drunken master ii ( chinese : 醉拳二 ; cantonese yale : jui kuen ii ) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu film directed by lau kar-leung and jackie chan , who stars as chinese folk hero , wong fei-hung .

it was chan 's first traditional style martial arts film since the young master ( 1980 ) and dragon lord ( 1982 ) .

the film is a follow-up to chan 's 1978 film drunken master , directed by yuen woo-ping , but is technically a reboot and not a direct storyline sequel .

another film , drunken master iii ( 1994 , directed by lau kar-leung ) features little in common with either this or its predecessor , and is not considered a sequel .

in 2005 , drunken master ii was named one of the top 100 best films of all time by time magazine .

drunken master ii

looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing drunken master ii near you .
for fighting action , “drunken master ii” is usually near the top of most jackie chan fans’ all - time favourite lists .
jackie chan sends up some amazing and entertaining fight sequences in the legend of drunken master .
drunken master 2 ( french title ) ( hk title ) jui kuen ii ( hk title ) 醉拳2 ( hk title ) zui quan 2 ( hk title ) legend of the drunken master ( int . title ) combats de maître ( french title )
having been released in the united states as the legend of drunken master , i hadn’t known that 1994’s drunken master ii was the second in the series until a few years ago . needing to revisit the that film , i can’t speak to which i prefer or which is better , but i can say that i truly appreciated where the concept began when i had the opportunity to experience 1978’s original drunken master . ( editor’s note : despite its title , drunken master ii is not an in - continuity sequel , but a return and expansion to the same concept ) .
old master : beggar - so is exactly the kind of wandering master one wouldn ' t expect to be a master . he ' s also usually drunk .
drunken master ii ( chinese : 醉拳二 ; cantonese yale : jui kuen ii ) is a 1994 hong kong kung fu action film directed by lau kar - leung and jackie chan , who stars as chinese folk hero , wong fei hung . it was chan ' s first traditional style martial arts film since the young master ( 1980 ) and dragon lord ( 1981 ) . the film was released in north america as the legend of drunken master in 2000 .
jackie chan’s sequel to his smash hit 1978 original kung fu comedy . “drunken master ii” sees chan as wong fei hung getting mixed up in a scam to smuggle ancient chinese treasures out of the country .
in “drunken master ii” , each fight scene has a fluid rhythm , and for the drunken boxing scenes , we are treated to a fighting style that is quite unique and different to other martial arts movies . watching jackie perform each sequence is like watching gene kelly dance at his peak . jackie hadn’t performed traditional kung fu to such an extent since 1982’s “dragon lord” , and when you first see “drunken master ii” , it doesn’t just hark back to the old school , it sets a new benchmark .
the fighting moves for the character “shun di” in sega’s arcade game “virtua fighter 2” , were based on the “drunken master” movies .
i love jackie chan and the drunken master movies . i originally saw drunken master ii a few years prior to its american re - release as legend of the drunken master ( the version i saw was released by tai seng , i believe ) and when i watched legend in the theater , i couldn ' t understand why they cut the very end of the movie out . there was a whole scene afterward where jackie has gone cuckoo from drinking the industrial alcohol . it was pretty much jackie clowning around , but , when i finally wanted to buy the movie for my collection , all i could find was the edited , americanized legend of drunken master . this release is the original drunken master ii and this dvd , while not as high quality as the legend dvd , is still very good . a must for chan fans .
welcome back ! in case you haven’t read through part i of my first 5 steps to ‘becoming the drunken master’ , click here .
trope codifier : for the drunken master and hong kong martial arts movie , whose tropes film lovingly reproduces and creates the perfect product .
a good example of what i like is druken master 2 ( called ' legend of drunken master ' in the us ) . sure , wires were used - but in all but a few spots ,
six years later , drunken master ii was released in 1 , 345 north american theaters as the legend of drunken master by dimension films . [ 9 ] [ 10 ] this re - edited version made us $ 3 , 845 , 278 ( $ 2 , 865 per screen ) in its opening weekend , on its way to a us $ 11 , 555 , 430 total .
hong kong superstar jackie chan reprises his role as “wong fei hung” , turning history on it’s head to play the character as the unruly master of drunken boxing .
“drunken master ii” broke box office records in hong kong , grossing hk $ 40 , 971 , 484 . the success was somewhat surprising , considering that the popularity of kung fu films was waning . six years later , the film was released in 1 , 345 north american theatres as “the legend of drunken master” , grossing us $ 3 , 845 , 278 in its opening weekend , on its way to a us $ 11 , 555 , 430 total .
an undisciplined boy must learn drunken fist kung fu in order to stop an assassin .
the plot is the bastard offspring of a menage a trois between drunken master , young master , and dragon lord . the latter two films are currently buster keatoning the shit out of each other to determine who the real sharpshooter is , and drunken master is trying to prevent its ex - spouse snake in the eagle ' s shadow from obtaining visitation rights , which is gonna be tough since they ' re practically the same damn movie .
these prints have “burnt - in” chinese / english subtitles . the original thakraal region 0 dvd release of “drunken master ii” is the only version which features the entire hong kong version . however , the aspect ratio is cropped to 1 . 78 : 1 from the original theatrical 2 . 35 : 1 aspect ratio .
yip man , or ip man , is a martial arts master best known for teaching the wing chun form . kung fu master and icon bruce lee was one of his students .
according to imdb , the legend of drunken master ( 1994 ) starring jackie chan has made over $ 300 million worldwide but it doesn ' t appear on all time box office lists .
 the home video availability of drunken master ii is a great injustice . this film ' s only region one dvd availability is a truncated , re - scored , dubbed version from dimension home video . plus it ' s been retitled the legend of drunken master . thank you , mickey .  for a full report on any cuts and changes made to the us version of this film , as well as other asian films purchased by disney / miramax , visit the web alliance for the respectful treatment of asian cinema .
subverting generic convention , however , is possibly more imperative than merely demonstrating established generic norms , and chan consciously undermines the previous on - screen iterations and the legend of wong fei - hung as well as typical representations of the hegemonic masculine kung fu hero ( szeto , pp . 113 ) through drunken master ii ’s narrative and performance .
drunken master ii marks a period in chan’s career where he is moving from the cult and slightly obscure with his early films that “became cults almost uniquely as a results of their western reception within already cultified networks” ( mathijs , pp . 122 ) and into global and mainstream success with rush hour ( 1998 ) on the horizon . if chan’s early cult successes would have “offended guardians of taste” ( bordwell , p . 54 ) , his films following drunken master ii , ( the global hits and transference to america ) would lift him out of the cultist area that kung fu movies first derived from to transcend “local and regional differences” ( shu , pp . 59 ) . in conclusion
however , the fighting was so great that i ' d have to buy this on dvd when it comes out . the fighting and the use of music in the fight scenes was so perfectly done that they far outweigh my disgust with the wires . i consider this movie to be second only to drunken master ii in terms of fighting .
according to imdb , the legend of drunken master ( 1994 ) starring jackie chan has made over $ 300 million worldwide but it doesn ' t appear on all time box office lists . : boxoffice
( cantonese dialogue ) sixteen years after the pic that trampolined him into the local big time , hong kong star jackie chan bounces back with a titular sequel that’s among the most confident in his oeuvre . though “drunken master ii” isn’t the unrestrained , daredevil actionfest of some of his ’80s movies , it’s a well - balanced slab of genre [ … ]
drunken master ii was a notable success in hong kong , grossing hk $ 40 , 971 , 484 during its theatrical run . [ 8 ] the success was somewhat surprising , considering reports of tension on the set between chan and lau kar leung [ citation needed ] , and that the 90s vogue for kung fu films had more or less passed .
a few years ago after seeing rumble in the bronx , i was attempting to
discover
jackie chan and i go into saturday matinee and buy myself a $ 6 . 99 copy of drunken master . although i can ' t read the subtitles and the transfer is really poor , i am duly impressed . so i drove an hour to the trendy video store and i rented drunken master 2 . oh yeah .
it is almost shameful to admit that going into this double feature , i’d be mostly familiar with the rush hour films and the drunken master sequel . associating chan with some recent blunders , i hadn’t thought to go deeper into his collection , but this release and his casting as the master in the upcoming lego ninjago film come together as just the right storm of jackie chan fun . thus , i dug into this release , beginning with snake in the eagle’s shadow , before the classic kung fu comedy mashup , drunken master .
res , or a dislocated shoulder , or a broken ankle ( this could go on forever ) . nonetheless , drunken master ( 1978 ) is a foundational movie of an icon that we all love and respect .
master of the stick ' s review : as if another 10 / 10 was really necessary here , i ' m going to go out on a limb and say that this movie is awesome . the fights ' the plot , the humor , drunken master ii has it all . it is the pinnacle of old school kung fu flicks - no blockbuster stunts , explosions , or chase scenes , just pure , unadulterated kung fu . in short , it ' s the reason why i have become the jackie chan fanatic that i am today . master of the stick ' s review : surprise !
reviewed by variety in its original cantonese version on may 9 , 1994 , and long available to north american homevid renters in an english - subtitled version , pic is a follow - up to “drunken master” ( aka “drunken monkey in the tiger’s eyes” ) , the 1978 hong kong production that served as chan’s breakthrough star vehicle . produced in 1994 as “drunken master ii , ” retitled sequel stands alone as self - contained narrative , with chan perfectly cast as wong fei - hung , a real - life chinese folk hero who has been portrayed by scores of other actors in literally hundreds of other asian pics . ( jet li essays the character in tsui hark’s “once upon a time in china” series . )
henry , joined by john and the rest of his henchmen , find fei hung drowning his sorrows . too drunk to defend himself , the gang beat fei hung and string him up in the town centre with a sign that reads “king of drunken boxing . ” master wong brings fei hung back into the home , and explains that the reason why he forbids drunken boxing is because it is difficult for drunken boxers to find the right balance of alcohol consumption .
in 1996 , new line cinema and golden harvest jointly released rumble in the bronx , chan & apos ; s fifth english - language ( dubbed ) release but his first hit in america . the film grossed $ 10 million in its first weekend , shooting to no . 1 at the box office , and its success prompted the american debuts of two previous chan films , crime story and drunken master ii .
six months overdue and wildly over budget , drunken master 2 finally premiered in hong kong during chinese new year of 1994 . the film turned out to be a rolled gold smash hit - the highest grossing film of chan ' s career . it was also a big success with asia ' s film critics who deemed drunken master 2 as jackie ' s finest hour ( 104 mins to be exact ! ) . jackie chan was back as the undisputed king of chinese action cinema .
this is the final ingredient to truly transforming your physique and becoming , the ultimate drunken master . just like tracking your calories ( at least roughly ) is essential to losing body fat , so too is tracking your lifts to gain muscle !
set during the early republican era , “drunken master” — filmed on location in shanghai and northern china — renders fei - hung as a reluctant warrior who fights best when he’s nearly blotto . opening scenes quickly establish chan’s character as a boyishly impulsive rascal who occasionally annoys his stern but loving father , herbalist and kung - fu master wong kei - ying ( ti lung ) .
wong fei - hung ( jackie chan ) is a mischievous , yet righteous young man , but after a series of incidents , his frustrated father has him disciplined by beggar so ( yuen siu - tien ) , a master of drunken martial arts .
isabella wong is the only female actress with a substantial role in this film . she has film credits for cameo appearances in the sequel , project a part ii and in police story 2 .
sixteen years after the pic that trampolined him into the local big time , hong kong star jackie chan bounces back with a titular sequel that’s among the most confident in his oeuvre . though “drunken master ii” isn’t the unrestrained , daredevil actionfest of some of his ’80s movies , it’s a well - balanced slab of genre cinema in which chan is more of an ensemble player than previously . fans worldwide should respond warmly , and ancillary biz looks hot .
the original kung fu comedy ! won fei hung ( jackie chan ) stars as the mischievous young son of a martial arts school master who is constantly clowning around when he should be learning kung fu . after his comic antics injure the son of a powerful local man , his father enlists the help of his sadistic uncle to teach his son a little self - discipline . this strange man , who has a reputation for crippling his students , tries to teach fei hung a bizarre style of kung fu . at first , fei hung resists , but after losing a fight with a local assassin who has been hired to kill his father , he realizes he must master the special art of the
drunken boxer .
drunken master was the second collaboration between director yuen wo ping ( fight choreographer for the matrix and crouching tiger , hidden dragon ) and jackie chan . blending intricate martial arts moves with jackie chan ' s trademark slapstick comedy , drunken master ushered in the new genre of kung fu comedy and established chan as its uncontested king . ( original title - drunken master ) © 1978 , 1985 seasonal film corporation . all rights reserved .
i say one of the best action films ever made because like buster keaton , fred astaire and gene kelly , jackie chan is actually doing this stuff himself . the legend of drunken master or drunken master 2 is a non stop action movie and a comedy along the same lines as buster keaton ' s classic the general . the part where jackie chan falls into a pit of hot coals , that is all real , jackie actually had that sequence filmed three times , on the third time burning his arms and still having those scars today . all that and he played this part at 40 yrs old , pulling off a role of a 20 yr old convincingly . another film i enjoyed that was influenced a great deal by drunken master 2 was kung fu hustle ( widescreen edition ) even naming the gang in it the
axe gang
. the legend of drunken master is a must for any fan of action movies . it made entertainment weekly ' s top 25 action movies list and also is on time magazine ' s top 100 movies of all time .
addiction powered : of course , seeing how his mastery is drunken . the negative consequences of this are explored in the second movie .
is “drunken master ii” jackie chan’s best film ? it’s a tough question to answer , and i am sure it is at the top of many fans’ lists . the plot line is pretty thin , and much of the humour , especially to a non - chinese audience , is pretty broad . there are some of the usual jackie chan stunt team high falls and flips , but they are easily put in the shade when compared to films like “armour of god” or “police story” .
the time periods in which drunken master ii was produced and is set are of critical importance in relation to the kung fu genre . chan’s film , “made ten years after the joint declaration in 1984” ( szeto , pp . 118 ) and three years preceding 1997 , a date that signalled the end of british colonial rule over hong kong , have a great effect on the narrative and characterisation within the film . at a time of great change for hong kong during the film’s production , chan uses a story set in the early imperialist 1900s to both mirror ideas of nationhood and “chineseness” ( szeto , pp . 120 - 1 ) and simultaneously enforce ideas of multiculturalism ( shu , pp . 50 ) . this mirrors chan’s globalised star status and his role as a tourist ambassador in providing positive representations of hong kong . drunken master ii thus revisits a british imperial setting in a dissimilar manner to that of , for example , bruce lee’s fist of fury ( 1972 ) .
lau kar leung was a martial arts master who studied hung gar under lam sai wing , a student of the real wong fei hung .
a striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post world war ii america , paul thomas anderson ' s the master unfolds the journey of a naval veteran ( joaquin phoenix ) who arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the cause and its charismatic leader ( philip seymour hoffman ) . - - ( c ) weinstein
in the u . k . it was released on blu - ray 16th april 2012 also under the title “the legend of drunken master” . no dvd has been made available to date that preserves the original aspect ratio and the uncut version of the film with the original cantonese audio track .
henry and his gang of henchmen follow fei hung and his mother believing that ling has the emperor’s jade seal , and attempt to steal the bag , which actually contains her necklace . fei hung defeats them with his drunken boxing , but wong kei ying arrives as the fight ends . master wong believes that the family’s good reputation is being ruined by fei hung’s behaviour . master wong disowns fei hung and expels him from the family home .
the master may go down as one of paul thomas anderson ' s most compelling works for two simple reasons : joaquin phoenix and philip seymour hoffman .
from a land where honor and tradition reign , comes the legend of a martial - arts hero unlike any other - - the
drunken master
- - who can turn just one drink into devastation and humiliation for his enemies . his technique is fast , furious . . . and powerfully funny .
the good parts : cinematography , sets , locations are very beautiful . some fights have very good parts ( though nothing comes close to chan ' s drunken master 2 in fight quality ) . story was actually decent for a martial arts movie . the beautiful asian women . zhang ziyi is a stunner .
in fact , the only connection with the 1978 “drunken master” ( aka “drunk monkey in the tiger’s eyes” ) is the name of chan’s character , legendary cantonese martial artist wong fei - hung , recently disinterred in a string of jet lee / tsui hark pix . original , made by ng see - yuen’s seasonal corp . , was a low - tech comedy actioner with chan playing pupil to a “drunken fist” master . present item , partly shot in mainland china , is given the whole golden harvest production values , plus a bevy of stars led by songstress anita mui and veteran m . a . star ti lung .
ahhh shit ! my favorite movie of all time , undisputed ! i remember reading a little kung fu newsletter back in the day called
way of the fist
. . . funny i never got anything else from them . . anyway ! the letter had a jackie chan discography , and i remember seeing
drunken master
and
drunken master 2
on there . . i thought immediately ,
i bet that shit is dope !
it had been a long time after that , and my sister was reading the movie section of the newspaper , and said they were showing drunken master 2 at this dollar theater ! i freaked out of course , never seeing it . turns out , it was some sort of a benefit , and even though it was at a dollar theater , it costed six bucks . after seeing it , i would have paid sixty bucks had i known how great this movie was ( and is ) ! fucking amazing , on the big screen and all . . .
tech credits are all fine and , as usual in chan movies , the end - title crawl includes botched takes , including some dangerous fire stunts in the smeltery finale . though vet action director lau kar - leung ( aka liu chia - liang ) left the pic after a dispute with chan , he still cops the main directing credit . chinese title literally means “drunken fist ii , ” referring to a style of fighting .
jackie chan’s follow up to the 1978 kung fu comedy drunken master allows for critical analysis of the genre and its place in cult and exploitation cinema . of major significance is chan’s unconventional representation of the chinese cultural legend wong fei - hung ( teo : 2009 , pp . 61 ) that correlates to other subversions of generic conventions in chan’s film , such as nationalism ( szeto : 2011 , pp . 120 ) and masculine hard bodies ( shu : 2003 , pp . 51 ) . though a colonial discourse is evident within drunken master ii , the politics are less overt when compared to the films of bruce lee ( szeto , pp . 51 ) , thus reflecting chan’s ability as a transnational star to embody and combine “chinese traditions and western tastes” ( bordwell : 2011 , pp . 20 ) , reaching a global audience through a kinetic genre that defies language and national boundaries . generic conventions and subversions : wong fei - hung and masculinity
here we’re treated to the story of the young troublemaker , wong ( chan ) . after a series of fun , stupid decisions that piss a lot of people off , wong is signed up by his father to train with the most intense and rigorous master . he runs away , but is ultimately found , and the training begins . of course , before the training is through , he is forced to go back and defend his father from a deadly master . wong’s master tells him that he knows all he needs and can combine the styles his was taught to develop his own style . he uses this style , dubbed drunken miss ho , to defeat the attacker and save his family .
booze - based buff : the trick to drunken boxing is that you actually have to be drunk for it to work effectively . see worf had the flu below for more .
jackie chan was taking a bit of a risk returning to the traditional style of kung fu film that had established him as a star some sixteen years earlier . in the early nineties , the “new wave” of wuxia ( martial hero ) films , epitomised by the “once upon a time in china” series , were the most popular martial arts movies . his film immediately preceding this one was the tough and serious action drama “crime story” . for the action in “drunken master ii” , jackie wanted to return to traditional choreography and his trademark comedy . to that effect , he recruited the shaw brothers legend lau kar leung to direct the movie .
( 1994 ) is an iconic if not quite typical jackie chan vehicle from his middle period , between the early days when he was unwisely fashioned as a successor to bruce lee ' s throne and prior to his homogenized , generally disappointing hollywood career . originally released as 醉拳 ii (
this is probably jackie ' s best film ever . everyone says that . i ' m going to tell you why : fighting , fighting , fighting , beer , fighting , wine , fighting , swords , fighting , coals , fighting , mass destruction caused by simply bare hands , fighting , fighting , and more fighting . if you ' ve seen some old kung - fu movies ( like drunken master i ) , you ' ll know that they usually have loads of fighting in them . but cinematogrophy was not what is was today , and they don ' t look quite as real as they should have . consequently , movies like rumble , supercop , and etc . seem to have incredible fighting action . drunken master ii , though , takes fighting to a new level . filmed at the end of the 90 ' s kung - fu craze started by jet li , and directedt by shaw rothers kung - fu veteran lau kar leung , drunken master contains fighting beyond worth of any kung - fu flick , and with cinematogrophy to match it . jackie continues his modern tradition of crazy stunts . i really don ' t know how he can do all the crap he does , but hey , he ' s jackie chan . anyway , just to add to all the coolness , this film features drunken boxing as the martial art of choice . it does a poor job of introducing the art , so hopefully you ' ve seen dmi . but if not , youl ' ll still have lots to enjoy . god bless you and your wonderful films , jackie chan .
in most of these films , chan plays reluctant students who excel at kung fu in spite of themselves . with the exception of dragon lord , they all feature scenes that display chan ' s physical prowess in training as well as combat . the chan character is repeatedly tortured by eccentric masters ( exemplified by the
drunken master
played by simon yuen in drunken master and snake in the eagle ' s shadow ) , who casually drink or smoke while chan sweats blood and plots to escape from kung - fu practice . set in the past , all these films make use of traditional costumes and weaponry as well as such chinese arts as lion dancing and calligraphy , and allude to ( indeed mildly satirize ) established chinese customs and institutions . in drunken master , for example , chan portrays a young , impudent and impulsive huang fei - hong , in sharp contrast to jet li ' s more sober portrayal of the same folk hero in the once upon a time in china series . scenes with expressly chinese content , however , might explain the cool reception chan has been given outside the asian community in the west .
credited with being the film that broke chan into true stardom , drunken master almost tripled the box office of snake in the eagle’s shadow . it’s routinely included in top 5 and top 10 lists for kung fu and martial arts films . it’s also credited with being the first film where chan’s comedic kung fu style was fully developed . the film has been often imitated , as well .
it is evident that drunken master ii both employs and subverts many of the conventions of the kung - fu genre . with the addition of comedy , chan breaks the mould concerning representations of wong fei - hung , of masculinity and of colonial discourse while keeping with the stylised techniques of kung - fu filmmaking . though the narrative and character of the film is displaced , it manages to remain recognisably kung - fu in genre with its identifiable cinematographic techniques ( bordwell , pp . 80 ) and its carnival excess ( farquhar , pp . 142 ) , among a sizeable host of other predominantly kung - fu movie routines . the 1994 film and star appeals to a variety of audiences through its many subversions and displacements of generic norms , making for a vivacious piece of entertainment that offers “an exit out of suffocating cultural routines” ( mathijs & sexton , pp . 130 ) via what chan terms an international body language ( szeto , pp . 123 ) . finally , it is indisputable that drunken master ii ’s place within the kung - fu genre is an important one , in that chan ( as a filmmaker and kung - fu action star ) and his film ( as a sub - genre of kung - fu movies ) clearly and consciously features an inner dialogue between related films of the genre itself , playing with and embracing what it means to be a kung - fu movie .
in the 1980s , chan chose vague , generic film titles such as project a and police story so as not to give the plots of the films away prior to their release . it was felt that the titles of previous chan films such as snake in the eagle ' s shadow and drunken master gave too much away about the kung fu style they featured - snake style and drunken fist respectively . project a was originally going to be titled pirate patrol but it was feared that once announced , other hong kong film producers would rush to copy and release films featuring pirates . [ 1 ]
moreover , in regards to transnationalism , though it could be argued that western audiences may find many hong kong comedy difficult to fully understand and appreciate ( kwok , pp . 24 ) , it is clear drunken master ii achieves global comic understanding . throughout the film , chan exaggerates drunkenness for comical effect alongside hyperbolic facial expressions . the scene in which he must distract his father in order to replace a customer’s ginseng with the root of a bonsai tree is easily understood as a comic mishap across cultures , and an earlier scene in which his friend , tso , is hit in the face by a ball embodies elements of slapstick comedy that has been likened to the silent era of hollywood comedy on numerous occasions .
where there will be blood transmuted sullen earth into flame and launched it violently skyward , the master is , as its opening shot advertises , a more fluid undertaking , a story of ebb and flow .
though hardly likely to score a staggering b . o . upset , “the legend of drunken master” could attract a wider aud than previous “americanized” versions of jackie chan’s hong kong - produced hits . unlike “operation condor , ” “twin dragons” and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar , pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand [ … ]
though hardly likely to score a staggering b . o . upset , “the legend of drunken master” could attract a wider aud than previous “americanized” versions of jackie chan’s hong kong - produced hits . unlike “operation condor , ” “twin dragons” and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar , pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand combat more than death - defying stunt work . the extended fight scenes — justly hailed by aficionados as classics of the genre — have earned an r rating for the dimension films release , limiting access for chan’s younger fans . even so , with nothing else remotely like it in the current megaplex marketplace , “drunken master” is well positioned to slake the thirst of action fans for world - class , slam - bang rough stuff .
kwok wah lau , j . ( 1998 ) . besides fists and blood : hong kong comedy and its master of the eighties . cinema journal . 37 ( 2 ) , pp . 18 - 34 .
as a sequel , drunken master 2 couldn ' t have been more different from the original . it was produced on a huge budget and filmed in mainland locations . it was also co - directed ( with chan ) by legendary shaw bros . figure lau kar - leung ( eight diagram pole fighter , tiger on the beat ) . drunken master 2 was the most eagerly awaited chinese film of the 1990s . what began as a dream production soon devolved into a nightmare film shoot . jackie and lau kar - leung had a stormy relationship from day one ; lau kar - leung eventually leaving the film and describing his time with chan as being like :
two tigers on one mountain
. there were even fears that the movie ' s financial backer , the great golden harvest company , was becoming destabilised by this ongoing , blighted film production .
a wondrous comedic kung fu film with modern efforts to make one of the greatest kung fu movies ever . jackie chan once again as wong fei huang a famous chinese folk hero , who uses his drunken boxing to fight off greedy british imperialists . the best choreographed film iõve seen jackie do ( or at least one of them ) , a crazy restaurant scene with the
ax gang
and jackie getting a little tipsy with the industrial alcohol . ken lo as the villain was great , his kickboxing was incredible , and there is plenty drunken boxing for all those who enjoy that . the soundtrack was really good too i enjoyed the song at the end that jackie sang . there were i noticed great similarity in this film and young master , there are certain moves he used during the end that jackie used on the other leg fighter in young master . the is one scene when jackie has ken lo on his back , and then drops him into a crate . this was also done in young master ( except not into a crate . ) . one of jackies best .
the star’s blend of boyish charm , comic timing and acrobatic skills are undiminished , and chan is now confident enough to keep his action guns in their holster until a “drunken fist” set - piece some 30 minutes in .
this film was introduced to my household when it was recommended to my daughter brittany by a member of her soccer team ( whom the court has ordered me not to name ) . as i understand it , many ( sick ) people feel that
drunken master 2
deserves an honorable place in the pages of cinematic history , but after watching the aforementioned display of gratuitous fisticuffs and substance abuse , i decided that the only place it had in my childrens ' lives was in the garbage can . i ' m writing a letter to the inividuals in this
honk kong
who are responsible for trashy films like
drunken master 2
, and i have asked all my colleagues in the pta to do the same . furthermore , i positively encourage all responsible parents whose hard - earned familial harmony has been violated by these filthy
honk kong
films to strictly forbid -
though hardly likely to score a staggering b . o . upset ,
the legend of drunken master
could attract a wider aud than previous
americanized
versions of jackie chan ' s hong kong - produced hits . unlike
operation condor ,
twin dragons
and other recent english - dubbed imports top - lining the acrobatic and charismatic superstar , pic is a lavishly produced period piece that emphasizes hand - to - hand combat more than death - defying stunt work . the extended fight scenes - - justly hailed by aficionados as classics of the genre - - have earned an r rating for the dimension films release , limiting access for chan ' s younger fans . even so , with nothing else remotely like it in the current megaplex marketplace ,
drunken master
is well positioned to slake the thirst of action fans for world - class , slam - bang rough stuff .
in the early 1990s , chan broadened his cinematic range , turning in a rare dramatic performance in the melodramatic crime story ( 1993 ) . he also made several sequels to his hits police story and drunken master . chan was still mostly unknown in the united states by this point , but his profile experienced a meteoric rise during the mid - 1990s , when a series of events combined to bring him to the attention of a wider american audience .
nitpickers might complain that chan , who was 40 when “drunken master” was filmed , is at least 10 or 15 years too old to be completely believable as the ingenuously rambunctious fei - hung . ( it doesn’t help much that co - star ti lung appears only slightly older than his “son . ” ) but never mind : chan is so exuberantly appealing — and , more important , so physically formidable — that he transcends any calendar - related quibbles .
the two films are tonally similar , mixing phenomenal martial arts choreography with unique comic stylings . 1977’s snake in the eagle’s shadow ushered in an era in which a specific type of kung fu film was born . while it seems , based on my research and the films i have seen , that drunken master really solidified this tone , there is certainly a turn away from the repetitive tone of what the kung fu genre had become by the mid to late 70s . in the film , chan plays the part of a foolish and dim young man who becomes the village idiot , of sorts . he has all types of god - given martial arts talent but is picked on routinely without standing up for himself , until one kindly old master in town takes him under his wing . he begins to learn the “snake fist” fighting style from his master , but soon must feud with several “bad guys” who practice the “eagle claw” fighting style .
this is the original , uncut version which first played in melbourne ' s capitol theatre in february ' 94 . it ' s nearly impossible to find this version on dvd or vcd - with english subtitles . two years ' ago , dm # 2 was released theatrically in america in an edited and dubbed form under the title : the legend of the drunken master . in this particular case , i have no hesitation in saying the original dm # 2 is the best !
awesome movie ! totally awesome fights ! ken lo owned the * * * * out of this movie . his final fight against jackie is awesome . jackie plays wfh ( the often portrayed wong fei hung ) , a martial artist of great skill and also a drunken boxer . his father , also a master , dislikes drunken boxing . the plot of this movie isn ' t all that bad , but you watch it for the action anyways and there ' s plenty to go around and it ' s simply astounding ! it ' s a classical jackie movie , with some silly moments and prop using during the fights , wicked stunts ( some of which are ( naturally ) really dangerous ) and brilliantly choreographed combat !
ass kicks you : fei - hung ' s interpretation of
drunken miss ho
involves hip - checks to unbalance the opponent ; he even tries an ass - drop attack on yan ti san , but yan manages to dodge it .
chan takes established generic conventions used in previous kung fu pictures , and uses them to both reinforce and subvert the genre . exemplified in the reinforcement of generic kung fu convention is what bordwell terms the “pause / burst / pause” structure ( bordwell , pp . 142 ) , which is used for comic effect during the large scale fight with the axe gang ; following a highly energetic fight , all diegetic sound and action stops when chan becomes stuck inside a table . the short pause inserts humor into an otherwise stylized and fairly violent fight sequence . chan’s film also utilizes slow motion ( bordwell , pp . 8 ) as a cinematographic staple of the genre in many instances , notably when drunken fighting is first introduced accompanied by its leitmotif . on the surface , it is evident that the film stylistically embodies virtues of the kung fu genre , and as bordwell notes , “conventions are enabling , ” familiar and novel ( bordwell , pp . 93 ) . audiences recognise drunken master ii ’s genre immediately , not just for its cultural ties and national settings , but for its revelling in tried and tested cinematic conventions .
stylistically , the kung fu genre is characterized as “outrageous” and “crowd pleasing” ( bordwell , pp . 2 ) , and as a “quintessential entertainment cinema” focusing on spectacle over narrative ( pang : 2007 , pp . 212 ) with a “tendency towards artifice” ( teo , pp . 90 ) . such cinematic language was often met with negativity from critics ( walsh : 2007 , pp . 169 ) , so chan’s film therefore opposes high taste culture , earning its place as a cult cinema through “video , screenings at campuses , and tastemakers” ( bordwell , pp . 52 ) . the generic style and tones touched upon are fulfilled by drunken master ii , as chan heroically and comically fights his way through hordes of attackers with comical and exaggerated grace , using the most mundane of props , over - the - top drunkenness and flamboyant twists , twirls , jumps and stunts to keep his audience entertained .
the title of master is best reserved for anderson himself , who builds , as if from water and sand , a story that is messy in the very best sense , crumbling before the viewer ' s eyes before it can be easily grasped or penetrated .
[ the master ] is interested in consciousness more than conscience , which is why anderson ' s camera roams so thrillingly . the man we ' re following experiences the world as a carelessly dropped string that had been wrapped about him and then whipped loose .
too fake . when used sparingly ( or at least unobtrusively ) , as in drunken master 2 , and other good martial arts movies , wires can be a good thing , by making fights more dramatic , and more exciting . when used with wild abandon , and no regard for believabiluty , as they are here , they simply destroy all suspension of disbelief , and add nothing to the excitement ( making me laugh , instead ) . not enough ass - kicking , overall . story predictable in too many ways .
jackie chan ' s
the legend of drunken master
is quite simply amazing . it involves some of the most intricate , difficult and joyfully executed action sequences i have ever seen . if you have any interest in seeing a jackie chan martial arts film , then this is the one to see . filmed in 1994 but not given a wide north american release until now , it is considered by those who have seen most of chan ' s 70 - plus films to be one of his two or three best .
throughout the first half of the film , while chan’s character is learning to fight and gaining the courage to defend himself , the film is a standard kung fu film of the sort that preceded it . however , once chan’s character begins to light up , so does the film . his brilliantly choreographed fighting scenes that pepper in great comic gags turn what began as a decent but forgettable martial arts flick into something pretty great . but what’s more is that this film is the perfect precursor to what comes next , drunken master .
on this amazing movie you can see chan ' s first traditional style martial arts film since the young master ( 1980 ) . a young martial artist is caught between respecting his pacifist father ' s wishes or stopping a group of disrespectful foreigners from stealing precious artifacts .
ti lung as fei hung’s father , wong kei ying , only gets one chance to display his skills in a short sequence with lau kar leung’s master fu . it’s a shame that two veterans from the old school don’t get a chance for a more extended scene .
by the early 90s , the worldwide success of the hong kong film industry saw beijing - born martial arts actor jet li become the first real threat to jackie ' s number one star status . in 1993 , jackie chan announced he was to film a sequel to his breakthrough 1978 kung fu movie , drunken master . this allowed him to legitimately use the wong fei - hong character of that film - thus taking some shine away from jet li ' s more recent , successful reworking of this canto folk hero in the once upon a time in china series .
hoooollleeeeee crap ! ! ! over - rated ! ! ! ! heh . . . well , only a little bit . 2 . 7 shitloads of people seem to think that this movie is the greatest thing since toilet paper , and folks : in my most humble of opinions , that just ain ' t so . it is undoubtedly superior to the first drunken master as well as a top tier jc film , but i definitely wouldn ' t place it above # 3 ( i rank police story and project a as # s 1 and 2 , respectively ) .
with : wong fei - hong . . . jackie chan madam wong . . . anita mui wong kei - ying . . . ti lung master tsan . . . felix wong fu min - chi . . . lau kar - leung general ' s son . . . andy lau
with : wong fei - hong . . . jackie chan madam wong . . . anita mui wong kei - ying . . . ti lung master tsan . . . felix wong fu min - chi . . . lau kar - leung general ' s son . . . andy lau
a year after the release of his first bona fide hit , snake in the eagle’s shadow ( 1978 ) , chan took the hong kong film world by storm with his first so - called
kung fu comedy ,
the now - classic drunken master ( 1978 ) . subsequent hits such as the fearless hyena ( 1979 ) , half a loaf of kung fu ( 1980 ) and the young master ( 1980 ) confirmed chan & apos ; s star status ; the latter film marked his first with golden harvest , lee & apos ; s old production company and the leading film studio in hong kong . before long , chan had become the highest - paid actor in hong kong and a huge international star throughout asia . he exerted total control over most of his films , often taking charge of duties ranging from producing to directing to performing the theme songs .
fatal flaw : fei - hung is not nearly as clever as he thinks himself to be , and he is constantly slacking off from training . this goes beyond being merely brilliant , but lazy however , as he never bothers to learn the eighth form of drunken boxing (
drunken miss ho
which he feels is too feminine to work in a fight ) and he has to make up his own eighth form in the final fight to keep from getting killed . he gets over this hangup by the second film , where he uses the form to psych opponents out .
when i first saw the film , the only other jackie film that i saw at the time was rumble in the bronx , and when i saw this film , i thought the fights were the most original things that i have seen . but as i began to indulge into jackie ' s career , watching all of his films and memorizing key moves , camera angles and moments , i realized that they weren ' t all that original . a lot of key moves , camera angles , and moments were lifted in the final fight of drunken master 2 from young master . if you need more ' splainin , consult jeff . but the other fights were original too , the spear fight between jackie and lau kar leung , the drunken boxing bout in the town square , and the tea house brawl with an axe gang ruled . but the moments in between are sooooo slow . the purpose of them seems to be just to pass time and make critics believe that there is a plot . there are hardly any of the funny , comedic scenes that we all know and love and there is none of the spirit and spunk that was contained in the original .


chu chin chow is a musical comedy written , produced and directed by oscar asche , with music by frederic norton , based ( with minor embellishments ) on the story of ali baba and the 40 thieves .

the piece premièred at his majesty 's theatre in london on 3 august 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2,238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , an astonishing record that stood for nearly forty years until salad days .

the show 's first american production in new york , with additional lyrics by arthur anderson , played for 208 performances in 1917 – 1918 , starring tyrone power .

it subsequently had successful seasons elsewhere in america and australia , including in 1919 , 1920 , 1921 and 1922 .

a silent film of the musical , starring betty blythe , was produced in 1925 using some of the music .

a talking film , with the score intact , was made by the gainsborough studios in 1934 , with george robey as ali baba , fritz kortner as abu hasan , anna may wong as zahrat al-kulub , frank cochrane reprising his stage role of the cobbler , and laurence hanray as kasim .

the show toured the british provinces for many years .

it returned to london in 1940 for 80 performances , when it was interrupted by the london bombing but then returned in 1941 for another 158 nights .

in 1953 , an ice version was produced at london ’s empire pool , wembley , starring tyrone power , which also toured the provinces and abroad .

occasional productions are still mounted , including one in july 2008 by the finborough theatre in london , england .

chu chin chow

chu chin chow is too - thin chow . a tsingtao now would be better , somehow .
poster for the 1934 film “chu chin chow , ” starring anna may wong .
costume designs for “chu chin chow” as seen in the magazine “tatler , ” 1917 .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet
click to download 0 . 6 mb pdf file chu chin chow libretto by oscar asche : download
click to download 0 . 5 mb pdf file chu chin chow novel by william page : download
chu chin chow libretto and chu chin chow novel have been included in the book three musical plays . a printed copy of the book may be purchased at urltoken enter trutt in the search books box .
one of several adaptations of chu chin chow to bbc radio , this one credited to harold neden .
an adaptation of the musical play chu chin chow . chu chin chow . . . on ice ran for three months , and was aired on the bbc as part of its sunday - night theatre programming .
one of several bbc versions of chu chin chow , this adaptation was credited to alastair scott - johnson .
one of several bbc radio adaptations of chu chin chow , this time adapted by script - writer desmond davis .
feedback about ' songs from chu chin chow ' , national programme daventry , 21 . 35 , 22 january 1939
one of multiple bbc radio adaptations of chu chin chow , this one credited to theatre historian w . macqueen - pope .
the play was novelised ( as chu chin chow ) by harold simpson ( london : mills & boon , 1916 ) .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet - discography of american historical recordings
a burlesque of chu chin chow , which had recently closed in melbourne after a three - month season at the tivoli theatre .
inspired by the brisbane season of oscar asche ' s famous musical extravaganza chu chin chow , which had closed the previous week .
1953 : empire pool , wembley ( england ) , 13 july - 19 september ( as chu chin chow on ice ) .
cast incl . victor macdonald ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , jane hilary ( zahrat - al - kulub ) .
cast incl . inia te wiata ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , patricia kerry ( zahrat - al - kulub ) .
label : broadcast twelve uk 5039 . issued 1929 10
' selection from
chu chin chow
( parts i & 2 ) '
chu chin chow ( 1934 ) : a robust operetta
. the new york times , 22 september 1934 , accessed 2 august 2010
trutt , david ( ed ) . introduction to
chu chin chow
novelization , p . 3 , 2010 , accessed 18 november 2010
sat 3 nov 1934 - the courier - mail ( brisbane , qld . : 1933 - 1954 ) page 5 -
chu chin chow
dance
the courier - mail ( brisbane , qld . : 1933 - 1954 ) , sat 3 nov 1934 , page 5 -
chu chin chow
dance
produced from the abc ' s melbourne studios , chu chin chow was a radio adaptation of the long - running and highly successful stage play by oscar asche .
cast incl . lyn harding ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , rosalinde fuller ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , jerry verno ( ali ) .
the cobbler ' s song : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east /  told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton .
the cobbler ' s song [ music ] : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east / told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton .
cast incl . lyn harding ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , rosalinde fuller ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , mr jetsam ( abdullah ) , kay bourne .
chu chin chow plays at the geelong performing arts centre on july 22 - 23 , and has its melbourne season at the phoenix theatre in elwood from july 28 - 31 .
the show was briefly the third - longest - running show on broadway and the west end , after chu chin chow and oklahoma ! . it was eventually surpassed by salad days .
the cobbler ' s song [ music ] : song from chu chin chow , a musical tale of the east / told by oscar asche ; music by frederic norton . - version details - trove
it is played in jazz style on mouth organ . the song was a reference to chu chin chow , a spectacular orientalist musical of the ali baba story , which was the biggest hit of the london theatre world from 1916 until the late 1940s . the show successfully toured usa and australia and spawned a gainsborough film ( chu chin chow , oscar ashe , 1934 ) that was undoubtedly seen in india . 22 chu chin chow , the musical , permeated british popular culture and fashion of its day and its racist and orientalist tropes were exported around the world , as helen’s chin chin chu persona reflects . but the song itself , set to jaunty western jazz - style swing in a nightclub of jiving sailors , fuses several exotic worlds . with the saucy refrain ' mera naam chin chin chu , hello mister , how - do - you - do ? ' helen is simultaneously a modern city girl and an oriental sexpot , with the arabian nights implicitly providing the bridge between the two .
in describing the show , ray adds , “it has been described as an ‘adult pantomime’… chu chin chow is like a saturday afternoon thrilling adventure musical – swashbuckling , funny , and completely over the top” .
discography of american historical recordings , s . v .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet ,
accessed july 9 , 2018 , urltoken .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet . ( 2018 ) . in discography of american historical recordings . retrieved july 9 , 2018 , from urltoken .
the lead character , mame dennis , mentions in the novel auntie mame that she adored her time as a chorus girl in chu chin chow with her bosom buddy vera charles and tries to recreate the experience .
victor matrix b - 20314 . chu - chin - chow / alice green ; orpheus quartet .
discography of american historical recordings . uc santa barbara library , 2018 . web . 9 july 2018 .
what is the translation of the song by bang wa cherry , chin chin ? it ' s a song from one of the blade movies .
chu chin chow was also a popular choice for burlesque . australian variety performer and revusical writer / director billy maloney ( q . v . ) , for example , celebrated the closure of the extravaganza ' s brisbane season with his own take on the story : too thin chow ( cremorne theatre , 25 june 1921 ) . the character of chu chin chow was also incorporated into the elton black / frederick whaite pantomime robinson crusue , which was staged at the cremorne gardens theatre , brisbane , in december 1919 .
chu chin chow was very popular on bbc radio , and excerpts or individual songs from the production were frequently broadcast . the only bbc versions individually indexed on austlit are the ones that were full radio adaptations of the play .
meanwhile , in china , a furious battle rages . chu chin chow , a distinguished merchant , is killed by a band of thieves led by abu hassan . hassan assumes chu chin chow ' s identity and proceeds to the palace in bagdad . the newly wealthy ali baba also arrives at the palace with his bejewelled wife . but ali drinks too much at the party and reveals the secret of his wealth to his brother , kazim the vizier ( court minister ) .
chu chin chow became , with the bing boys are here and the maid of the mountains , one of three hit shows most associated with the london musical stage during the conflict . surprisingly , each of the three belonged to a very different genre . the bing boys was a revue , starring george robey and including the sentimental hit song if you were the only girl in the world . by contrast , the maid was essentially an operetta , and chu chin chow is often considered an adult pantomime .
the well - known merchant kasim is preparing to give a lavish banquet for the wealthy chu chin chow , who is on his way from china . but the slave girl zahrat sends a secret message about this to the bandit chief abu hasan , and hasan and his gang of thieves rob and kill chu chin chow while he is still traveling . meanwhile , kasim ' s brother ali baba discovers hasan ' s secret cave , and helps himself to some of the thieves ' treasure . while hasan impersonates chu chin chow at kasim ' s court , kasim persuades his brother to tell him where his sudden wealth came from . even as the greedy kasim slips out to see what he can find at hasan ' s cave , hasan is plotting further violence and thievery .
seemingly a distinct adaptation from the abc ' s radio version of chu chin chow ( which had been broadcast in 1932 ) , this version was adapted for radio by british script - writer henrik ege , and included oscar asche in the role that he had originated .
asche , oscar ( words ) / norton , frederic ( music ) : chu chin chow . a musical tale of the east . vocal score , london 1916 , pp . 4 - 5 . ( available at urltoken urltoken , retrieved : 19 february 2014 ) .
. asche directed the musical and played the lead role of abu hasan , leader of the forty thieves ( the
chu chin chow
of the title refers to the robber chief when impersonating one of his victims ) . besides asche , the production starred his wife ,
all
chu chin chow
tracks from 1959 recording except as indicated below . cover art is from 1980 reissue of 1961 recording .
the maid of the mountains
omits two tracks found on 1972 lp ( the song of the vagabonds ; pedro the fisherman ) /
the well - known merchant kasim baba ( brother of ali baba ) is preparing to give a lavish banquet for the wealthy chu chin chow , who is on his way from china . abu hassan wishes to add to his riches the property of kasim and has installed the slave girl zahrat in kasim ' s house as a spy . zahrat sends a message to abu hasan , letting him know about the banquet . hasan arrives at kasim ' s palace in disguise as chu chin chow . his gang of thieves rob and slaughter chu chin chow while he is still traveling . meanwhile , kasim ' s brother ali baba discovers hasan ' s secret cave and helps himself to some of the thieves ' treasure . while hasan impersonates chu chin chow at kasim ' s court , kasim persuades his brother to tell him where his sudden wealth came from . even as the greedy kasim slips out to see what he can find at hasan ' s cave , hasan is plotting further violence and thievery . zahrat gets her revenge on both hassan and his forty thieves , lovers are united , and all ends happily .
ali baba , a poor labourer , stumbles across hidden treasure belonging to the forty thieves and reinvents himself as a rich merchant . meanwhile , the leader of the thieves , abu hassan , posing as chinese emissary chu chin chow , has an evil plan to recover his loot and ruin bagdad .
if you were an officer in london on a short leave in 1916 , the show you just had to see was chu chin chow . it kept running for years after the war , and held the box - office record for longest - running musical until cats overtook it in the nineties .
back at the palace , an extravagant slave auction takes place ; the most valuable prize is zahrat . however , maryanna , accompanied by several policemen , interrupts proceedings . she identifies abu hassan as the fake chu chin chow . a major fight ensues and in the confusion abu hassan escapes with zahrat .
decided to try a different chinese , so visited chu chin chow . we had the all you can eat menu . . . the starters were good and so was the duck . the duck sauce was very thick and sticky , so was not a fan . the mains were disappointing . . . .
nearly three million people came to see it in britain , many more worldwide . the best songs from the show , such as anytime’s kissing time and the cobbler’s song became the top of the pops hits of their day . one hundred years on , how can we explain chu chin chow’s extraordinary impact ?
an hmv sound recording of chu chin chow ( n . yr . ) features the vocals of inia te wiata ( chu chin chow ) , julie bryan ( marjanah ) , barbara leigh , charles young , and the williams singers . the music is performed by michael collins and his orchestra , to orchestrations by brian fahey . the ' vocal gems ' presented are ' i am chu chin chow ' , ' here be oysters ' , ' cleopatra ' s nile ' , ' when a pullet is plump ' , ' corraline ' , ' i love thee so ' , ' i ' ll sing and dance ' , ' the robber ' s march ' , ' i long for the sun ' , ' behold ' , ' anytime ' s kissing time ' , ' the cobbler ' s song ' , ' we bring ye fruits ' , and ' finale ' ( his masters voice , oclp 1269 ) .
although salad days was the first musical to break the chu chin chow record , the first play to break its record was abie ' s irish rose in 1927 . see :
abroad
, the manchester guardian june 2 , 1927 , proquest historical newspapers , the guardian and the observer , p . 15
besides the romantic and nostalgic fare , there were scores of productions that escaped wartime reality by inviting the audience into exotic scenery and settings . this was the case for one of the longest running productions of london ' s west - end , the orientalist , pantomime - like musical comedy chu chin chow , written , produced and directed by oscar asche ( 1871 - 1936 ) at his majesty ' s theatre which he had managed since 1907 . it premiered on 3 august 1916 – at a time when the murderous battles of verdun and the somme were being fought – and remained on stage for the spectacular number of 2 , 238 performances until 22 july 1921 , the moment when adolf hitler ( 1889 - 1945 ) became the leader of the national socialist german workers party . the story of chu chin chow is based on the tale of ali baba and the forty thieves . “the immediate popularity of chu chin chow rested firmly on its fanciful visual elements – the sets , costumes and stage effects . ” [ 42 ] it was a big budget production with sumptuous stage sets and exotic costumes , big dance routines and a large cast including animals like a camel , a snake and a donkey . whereas the visual elements all aimed at conveying a most exotic scenery , the musical score of chu chin chow remained firmly rooted in mainstream english popular music of the time . [ 43 ] the first scene , set in the palace of kasim baba , the wealthy brother of ali baba who awaits the visit of the chinese merchant chu chin chow and is preparing a feast , began with the following song :
cast incl . arthur styan ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , vera pearce ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , gerald kay souper ( kasim baba ) , charles h . workman ( ali baba ) , maggie moore , frank cochrane , louie pounds , gregory stroud , winifred o ' connor , frederick mackay .
ask a group of music theatre lovers what they know of chu chin chow , and the responses would likely range from , “did g & s write that ? ” , to perhaps “yes – ah , is it famous for a long run in london ? ” , or the more likely response , “never heard of it” .
so , why the title , you may ask ? chu chin chow is the name of a chinese trader murdered by bandit abu hasan , while en route to kasim baba ' s court for a lavish feast held in his honor . hasan gains access to kasim ' s court by assuming the identity of his latest victim .
cast members have come to the show with varying degrees of knowledge about its story and background . summer bowen , who portrays zharat al - kulub , recalls her first exposure to the piece : “i first heard of chu chin chow in 2013 at an arts centre exhibition on australian war time music which featured a cast photo from the j . c . williamson production . shortly afterwards it was mentioned again in miriam gordon - stewart’s incredible recital “songs for robbie” based on the grandmother eileen robbins’ memoir . oscar ashe invited the 10 - year - old eileen to join the chu chin chow chorus at his majesty’s theatre but her parents objected to the racy costumes” .
he not only wrote the libretto for chu ( frederic norton wrote the music ) but produced , directed and starred in it as well , playing the part of abu hasan , the robber chieftain . hasan disguises himself as chu chin chow , a wealthy chinese merchant , whom his gang has already murdered , in order to gain entry into the house of kasim baba , brother of ali baba , with the intention of robbing his host during an auction .
everett , william a . : chu chin chow and orientalist musical theatre in britain during the first world war , in : clayton , martin / zon , bennett ( eds . ) : music and orientalism in the british empire , 1780s to 1940s . portrayal of the east , aldershot ; burlington 2007 : ashgate , pp . 277 - 296 .
the penniless ali baba becomes a millionaire when he discovers the treasure cave of the forty thieves . the robber thief abbu hassan attempts to steal ali baba ' s newly found fortune by posing as the chinese mandarin chu chin chow , whom the thief had previously killed . his evil plans are foiled in an act of revenge by the slave girl zahrat .
this is not to suggest that chu - chin - chow is unremittingly offensive or without merit . the atmosphere of intrigue is admirably captured by cinematographer mutz greenbaum ( another german exile ) , who makes the most of the interplay of light and shadows , and anna may wong is compulsive viewing . it is just a little crude in its screen representation .
chu chin chow is based on the tale of ali baba and the forty thieves . the setting is themagnificent eastern palace of kasim baba who welcomes the chinese merchant chu chin chow . he is , in fact , not who he seems to be but the rascally abu hasan , a robber come to glean information that will enable him to rob his host . hasan has a slave , zahrat , already spying in the palace . she has made friends with kasim ' s chief wife , alcolom , who in turn is loved by kasim ' s poor brother , ali baba . another friend is the slave maid marjanah who loves ali ' s son , nur al - huda . the downfall of kasim would solve a lot of problems !
australian born , oscar asche , created a sensation when he wrote chu chin chow . with music by frederic norton , it opened at his majesty’s theatre , london , on 31st august 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2 , 238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , an astonishing record that stood until the 1950’s .
maryannna and her lover meet secretly . if only they could get married . but she is a slave and his father , ali baba would never allow it . returning from her tryst , maryanna overhears a conversation in chu chin chow ' s room . she discovers that the chinese emissary is in fact the bandit abu hassan and his accomplice is the slave girl zahrat .
chu chin chow was a version of the arabian nights ’ ali baba and the 40 thieves tale , put together by actor , director and sometime playwright asche as a vehicle for himself and his wife , actress lily brayton , and produced in wartime london at his majesty’s theatre on 31 august 1916 – in the theatre which normally housed the respected dramatic productions of beerbohm tree .
staged with a sumptuous extravagance , it proved to be one of the phenomena of the british stage of the early part of the century . the show’s initial london run of 2 , 235 performances set a london long - run record for a musical which survived for some forty years , and chu chin chow went on to be an international hit in english - speaking theatres .
did the immediate pre ww2 cast of chu chin chow include two german born players felix slawinski and or arno franz koehler ( kohler ) ; if so in what capacity and what became of them . it seems that they were part of the 1939 australian tivoli tour and that they did not return to the uk before the outbreak of hostilities . any help is much appreciated .
everett , william a . : chu chin chow and orientalist musical theatre in britain during the first world war , in : clayton , martin / zon , bennett ( eds . ) : music and orientalism in the british empire , 1780 ' s - 1940 ' s . portrayal of the east , farnham 2007 , pp . 277 - 296 , here p . 277 .
asche’s wife lily brayton also appeared in the show , as hasan’s beautiful captive , zahrat al - kulub . “mr oscar asche , like venice of old , seems to hold the gorgeous east in fee and to draw upon its treasures at will . he dipped into them generously in kismet but in chu chin chow he pours them out by the bucketful , ” enthused one reviewer .
generally described as an ' oriental extravaganza ' , chu chin chow remains arguably the greatest overseas theatrical success written by an australian . although never achieving the same level of critical acclaim for its narrative and dramatic sensibilities as asche ' s previous success , kismet , the production was viewed on both sides of the atlantic ( and in australia ) as having set a new benchmark as spectacle and as entertainment . two of the clauses in the contract between asche and english producer sir herbert beerbolm - tree ( who ended up owning 25 percent of the show ) stipulated that chu chin chow could remain at his majesty ' s indefinitely on two conditions : that the receipts did not fall below £2500 for two consecutive weeks and that asche continued to play the lead role .
“chu chin chow” was first staged at the hippodrome in 1949 but it returned even more spectacularly on ice for the christmas season in 1953 / 1954 , with a huge cast of over 100 . there was a production by the birmingham and midland operatic society in november , 1958 and an expensively re - staged version in october , 1959 , starring new zealand singer inia te wiata .
so , if like this writer , you were until now unfamiliar with the rare gem that is chu chin chow , it will certainly be worth a trip to geelong or to elwood to take it in . “chu chin chow is a pantomime for adults full of gorgeous colour and music , very much like the 1940s old - hollywood film “the thief of bagdad” , says bowen , “if you haven’t read the original arabian nights , you might be surprised by the violent plot that has been watered down in popular film adaptations in the same way you might be shocked by the original brothers grimm fairytales in german . sexual tension simmers throughout , slaves and harems are the norm , and because love is bought with ‘a bidder’s gold’ two couples yearn for each other for afar” .
chu chin chow urltoken i wanted to see this flick , because i was curious to see an adaptation of the most popular brit musical ever ( or one of them , anyway ) , and because it had anna may wong in the cast . i was expecting a tale of the mystic orient , but got a loose adaptation - musicalization of ali baba and the 40 thieves instead .
the wealthy merchant kasim baba ( brother of ali baba ) is preparing to give a lavish banquet at his home for a wealthy chinese merchant , chu chin chow , who is on his way from china . the robber chieftain , abu hasan , wishes to add to his riches the property of kasim . abu hasan forces his captive , the beautiful zahrat al - kulub , to spy for him in kasim ' s house , disguised as a slave girl , by holding her lover hostage . she is nearly found out several times . zahrat sends a message to abu hasan , letting him know about the banquet . hasan arrives at kasim ' s palace in disguise as chu chin chow , whom his gang has robbed and murdered . he tries to glean information that will enable him to rob his host .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , doris champion ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , wensley russell ( ali baba ) , helen debroy somers ( marjanah ) , william dewhurst ( kasim baba ) , lawrence shirl ( khuzaymah ) , dorothy dewhurst , stuart kern , ellis j . preston , savana , betty williamson , james johnson , dacia johnson , horace custins .
in the kitchens of the palace , a huge feast is prepared in honour of a visiting chinese dignitary called chu chin chow . ali baba , a cheeky servant , goes off to the forest to get more chickens . meanwhile beautiful slave maryanna , who pines for her lover , is bossed around by her demanding and pampered mistress , while zahrat , another slave girl , conspires with arch villain abu hassan .
one of the earliest british attempts at a grand scale musical ! and it ' s a bit stuffed . trying to hard with the musical numbers , almost over - shadowing the ali baba & forty thieves tale in the process . cool seeing anna may wong get a decent part , but even the asian - american actress had to play second fiddle to the extravaganza that was chu chin chow ( 1934 ) .
sadly , despite the great commercial success of chu , asche later became bankrupt , largely because of his heavy gambling . he died in 1936 , aged 65 . chu was revived in the darkest days of the second world war and again played its part in lifting morale .
a souvenir programme , the birmingham and midland operatic society presents by arrangement with samuel french ltd ‘chu chin chow’ in aid of cancer relief and other charities . the front cover is yellow and has six illustrations of scenes from the show down the left - hand side . the inside contains a cast list , photographs and advertisements . programme cost one shilling . the show commenced on 17 november 1958 and ran for two weeks .
1 . prelude 2 . here be oysters 3 . i am chu chin chow 4 . cleopatra ' s nile 5 . i ' ll sing and dance 6 . corraline 7 . when a pullet is plump 8 . i love thee so 9 . behold 10 . robbers ' march 11 . i long for the sun 12 . mahbubah 13 . i built a fairy palace in the sky 14 . anytime ' s kissing time 15 . cobbler ' s song 16 . we bring ye fruits 17 . finale 18 . i am chu chin chow / olive oil 19 . behold [ revival cast ] 20 . cleopatra ' s nile [ alternate version ] 21 . when a pullet is plump 22 . anytime ' s kissing time [ alternate version ] 23 . i love thee so [ alternate version ] 24 . cobbler ' s song [ alternate version ]
on thursday , august 31 , 1916 , with the bloody battle of the somme raging in france , a new show opened at his majesty’s theatre in london . it is fair to say that it caused a bigger sensation than any other musical in history . chu chin chow , a spectacular retelling of the story of ali baba and the forty thieves , has been described as “one of the greatest successes in the history of popular musical theatre” .
chu chin chow is a musical comedy written , produced and directed by oscar asche , with music by frederic norton , based , with embellishments , on the story of ali baba and the 40 thieves . the play premiered at his majesty’s theatre in london on august 31 , 1916 and ran for five years and a total of 2 , 238 performances ( more than twice as many as any previous musical ) , a record that stood for nearly forty years .
presented in two acts , the story concerns abu hasan , an intrepid merchant - pirate who masquerades in various extravagant disguises ( including that of a hebrew damascene and a grecian prince ) , so that he and his forty brigands can plunder and humiliate the wealthy despots of the east , enriching hasan ' s already overflowing and legendary cave . for this particular adventure , he becomes the great chu chin chow of china as a means of gaining access to the palace of kasim baba . a secondary theme concerns the two lovely slave girls ( zahrat and marjanah , the latter in love with nur - al - hudra ) who are determined to win their freedom . zahat discovers abu hasan ' s true identity after ' chu chin chow ' kills kasim , while marjanah stumbles on the secret password for his hideout ( ' open sesame ' ) . she is then able to set in motion the opportunity they need . the women counter chu chin chow ' s cunning with feminine guile and create the opportunity they need by bargaining with the brigand chieftain . abu hasan attempts to overcome their plan by attending the wedding of marjanah and nur disguised as a wealthy oil merchant , whose forty jars of ' oil ' actually hold forty brigands . zahat discovers both his identity and evil plans , and kills his men by pouring boiling oil over them . she then finishes the job by stabbing abu hasan to death .
a pall mall gazette critic described the production as ' a romantic drama founded . . . on the story of the forty thieves as it appears in sir richard burton ' s authentic translation of the arabian nights ' ( 26 august 1916 , p . 6 ) . the same newspaper also noted that gossip suggesting that asche had either planned an art - pantomime ( ' a great symbolic play with an important character embodying the principal of universal evil ' ) or gone back to burton ' s original were clearly inaccurate . ' there is not the remotest likeness between [ chu chin chow ] ' , notes the gazette , ' and anything farther off than the familiar stage - chinoiserie of good old english musical comedy and comic opera . chu chin chow as . . . played by mr asche is just the commander of the forty thieves disguised as a kind of rutland - barrington mandarin ' ( 1 september 1916 , p . 6 ) .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , lily brayton ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , frank cochrane ( kasim baba ) , courtice pounds ( ali baba ) , j . v . bryant ( nur - al - huda ) , violet essex ( marjanah ) , norman williams , william holles , james herbert , aileen d ' orme ( kasim baba ' s head wife ) , sydney fairbrother ( mrs ali ) , annie moore .
chased from london by the bombs after 80 performances , it returned , partly recast , the following year for another 158 nights . in 1953 chu chin chow was given as an ice - rink production at london’s empire pool , wembley . elliott , comstock and gest produced chu chin chow in new york the year after its london opening . tyrone power ( hasan ) , henry e dixey ( ali ) , florence reed ( zahrat ) , kate condon ( alcolom ) and tessa kosta ( marjanah ) featured , the london designs were repeated , and alexis kosloff arranged new parades and dances for what looked like being another successful production . however , management went awry and , after a transfer , less than three months into the run , to the century theater , the expensively staged show closed after 208 performances , still in the red . it was left to a highly successful post - new york tour to recoup and add considerable profits to the producers’ outlay .
even during the world war ii air raids on london , the production never fell below the minimum box - office take , while asche presented the character of abu hasan on stage for all but a couple of weeks of the london run . during his absence , which came about on his physician ' s orders , the role was taken up by e . lyall swete , who subsequently went on to direct the american production ( starring tyrone power as abu hassan / chu chin chow ) . chu chin chow ran for five years in london ( 2 , 238 performances ) , a record that lasted almost forty years . it also opened for six months on broadway in 1917 - 18 , and was successfully staged in australia . the royalties alone made asche a millionaire . the new york season and asche ' s 1920 - 23 australian tour were essentially replicas of the london show , with the scenery and costumes made by the original producers and transported by ship .
chu - chin - chow ' s story derives from the arabian nights ( a thousand and one nights ) collection of short stories . however , among the several ' enhancements ' are two interesting plot inventions . the chinese merchant , who happens to be visiting bagdad , adds a layer of political intrigue and is also a way of drawing on a particular stereotype of the chinese villain popular in early british and american films and literature ( notably with sax rohmer ' s fu manchu ) . the fact that chu - chin - chow isn ' t chinese but someone masquerading as chinese is irrelevant , because abu hassan only has to portray the sneer , evil intentions and cruelty to reinforce the type in popular imagination . structurally , the character ' s story gives the film tension , scope and forward momentum leading from battle to crisis and culminating in the final , spectacular court fight . it also at a stroke implicates the whole of the east in this particular vision .
first , there were the amazing sets and imaginative staging , which helped transport london theatregoers to the colourful world of the arabian nights . we are used to lavish productions in the west end today but audiences in 1916 would never have seen anything quite to match chu chin chow . the “musical tale of the east” had a budget of £5 , 300 , the equivalent of about £2 . 9 million today . there was a huge cast that included live camels , donkeys , poultry and snakes .
cast incl . oscar asche ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , doris champion ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , wensley russell ( ali baba ) , kitty reidy ( marjanah ) , cecil humphreys ( kasim baba ) , herbert browne ( nur - al - huba ) , george ide ( abdullah ) , peal ladd ( alcolm ) , mason wood ( the cobbler ) , ian mclean ( omar ) , eardley turner ( omar ' s father ) , frank charlton , jessie page .
the cry this morning should be
the redcoats are coming !
britain ' s long - heralded invasion of the american film market has begun with the offerings at the roxy of
chu chin chow ,
a tuneful , spectacular and robust adaptation of the oscar asche comic operetta which , in its original form , ran for more than 2 , 000 performances in london several years ago and for 208 when it was produced here by morris gest in 1917 - 18 . view full article in timesmachine »
1 . prelude 2 . here be oysters 3 . i am chu chin chow 4 . cleopatra ' s nile 5 . when a pullet is plump 6 . serenade 7 . mahbubah 8 . i ' ll sing and dance 9 . i long for the sun 10 . robber ' s march 11 . i love thee so 12 . behold ! 131 . anytime ' s kissing time 14 . the cobbler ' s song 15 . i built a fairy palace 16 . we bring you fruits 17 . finale
herbert wilcox made a silent film version of chu chin chow in 1923 but , after the coming of sound , a second version was made with george robey starred as ali baba and thelma tuson as a richy funny alcolom . anna may wong played the melodrama of zahrat with conviction , whilst fritz kortner gave a burlesque stage performance as hasan in what was , otherwise , one of the best filmed musicals of its time . sydney fairbrother and frank cochrane ( just the cobbler this time ) both put their unequalable original performances on celluloid .
with a new book written by melvyn morrow ( dusty , shout ) based on the smash hit that ran for 2238 performances on the west end , chu chin chow is proudly presented by gsov - gilbert & sullivan opera victoria in this , its centenary year , and will take you on a magic carpet ride with perilous quests , forbidden lovers , treacherous assassins , and high slapstick comedy coupled with some of the best theatre songs ever written , including anytime’s kissing time , the cobbler’s song , we are the robbers of the woods and corraline .
chu chin chow have joined our just - eat family , meaning you have another takeaway menu to browse and the chance to become a food critic for the evening . browse the menu from starters to desserts and see what tickles your taste buds . located on 7 cat hill , barnet , you could also choose to collect your order at a time that suits you if you would prefer a leisurely stroll or drive to collect . don’t forget to let us know if you enjoyed your meal and just - eat experience by leaving feedback . bon appetite !
cast incl . arthur styan ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , helen temple ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , charles h . workman ( ali baba ) , ida griffin ( marjanah ) , gerald kay souper ( kasim baba ) , george wignail ( the cobbler ) , maggie moore , pearl ladd ( alcolom ) , h . tucker ( omar ) , fred mackay ( nu - al - huda ) , mary jordan , winifred o ' connor , suzanne bennett , gloria spurling , ethel keys , myrtle greenhill , louie pounds .
not seen in melbourne for over half a century , gsov is presenting chu chin chow in the centennial year of its first production , 2016 , as a musical within a play . written by melvyn morrow , and directed and choreographed by robert ray , the new version sees great fun in oscar asche , selling his musical to the management of j . c . williamson’s . he describes the action with great flair and panache , and takes part himself . out of his imaginative descriptions , real singers and dancers emerge , and act out scenes and songs from the musical .
cast incl . tyrone power ( abu hasan / chu chin chow ) , florence read , ( zahrat - al - kulub ) , albert howson ( kasim baba ) , henry dixy ( ali baba ) , kate condon ( alcolom ) , tessa kosta ( marjanah ) , george rasely ( nur - al - huda ) , lucy beaumont , albert moore , robert lee hill , francis j . boyle , matty thomas , frank mccormack , ida mulle , katherine galanta , harda daube , gordon staples , olive prosser , george bell , josephine emory , lester sweyd , felice de gregorio , richie ling .
a ticket for chu was the thing to buy for a family member on leave from the front . it was also the favourite show for a soldier to take his sweetheart to before he returned to battle .
between in town in 1892 and the maid of the mountains in 1917 , this new style of musical theatre became dominant on the musical stage in britain and the rest of the english - speaking world . the success of in town and a gaiety girl ( 1893 ) led to an astonishing number of hits , the most successful of which included the shop girl ( 1894 ) , the geisha ( 1896 ) , florodora ( 1899 ) , a chinese honeymoon ( 1901 ) , the arcadians ( 1909 ) , our miss gibbs ( 1909 ) , the quaker girl ( 1910 ) , chu chin chow ( 1916 ) and the maid of the mountains .
written in 1916 by geelong - born actor / director oscar asche , chu chin chow is a retelling of ‘ali baba and the 40 thieves’ . the gilbert and sullivan society of victoria ( gsov ) are proud to present the show in its 100 th anniversary year . director and choreographer robert ray is all too familiar with the challenges which arise from staging a rarely seen gem . ‘it is such an unknown work to all of us , ‘says ray . ‘much easier to do hello dolly or the mikado as it is all there . with chu chin chow finding the orchestral parts alone took us about six months . then finding a way to do it today to today’s audiences . the dialogue is a bit dated , a mixture of biblical and elizabethan speak , with ye’s and yea’s . melvyn morrow wrote a new version which overcomes many of the problems . it is a play circa 1923 , about staging the show in australia . there are many delicious references to the bard of j . c . williamson’s for example . also in 1916 , it was a very , very lavish show , with over 90 in the cast . the challenge was to do it with a set and costume budget of $ 2200 , and about one third of the cast size . the original production was spectacular , with even live snakes on stage ! ” .
chu chin chow is the oldest established chinese restaurant in hampton court . our longevity and excellent reputation shall become apparent the moment you step inside our family run restaurant . we take pride in welcoming our customers , helping with the choice of dishes and ensuring that your visit is memorable ; something that our regular customers will testify to . we have an extensive range of dishes creating the authentic tastes from the provinces of canton , beijing and szechuan , all freshly prepared and cooked by our experienced chefs . dishes are prepared using fresh , simple ingredients , cooked briefly in very little oil to retain essential nutrients , minerals and vitamins so your meal is not only delicious but healthy too .
' he came , like another eastern , king david , to a good old age , full of riches and honour . but none can ever reign in his stead . there is left a gap in the life of london , and indeed of the country , which nothing can adequately fill , for chu chin chow had become in truth part of the national life . country cousins set out upon the desperate adventure of their first visit to the metropolis with the firm determination to see it come else what may . it had supplanted in their hearts the place usually reserved for the abbey or the tower . it had become a tradition which nothing can adequately fill ' ( qtd in brisbane courier 24 september 1921 , p . 13 ) .
frederick norton ' s musical score was described by asche as ' the most important feature of the production . it is not incidental music at all . in fullness and elaboration it is indeed , an opera score ' ( pall mall gazette 18 august 1916 , p . 9 ) . songs known to have performed in the london production are ' i am chu chin chow ' , ' i love thee so ' , ' i ' ll sing and dance ' , ' i long for the sun ' , ' behold ' , ' anytime ' s kissing time ' , ' the cobbler ' s song ' , ' serenade ' , ' song of the scimitar ' , and ' i built a fairy palace in the sky . '
a musical tale of the east by oscar asche set to music by frederic norton presentation written by henrik ege characters in the order of their appearance the story - teller , bruce winston robbers , dancers , servants , slaves , etc . the bbc theatre chorus ( trained by charles groves ) , and the bbc theatre orchestra ( leader , tate gilder ) , conducted by mark h . lubbock the programme arranged and produced by gordon mcconnel with the musical collaboration of gwen williams none who saw it will ever forget the tuneful and spectacular mélange that was chu chin chow . produced at the end of august in 1916 , chu chin choic ran at his majesty ' s theatre for just under five years , its total of 2 , 238 performances created a record that has never been broken . the broadcast tonight will concentrate chieflv on the music . the dialogue of the play will be omitted , but the plot will be explained by a story - teller , who will link together the various musical excerpts that will be heard . all the best - known songs in the score will be included , and henrik ege , who has been responsible for many adaptations , has written the narration in the idiom set down by oscar asche in the original book .
it was a post - war boast of chu chi chow ’s producer , oscar asche , that tickets for the show had been particularly sought after by troops on leave , though one critic wryly commented that men ‘gladly’ returned to the trenches to escape it . [ 5 ] perhaps one of the attractions was the chorus of pretty slave girls who , for the period , were very scantily dressed . following complaints of ‘near nudity and non controlled breast movement’ , the play was investigated by the lord chamberlain’s office . [ 6 ]
the chinese community have also been portrayed in several musicals that have been staged at the hippodrome . for years , the most famous and popular was “chu chin chow” , first performed at her majesty’s theatre in the west end in august , 1916 . it ran for five years and 2 , 238 performances , more than twice the previous run for a musical at that time , and its record stood until “salad days” from 1954 . a huge hit with servicemen on leave in ww1 , it boasted a dozen lavish scenes , spectacular sets and lighting effects and was inspired by the then english taste for all things oriental . one of the attractions was the chorus of girls , scantily dressed for the time , who performed as slaves ; there was also a camel , donkey , poultry and snakes .
although king george v had decreed that the royal household would be teetotal for the duration of the conflict , his subjects declined such abstemiousness and still flocked to the music halls and musical theatres , where the escapist fantasy chu chin chow , premièred on 3 rd august 1916 , became an instant hit . the show was described as a combination of musical comedy and pantomime , a big - budget spectacle costing £5 , 300 , with over a dozen scene changes , fantastic sets , big dance routines and exotic costumes . [ 4 ] loosely based on the story of ali baba , critics praised the show’s visuals : the acting and plot were almost entirely incidental . nevertheless , many of the songs became hits , and the cobbler’s song and any time’s kissing time entered the popular repertoire of ballad singers .
the show returned briefly to the strike - brothered broadway of 1919 ( century theater 8 august , 33 performances ) with lionel braham , don ferrandou and marjorie wood featured , and eugene cowles ( abdallah ) and albert howson , of the famous howson family ( kasim ) in supporting rôles . asche himself later took chu chin chow to his native australia , but only after hugh d mackintosh had already mounted a version there , with ex - savoy star c h workman ( ali ) , vera pearce ( a zahrat who sang better than any other female member of the cast ! ) , louie pounds ( alcolom ) and maggie moore ( mahbubah ) amongst the cast and original cast member frank cochrane restaging asche’s direction . ward’s version played nearly three months in melbourne before moving on to sydney’s grand opera house ( 26 march 1921 ) .
another reason why chu became such a hit was the timing . in the summer of 1916 , britons wanted something to take their minds off the war . an uplifting musical that combined comedy with some great songs and a fantastic plot in an exotic setting fitted the bill perfectly .
chu also caused controversy with its rather revealing female costumes , described by tatler magazine as “very suitable to the sultry climate of old bagdad” . today , we would not feel particularly shocked by the scanty outfits but remember this was 1916 , only 15 years after the death of queen victoria .
the show was indeed ‘a beauty show – of scene and person , of dress and undress , ’ but it also had a fine strong story , familiar and happy characters and characterizations , and attractive songs which helped to ensure its survival after that first lavish production . grossmith and laurillard took the show to the provinces with a cast headed by bobbie comber ( ali ) , henry latimer ( hasan ) and madge mcintosh ( zahrat ) , and chu chin chow kept up a provincial presence in britain for many years until , in 1940 ( 3 july ) , it was brought back to london for a second wartime run with the famous melodrama villain lyn harding as hasan , rosalinde fuller as zahrat , jerry verno as ali , kay bourne as alcolom , dennis noble as nur al - huda and with sydney fairbrother repeating her original rôle as ali’s shrewish and ill - fated wife , mahbubah .