Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Shaws Movietown

 Agent 009 finds out from his singer/girlfriend that her boyfriend, one of the band members, has got hold of some of the counterfeit cash, so he goes to the guy's apartment to investigate. Sadly the Oriental Hotel wasn't a real place and was just one of the Shaw Buildings dressed up with a false entrance/facade. I talked about the same building in this post, but if you miss the Streetview link in that post, here it is again. I'm not sure what purpose this place served in the general goings-on at Shaws, it may have just been an admin building. Either way, the ground floor was dressed up nicely to look like a hotel. In the screen cap below you can see the striped poles that held up the roof of a car port. A better view of the car port can be seen here.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Hillside Villa, 11 Fei Ngo Shan Road

We're back up in the Fei Ngo Shan Road/Customs Pass region as the bad guys are followed back to their hideout by 009. This property was actually still around until circa 2010 when it was finally replaced by a more modern mansion. What a shame, so many of these houses were so stylish compared to their modern day replacements. Money doesn't buy you taste I'm afraid. If you want to see what it looked like just prior to demolition, go here: GoogleEarth.

This is location where the gang boss, played by Margaret Tu Chuan, lives surrounded by her henchmen. It's hinted in the film that she answers to someone higher up but I don't recall this particular plot loose end being tied up.

When 009 first approaches, he parks his car outside a house on the opposite side of the road - #10 - and it's a property we have seen a little bit of previously.

Fei Ngo Shan Road

#11 - Hillside Villa

Parking outside #10

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Pacific Islands Shipbuilding Company Shipyard, Kowloon Bay

The bad guys are running their operations from an industrial site in Kowloon Bay. The landmark that helped place this particular site is the building in the background of the first image. It's the former Amoycan Industrial Centre. It was redeveloped into an apartment complex starting circa 2020 following a devastating fire that killed two firemen in 2016. The relative location of our filming site puts it somewhere along the old Kowloon Bay waterfront in an area that is now completely occupied by Telford Gardens and the MTR Kowloon Bay depot. In fact, I am fairly certain this was part of the former PAcific Islands Shipbuilding Company shipyard. If you read my recent post for Die sieben Masken des Judoka (aka Casse-tête chinois pour le judoka) then you will recognise the small hut with the Chinese roof in the background. This was one of my pandemic finds when I had a whole bunch of time on my hands - another one that I forgot to post about until I was writing this post.

Anyway, as you can see in the lower image, the same small hut with the Chinese roof can be seen in the image below as can be seen in the stills from that film, shot the same year.

Amoycan Industrial Centre in the background

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Shatin Pass Road, Tze Wan Shan

Following the car chase where the pair outwitted their pursuers, 009 drops his buddy off next to the old Wong Tai Sin Infirmary on Shatin Pass Road. It's now run by Tung Wah Group of Hospitals but still has the same wall with the circular/honeycomb upper section.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Lung Cheung Road, Wong Tai Sin

Another car chase ensues as the pair manage to escape being killed by the staff of the company they just visited. This shot below shows both cars driving east along Lung Cheung Road next to the Wong Tai Sin Resettlement Estate. The road marks the split between the upper "low cost housing" estate (on the left) and the lower "resettlement" estate (on the right). Here's the same view today: GoogleEarth.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Tung Ming Street, Kwun Tong

Agent 009, along with his newly acquired sidekick (Lee Kwan) who he first met when he was arrested, heads off to the company where the two assassinated agents worked. The building where the company was based was located on Tung Ming Street in Kwun Tong. The initial view below, looking up Tung Ming Street, is remarkably similar today. The building on the left is the St. John the Baptist School. However, the building the actors go into, located on the corner with Yee On Street, was replaced by the Kwong Ming Building in 1987.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Clearwater Bay Apartments, Ka Shue Road

Agent 009 is staying at a "hotel" that was in reality the relatively newly built Clearwater Bay Apartments on Ka Shue Road. This development, consisting of four buildings (making up eight blocks) was built in 1963 and look to be still going strong. Just by looking at the slope in the background I can tell that the building used for the film was Block G and H - the furthest from Clearwater Bay Road.

The lowest image shows Margaret Tu Chuan (she was to tragically commit suicide a couple of years later) who plays the main female baddie, as she gets out of her car. In the background is Junk Bay when it was still filled with water rather than concrete and highrises.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Shaw House, Movietown

009's investigations lead him to "Club Fantasia" where one of his fellow airplane passengers works as a singer. It turns out she is indirectly mixed up in the counterfeit dollar conspiracy via one of her band members. The club didn't exist in real life because anyone with any knowledge about Shaws will be able to recognise the curved lintel and blue tile surround of Shaw House in Movietown.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Yau Ma Tei Police Station

Once arrested, 009 is taken to Yau Ma Tei Police Station where all is explained and he is set free and begins to liase with the local police. This place made the news recently for being a major attraction for Mainland Tourists. I suspect it because it has featured in so many films over the year. Good news for film tourism, and I hope the Govt sees the benefits.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Clearwater Bay Road

009 eventually decides to pull over on Clearwater Bay Road where he is harrassed and then gets into a fight with the police. The bad guys look on as he is arrested and it seems to allay their suspicions that he is some sort of secret agent.

Anyway, the location for this squabble is where the Hang Hau Road and Clearwater Bay Road roundabout now stands. The first image shows us looking more or less north, as the cars and bikes drive down the road towards the turnoff for Silverstrand Beach Road.

We can actually identify a few of the buildings even though they no longer exist in this form. In the top image on the left we have a building that was called "Villa Placida". This place is also called "Chocolatier" on some maps and has been sitting empty for a long time - making it popular with Urbex peeps. (see here). 

In the second image the camera has panned slightly to the right showing a blue trimmed building on the right hand side. This is the original house located at 1 Silverstrand Beach Road. On older maps it's marked as P.I.M.E House, which makes me think it might be owned by the Catholic Church. However, this building was redeveloped - so perhaps it was sold and redeveloped privately? If you know, please feel free to comment.

In the last image we are looking the other way, down the road with the beach turnoff on the left. There are three properties that are (almost visible). On the left we can see what looks to be the car port of a property that was called "Clearview". It has since been developed into a small development called Sussex Lodge. Sitting on the hill in the centre is the previous version of a house that with no name or number. I only know it occupies Lots 281, 282 and 282EXT of DD224. This might be enough for the postman, but it does make you wonder who lives there. The final house on the right is the former property occupying 836 Clearwater Bay Road. This place has long gone and been replaced by a massive house and perimeter wall.

Once again my Google marker is snapping to nearby buildings, it's not intentional and is beyond my control it seems.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Waterloo Road, Kowloon Tong

We're back on Waterloo Road again, but this time at the very far north end as 009 leads the cops off on a high speed chase. In the top image as he goes around the bend you can see the (still standing) Luso Apartments on the top right (Block B is the next, separate building along). This view is now obscured by newer developments along the main road. This was once part of the "HSBC Estate" for bank employees.

The second image shows us looking up the road as the car goes past the camera. There's a big open space to the right which would eventually became the Broadcast Road development.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Lancashire Road, Kowloon Tsai

We really are seeing a wide variety of locations on this car chase. Agent 009, realising he is being followed, decides to cement his bad boy reputation with the bad boys (to try and convince them he is not an agent) by getting into a chase with the police. So he speeds past them on Lancashire Road and a couple of bike cops take the bait.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Cornwall Street, Kowloon Tong

It took me a while to recognise this street because it has changed so much...but then again the main property seen here is still around. It's the former "Senior Officer's Residence" at 1A Cornwall Street. It was part of the former British Garrison and still has its War Department "Defence Lot" granite marker stones along the outer wall. It's now supposedly occupied by someone from the PLA but after an external renovation circa 2013 (not long after I moved nearby) it has since become rather scruffy and dirty in the way that buildings do in Hong Kong's harsh climate. Does anyone know who is here? You can just see one of the original Kowloon Tong villas to its right - however, I think this house was replaced soon after this film was shot by the property currently occupying the site.

The red garage door belongs to 22 Kent Road - later famous for being turned into the "Take One" night club where Anita Mui was assaulted by a gangster who was later shot and killed on his hospital bed. This was in the early 90s. Since then it has served as a private temple and for as long as I can remember has been sitting empty awaiting new use. As I write these words some scaffolding has been assembled on the site so it looks like someone may have successfully bought or leased it. Time will tell.

Finally, the building in the distance at the far end of the road is the original Baptist Hospital building. The block still exists but was been subsumed into a much bigger development. Actually, as I speak the hospital is redeveloping that area so the original block will be no more in a few months I think.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Princess Margaret Road, Ho Man Tin

We continue along Princess Margaret Road and in the background is a building still around - the "Maryknoll Sisters Centre". You can just about make out the large cross that has been shaped into the window aperture above the main entrance.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Waterloo Road

The next shot shows the cars driving up Waterloo Road on the Princess Margaret Road Flyover. We come back to this same area (more or less) a bit later as we get a top down view of the junction with Argyle Street and the aforementioned flyover as 009's car comes back the other way. These latter two images must have been taken from a camera located on the roof of the newly built Harrison Court.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Prince Edward Road West

After Salisbury Road, the cars are driving along Prince Edward Road West - yes, this is one of those car chase scenes that have no logical geographical continuation. The large building in the back right is St Teresa's Hospital, or at least the original version before it was redeveloped.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

After leaving the airport, the next shot we see is of the cars driving along Salisbury Road. This view was shot from the Blackhead Point hillside (aka Signal Hill Garden) with its previously unfettered view of the peninsula and harbour below. At this time the other side of the tracks by the pedestrian bridge was still occupied by Holt's Wharf, and obviously the KCR terminus stayed aropund until its eventual demolition in 1978. You can just see a train on the sidings at the top of the lower image.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - More Kai Tak

I thought these images deserved a bit more attention because they show the view from the Kai Tak Airport carpark over to Sa Po Road in Kowloon City. In the far distance on the right hand side (bottom image) you can see the old (recently demolished) Block 22 of the Tung Tau Estate. The bamboo scaffolding structure in front of it was most likely a Cantonese Opera tent being erected for either Chinese New Year or perhaps a Da Jiu festival for the nearby village. This space was later occupied (and still is) by the former Regal Airport Hotel that was connected to the airport Terminal building by a footbridge.

None of these buildings along Sa Po Road exist anymore. A few of the buildings in the image had already been replaced by the 1970s and now even the rest of this whole block has just been demolished for a U.R.A rejuvenation project.

There is a similar era (but less oblique) view from the I Spy series here.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Kai Tak Airport

009 is sent to Hong Kong to start his investigation and arrives at Kai Tak. He has already been identified by the bad guys and is followed from the airport. The airport also pops up at the end of the film as he heads off to wherever he is supposedly based, so the lower images of the terminal interior are from that last scene.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Kiu Tsui Beach, Sharp Island

We first meet agent 009 as he smooches on the beach with a couple of girls (a recurring theme throughout this movie) and he is summoned by his bosses via his radio. The beach in question is Kiu Tsui beach located at the north end of Sharp Island.

Inter-Pol - Tang Ching (1967) - Nam Sang Wai, Yuen Long

The next film from the ever expanding Shaw collection on Youtube is the 1967 James Bond rip-off, Inter-Pol. It stars a very suave looking Tang Ching as Chen Tian-hong (a.k.a agent 009). Following some fellow agents being killed in the Philippines, he is called in by his Interpol bosses to investigate a US dollar counterfeiting scheme believed to be operating out of Hong Kong.

The opening scene is supposed to be in the Philippines but was actually filmed at Nam Sang Wai, a popular filming location that has been featured many times on the blog, but it's slowly being threatened by redevelopment and no doubt will one day just look like another high rise suburb.