Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - View over Wanchai, Hong Kong

The next shot appears to be a continuation of the same shot that is used for the series' opening credits, but for some reason (perhaps because of timing) was cut from the credits and then used several times as an establishing shot throughout many of the episodes. It;s the view across Wanchai from the same vantage point above the former Bowen Road Military Hospital, which can be seen in the lower portion of the image. In fact, given the extensive use of 17 Magazine Gap Road in the show, I am fairly certain this image was filmed from the podium of that building.

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - 17 Magazine Gap Road, Mid-levels

I know that I already posted a picture of this place from the previous episode, but this image is slightly clearer and taken in daylight as opposed to the earlier darker one (either taken later or most likely with a filter on the camera lens). Anyway, there aren't too many pictures of this place around since it was demolished later the same decade. Look closely and you can see the balustrade that surrounded the podium level. We get to see it close up in a later episode.

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - Lockhart Road, Wanchai

A couple more establishing shots from this episode, Murder Royal, were taken at the junction of Lockhart and Luard Roads in Wanchai. They pop up in a sort of montage as Evans tramps around the city trying to find out what is going on from his various dubious sources. It seems most of them frequent the bars in the Wanchai red light district.

Conveniently, both of these bars were on opposite sides of the same junction. The Skyroom Bar was located at 88 Lockhart Road, on the south east corner of the junction and the United Bar was located on the opposite corner.

Hong Kong (series) - Rod Taylor (1960) - View over Stonecutter Island, Kowloon

We move on to episode 2 in the series and this one is called Murder Royal. This episode looks as though it was mainly shot in the US with a few HK-based establishing shots to try and keep the authenticity up. I can't think of a single scene involving the actors that made me think it was shot on-location. The plot involves a foreign King arriving in Hong Kong with his son and entourage for the purpose of undergoing a serious medical procedure. At the same time a plot is afoot to have him and his son assassinated so that the throne can be usurped by certain nefarious characters.

It's never mentioned as far as I can remember, but the attire of the Royals and their entourage reminds me a little bit of the formal dress in Brunei.

Anyway, to start with there is a rather nice panorama of Stonecutters Island in its original form i.e. as an actual island. These days it has been subsumed by the West Kowloon reclamation and the whilst most of it still contains the off-limits naval base (now with the PLA), a small section is partly accessible to the public as part of the container processing zones and surrounding road infrastructure.

Can anyone see what is wrong with the panorama? The capture below is a stitch of a camera pan from left to right.

Okay, so if you thought something looked odd, it does. This footage used in this episode has been flipped horizontally. A more-frequent-than-you-realise phenomenon that I have observed over several years of this blog. here's how it should really look. The more familiar orientation of the Hong Kong hills in the background. The large building in the bottom left is still around, its actually the two long terrace blocks that make up the old tenements (built in 1959) between Fuk Wing Street and Fuk Wah Street in Cheung Sha Wan. There is an alleyway between the two called Kim Shin Lane. The slant on the buildings on the right hand side are where the two blocks meet Castle Peak Road at an angle.