Words of the Dragon: Interviews and Conversations 1958-1973

by Bruce Lee, John Little (Editor)

Overview

Words of the Dragon is an anthology of newspaper and magazine interviews from 1958 to 1973 revealing Bruce Lee's own fascinating words and explanations about Bruce himself, his art and philosophy.

Interesting and insightful, Words of the Dragon provides the reader a means to understand the real Bruce Lee, offering us a unique keyhole through which to view the private life and personal struggles of the late martial arts superstar. These interviews provide us with Lee's own interpretations of life, the martial arts, international stardom, and his cross-cultural marriage during a time of racism.

This Bruce Lee book is part of the Bruce Lee Library which also features:

• Bruce Lee's Striking Thoughts
• Bruce Lee's The Tao of Gung Fu
• Bruce Lee Artist of Life
• Bruce Lee Letters of the Dragon
• Bruce Lee The Art of Expressing the Human Body
• Bruce Lee Jeet Kune Do

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804850001
Publisher:	Tuttle Publishing
Publication date:	11/07/2017
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	461,938
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Bruce Lee (1940-1973) was a martial artist, film actor, filmmaker, philosopher and the founder of the original mixed martial art known as Jeet Kune Do—"the way of the intercepting fist." As an actor, Lee became a cultural icon. He was born in San Francisco but spent his formative years in Hong Kong. His groundbreaking action films sparked intense interest in the Asian martial arts in the West. His most famous film is Enter the Dragon (1973). He was an avid student of all forms of martial arts along with Eastern and Western philosophy and is regarded today as the most influential martial artist who ever lived. Lee moved beyond the rigid traditional style of martial arts to develop his own free-form, modern style of Jeet Kune Do.

John Little is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on Bruce Lee, his training methods, and philosophies. Little is the only person who has ever been authorized to review the entirety of Lee's personal notes, sketches, and reading annotations. Little's articles have appeared in every martial arts and health and fitness magazine in North America. John is an expert in the fields of martial arts, bodybuilding, and physical conditioning.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 8

Preface: Do You Know Bruce Lee? Linda Lee Cadwell 9

Introduction John Little 14

A Chronological List of Bruce Lee's Principal Works 17

Part 1 The Seattle Years (1958-1964)

A Budding Star of Chinese Movies 22

Mike Lee Hope for Rotsa Ruck 24

Bruce Lee, Chinese Movie Star, Speaks to Garfield Seniors 26

Gung Fu Demonstration 28

Notes 29

Part 2 The Kato Years (1965-1967)

Robin's New Love Rival 32

Meet Bruce Lee-The Green Hornet's Buzz Bomb 34

Bruce Lee: Love Knows No Geography 35

Bruce Lee: "Our Mixed Marriage Brought Us a Miracle of Love" 41

"I Want My Son to Be a Mixed-Up Kid!" 46

Green Hornet Star Discusses New Series 51

Actor Is Gung-Ho for Gung-Fu 52

Holy Hero, Batman! Don't Let the Gung Fu Get You 54

TV Mailbox 56

Batman's Boy Has Black Belt Rival 56

A Swinging "Kato" Pays a Visit 58

Green Hornet's Helper Used to Buzz Around "U" 59

Deadly Simple Fighter 61

Hornet's Sidekick a Blur on Film 63

What's That Buzzing? 64

The Lost Veneration 67

Notes 67

Part 3 The Hollywood Years (1967-1970)

Kato Likes Puns, Preys on Words 74

Gung Fu Is Serious Business to Kato, The Green Hornets Muscular Aid 76

Gung Fu in Bridge Club? 78

Judo Expert Calls Hand Chop "Stunt" 80

Karate Is Sissy Stuff 82

Don't Order Gung Fu from Bruce Lee 83

Chop Talk with an Actor: Mayhem up His Sleeve 86

Bruce Quitting Boxing for Acting 87

Don't Call It Karate-It's Martial Art 88

Notes 93

Part 4 The Hong Kong Years (1971-1973)

The Man with a Stomach Like a Brick Wall 98

Bruce Lee's $1 Million Punch 100

Bruce Lee-The $3 Million Box-Office Draw 102

The Big Boss Takes a Record Profit 106

Midas Bruce to Make New Film 107

Bruce's Opinion on Kung Fu, Movies, Love and Life 108

Action Man Bruce Likes the Quiet Life 112

Me and Jeet Kune Do 114

Inside Bruce Lee 119

Superstar Bruce Lee? 135

The Violence Cult 140

Who Will Get Superstar Bruce Lee? 143

Bruce Just Too Good 144

Bruce Floors Actor 145

Actor Bruce Lee Dies in Hong Kong Hospital 146

The Final Word, by Brandon Bruce Lee 148

Notes 150

Index 154

Editorial Reviews

"The strength of this book, I felt, was in the interesting footnotes the editor provided at the end of each chapter. The footnotes shed more light and context…and include many interesting anecdotes themselves." —Man of la Book blog

"If you know nothing of Bruce Lee, this book can work as a different introduction to his life. One thing many would find interesting as fans of Bruce Lee is the way the interviews highlight the world at that time. All the while you get a sense for the Lee family's goals and outlooks at the time each article is written as they look forward to a bright future. Overall, the book seems to connect the reader to the Lee family in total quite well, not just Bruce. It's pretty interesting to read" —Martial Arts & Action Movies blog

From the Publisher