Hong Kong: Bruce Lee Memorabilia

Transcription

1 Second Session Saturday, August 6, 2011 at 10:00 AM Lots Hong Kong: Bruce Lee Memorabilia major surge of interest in Chinese martial arts in the West in the 1970s. The direction and tone of his films changed and influenced martial arts and martial arts films in Hong Kong and the rest of the world, as well. He is noted for his roles in five feature-length films: Lo Wei s The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972); Way of the Dragon (1972), directed and written by Lee; Warner Brothers Enter the Dragon (1973), directed by Robert Clouse: and The Game of Death (1978), directed by Robert Clouse. Lee became an iconic figure known throughout the world, particularly among the Chinese, as he portrayed Chinese Nationalism in his films. He initially trained in Wing Chun, but he later rejected well-defined martial art styles, favoring instead to utilize useful techniques from various sources in the spirit of his personal martial arts philosophy, which he dubbed Jeet Kune Do ("The Way of the Intercepting Fist"). Hong Kong's Most Famous Son - Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (born Lee Jun-fan; 27 November July 1973) was a Chinese American and Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement. He is widely considered by many commentators, critics, media and other martial artists to be the most influential martial artist of modern times, and a cultural icon. Lee was born in San Francisco to parents of Hong Kong heritage, but was raised in Hong Kong until his late teens. Lee emigrated to the United States at the age of 18 to claim his U.S. citizenship and receive his higher education. It was during this time that he began teaching martial arts, which soon led to film and television roles. An announcement was made that Bruce Lee s Hong Kong residence has been acquired by city authorities to install a museum, located in Kowloon Tong at 41 Cumberland Road, the 5,700 foot mansion was where the star spent the last years of his life. We are most honored to offer the following thirteen (13) original items from various elements of Bruce s life including two extraordinary items: a long hand written letter, probably one of the most important contextually relating to his impact and legacy provided to martial arts and film making and a long Chinese-style fur lined coat that he wore at a photo session prior to his untimely death. The other items including name cards, and an annotated book are all testaments of his life and accomplishments. We truly hope that you will enjoy and embrace these items with as much enthusiasm and care that we have had in presenting them to you. His Hong Kong and Hollywood-produced films elevated the traditional Hong Kong martial arts film to a new level of popularity and acclaim, and sparked a Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

2 Bruce Lee Compelling and Important Letter 1001 ALS, March 25, 1966, Ref er enc ing "Green Hor net" and oth ers. Among the fin est known Bruce Lee let ters: "I'm look ing for ward for the T.V. se ries of 'Green Hor net' to come out so that Gung Fu will catch on I have my script with me - the Green Hor net and one scene in which Britt (the Green Hor net) turned to Kato and yelled 'Gung Fu!!!' ---- Of Course Kato moves in and fin ishes the crooks work ing on the pri vate les son pro spec - tive stu dents are:- Steve McQueen, James Gar ner, Don ald Gordon, Lloyd Thaxton, Paul Newman tak ing act ing les son from a drama Coach, a Mr. Jeff Cory this Cat is very Zen-ish " Au to graph Let ter Signed "Bruce," 2.5 pages, 8.5" x 11", on two sheets of three-hole lined looseleaf pa - per, front & verso of sec ond sheet. [Los An geles, Cal i for nia], March 25, To Taky [Kimura]. Fine con di tion. In full, "Re ceived your reg is tered let ter. Thank you for your trou ble. It is al ways nice to hear from you, Taky. You are the se nior stu dent, my top stu dent. You are the most trusted one and your loy alty is be - yond com pared with any one here or in Hong Kong. I'm look ing for ward for the T.V. se ries of 'Green Hor net' to come out so that Gung Fu will catch on. Af ter that, you will be an im por tant part of my In sti - tute plus be ing the Wash ing ton State rep re sen ta - tive of the In sti tute. I'm still work ing on the pri vate les son - so far the pro spec tive stu dents are:- Steve McQueen, James Gardner [sic, Gar ner], Don ald Gordon, Lloyd Thaxton, Paul Newman, ---- these suck ers don't like to be pushed in to it, so I have to abide by the right time. Oh Yes, Vic Damone is pretty sure of tak ing, and so is Carrol Shelby, the In - dus tri al ist of Ford rac ing car. The fees will be $25.00 an hour strictly pri vate les sons - Vic Damone is ar rang ing a five man group for me in Las Ve gas to teach (the first hour is $50.00 an hour). Vic is cur rently ap pear ing in Sands and this sucker is yell ing Gung Fu all over the place and Bill Jee to all his friends." [Note: Bill Jee is a form of at tack de - signed for fin ger strikes.] "By the way, I've bought a Chevy II Nova 1966, Linda's mother [Bruce's mother-in-law] helped us put the down pay ment. She is re ally nice about the whole thing. As you know a car is in dis pens able, es pe cially here in Los An geles. Cur rently, I'm tak - ing act ing les son from a drama Coach, a Mr. Jeff Cory [sic, Corey]. This man is cred ited to be the best in the movie in dus try. I be lieve 20th Cen tury Fox is pay ing him like $70 an hour. I meet him for around three times a week. It's in ter est ing be cause this Cat is very Zen-ish. I have my script with me - the Green Hor net and one scene in which Britt (the Green Hor net) turned to Kato and yelled 'Gung Fu!!!' ---- Of Course Kato moves in and fin ishes the crooks. The apart ment needs to be cleaned up yet - of course there is the iron ing --- and man like ev ery - thing "I still re mem ber the 8mm movie which I will shoot the first chance I have --- like the Tai Kik (Tai Chi); the tech niques; and what ever you have in Mindelheim & Kirchheim Write me about it. I'm tell - ing you! My old lady in Hong Kong is some thing else! I've just writ ten her to rush her to rush the wooden dummy [used by Lee in train ing]. The rea - son is one of the sis ter of my fa ther died re cently. Still, the dummy should be here long time ago! I mean like it was com plete when I left Hong Kong and that was quite a time ago. Lucky you know me so well ---- other per son might think I did n't even or - der it. "At any rate, drop me a line more of ten and let me know how things are. If you have any ques tion re - gard ing Gung Fu - tech ni cal or administrational - feel free to ask. Take good care of your self." Af ter sign ing, he adds, "P.S. If Tosh, Chris or John likes to drop me a line, give them my ad dress. When will Chris [Kent] be com ing down this way again?" Taky Kimura was 36 when he first met 18-year-old Bruce Lee in Se at tle in Kimura even tu ally be - came head in struc tor of Se at tle's Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute, Bruce Lee's first Gung Fu school. Kimura was best man at Linda and Bruce Lee's wed ding in 1964 and one of the pall bear ers at Bruce Lee's fu - neral nine years later. It was not un til April 29, 1966, five weeks af ter this let ter was writ ten, that ABC an nounced the sign ing of Van Wil liams to play the ti tle role in "The Green Hor net" (Britt Reid). Film ing of the se ries be gan on June 6, It pre miered on ABC on Sep tem ber 9, 1966, and re views were not fa vor able. "The Green Hor net" was cancelled af ter one sea son, 26 ep i - sodes, be cause of its low rat ings par tially due, ac - cord ing to Bill Dozier, its pro ducer and nar ra tor, to the suc cess of "Bat man" (aired ) which his Greenway Pro duc tions also pro duced. "It may be be cause we turned Bat man into a camp char ac - ter that peo ple re fuse to buy Green Hor net or any - one else in a mask, who is n't treated that way," said Dozier in an ar ti cle pub lished in the March 19, 1967 edi tion of "The Los An geles Times." The last new 114 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 -Aug. 6, 2011

3 Ex 1001 (Page 1 of 3) Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

4 Ex 1001 (Page 2 of 3) 116 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 - Aug. 6, 2011

5 Ex 1001 (Page 3 of 4 - top portion only) ep i sode of "The Green Hor net" was tele vised on March 24, Pop u lar in Hong Kong, "The Green Hor net" was known as "The Kato Show." Estimate HK$ 200, ,000 This letter is pictured and published, with commentary by Kimura, in "Regards from the Dragon Seattle" by Taky Kimura, Compiled by David Tadman (Los Angeles: Empire Books LLC, 2009) on pages In the foreword, Bruce's widow Linda and daughter Shannon describe Taky Kimura in a letter "using Bruce's voice to express his thoughts: Taky, I am grateful to you for your loyal friendship from the time I met you until I had to leave in You were my best friend because you were always real and genuine. No pretense, no guile, no ulterior purpose. Just genuine love, respect and appreciation between us ". Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

6 Long dark fur-lined Chinese costume jacket, circa Coat worn by Bruce Lee. This dark blue fur-lined Chi nese-styled long jacket was cre ated and made for Bruce Lee's up com ing movie "name unkown" he was to make af ter "En ter the Dragon." He wore the jacket to a photo ses sion to test the cos tume dur ing a pre-pre-pro duc tion photo shoot prior to his un timely death. Estimate HK$ 100, ,000 I have kept this jacket among his personal items that I received after his death in This is a very special relic related to my brother. Accompanying signed Certificate of Authenticity by Robert Lee, Bruce's brother. 118 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 - Aug. 6, 2011

7 Bruce Lee Memorabilia, Framed 1003 A Stunning Collection! Bruce Lee's ad vice to the man ager of his first Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute on how to keep stu dents: Write at least one per sonal let ter ev ery two weeks to praise, ad - vise, ap pre ci ate his prog ress ---- [feed ing his ego] in di rect praise to his as so ci ates & close friends [it will even tu ally go back to him] --- with Bruce Lee's per sonal call ing card and the unique re tained copy of the In sti tute's 1964 Busi ness Tax Quar terly Re turn, and a pair of nunchucks, while these are not Bruce Lee's they are of the ex act style and de - sign that he used in "En ter the Dragon", a rare se - lec tion of items, a stun ning group which in di vid u ally would be of im por tance but are even more-stun ning as pre sented. Estimate HK$ 100, ,000 Rare "Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute" student membership card signed by Bruce Lee 1004 Mem ber ship Card as Pres i dent with rare ALS send ing it to his friend and protégé, Taky Kimura, in Se at tle., Rare Au to graph Let ter Signed Bruce, one page, 8.5 x 11. N.p., n.d. (orig i nal en ve lope was post marked from Culver City, Cal i for nia, Sep tem ber 11, 1967). In full, Taky, Quar terly Card for Win ter (Sept Dec ) Fill in the rest with Type writer and sign your name on (In struc tor) / Bruce. In cluded is an ex ceed ingly rare orig i nal 3.5" x 2.5" Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute red stripe stu dent mem ber ship card signed "Bruce Lee" as Pres i dent, not filled out. Bruce Lee's Chi nese name was Lee Jun Fan. Ac cord ing to Kimura, only a few red stripe cards were signed by Lee. Bruce Lee's first Gung Fu school was in Se at tle. Kimura was Lee's as sis tant in struc tor at Se at tle's Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute. Both letter and card are in fine condition. Estimate HK$ 75, ,000 This item was sent to me by Bruce Lee after he left to live in Oakland, California. It is in excellent condition and I verify they are authentic pieces of Bruce Lee history that have remained in my possession for the last 45 years, separate Certificates of Authenticty each signed by Taky Kimura, dear friend of Bruce Lee. Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

8 Bruce Lee owned and inscribed "Choy Lay Fut Kung Fu" book, circa 1963, Book, Six Road Short Fist by Wu Zhi Ching, 40 pages, 5 x Peo ple's Sports Pub lish ing: In Chi nese. Soft cover. On the cover, above the ti tle, Bruce Lee has pen ciled Tan Tui Sect in Chi nese. Tan Tui be longs to the fam ily of Chi nese mar tial arts known as Jiao Men or Sect Fight ing. It orig i nated in the Hui (Mus lim) com mu nity of north - west China, one of the larger mi nor ity groups. Over the cen tu ries, the Hui peo ple spread across China and many great mas ters of many styles have been Hui. Estimate HK$ 70,000-90,000 Penned by Bruce Lee on the title page, in English, "The Six Forms from the darted foot Clan" is a long range Gung Fu. It is practiced and used to against more than one opponent, and is noted for its speed of foot work and the kicking technique. Fine condition. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, one page, 8.5 x 11, March 26, 2008, signed Taky Kiruma. In full, Bruce Lee inscribed this book in his own handwriting in ink. He writes a brief note how practical and important the martial arts style Choy Lay Fut is against multiple attackers, also known as the Fook [sic] Clan. Choy Lay Fut was investigated by Bruce almost constantly, he had a real interest in learning the martial art. This book was given to me by Bruce Lee before he left to live in Oakland California for use as an instructor in his Seattle school. It is in excellent condition and I verify it is an authentic piece of Bruce Lee history that has remained in my possession for the last 45 years. Also on the COA is information about Kiruma: I was a student of the martial arts master and legend, Bruce Lee. I knew Bruce Lee from his early days in Seattle, Washington in 1960 to the time of his untimely passing in We were very close friends, and as I developed as a martial artist, I eventually assumed the role as the head instructor of the Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute. Kiruma was best man at Linda and Bruce Lee's wedding in 1964 and one of the pall bearers at Bruce Lee's funeral nine years later. 120 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 -Aug. 6, 2011

9 1006 Ter rific Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute Gold stripe mem ber ship card, signed "Bruce Lee, Bruce Lee's Chi nese name was Lee Jun Fan. His first Gung Fu school was in Se at tle. The card bears Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do logo in cor po rat ing the ying/yang sym bol with his motto, Us ing no way as way, hav ing no lim i ta tion as lim i ta tion," in Chi - nese. Jeet Kune Do is the mar tial art con cept cre - ated by Bruce Lee. This signed card was sent by Lee to Taky Kimura who was 36 when he had first met 18-year-old Bruce Lee in Se at tle in Kimura even tu ally be came head in struc tor of Se at - tle's Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute. Af ter he moved to Cal i for nia in 1964, Lee would sign the cards and send them to Kimura to fill out and dis trib ute to mem bers. Kimura was best man at Linda and Bruce Lee's wed ding in 1964 and one of the pall - bear ers at Bruce Lee's funeral nine years later. Estimate HK$ 40,000-50,000 Accompanied by Certificate of Authenticity from Taky Kimura. In part, I, Taky Kimura, state that this business card was given to me by the late and great Bruce Lee, my close friend and teacher This card is an original card it has been in my possession for 40 years Rare early Chi nese Gung Fu In tro - duction Card! Printed Card, 3.5 x 2. Printed across the top In tro duced by with a dot ted line for the in tro ducer to put his name. In the cen ter is Bruce Lee's ying/yang sym bol in red and gold with CHINESE GUNG FU above it and Philo soph i cal Art of Self De fense be low. In the lower left: Pri vate Les sons / Group Les sons / Class Les sons. At the right: Phone. Fine condition. Estimate HK$ 10,000-12,000 Chinese Gung Fu: The Philosophical Art of Self-Defense (Oakland, California: Oriental Book Sales, 1963) was Bruce Lee's first book. This card may date from 1963 when Bruce Lee opened his first Gung Fu school in Seattle; in 1964, he opened his second Gung Fu school in Oakland. Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

10 1008 Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute Mem ber - ship Card signed twice by Bruce Lee with his chop mark stamp in di cat ing first rank, Printed Book let, 2.5 x 3.5, four pages, on pale blue cardstock. Bruce Lee's ying/yang sym bol in red and gold is in the up per cen ter. Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti - tute and Mem ber ship Card are printed in Eng lish and Chi nese. Fine con di tion. On the sec ond page, the mem ber would fill in Name and Ad dress and signed next to Sig na - ture. The stone chop, or name stamp, with Bruce Lee's given Chi nese name (left of the de sign) was placed by Bruce Lee as his sig na ture above the word (Pres i dent). The trans la tion of the chop reads: By the Name of Jun Fan Lee. The mem ber's num ber 0086 is stamped atop the third page which is headed Per ma nent / Mem ber / Rank. There is room for eight chops. Bruce Lee has signed with his name chop in box 1 in di cat ing the first rank. This card was never issued. Estimate HK$ 7,000-8,000 While attending the University of Washington in Seattle, , Bruce Lee trained students in the art of the Chinese Gung Fu. In 1963, he opened his first school, Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle. He later opened schools in Oakland (1964) and Los Angeles (1967) Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute Mem ber - ship Card signed twice by Bruce Lee with his chop mark stamp in di cat ing first rank., Printed Book let, 2.5 x 3.5, four pages, on pale blue cardstock. Bruce Lee's ying/yang sym bol in red and gold is in the up per cen ter. Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti - tute and Mem ber ship Card are printed in Eng lish and Chi nese. Fine con di tion. On the sec ond page, the mem ber would fill in Name and Ad dress and signed next to Sig na - ture. The stone chop, or name stamp, with Bruce Lee's given Chi nese name (left of the de sign) was placed by Bruce Lee as his sig na ture above the word (Pres i dent). The trans la tion of the chop reads: By the Name of Jun Fan Lee. The mem ber's num ber 0086 is stamped atop the third page which is headed Per ma nent / Mem ber / Rank. There is room for eight chops. Bruce Lee has signed with his name chop in box 1 in di cat ing the first rank. This card was never issued. Estimate HK$ 7,000-8,000 While attending the University of Washington in Seattle, , Bruce Lee trained students in the art of the Chinese Gung Fu. In 1963, he opened his first school, Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle. He later opened schools in Oakland (1964) and Los Angeles (1967). 122 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 -Aug. 6, 2011

11 1010 Bruce Lee's Name Card, Printed Card, 3.5" x 2". At the left is Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do logo in cor po rat ing the ying/yang sym bol with his motto, "Us ing no way as way, hav ing no lim i ta tion as lim i ta tion", in Chi nese. "Bruce Lee" is printed in script in the lower right. Estimate HK$ 7,000-8, Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute Rec om - men da tion Card signed by Bruce Lee with his chop mark stamp., Printed Card, 4 x 2.5, rounded cor ners, on pale or ange pearl shim mer cardstock. In the cen ter is Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do logo in cor po rat ing the ying/yang sym bol in red and gold, with his motto, Us ing no way as way, hav ing no lim i ta tion as lim i ta tion, in Chi nese. Jun Fan Gung Fu In sti tute is printed at the top in Eng - lish and Chi nese. His motto is printed in Eng lish be - neath the logo. Di ag o nal fold in blank up per right cor ner. Small tear into the s of As at the lower edge. Fine con di tion. Please Visit Our Web Site! Every lot is shown, many with additional photos not found in the printed catalog. The lots are fully searchable by a variety of criteria: text, country, catalog number and more. And - you can bid on the sale interactively, review your bids, check results and much more. On verso, the holder of the card would fill Ad dress of In sti tute, Phone, Rec om mended by, and Re marks. Stamped in the lower right by Bruce Lee. The stone chop, or name stamp, with Bruce Lee's given Chi nese name (left of the de sign) was placed by him on the cer tif i cates that he is sued to his stu dents as well as other doc u ments and cor re - spon dence. The trans la tion of the chop reads: By the Name of Jun Fan Lee. Printed at the bot tom edge: Please Bring This Card with You. Ev ery - thing on this card was printed in English and Chinese. Estimate HK$ 7,000-8,000 While attending the University of Washington in Seattle, , Bruce Lee trained students in the art of the Chinese Gung Fu. In 1963, he opened his first school, Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, in Seattle. He later opened schools in Oakland (1964) and Los Angeles (1967). Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. Sale 2 - Aug. 6,

12 1012 En ve lope ad dressed by Bruce Lee from the birth place of Jeet Kune Do to his best friend, Taky Kimura, in Se at tle., Em bossed 8 Air mail en ve lope, 9 x 4. Ad dressed by Bruce Lee to Mr. Taky Kimura / 908-8th Ave. / Se at tle 4, Wash. Re turn ad dress penned by Lee in up per left: Monticello Ave. / Oak land 19, Ca lif. Post - marked Oak land, Cal i for nia, Jan u ary 31, En - ve lope torn open at right edge. Fine condition. Estimate HK$ 2,400-3,600 January 12, 1966, the Batman television series had premiered. It was produced by William Dozier who had told Bruce that if the show were a hit, he would begin working on The Green Hornet for the season, with Bruce Lee as Kato. Batman was a ratings success and The Green Hornet premiered in September. A photograph of a house in Volume 1 of Greglon Yimm Lee and Sid Campbell's "The Dragon and the Tiger: The Birth of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do" (Berkeley, California: Frog Ltd., 2003) is captioned "The birthplace of Jeet Kune Do. James Yimm Lees home on 3039 Monticello Avenue in Oakland, California. Bruce and Linda Lee lived here for more than two years while they developed the concept of Jeet Kune Do. When Bruce opened his second Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute in Oakland in 1964, James Yimm Lee was his senior instructor Time mag a zine of fer sent to col - lege stu dent Bruce Lee in Se at tle., Brown en ve - lope, 7.75 x 3.75, type ad dressed by la bel to Mr Bruce J Lee / 908 8th Ave / Se at tle 4, Wash with To The Par ents Of printed to the left of the la bel. - the ad dress was his friend Taky Kimura's ad dress. Re turn ad dress is Time mag a zine in Chi cago. Printed postal mark ings. Opened at back flap. Con - tents: Printed Dear Par ents let ter, 7.25 x 11, with spe cial rates For a son or daugh ter at col lege and a 7 x 3.25 printed Busi ness Re ply Mail postcard. Fine condition. Estimate HK$ 800-1,000 Taky Kimura was 36 when he first met 18-year-old Bruce Lee in Seattle in Kimura eventually became head instructor of Seattle's Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute, Bruce Lee's first Gung Fu school. Kimura was best man at Linda and Bruce Lee's wedding in 1964 and one of the pallbearers at Bruce Lee's funeral nine years later. 124 Dynasty Auctions Company Ltd. stamps@dynastyauctions.net Sale 2 -Aug. 6, 2011