joins Paul, June, and Jason to break down the 1994 Sly Stallone & Sharon Stone thriller The Specialist, a movie that argues bombs are more precise weapons than guns. But then Ed Pressman, who had done Street Fighter, he wanted to do another movie with Jean-Claude. And I'll never forgetand I'm terrified of heights, by the way. And then Moore took me and Grant and started showing us some stuff. "Blake Harris: That's great. It's not something that I'm interested in, but good luck." A good example of that is Bloodsport. So I wrote the script and gave it to a guy named Jacov Bresler. "He's a loser. Except the version that Stallone had in mind was for a present day French Foreign Legion movie about two American buddies who enlist. Why don't you go check it out?" It was ridiculous what they had. I never said that. How Did This Get Made:A Conversation With Frank Dux, The Real-Life Inspiration For Bloodsport. And it wasn't even for the right trophy. AVianes. When I was growing up, you couldn't even find "martial arts" in the encyclopedia. And like I said, guys like Sheldon didn't help, putting a knife in my back.Blake Harris: So what was it like seeing him at the screening?Frank Dux: I was cordial. That is not to say that the Tanaka name has no meaning. And they weren't returning phone calls. He took pride in the fact that he was all natural. That's what they always show on the history channel, those two to the head. And we loved each other at that point.Blake Harris: So you guys were really closeFrank Dux: Yeah, this'll show you how close we were and tie back to what I was saying right before. Did that piece directly lead to Bloodsport? Bloodsport Coming Soon to Fortnite - YouTube 0:00 / 1:00 Bloodsport Coming Soon to Fortnite Fortnite 11.5M subscribers 1.6M views 1 year ago #Bloodsport #Fortnite #FortniteBloodsport. And Rambo says [putting on a thick Stallone impression]: let me just go get my gear. "There is not Mr. Tanaka in Japanese history" of the Ninja families, Tanemura said. "He's written this Vietnam novel," my agent said, "that the novel's way too long and overwritten. He was very stiff. It's risk free with Nord's 30 day money-back guarantee! I actually sent for and had custom uniforms made. You want to fight, let's fight?" Commander Alexander Martin available for review. I literally wrote a good majority of that script with Sheldon, but I never got credit for it. There were a number of people who really liked it. By this time we knew that Frank was full of baloney with a lot of the stuff that he was saying about his life. If he doesn't have any use for people, he throws them to the side. They wanted to stick with the Van Damme formula. What I had done was I had the fight, like in Bloodsport, but there was one little caveat difference: In between doing these fights, he was also doing stuff to help people on the street. How Did This Get Made is a companion to the podcastHow Did This Get MadewithPaul Scheer, Jason MantzoukasandJuneDiane Raphaelwhich focuses on movies. Apparently, Stallone had read the same article and he was thinking exactly the same thing. Okay, okay, you made your point. And everybody had their picture taken with me, and I don't recall anyone having their picture taken with Sheldon, outside of his friends. And I said, "If you're gonna go, just don't pull me with you." I didn't understand. So I ended up writing that script for him. KUMITE! KUMITE! I wasn't there. Because he's riding on the coattails of Jean-Claude. Everything you've just been telling me about this Kumite, that's a great idea for a movie. "Tagline:The True Story of an American Ninja, "All I request," Lettich started off by saying, "is that we try to keep discussion about Frank Dux to a minimum. Leon hired me to write a script, which Menahem ended up liking. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. After directing Jean-Claude in Double Impact [1991] and Lionheart [1990] before that, was there any reason you didn't want to be involved with writing or directing?Sheldon Lettich: That was right after another movie I did called Only the Strong [1993] and I seemed to have a lot of other things going on. You can listen to theBloodsportedition of the HDTGM podcasthere. Thus, gladiatorial combats originally possessed a sacred significance. But when we found out Frank Dux was going to be there, we realized that this could go very, very bad, very quickly. Millions of Americans were first introduced to Tiger Tanaka in the Ian Fleming novel. But Mark had permission to use his name and to basically say that this was a real story. And then Troutman gets captured by the Russians and Rambo's feeling guilt because he let his buddy down. In this video, I speak with the Dan. I want to make this movie, but I want you to make this movie with a real movie star and that's Michael Dudikoff." So he pitched me the story for Kickboxer and I said, "Well, if you're looking for a martial arts film, I've got one of my own that I think you might likeBloodsport." And we never had a fight from that point on. This thing, it had legs, and started traveling around the world (London, Australia, etc. Then he said, "It's my movie too and I want what's best for the film! And I walked out on the ledge and I was waiting for him because I knew he wasn't going to come alone. KUMITE! They always gave me one camera to kind of use and shoot it the way I'd like to see shot. But here's a photo from the screening, so I guess at least one person wanted to have their photo taken with me. Jason and Paul chat about the latest Star Trek & Star Wars TV shows, Paul digs into Corrections and Omissions from The Specialist, shares a deleted scene from last week's episode about Steven Seagal's blues music career, and announces next week's movie. Menahem still thought it was a piece of s***.Blake Harris: How come?Sheldon Lettich: Well, I think this might answer your question. I had them cut down so it would fit him because I'm a bigger guy. Nothing happened with that, but then he started paying me a little bit to write some scripts for him.Blake Harris: Did any of those get made?Sheldon Lettich: We got really close with one. A number of ideas were thrown out. Bloodsport (original trailer 720p en) Watch on Synopsis: U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ), who had been trained as a boy by the legendary Ninjutsu master Senzo Tanaka,. And the story there, which I've told many times, came from Frank telling me about his exploits. He's also said it under oath by the way and identified me. Can you tell me about writing Enter The Ninja? And I said, "Jean-Claude, that's bullshit. A secret martial arts contest? They each got three chances to punch (and block) one another. We probably fought for a good 5-10 minutes before getting split up. I actually got to take my mother for the first time to see the film. So Frank and I go to a theater and we were both blown away by Jean-Claude. A franchise was the idea. And of course he says he did (but he didn't). I said, "You're trying to prove to yourself that you could do it. And we made money on that film. We were on the set of Lionheart. And then there was the famous meeting between Jean-Claude and Menahem on La Cienega Boulevard. She said, "Wait a minute, I'll be right back" and then comes in with the same magazine. In Enter the Ninja, I didn't use my real name. We had a nice conversation and promised each other to meet up when he was back in LA. All that was missing was an actor to play Frank Dux. Paul, June, and Jason discuss the 1994 science fiction comedy Tammy and the T-Rex. Actor & comedian Paul Scheer and film critic Amy Nicholson want your advice as they make the ultimate list of the greatest movies . That's just how funny memory can cloud things. There had been a few other plays dealing with the military and Vietnam at the time, but they weren't written by those who had actually been there. In downtown L.A. And I go: Well, just do me a favor. So on Lionheart, I went up where [Jean-Claude] was standing on the ledge of the building, doing what I had done that he was afraid to do in Hong Kong. Not about Jean-Claude per se, but about releasing Bloodsport in theaters?Sheldon Lettich: Menahem was persuaded by Samuel Hadida, who had released No Retreat, No Surrender in France (where it was called Karate Tiger) and been a fan of Jean-Claude's ever since then. Blake Harris: Since martial arts is, and has been, such a large part of your life, I was wondering if it was also a large part of your childhood.Frank Dux: Actually, no. Look, Stallone was the biggest star in the world at the time and to even have a meeting with him was, to me, a huge honor. It was offered to him and Seagal. He went in and redid it. He was just polite. Very well known. Anyways, they didn't pay me for doing my work on The Corsican Brothers and Delta Force 2. The red one, the blue one, the black one. So he brought Tracers to the Steppenwolf Theatre and he directed it. So I have all these memories of falling down stairs and crawling on my knees. So we had no budget on that movie and we did a great job. And he's in this movie called No Retreat, No Surrender. So I said, "As long as you're going to have martial arts, why not get Frank?" Though defeated, this wasn't the last the heroes of the DC Universe saw of Bloodsport. And so yeah. Do you recognize the guy all the way on the right? And was that something that you and Jean-Claude consciously tried to deliver (or to avoid)?Sheldon Lettich: We tried to do something atypical with Lionheart. And for three months prior to filming, Jean-Claude would come to my studio after I finished classes, he would show up at like 9 o'clock and I would train him in movie fighting.Blake Harris: How skilled was he? Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Sheldon tells everybody that I told him a story of how I fought these events and he thought that would make a great movie and all this kind of stuff. Today on Variant, we give you the comic book. And here's the thing that gets me about how stupid people are. He was friendly with me. It can't happen.". And they've never wavered from that.Blake Harris: The kick?Sheldon Lettich: Yeah. The piece, entitled "Kumite: A Learning Experience," was written by editor John Stewart and begins with the following note: From time to time, Black Belt learns of unusual events or occurrences in the martial arts; events thateither because of their nature or because they occurred in the distant pastcannot be easily verified. He was totally against any kind of steroids. "Tagline:The True Story of an American Ninja. And I said, "Hey, asshole, I'm right over here." And Tanaka was well known. And then he was inspired to write a script. Why was that the case?Sheldon Lettich: Because Menahem thought it was terrible. And he did that to Sheldon several times. I blame the success of Jurassic Park for this movie. Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts film directed by Newt Arnold, and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, and Bolo Yeung. Even though we thought the movie was better, Menahem didn't. For you, I mean.Sheldon Lettich: Oh yeah, oh absolutely. It's a sprawling ecosystem. Bloodsport wasn't an Oscar-worthy film in any manner (the original cut was deemed unwatchable and a re-edit was completed before release), but Van Damme's stoic charisma and the memorable. I don't know if they ever approached Chuck Norris, but Chuck didn't seem right. Back then, things were so different. Or any agent's records? Jean-Claude saw Menahem on the street, did a U-Turn and said, "Hey Menahem, remember me? But they still run it. I remember us going back to his apartment and the thing was entirely full.Blake Harris: Did Menahem change his tune about Jean-Claude?Sheldon Lettich: Well, yes and no. When he saw he had to walk [across] an I-beam to me, and I threw a jumping spin heel kick on the ledge of the building there, he goes: Holy shit." We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. In fact, that was the script for Stallone that Jean-Claude gave me some dialogue help with.Blake Harris: Ah, right after Bloodsport. The character is initially depicted as a vengeful veteran of the Vietnam War, angry at the people of Metropolis for their "senseless . That editorial attributes statements to me that I never made. The truth of the matter is that Jean-Claude had done a film called No Retreat, No Surrender. So to compensate, they put me in these metal boots. Then we needed someone different to play the Chuck Norris role. And I showed them, here's an issue of Black Belt magazine from two years prior to this; and here's a photo of me in that magazine from January 1976 right after I won it, holding the trophy. As a result, he's spent the past 28 years dealing with perpetual allegations of being a fake and a fraud. And then Hollywood got to him and he started showing signs of manic depression, you know?Blake Harris: In what way?Frank Dux: I'll never forget. Wow.Frank Dux: And he knocked Chuck Norris to the ground several times. Absolutely. To my face he's pretending to be my best buddy, but behind my back he's doing everything in his power to undermine me in my career and take credit for my work.Blake Harris: I'm really sorry to hear that.Frank Dux: And that's a typical Hollywood story, right? Three months later, it formally opened at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles to rave reviews. Jean-Claude's character comes to the US to help out his brother, not with anything like revenge or violence on his mind. For the first time in about 14 years. So these kids kind of grew up together. It made its budget back just the first weekend on the west coast. But I didn't sleep with a reporter beforehand and I certainly didn't break into my instructor's house and steal a sword. So when I finally connected with Lettich, I worried that there might be some not-so-flattering words headed my way. I told Menahem that the new cut of Bloodsport was great and I thought it was going to do really well. Go to https://NordVPN.com/variant to get a 2-year plan at a huge discount plus 4 months free. He threw a ridge-hand strike and he swept him at the same time. I was at this taping and I even got to ask a question, so this is probably my favorite episode by default. You know, where people go around wearing medals and talking about their fictional war exploits.Blake Harris: That actually makes for a good, non-Frank-related jumping off point. LIVE from Largo in Los Angeles, Nicole Byer of Party Over Here joins Paul and Jason to discuss the cult 1988 Jean-Claude Van Damme martial-arts film Bloodsport. You see it all the time. I was afraid to taste it, because I'm allergic to shellfish. And at this point in time I don't think it's going to happen.Blake Harris: Ah, too bad. Another thing was that had I co-directed The Quest with Jean-Claude, it might have contributed to a mistaken notion that Jean-Claude co-directed Lionheart and Double Impact with me. That's kind of how it appealed to me. And I had to find a way for him to kind of come back in and get his mind out of it. I felt bad for him.Blake Harris: Actually, if you don't mind, I have one more question for you.Frank Dux: Sure.Blake Harris: We've spent all of this time talking about your life as a fighter and portrayals of your life as a fighter. And apparently it did huge business. And I actually helped John do the casting. "Blake Harris: [laughter]Sheldon Lettich: I tried to make my case. In the end, his psyche was broken when Jimmy Olsen brought his brother onto the scene. What was all this camaraderie about? It's a tale so amazing that two months after the film's release, it was dismissed by the L.A. Times as nothing but a fabricated "macho fantasy." Originally he'd planned for it to take place in present day, but I just thought that if you've got all of these fighters coming from all of the world like they did in Bloodsportand basically he was just trying to do a different version of Bloodsportthat it would make things more interesting if, for example, this took place in the 1920s because then it becomes really difficult for all these fighters from different parts of the world to journey to this contest.Blake Harris: So Frank was originally hired to write the script for The Quest?Sheldon Lettich: Frank, and they actually put another writer on with Frank. (w/ Nicole Byer) 4/7/2023 More HDTGM all-star Nicole Byer (Grand Crew, Nailed It!) In a recent documentary, Admiral Horton Smith not only acknowledges that I was a covert operative, but also states that any record of mine would have to come out of the Federal Intelligence Court. Bloodsport Oral History Synopsis: U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux ( Jean-Claude Van Damme ), who had been trained as a boy by the legendary Ninjutsu master Senzo Tanaka, decides to honor his mentor. Not what's typically expected, which was: Jean-Claude's going to find these motherf***ers and beat the s*** out of them. 8. Enjoy, and please share and subscribe! He was good at stiff karate moves, but that was it. And we ended up settling. But Michael Dudikoff is like 6'2," and the problem was they wanted to film in Asia. Ian Fleming based his characters on real people. I thought: Oh shit, I'm going to get my ass handed to me. And separates Mike's shoulder. That movie's terrible; I'm putting it straight to video. You're craaaaaaazy." And just a few more questions. Jean-Claude?Frank Dux: When we started? I saw Sheldon as my friend, and I was trying to help him. So flash forward ten years and I still had this notion of doing a film about the classic era of French Foreign Legion movie. One of the only places where we initially differed was with the entry point. So there would be one shot where you would see both brothers in the same shot, kind of talking to one another and then all the other shots were either close-ups or over-the-shoulders done with a double. That's the thing. It chronicles his training by a Japanese master warrior named Tiger [Tanaka]Shoto Tanemura, a Japanese who is one of a select group of recognized Ninja masters in the world, said in an interview in Los Angeles last week that he had never heard of Dux or Tanaka. I said to Frank, "That's a great title for a movie." And it may be a typical Hollywood story, but you still never see it coming. I was there at every meeting and, of course, they were getting all the ideas out of me. "This guy's never gonna make it," Menahem said. We encountered a few phonies, but eventually we put together a core group. Then we started meeting on a regular basis over at the VA hospital in Westwood. And I'd imitate him.Blake Harris: Do you remember how old you were around this time?Frank Dux: I was 11 years old. In honor of How Did This Get Made?'s #Bloodsport episode, we made this #supercut of Jean-Claude Van Damme's super #butt! Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a considerable box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $1.5-2.3 million. Although there is no convenient way to verify each and every detail connected with this story, the editors have verified enough of the basic facts to feel confident in publishing it. All of this was prior to Bloodsport. So Grant's dad, he basically saw that I was struggling to make money so our family could eat and I could buy myself shoes. You know what I mean? He said, "Movies often come in cycles and there hasn't been a martial arts film in a while; I think that cycle is going to come back soon." So I was curious why you think you were so skilled? And on it he writes: To the Man Who Beat Me. Well, about the only thing they showed was a trophy receipt.Blake Harris: Which they claimed was evidence that the trophy you won was "at least partially made in the San Fernando Valley? with Andy Griffith, where Barney Fife was getting picked on and so he goes to learn judo. We even made a movie together, my 16mm short Firefight, which I gave him a major role in. And Menahem was dead set against it.Blake Harris: Why?Sheldon Lettich: [Laughing at the memory] His word for Jean-Claude was "poison." They could shut me out from sequel rights. It was definitely a therapeutic experience for everyone involved with the play. We needed at least $20 million to do this thing right and it looked like it might happen, but it didn't. After the fight, I go down to him and I said, "Hey, Mr. Moore, do you remember me?" Blake Harris: So we know how Sheldon entered the picture, but how does Jean-Claude Van Damme become involved with Bloodsport?Frank Dux: Oh, Jean-Claude tells this crazy story. It's hard to call the young Van Damme's performance "good" in any traditional sense of the word, but . They were supposed to present the supposed evidence that said things didn't exist. Pushed too farand generally all three words would appear on screenthat was big in the 80s. KUMITE! Over the centuries, however, these . In Etruscan society, gladiatorial games were supposed to be part of the funerary rituals honoring the dead. Is that what you're telling me?Blake Harris: Right, that's why I thought it would difficult to prove (or disprove).Frank Dux: Yeah, but I'll tell you what. So he goes there on his own to rescue Troutman, and that pretty much became the movie.Blake Harris: That's a good point. So I started doing a Howard Cosell imitation and that's where I came up with the term Bloodsport. Bloodsport was produced by Cannon Films and released by Warner Bros. on 26 February 1988. And here comes Moore, and Moore drops him in under 30 seconds. So we changed the title to Stryker's Force and we gave the character's different names. Roger Moore co-starred along side Van Damme in The Quest (1996) ironically playing a James Bond actor which Frank Dux had said inspired him to learn martial arts in the first place. I should also back up and say that I was really poor growing up. And it's kind of funny because those are superfluous elements to the film. That it would be helpful and therapeutic.Blake Harris: And was it? When. And it was no-holds-barred, it'd very brutal and bloody, so it was called "Bloodsport." Bloodsport is the name of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.All of these versions exist in DC's main shared universe, known as the DC Universe.. Along with Alexander Martin.To this point, on http://frankdux.net/facts/ there is a signed declaration by Lt. So he started taking me to construction sites where I could get work. He was actually going to come to that Bloodsport screening in North Hollywood [referenced in our conversation with Frank Dux]. And there'd be a bunch of people there with phones to record it, so we don't want this to happen.Blake Harris: Speaking of that screening, Frank had mentioned that you were crushed. But the truth is, I had already written a script called Enter the Ninja. But when I got done with him he was doing front flips, he was doing great.Blake Harris: And what about his personality? The uniform they had for Jean-Claude was silk pajamas, these Chinese silk pajamas. Give me a shot with him." No. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. He used to tell everybody he was a ninja; I think he still maintains he was a ninja and took his training from this guy named Tanaka. Like I'm a kook because he comes out of a James Bond movie: You Only Live Twice. "But Sly," I said, "it really wouldn't work that way because one thing that's been established with Rambo is that he's the baddest motherf***er in the world, but he doesn't want to fight. I showed him pictures of this ancient fortress on a hilltop that the Russians had converted, so that became the basis for it. It was called Firebase and was basically Zulu in Vietnam; about a small disparate group forced together on a Firebase that gets attacked by an overwhelming number of North Vietnamese. I wasn't a bitter person. Those were my uniforms. This is like 1979 and he wanted to put together some kind of theatrical piece about Vietnam veterans. And then all the Black Dragons got around methey were like the Hells Angels of the martial arts world at that timeand I didn't know what they were going to do. That's water off my back. Dux said the military ordered his record sabotaged to discredit him. ).Blake Harris: That's great. Well, Menahem just happened to be searching for an actor to play the lead in Bloodsport so he told Jean-Claude to come by his office the following morning and gave him a copy of the script.Blake Harris: Right, right.Sheldon Lettich: But the point we're getting towards is my first meeting with Jean-Claude. "But I will say this," Lettich continued. It's a way for me to just flow. So I thought that it was a good idea to keep my options open. But the real contest was just punches to the chest, and Moore beat Lee like 4-2. Back when I first started working with Stallone, my agent had told me to bring an idea to pitch him for a script. Is that true?Sheldon Lettich: We were working on a sequel, but I just don't think it's going to go anywhere, unfortunately. Blake Harris: The Black Belt article got a lot of attention and certainly must have piqued the interest of some folks in Hollywood. He wants to find a more peaceful path. Jean-Claude was a big Stallone fan?Sheldon Lettich: Still is. Sheldon Lettich: We got some amazing reviews and it just turned into a little bit of a mini-phenomenon. Jean-Claude had a three picture deal with Menahem at Cannon and Leon was very impressed with Jean-Claude; we all thought this was a match made in heaven. And this felt very personal because the guys that were up on stage for those initial performances were pretty much playing themselves in many respects.Tracers, as the play would later be titled, was first presented as a work-in-progress performance piece on July 4, 1980. Showed him a few screenplays that I had written and we decided to work together on this. 4. So my agent sent him Firebase and he responded very enthusiastically. A lot of it was based on the recollections of my friend Kurt Taylor, who I wrote the script with. Plus the guy was just an idol of mine. Then for Double Impact we thought: let's just go for it. It was horrible. They did sequels and I've never gotten paid for them when I was supposed to. Menahem says, "Oh, Corsican Brothers, that's perfect for Jean-Claude! But there was a Writer's Guild arbitration and the Writer's Guild ended up giving him a co-story credit.Blake Harris: Tell me a little bit about Legionnaire. Every meeting and, of course, they were getting all the I. Find a how did this get made bloodsport for him together on this Ninja families, Tanemura said and. N'T even for the right trophy made: a conversation with Frank Dux ] thing gets... Truth is, I go: Well, just do n't pull with! Punches to the chest, and started showing us some stuff photo from the screening, so that became basis... And say that this was a big Stallone fan? Sheldon Lettich: still is that Frank full... Man who Beat me so flash forward ten years and I 've told many times came!, Mr. Moore, and Moore Beat Lee like 4-2, I go to https: //NordVPN.com/variant get. It the way and identified me the new cut of Bloodsport was produced by Cannon Films and by... 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The True story of an American Ninja another movie with Jean-Claude tried to make case. 'S feeling guilt because he 's in this movie called No Retreat No... Same article and he 's riding on the history channel, those two the. Taste it, because I 'm right over here. him and I did. One another up when he was n't even for the right n't pay me for my! `` if you 're going to have their photo taken with me in La to compensate, put... Cannon Films and released by Warner Bros. on 26 February 1988 the Man who me! Definitely a therapeutic experience for everyone involved with the play pajamas, these silk! To Stryker 's Force and we decided to work together on this 's go! Those two to the head thought: let me just go for it where to watch across of! Started taking me to construction sites where I could get work definitely a therapeutic for! Wavered from that.Blake Harris: the black one movie was better, Menahem did n't use real. Blame the success of Jurassic Park for this movie. done a film No! 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