On August 2, 1964 Bruce Lee appeared at the Long beach International Karate Tournament. This was a pivotal moment in launching his acting career and the beginning of his journey to worldwide fame.
Background
Ed Parker was a Kenpo Karate instructor who owned multiple schools and had done movie stunt work. He decided to organize a martial arts exhibition in Long Beach, California and invite talented martial artists to show their skills to the Hollywood movie industry. He held the Long Beach International Karate Championships in an 8,000 seat municipal auditorium and invited Lee to give a demonstration. Parker assigned one of his student Dan Inosanto to be Bruce Lee’s guide (Life, pages 145-146).
“Mr. Parker gave me $75 and said, ‘Make sure he eats properly, and show him the area.” Dan Inosanto (Life, page 146).
1. Chi Sao Demonstration
Bruce Lee started off his demonstration by doing a Chi Sao (“Sticky Hands”) demonstration with his friend Taky Kimura. They put their arms together and Lee reacted to Taky’s pressure while blindfolded. Lee eventually brought Taky to the ground.
2. Two Finger Pushups
Next he did a two finger pushup which was a big hit with the crowd.
3. Lunging Attack
Lee then had an opponent stand three feet away and told him to block. Lee started in his stance and used his back foot to propel forward. Lee reached the opponent without being blocked.
4. Punching
Lee punched his opponent from two feet away and sent them sliding back into a chair.
5. One Inch Punch
Next Lee demonstrated his famous one inch punch. Again, Lee sent his opponent sliding backward into his chair.
6. Sparring
Lee finished by sparring using protective gear. He demonstrated his punches, kicks, and takedowns.
Aftermath
Jay Sebring was a Karate student of Ed Parker and attended the Long Beach International Championship. He was also a well known hairdresser to many Hollywood stars. While Sebring was styling Hollywood producer William Dozier’s hair, Dozier mentioned that he was looking for a Chinese actor for a new action series called Charlie Chan’s Number One Son. It was to be a “Chinese James Bond” action show. Sebring told Dozier about Lee. Sebring and Parker showed Dozier video of Lee at the Championship. Dozier offered Lee the leading rold but ultimately the show was not produced. Instead Dozier gave Lee the co-starring role as Cato in The Green Hornet tv series. This break started Lee on a path of a movie career and world wide fame (Life, page 163-164, and 181; Words, pages 40, 67).
Resources:
Bruce Lee: A Life, Matthew Polly, Author, Simon & Schuster Publishing, 2019. Highly rated biography of Bruce Lee.
Words of the Dragon: Interviews, 1958-1973, John Little, Editor, Tuttle Publishing, 1997, 2017. Volume 1 of the Bruce Lee Library, commissioned by the Bruce Lee Estate. Interview transcripts of Bruce Lee on a variety of topics including philosophy, martial arts, and his personal life. Put together by John Little, Bruce Lee historian. Love Knows No Geography, Picture Life, 1966, by Fredda Dudley Balling, page 40, Hornet’s Sidekick a Blue on Film, Chicago’s American, August 23, 1966, by Bill Irvin, page 67).
Long Beach International Karate Championships, August 2, 1964, Bruce Lee Enterprises, LLC is the exclusive owner of the use of Bruce Lee’s name, image, archival footage, and writings.
AI Narration provided by elevenlabs.io.
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