July 3, 2018 ▸ People

Episode 311: Jackie Chan: Martial Arts Mogul

On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we all become drunken masters and study the life, times, films, injuries, and legacy of one of the all-time greats of the Kung Fu film: the one and only Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong to what are described as very poor and radical parents. They allegedly tried to sell Jackie to his delivery doctor for $26, and when they got in trouble with the communist regime (his mom may have been an opium dealer and his father a spy—and no, I’m not making this up), they abandoned him with the Chinese Opera Research Institute, a brutal Hong Kong boarding school.

Here, Chan learned the ropes and built up all the skills he would need to become the master of the genre he is today. His childhood was like a real-life Kung Fu movie. He was stretched with ropes, beaten for making mistakes, and had to endure grueling 19 hour work days when as young as 8 years old. He graduated at the age of 17 and was immediately working as an acrobat and stunt man in Hong Kong action films. A year later, he landed a big break and was able to work with the legendary Bruce Lee on three films, and this got him noticed.

From there, Jackie Chan was tapped to be a likely successor once Lee died, but Jackie had a different style and mood. He was all about slapstick comedy. Borrowing from film greats like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, Jackie worked a lot of humor into his intense martial arts sequences. Oh, and stunts. He does his own, almost dying so many times it has become a cliché.

So what were his most dangerous stunts? How many bones has he broke? How many movies has he made? Why does dislike like making movies for American studios? What did he do to make the criminal Chinese Triad back down? What is his stance on communism? What’s up with the stuffed pandas? Listen, laugh, learn.

Jackie Chan’s Comedy Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1PCtIaM_GQ

Best Fight Scenes List: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhNcqdZCgPE