Friday, April 4, 2025

T.N.T Jackson - Jeanne Bell (1974) - Peking Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

So, now we know where the cinema was that Stan Shaw walks into. But how about the street scene shown just before he goes in? It's easy to think this was likely filmed outside the cinema featured in the establishing shot, but actually we have moved down to Tsim Sha Tsui. This shot was taken looking west along Peking Road. It's hard to see but just hidden at the back is the old lip-shaped neon sign for the Red Lips bar that was located on Lock Road. That's the road that can be seen on the right hand side. There are a couple of other signs that confirm the location but they are also a bit hard to see. It's worth noting that the traffic on this section of Peking Road now goes the other way (west).

Thursday, April 3, 2025

T.N.T Jackson - Jeanne Bell (1974) - Hollywood Theatre, Mongkok

Staying with T.N.T Jackson, Rodney also identified a location I hadn't put up a screencap for but was looking for anyway. He's a mindreader!

This is the movie theatre that Stan Shaw supposedly goes into. The establishing shot used the exterior marquee of the Hollywood Theatre, located on the corner of Soy Street and Sai Yeung Choi Street South. So, actually right next to the previous post. I suspect, but can't confirm, that the cinema interior used in the film was actually one in the Philippines where much of this movie was shot. I say this because it looks far too big to have been a Hong Kong cinema and many of the extras appear to be Filipino rather than Chinese.

In what appears to be an informal convention in Hong Kong, the cinema's name is remembered by the building that replaced it - 'Hollywood Plaza'.


Again, here is Rodney's comment:

Right after the second screencap, Charlie (Stan Shaw) walks into the Hollywood Theatre on Sai Yeung Choi Street and Soy Street. The word "Soy" on the street sign attached to the exterior of the theatre is (barely) visible when the camera shows Charlie looking up at the billboard for the Shaw Brothers film 'The Golden Lotus'[金瓶雙艷].
IMDB does not list any filming dates, but 'The Golden Lotus' premiered in Hong Kong January 17 1974.

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

T.N.T Jackson - Jeanne Bell (1974) - Sai Yeung Choi Street, Mongkok

A big shout out to fellow location and old house nerd, Rodney, who identifed the next image for me as being on Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mongkok. Anyway, a big thanks to Rodney for the ID.

Here is Rodney's comment:

That was filmed in Mongkok...Sai Yeung Choi Street. 鳳如大茶樓 "Fung Yue Tea House" was located in the still-standing Wing Wah Building at No. 14-24. The restaurant space has been turned into Hollywood Shopping Centre.
As for the sign on the left, only the last word is visible, but it should have read 國際大酒樓 "International Restaurant". It was in the, likewise still-standing, Good Hope Building at 612-618 Nathan Road.

The sign that I found interesting is the horizontally mounted "江大飯店". Its first letter was obstructed, but it if it was 滬江, then the restaurant is still in 'bidness', as Jock and J.R. Ewing would say.

I have been to the current 滬江 in a basement shop on Peking Road across from iSquare. As far as I know, it has always been there, though the address reads 27-33 Nathan Road with the sole entrance on Peking Road. Earlier Google streetviews showed a different sign that still read 滬江大飯店 and noted it had been in bidness since 1984, but the current sign does not have the "大". Perhaps it was opened before 1984 and in a different location[?].

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Karate from Shaolin Temple - Kazuma Kenji (1976) - Lung Cheung Road Pedestrian Bridge

Another random location that I recently found for this film was the rather distinctive railings that form the pedestrian bridge on Lung Cheung Road close to what is now Plaza Hollywood and Diamond Hill MTR station. The film was shot back when Tai Hom (this area) was still very much a squatter village and you can discern some of the huts at the back of the screen shots. In the background include some still-standing high rise blocks such as the Fung Wong Chuen Building and Fung Cheung Building over in Wong Tai Sin.

The bridge design is quite distinctive but in the 1970s the main road was about half the size it is now. Lung Cheung Road has since been widened to almost twice its original width and as a result the original footbridge had to be extended. They managed to replicate the same design for the newer (northern) half of the bridge. This film was made when only the original (southern) section was in place. If you want a rough comparison you can click on this GoogleEarth link. The marker at the bottom of the post keeps snapping to a location just north of the bridge.

Monday, March 31, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - The Governor's Walk, The Peak

The last post for this film, at least for the time being. By pure coincidence I was up here a few weeks ago on a bit of a day trip with my youngest and we took some comparison images for Yellow Emanuelle. Had I known I was going to see the same location in another film sequence I would have stuck around and taken more comparison pictures, but such is life.

This is where Lung goes to finally confront Red Scorpion (Steve Lee Ka-ting). By this time I had pretty much lost the plot and I believe part of this might be due to the fact it is several epsiodes edited together rather than one coherent story. Red Scorpion seems to be able to hypnotise people and he has done this to the lady from the airport in an attempt to get her to throw herself of the cliff. Lung to the rescue and arrives just in time.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - Park Management Site Office, Mount Austin Road

Despite just being by the Peak Cafe, the very next shot shows the pair running past what is currently the site office for the park management staff who look after the area around the former Mountain Lodge. I was up here a couple of weeks ago and can confirm that getting up here from the upper Peak Tram Terminus involves at least a 20 minute steep, uphill walk that absolutely tired me out (granted, I am getting a bit old, but apparently still fitter than my 16 year old son).

The building is located next to the car park by the podium terrace of what is all that remains of the former Mountain Lodge (a pre-war property used by HK's Colonial Governors). Apparently the building was originally constructed as an office for staff who were responsible for the maintenance and operation of the nearby transmitter stations, but I guess the use of cars makes their need to be there 24/7 no longer a necessity.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - The Peak

Lung manages to catch up with Red Scorpion next to the Peak Cafe and Peak Tower, before the latter scarpers and the foot chase begins again. The cafe still looks more or less the same, although I do believe you might need to remortgage your house to eat there now, however, the Peak Tower has been completely redeveloped from its former curved version to the so-called Terry Farrell designed "flying wok" that is currently there. 

Run away...

Friday, March 28, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - The Peak Tram

Following a fight in an unknown village (I haven't been able to identify it yet, some rural places are just impossible to find), Lung gives chase to "Red Scorpion" and follows him to the Peak Tram. We see a little bit of the inside of the lower terminus as well as some footage of the tram trundling uphill. Lung tries to follow but has to catch a cab to the top instead (and no doubt was forced to pay the illegal surcharge that lots of HK cabbies try to foist on unsuspecting tourists).

Thursday, March 27, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - Lung Cheung Road Rest Garden

Lung and Interpol dude (Bruce Leung) are chased by the bad guys along Lung Cheung Road and pull over into an open space at the side of the road for a fight. Not to be confused with the nearby Lung Cheung Road Lookout, this large open space was the levelled-off part of a small hill that was later turned into Lung Cheung Road Rest Garden/sitting out area. The road has been widened a bit since then and the rest garden is small shadow of its former size and much of this former space is now taken up by the current outside lane of the westbound side.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

The Fighting Dragon - Yasuaki Kurata (1975) - Estrellita, Repulse Bay Road

The establishing shot for the house where Lung's friends live is the famed "Estrellita" on the higher levels of Repulse Bay Road. The building is quite old and was one of the first "hacienda" style private homes in Hong Kong according to the Gwulo page for it.

These days it's owned by Henry Cheng, the retired patriarch of the New World business empire that is currently undergoing some bad times so perhaps we will see it on sale again soon? It was in the news a few years ago because it was targeted by some obviously very unpatriotic burglars.

I don't think the closeups (not shown here) used the same property, so that's an ongoing search. Sadly, the picture quality doesn't provide me with quite enough information, but from what I can gather the interior and garden scenes were most likely shot elsewhere.