50th anniversary of the premier of “Shanghai Joe”

 

Today is the 50^th anniversary of the premier of “Shanghai Joe” directed by Mario Caino and starring Chen Lee, Gordon Mitchell, Klaus Kinski and Robert Hundar. The story is a Shanghai Joe (Chen Lee) who arrives in San Francisco, in 1882. He’s a Chinese skilled in the martial arts, who goes in search of work. Self-confident, he applies for work as a cowboy, at a ranch. He immediately learns about racial discrimination and the ranch hands are determined to put the Chinaman in his place. Believing that they can easily beat the skinny Chinaman they attack him and try to beat him up, but Joe beats them using his special skills and is hired by Kay (Lorenzo Fineschi), the foreman of Spencer (Piero Lulli), a wealthy businessman in the area, to move his cattle herd to Mexico. But Joe soon discovers that instead of cattle, they are smuggling Mexican workers. Stopped by the sheriff (Andrea Aureli) and his men, the gunmen Kay quickly escapes and kills the peons. Joe rebels against this injustice and helps an injured worker escape. Spencer, by this time, considers him a traitor who must be eliminated with various gadgets and ambushes he hires, Pedro the Cannibal (Robert Hundar), Scalper Jack (Klaus Kinski) who fail in their mission to kill Joe. Mikuja (Katsutochi Mikuriya), also a Chinese and educated by the master himself, the Venerable Yang (George Wang), tackles Joe. But you cannot use Japanese martial arts to hurt another martial arts expert and Joe triumphs in the end.

The film ranks 394 and brought in 109,980 lira at the box office.

 

Il mio nome è Shangai Joe – Italian title

Mezzogiorno di fuoco per Han-Hao – Italian title

Meu Nome é Shangae Joe - Brazilian title

Shanghai Joe – Texas hernnaevne – Danish title

On m’appelle Shanghai Joe – French title

Shanghai Joe – French title

Der Mann mit der Kugelpeitsche – German title

Karate Jack - Ich bin euer Henker – German title

Mein Name ist Karate-Jack – German title

Knochenbrecher im wilden Westen – German title

I grothia tou Shangai Joe – Greek title

Monomahia me grothies kai karate – Greek title

T'onoma mou einai Shangai Joe – Greek title

Shanghai Joe – Greek title

荒野のドラゴン – Japanese title

Koya no Dragon – Japanese title

Mezzogiorno di fuoco per Han-Hao – Spanish title

Shangay’dan Gelen Adam – Turkish title

Benim Adim Shanghai Joe – Turkish title

The Man Strikes Back – U.K. title

My Name is Shanghai Joe – English title

To Kill or to Die – English title

The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe – English title

The Dragon Strikes Back – U.S.A. title

Shanghai Joe – U.S.A. title

 

A 1973 Italian film production [C.B.A. Produttori e Distributor Associati, CCC (Rome)]

Producer: Renato Amgiolini, Roberto Bessi

Director: Mario Caiano

Story: Mario Caiano, Carlo Alberto Alfieri, T.F. Karter (Fabrizio Trifone Trecca)

Screenplay: T.F. Karter (Fabrizio Trifone Trecca), Mario Caiano

Cinematography: Guglielmo Mancori [Technicolor, Techniscope]

Music: Bruno Nicolai

Running time: 100 minutes

 

Cast:

Chin Hau/Shanghai Joe – Chen Lee (Mioshini Hayakawa)

Scalper Jack – Klaus Kinski (Nikolaus Nakaszynski)

Pedro ‘The Cannibal’ – Robert Hundar (Claudio Undari)

Mikuja/Fire Lotus Warrior– Katsutochi Mikuriya

Buryin’ Sam – Gordon Mitchell (Charles Pendleton)

Kay – Lorenzo Fineschi

Christina – Carla Romanelli

Christina’s father - Francisco Sanz

Tricky – Giacomo Rossi Stuart

Tricky henchmen – Claudio Ruffini, Franco Ulmar

Master Yang – George Wang (Wang Yie)

Slim – Rick Boyd (Federico Boido)

Samuel/Stanley Spencer – Piero Lulli (Giusva Lulli)

Sheriff Andy Corrotto – Andrea Aureli

Jesus – Tito Garcia

Blacksmith – Vaerano Ginesi (Voriano Ginesi)

Bank employee - Vincenzo De Palo

Manuel Omero/Homer – Dante Cleri

Smitty – Roberto Dell’Acqua

Conchita – Carla Mancini

Conchita’s brother – Luciano Casamonica

Craig – Alfonso de la Vega

Tom - Franco Moruzzi

Poker players – Umberto D’Orsi

Doctor – Dante Maggio

False Teeth – Osiride Pevarello

One-eyed old man – Giovanni Sabbatini

Wells Fargo clients – Aldo Cecconi, Lars Bloch

Ferguson ranch foreman - Lorenzo Fineschi

Way station heckler – Giuseppe Mattei

Slave handler – Jose Luis Chinchilla

Kid in front of hotel – Juanito Santiago

Smitty – Roberto Dell’Acqua

‘False Teeth’ – Osiride Pevarello

Ferguaon ranch hands – Sergio Testori, Pietro Torrisi, Sergio Ukmar, Sergio Ukmar,

Raniero Dorascenzi

Spencer’s guests – Enrico Marciani, Luigi Antonio Guerra

Stagecoach teller - Angelo Casadei

Stagecoach driver – Angelo Susani

With: Giorgio Bixio (Lazzaro Bisio)