Kung Fu: Season 1 (1972)

TV. Kung Fu is a gem that outshines its early '70s origins, purveying Eastern philosophy (harmony, pacifism, integrity) through David Carradine's itinerant Shaolin priest. A sleeper hit and a generational milestone, it ran for three seasons and is not to be missed. (It was updated in the 1993 TV series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, which ran for four seasons but Netflix does not yet list or stock. In fact, I had to acquire Kung Fu: Season 1 from Blockbuster since Netflix has not stocked the disc set in 2.5 years. Incidentally, some reviewers have expressed confusion over "repeating" episodes on successive discs, but I believe they received the three-disc, two-sided set that Netflix lists as six one-sided discs. It's a simple oversight since double-sided DVDs are not common and their spindle-printed legends are very hard to read.) Some have kibbitzed that Bruce Lee engendered the series idea but was passed over because of racism. However, in the making-of featurette on disc 1, the producers explain how kung fu itself came to their attention and how they sought out all the acting talent in the Chinese community. (As with Star Trek, antidiscrimination is a major theme in Kung Fu.) Basically, Bruce Lee was an overpowering physical presence plus a TV audience would not be able to understand what he said. The producers eventually settled on Carradine. Kung Fu owes its success to David Carradine as the humble Kwai Chang Caine, Keye Luke as the blind Master Po, and Philip Ahn as the stern Master Kan, who (with all the others) portrayed the meditative and harmonious spirit of the Shaolin monastery through the very DNA of the series. Star Trek's Spock and Kung Fu's Caine were the two greatest xenophilosophical influences of my adolescence. I still love every scene where Caine impassively faces an onslaught of Indian arrows or palooka ranchers and deflects their enmity (physically and philosophically) to prevail (as a willow "prevails" through a storm) then reconcile the afflicted. Our materialistic society needs the timeless lessons gleaned from the flashbacks of "young Grasshopper" in this series. Its emphasis is on story and character. Look beyond the simplicity and disingenuousness of each episode to find nuggets of wisdom that can last a lifetime. Disc 1 contains the pilot and featurette on side 1, episodes 1-3 (King of the Mountain, Dark Angel, Blood Brother) on side 2. The pilot covers Caine's monastery days and Dark Angel powerfully presents Caine's encounter with his grandfather and redemption of a fallen preacher. 5 stars.