My Three Sons - Fred MacMurray (1965) - View from the Peak

Not the best view we've ever seen on the blog, but no doubt the same footage has been used elsewhere in better quality than the VHS upload I took this from on Youtube. At least the time frame coincides with the 1965 setting because I can see the Hongkong Hilton in the top image, completed in 1963. Often you find library/stock footage used that doesn't reflect the reality of the show's setting.

My Three Sons - Fred MacMurray (1965) - Repulse Bay Road

The family are staying with one of their dad's colleagues and the establishing shot for these scenes is an upward shot towards some properties that used to stand on Repulse Bay Road. The lower building in the image is the previous version of a property that was located at 16 Repulse Bay Road. The two properties above are the old properties of 25 (on the right with the curved verandah) and 27 Repulse Bay Road. Fortuna Court and Royal Garden developments now occupy these sites (respectively). It's a shame the picture quality is so poor because I've never seen images of these upper properties before. I think the camera must have been positioned down on Island Road in front of the golf course.

My Three Sons - Fred MacMurray (1965) - Kai Tak Airport

The family arrives in Hong Kong via some stock footage of the Kai Tak runway and the airside of the terminal building showing the observation deck.

My Three Sons - Fred MacMurray (1965) - Aberdeen Harbour

Here's an obscure one that, not being American, I had never heard of until recently. My Three Sons was a fairly long-running comedy drama show starring Fred MacMurray as the widowed father-of-three young sons and the show followed them through their daily lives. It ran from 1960 through to 1972 over 12 seasons.

For the purpose of this blog there is a single episode from Season 6 (broadcast in 1965) that featured Hong Kong as the setting. Episode 12 is called The Hong Kong Story and details how the main character, Steven Douglas (MacMurray) travels to Hong Kong with his sons and their Uncle Charlie for the purpose of business. Uncle Charlie is an ex-sailor who met and fell in love with a local girl when he was in Hong Kong and he hopes to find her despite 35 years passing. George Takei (pre-Mr Sulu) even makes an appearance as a local Chinese business associate who greets them at the airport.

Sadly, as with many low budget shows, the episode only features library/stock footage of Hong Kong for its various establishing and transitional shots, but there are some interesting views to look at and I am including the show for completeness more than anything else. If anyone is interested in watching the episode, Knack Entertainment on Youtube has Season 6 loaded up as one long video on their channel.

The episode starts its journey to Hong Kong by showing us what we think is the plane's view of its approach to Kai Tak, but in fact is just a helicopter shot of Aberdeen that takes in the cemetery, town, and then harbour.

(above) Aberdeen Chinese Permanent Cemetery

Look carefully at the bottom of this last image and you can see the old Aberdeen dry docks where Nam Ning Street now runs.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Lai Yue Hing Tong, Fanling

People may know this place by another name, the "Fanling Babies Home", and it was a regularly featured property in many movies following the exit of the orphange in the mid-60s. Andi has the best break down of many locations over on his blog. In this movie it is the location where the gang have all their kidnapped women holed up in preparation for shipping them to the Middle East. The real name of the house was Lai Yue Hing Tong (賴餘馨堂) - the babies home was only located here between 1940 to 1966.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - A Kung Kok Street, Ma On Shan

The denouement to the car chase takes place on A Kung Kok Street in Ma On Shan. A Kung Kok is a small village development built in the mid-1980s to rehouse fisherfolk who were to be displaced by the construction of the Shatin racecourse and nearby Ma on Shan New Town. To be honest, in terms of resettlement estates, this place was pretty shabby even when it was built as you can see from the screencaps below. Despite that, it's still around and looks pretty much the same. The area now has a major highway flyover going across the terrain you can see in the top image.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Ma On Shan Road, Ma On Shan

The car chase continues along Ma On Shan Road with the newly completed Heng On Estate in the background. The bottom image is from the roundabout where Ma On Shan Road joins with Hang Hong Street with St Joseph's Primary School in the background. The school has since added and extra floor and an additional wing on the right hand side.

I should mention that the film is edited to appear that this location, and the previous one, are one and the same but actually they are about 2 miles apart.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Tai Chung Kiu Road, Shatin

Michael chases after the gangster boss (Shing Fui-on) in a car. The first road we see them driving along is Tai Chung Kiu Road in Shatin. In the background is the City One development, and on the right hand side is Ravana Garden under construction, or so it looks. If so, this pushes the filming time back to 1988.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Yucca de Lac, Shatin

Michael goes to kill the rival gang boss (played by Shing Fui-on) at a formerly famous local alfresco restaurant. This was the "Yucca de Lac" located off Tai Po Road next to the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shatin District. It was still operating when I first came to Hong Kong but sadly I never made it there to eat. The place has reopened a venue up in the Peak Galleria but I feel that the main appeal of the place was its large terrace with nice views overlooking Tide Cove and Tolo Harbour. It was a popular filming location for local movies in the 1960s but I've only featured it once on the blog previously. The place was closed circa 2005 and the land was sold off and redeveloped into an expensive gated community - called "De Yucca" - with luxury townhouses.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Queen's Pier, Central

Queen's Pier is the location where Michael is sent to kill Moon as she stands looking across the harbour at the signboards on Ocean Terminal.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Sun Hung Kai Centre, Wanchai

There are a couple of scenes shot outside the Sun Hung Kai Centre in Wanchai, such as the one in the top image as Michael, waiting for Moon, is being spied on by the boss's daughter. The lower image shows Mr Oto (Mark Houghton) leaving the same building.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Mount Davis Battery

Moon is lured to a secluded location where she is ambushed by the gang's boss and her henchmen - only to be saved by Michael. This whole sequence was filmed at the old Mount Davis battery at the west end of Hong Kong Island. The battery structures are still preserved, and these microwave station facilities are still there.

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - Soares Avenue, Ho Man Tin

We stay in Ho Man Tin, and on Soares Avenue, as one of the club girls, coerced into being an escort, has made a plan to escape with the help of one of her friends. However, they are caught by Michael just as they are about to drive off. This sequence was filmed on Soares Avenue. This is the street we see in the first image as the girl crosses the road to her waiting friend. The car is parked on Emma Avenue.

Soares Avenue, looking south east. Pentecostal Tabernacle just behind her.

The junction with Emma Avenue

Looking east along Emma Avenue as the car drives off

Killer Angels - Moon Lee (1989) - San Francisco Path, Ho Man Tin

The gang finally catch up with her in San Francisco Path, just off Soares Avenue, and a fight ensues. I've tried to pin the path for the location at the bottom of the post, but in case it snaps to nearby buildings, the path is easily viewed on Streetview because someone went down there with a camera.