Bruce Lee was the universal martial arts master that appealed to everyone. But if you were a black kid growing up in the sixties and seventies, there was another martial artist that you probably connected with a even more that Lee – JIM KELLY.
It amazes me sometimes to see how little the mainstream geek culture knows about Martial Arts movies and their stars. Sure, Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris are the first two that many think of. But after that, things get a little foggy. Yes, this is the part where Geek Soul Brother is gonna lets you fellow mainstream geeks have it. Some of you say it’s because Kung-Fu films are corny, and all the jumping and fake fighting so bad looking. Really? Really Mr. Geek, who adores Captain Kirk fight gods and supermen with his double-fisted punches? Aren’t you the same crowd that swears that Doctor Who, with its cheesy special effects and ultra campy acting, is the best show on TV? It’s perfectly fine when Dragon Ball Z characters perform chi blasts that take out a mountain. But a film with some Asian brothers that jump merely 20 feet in the air and hit hard enough to put their fists through a man’s chest is too much for ya? Luckily, there were plenty of my geeks out there that not only read comics and watched Sci-fi movies, but also were connoisseur of martial arts films. And one of the greatest stars was a brother with a six-inch afro and hands as fast as lightning. It was a little bit frightening.
I don’t remember if I first saw Jim Kelly co-starring in ENTER THE DRAGON with Bruce Lee, or if it was THREE THE HARD WAY. Either way, Kelly’s role in the former martial arts film was immortalized by his cool, come and collected persona, and the cool freakin’ lines that he spoke. “You come right out of a comicbook” was the “I’ll be Back” of the 70s for me.
There were plenty of Blaxploitation films that had stars that did martial arts. But Kelly was the symbol of black martial arts power, especially when he ended up starring in his own films like BLACK BELT JONES and THE TATTOO CONNECTION and BLACK SAMURAI. Nobody had that image covered like Jim.
Like I said, Jim Kelly wasn’t the most well-known of action stars, but he was a legend to many. I still haven’t seen all of his films, but of the ones I have, I saw a hero just as renowned as Lee and Norris, Van Dame and Chan. I hope Mr. Kelly is resting in peace as much as he seemed at peace with his life and career. A bow of respect to one of the coolest brothers in cinema.
Geek Soul Brother 
He was the coolest brother in cinema! Just the way he stood or stared was “Damn!”. Martial arts is very revered in my house hold, especially the Kung Fu theater if the 60’s/70’s ( which is why I think we love Tarentino so much). He’s a cult icon that will be missed.
I’m really glad he’s getting the love and recognition from all of his fans.
I didn’t know he’d died. A truly sad loss since he inspired one of my all-time favorite films: Undercover Brother. I bow.
Did you see the deleted scene from Undercover Brother? He was in the film, but they cut it out.