this message | Find messages by this author
Tac, this girl Heather is a beauty, but she ain't no waif as in wafer
thin! Lo fat??? She damn near qualifies for Thunder Thighs! Tac,
please, I implore you, give us your best skinny, knock-kneed,
flat-chested, sting bean! And I don't mean concentration camp skin and
bones! I'll check back later, expecting to hit the Mother Lode! Thanks
in advance!

3. shodan View profile
More options Jun 18 2000, 12:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.fan.skinny
From: sho...@west.net
Date: 2000/06/18
Subject: Re: Ashley. or not??? - stretch.JPG
Reply to author | Forward | Print | Individual message | Show original | Report this message | Find messages by this author
No way this is Ashley. The nipples are far too big and there are no
moles that cover Ashley's body. Also this girl's arms are not thin
enough.

shodan View profileNice ass and bunghole, to be sure! BUTT, how does this woman who gives new meaning to the phrase "thunder thighs" land in "alt.skinny"??? ;-) Humble wrote: > http:// - Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -
More options Dec 5 2000, 1:00 am

Newsgroups: alt.fan.skinny
From: sho...@west.net
Date: 2000/12/05
Subject: Re: seen these before

[Chinatown Kid]

I don't see the appeal in those skinny ass anorexic looking women, I want a woman with a little meat on her bones and some curves. That isn't to say I want a woman with a body like Rosie O'Donnel either. :lol

[pressureworld]

The image you have of him now was manufactured and you're not realizing it. Madison Ave. stuff, man.

Thats right, why is it so hard to see that the family benefits off of the Bruce Lee Legend which is simply manufactured. (Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Bob Marley) From a strategic angle Linda Lee played her cards extremely well, here it is 2007 and people still believe this man is a GOD wow!!