Jim Kelly the martial artist (not to be confused with the Buffalo Bills quarterback, the soccer player from the 1920’s, the Federalist House of Representatives member from the early 1800’s, the Jack the Ripper suspect, the managing editor of Time magazine, the federal judge, the saloon keeper, or the pirate), has a unique spot in martial arts film history. His first film (or at least the film that he received his “Introducing” billing) Enter the Dragon, in which he played Mr. Williams, also happened to be the very last film that the iconic Bruce Lee made before he passed away. So the film has a lore of its own.
Beyond that, you likely would never have heard of Jim Kelly. Unless of course you have rented Black Belt Jones, Black Samurai, Afro Ninja, or Afro Ninja Destiny. But Jim Kelly knows his unique place in history and therefore would not negotiate any lower than his $30 price tag for a signed photo and a picture with him. He claimed that he had already reduced his prices in honor of the recession.
I almost had the last laugh though. I had an inordiante amount of ones in my wallet – nine to be exact. So I only paid him a $20 bill and nine ones. But he got even…as seen below.
This concludes the celebrities of the Fall 2010 Chiller Theatre Show. Return to the original posting here…
Don’t ignore Mr. Kelly’s leading role in, “Three the Hard Way” – a classic of the genre.
Peter
October 15th, 2011