Episode 34 - Bruceless and Ruthless

Episode 34 features two films that seem, on the surface, to have only David Carradine in common.  The connections go deeper though, since both films were originally slated to star Bruce Lee before his untimely death in 1973. We start with 1978s Circle of Iron, AKA "The Silent Flute". This film has quite an impressive cast, including Mr. Carradine, Roddy McDowall, Christopher Lee and Eli Wallach in a thoroughly bizarre role. It tells the story of Cord the Seeker who seeks to defeat the wizard Zetan and gain the book of knowledge. Originally written by Bruce Lee and James Coburn as a means to spread the ideas of Zen Buddhism to the larger world and as a starring vehicle for the two of them, it eventually was brought to life after Lee's death and is impressive on many levels.  The second film is 1983's Lone Wolf McQuade which features the one and only Chuck Norris as an iconoclastic Texas Ranger who faces off against Mr. Carradine's gun-running social-climber. Barbara Carrera and L.Q. Jones both show up, as does William Sanderson in a small but excellent performance as a toady named Snow.  This is brimming with testosterone and chest hair, in a good way.Send us your thoughts on the show and recommendations for future episodes to [email protected] or [email protected]. You can also reach us on Facebook, Instagram, Letterboxd. YouTube.