Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Marsh Road, Wanchai

Here is one I missed the first time around, it's an easy ID to be honest and I thought I had already done it but apparently not. It's when Sylvia Rohm leaves the Police HQ over in Kowloon and is then followed around by a detective. One of the roads they go down is Marsh Road, identifiable by the very obvious road sign in the screen cap. To help things along with the specific location though is the nearby hydrant #15. In fact (and assuming the water department keeps the same hydrant numbers) the hydrant in question is #115 and is on the corner with Lockhart Road. So I think we can say with reasonable confidence that this brief scene was on the section of Marsh Road between Lockhart and Jaffe (the camera is looking north).

I'm not sure what the brown marbled building is in the top picture but the most recent construction on that plot of land (on the corner of Jaffe and Marsh) is the Mira Moon Hotel.

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Port Shelter, Sai Kung

There is a brief water skiing scene in the film where the heroine is finally captured by the bad guys as she water-skis around the islands of Port Shelter. There are a few recognisable spots for those who know the area. The first one is the area of water close to Sai Kung waterfront.

From left to right we have Sharp Island (at the back) followed by Cham Tau Chau (closest to the water-skier) and to the right of that further back is Pak Sha Chau. The view is looking south. I tried to get a decent comparison using Streetview (from the waterside Tai Mong Tsai Road) but sadly most of the decent views are blocked by trees. This is a shame because I think the camera was most likely positioned on the pier (or its predecessor) in front of San Tin Hang.

The action then moves a little further to the east. It's still Sharp Island at the back but the angle has changed so the ridge line is less humped.

Then we get a switch-around and looking to the north. Just left of the round headland in the middle is the small bay that now hosts the Outward Bound School. The hill behind the guy's head in the second photo is Shek Uk Shan.  

Finally, we get a more familiar view (familiar to Sai Kungers anyway) and that is the large ridge line above town that starts on the left with Pyramid Hill. So in these snaps we are looking west. I believe the bit of land sticking out in the second picture is the same headland where the Outward Bound School is on the other side (but I could be wrong). Anyway, it's nice to know yet another film was made here (to go with The Sand Pebbles, Kill a Dragon etc).

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - RAF Kai Tak, Kowloon

Which other blogs out there can give you RAF Kai Tak and Hollywood heavyweight, George Raft, in a single post? Not very many, I suspect.

But anyway, Raft is one of the so-called Five Golden Dragons of the film's title and lands in HK in a helicopter at RAF Kai Tak.

RAF Kai Tak was the RAF base situated just north of the runway in Kowloon. It's been completely redeveloped now and there are a couple of housing estates on the old site including the Kai Yip Estate and Richland Gardens. There are still a couple of remnants left including the former HQ building at #50 Kwun Tong Road and on the opposite side of Kwun Tong Road, the former Officer's Mess - now the HKBU Academy for Visual Arts. I believe that's might be the distant building you can see behind George's head in the lower picture. There is also one of the Nissen huts left on the site which is now used by the Christian Action organisation.

In the top pictures you can see part of the original Choi Hung Estate at the back. That's Pik Hoi House and is still standing, along with the rest of the estate.

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon

A nice angle here on a plane coming into land at the old airport. It makes a nice change from the usual views taken from the north side. Was this shot taken from a boat?

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Tiger Balm Gardens, Tai Hang

The baddies (the 'Five Golden Dragons' of the title) have their base in the Haw Par Mansion inside Tiger Balm Gardens. As a result we get some nice shots of the place when it was in its heyday. Sadly, a large section of action occurs at night but people familiar with the place will recognise it nonetheless.

Some later action was set during the day though with some much better views of the gardens including the front gate (top picture below) which, other than the mansion itself, is the only remaining thing following the redevelopment.

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Former Marine Police Headquarters, Tsim Sha Tsui

The base of the police n this film is the former Marine Police HQ in Tsim Sha Tsui that has since been turned into the Hullet Hotel. Building aside, the developers (Li Ka-shing's Cheung Kong) ruined the area by excavating the hillside and filling it with tacky jewellery shops. The top two pictures show the front whilst the latter one shows the west side of the building that faces onto Canton Road.

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Hong Kong Hilton Hotel, Central

Sadly, I missed ever seeing this iconic building by just a few months as my first trip to HK was in November 1995 when the building had already been demolished and the construction work had already started on the piles for what would become the Cheung Kong Centre.

What you can see is Bob Cummings running onto Queen's Road Central to grab a cab. However, one of the most interesting pictures for me is the view from the hotel room window. It sparked a recent memory and I suddenly realised I had seen a version of that view before.

Five Golden Dragons: 1967

Bruce Lee and I: 1976

Even if it's not quite the same room (though it could be) the view is comparable in terms of aspect if not content. Look how much it has changed!! In case you are wondering where the latter screen grab is from, it's from 1976's Bruce Lee and I starring Betty Ting Pei. The difference of around 10 years is quite staggering but not surprising. Also look carefully and you can see that the Hilton looks as though it didn't change its furniture very often. The rattan settee in the foreground is exactly the same!

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - Aberdeen Harbour, Aberdeen

Following the Sea Palace we are treated to a chase scene across the various floating elements of the harbour - a familiar set piece to anyone who has also seen Double Impact or The Protector and, no doubt, many more I have yet to discover. But I guess being filmed in 1967, this movie can potentially lay claim to be one of the first.

Five Golden Dragons - Bob Cummings (1967) - The Sea Palace Floating Restaurant, Aberdeen

Previously, whenever a film has ventured into Aberdeen - which they invariably do - the usual stars of the show tend to be either the Tai Pak or Jumbo (though strictly speaking the Tai Pak is now part of "Jumbo Kingdom"). In this film we actually get some nice footage of the Sea Palace in its former 1960's glory.

Notice this was made before the Ap Lei Chau Power Station was built.

Real interior? I think so, yes.

The exterior seems to be even more ornate than the Tai Pak.

A Chinese stuntman doing what they do best.

If you read my other blog, you'll know the Sea Palace's pontoon is still moored at the Shum Wan pontoon area.