The Forgotten Remo Williams Sequel
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 май 2022
- In memory of Fred Ward, I look back at one of the best movies of the 80s, Remo Williams The Adventure Begins and its forgotten sequel spinoff a made for tv series that failed to get pass one episode back in 1988
Check out the LIVE channe: / thatjunkmanlive
Buy T-shirts and more: www.JunkmanMerch.com
Support over RUclips: / thatjunkman
Patreona at: / thatjunkman
Follow the Junk:
Facebook Group: groups/612381969202986/
Twitter: / ithatjunkman
Twitter Toy Tweets: / kennertoys
Instagram: / thatjunkman
Email the Junk: Junkman@thatjunkman.com 
Развлечения
RIP Fred Ward. He may have done other things, but Remo Williams is what I'll remember him for...
I agree but I always loved him in "The Right Stuff" and also "Miami Blues" with Alec Baldwin. Both great movies.
@@JOECANDELA22 and as "Lyle Swann" in Timerider and "Rocco" in The Naked Gun 33 1/3 : The Final Insult.
Y'all never heard of "Tremors"?
@@cbobwhite5768 I was about to say the same thing.
@@cbobwhite5768 Good call! Totally forgot that one and its a great film!!
I’ve been waiting decades for the Adventure to continue. RIP Fred Ward
..Jon Berenthal would be perfect for a new series!
The Destroyer books are still being published as well as the Legacy series featuring Remo's son and daughter!
@@geraldwelch8117 really???
what number are they up to these days???
@@cyberteque 153 and the Legacy series featuring his children (which I author) will have #9 released this fal.
Check out book seven if you haven't read them. Chiun is a major player.
@@geraldwelch8117 they still being made? this has always been a favorite film of mine, how many of them have you written thus far?
The night we rented Remo Williams, my dad and I watched the movie twice laughing and enjoying the film immensely.
Why is it that in the 80s and 90s "we" could watch the same movie back to back, but I haven't done that even once in the last 25 years?
@@TheNoticer83 Excellent question.
Remo is a must see movie. I always enjoy it when watching it. R.I.P. Fred Ward.
I actually saw this movie in a packed theater, and I'm surprised when I meet people who haven't heard of it. It's a cult classic and one of my all time favorites.
One of the most underrated action movies ever.
I was 16 when Remo Williams came out and saw it with friends at the theater. Loved it. I miss those times.
Same
Imagine how much different Ward's career might've been if the Remo movie had taken off. Instead of being remembered mainly as a character/supporting actor, he'd be remembered as a big action star with his own franchise.
I forgot about Remo Williams. I rented that video over and over again in 1986. Now I want to see it again. :)
Back in the mid-70s I had a job working at a paper mill that recycled paper. As a result they would get big bales of scrap paper, that they stored outside the plant. One day I discovered one of these bales of paper was full of paperbacks. So I scrounged through it, as my wife and I are big readers, and this seems like a great chance to find a lot of books that I could take home. My boss didn't mind, so on my lunch breaks I would go scrounging through the paper bales and fill up a gunny sack full of paperback books. During one of these sojourns I ran across several paperback novels called The Destroyer. There were a lot of different titles apparently, but after the first one that we read my wife and I both became fans of Remo Williams the Destroyer. We managed to find the whole series eventually one way or another, and when the movie came out, we were tickled to death. The only disappointment was the casting of Remo's mentor, Chiun. We always loved his wise saying," When things get tough, the tough get things". He really should have been cast with an Asian actor. We always hoped there would be a follow-on, and were disappointed when one never showed up.
Found my dads stash of Destroyer books along with all his doc savages when I was a kid. And there were tons of them spent a lot of time lost with Remo and Chun. When the movie came out I tried to tell all my friends of the awesome that is Chun but sadly it was just me and apparently the guy that made this video at the theater.
Fred Ward was a legend. Will always love Remo Williams. If only this was a series, it would have been awesome.
There actually was a series, didn't last long
When I was working retail in Beverly Hills in the mid 80s, Kate Mulgrew came into the store. I asked her about a Remo Williams sequel, and she graciously mentioned it was being discussed.
#truestory
Any updates since?
lol
It's not too late. I'm still waiting for the sequel. And I hope she makes a cameo in the sequel.
Being a daddy’s girl, I got into reading the Destroyer books because he kept bringing them home from the book store and putting them on the shelf. Maybe not the best choice for a ten-year-old, but I loved them.
As much as I’m tired of remakes and reboots, I wouldn’t mind another stab at it. Not sure if you could do it justice these days. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know that they almost glory in being anti-PC by going overboard with things today’s twitteratti would have the vapors over. The books were pulp and the humor was meant to poke fun at how stupid people could sometimes be, whether the idiocy of blind racism to latching onto shallow ideas or causes for virtue points. I’m just not sure we still know how to laugh at ourselves like that.
The Books were very popular on Okinawa where Martial Arts are taken very seriously. My Brother and I never bought just one. It was always one each.
The Humor was excellent.
My dad had all of these didn’t realize until later wish I’d kept them.
If set in the early 70s, with a non-woke production head, it could be done well with today's tech.
I kind of envy you. I'm only finding out NOW that there was a book series. Definitely gonna read the hell out of them lol
Those books and others like them were so hilarious. I wish we had more stuff like them today.
"Remo Wiliams, The Destroyer"
"Mack Bolan, The Executioner"
Great action/adventure novels. And, FYI, 'The Executioner' was the basis for the origin of the Marvel hero 'The Punisher'.
Tom Clancy's WITHOUT REMORSE is also a pretty blatant rip of The Executioner.
I liked the Destroyer book series and there were two other series that I like at the time, both based around WWIII and it's aftermath, The Survivalist and Out of the Ashes.
Read both sets of books many years ago
@@martykarr7058 I never read these. Maybe I should have. My choice was The Eternal Mercenary series
I did not read the destroyer series , but I was a big fan of the executioner series
When I heard Fred Ward passed yesterday, I watched Remo Williams again on DVD. It holds up to this day.
RIP Fred Ward & Thank You.
I'm finding out there was a TV series on your Channel.
Thank you Junkman, well done again.
ruclips.net/video/iQGeLXmN4ps/видео.html
Jon Bernthal would be the right Fred Ward-type to carry on The Destroyer series.
Absolutely ! That sounds so right.
Hells yeah!
Wow..your right!! He looks like Remo!!!
Wow ! Great Idea !
Great idea 💡
"I don't know, maybe it's the breathing and the rice." That line in the movie always makes me laugh for some reason.
This is definitely sad news. I just heard yesterday that Mickey Gilley passed away, and now Fred Ward! I always loved the movie Remo Williams and the first Tremors movie where he starred alongside Kevin Bacon. With Remo, Marvel did a run of "The Destroyer" comic series in a magazine format that I read back in the late 80's. Sadly too that no Remo figures were ever made, but due to its lack of popularity it's no wonder really. Anyway, I'm clearing a slot tonight for Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins... I hope many of you will do the same in tribute.
And now Ray Liotta just passed away.
Great idea
The paperbacks were available about every 6 months in the 70's at drugstores & truckstops. They were my guilty pleasure. I watched the movie, loved Fred Ward's porttrayal. I always wanted more.
Yeah, me too, stayed in K-Mart for the next novel, hahaha. Peace.
I really liked Remo Williams. My Dad read the pulp novels.
My favorite quote from the movie (and I use it whenever I can), is when Remo asks Chun what his age is. Chun replies ' For a tree I am very young, for a head of lettuce I am very old, but for a human I am just right. '
Pure awesome!
If you are 'quoting' from the movie you have it all wrong. Remo 'You are old' Chuen: "For an apricot yes, for lettuce even more so, for a mountain I am not even begun in years. For a man I am just right".
This is one of my top 10 movies. I was heartbroken when Fred Ward died.
In case anybody cares, Marvel also put out some Destroyer comic books many years ago.
That said, I loved this movie as a teenager, and I even ended up reading a few of the Destroyer novels. Cool stuff!
I never knew about the '88 TV series till just now.
@NerdRock I have almost all of the books, and some of the comics/graphic novels. I was first introduced to the book series in 1981, when my best friend at the time handed me a copy of The Destroyer #2, and told me to read it. I did, and I still have that book. It was the descriptive violence that kinda hooked me to start with. But it was on my second reading of the book that the story really popped out at me. By that time, the book series was into the 30s, so I started grabbing copies up at my local bookstore. I also bought each new book as they came out.
As the style evolved, satire of "current events" became more prominent in the series. I really loved the style the writers were doing the series in.
Myself and my then best friend went to see this movie in the theater, because we were so familiar with the source material. We noticed the deviations from the book series, but still enjoyed the movie. I would later buy a copy on VHS, as well as the book adaption.
You see, I've been an avid reader all of my life. There were certain subjects/genres that attracted me, but The Destroyer was something different to what I normally liked. At one point, one of the co-creators died (Richard Sapir), and something was lost from there on out. Eventually, "ghost writers" took over the series, and finally, Warran Murphy (the other co-creator) died as well. I'm not throwing shade at those who took up the mantle, but the series was never the same without the creators involved.
For what it's worth, the Destroyer book series was really good, and they really found their footing with book #4. I enjoyed the movie, despite its differences from the source material, and I even enjoyed the Pilot for a TV series that wasn't picked up.
I guess my point is, that if you're into reading, and can find the books, at the very least the earlier ones (up to #75) are pretty good. #75 contains a dedication to Richard Sapir, who had died in January of 1987, about 2 years prior to the publishing of this book. Warran Murphy wrote it, and it's kinda touching. A nice eulogy for his long time collaborator and partner.
I remember seeing a black and white magazine size comic book titled Remo Williams.
@@IggyStardust1967 I enjoyed the references to pop culture and the thinly disguised celebrities like Sting. What a prat he turned out to be.🤣
@@burnsnight1 Yeah, you could always tell when they satirized a celebrity, the name would be changed, but rather blatantly obvious.
I think I have those....have to check....
Remo Williams is a pretty great movie. I still get plenty of joy and laughs out of watching it. Joel Grey is absolutely amazing.
I have loved this movie for years, ever since I was a very young fella watching tv on my grandpa's illegal satellite dish that got every channel in the world for free lol. One of my favorite movies and most definitely a Gem, thank you for sharing your love and knowledge of this movie with us.
Ah yes, one of those movies from my childhood that I am still waiting for a sequel to.
Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze ..being another movie I'm still waiting on a sequel :)
After this movie I found the books. Spent YEARS collecting every book in the series. I absolutely would've watched 15 of these movies starring Fred Ward 👍☮️❤️
I love the earlier ones (right around Dr. Quake when the author realized how important Chuin was to include). But the last ones at the end... they don't feel right when you add modern things like the internet and such. I think it's like Mack Bolan and works better for the era they were originally written in.
@@dbsommers1 the later books were written by different authors. The original Murphy & Sapir were best 🙂
Me too! Those would've been many hours thoroughly enjoyed!
Hey, I thought I was the only one in the whole world who collected the books and have the dvd as one of my prized movies. Damned shame about Fred Ward passing, i really enjoyed him in Tremors but he will be the one and only Remo, ( saying it like master, the illustrious Master Chiun 😃😃😃)
I read all the books when they came out as well as the "Casca" series. Great stuff.
This was one of those movies that caught me by surprise. I hadn't heard about it and just rented it on a whim. I love this movie.
Remo is one of my favorite movies. It has it all. Everything you could want in a well made movie. As it happens, I did see the "Sequel" on TV. I made a point of it.
We need a new version of this. I love watching this movie, especially the master
A friend turned me on to the books then I saw the movie and from then on Fred Ward was Remo for me. I read all of the books in the series on deployments around the world. They were great entertainment since we had no TV. Really wished they would have continued the movies.
Not even possible...I watched Remo in theaters as a kid, my dad always wanted a sequel, there's no way they made a sequel...I woke up in the wrong dimension, this movie didn't exist in my dimension
After holding off for a while, I finally decided to pick up Remo Williams on Blu-ray about 3 weeks ago. I never imagined Fred would be dying so soon after. 😭
I loved the Movie,and especially the Soundtrack and his main theme was fantastic.
Sadly most didn't know it when I talked about how good it was.
Still a great flick,just can recommend it !
I loved this movie when I saw it my senior year in high school! Thanks for this look back. I had no idea there was a TV pilot. Joel Grey and Fred Ward were great in the film.
Always felt that Remo Williams never got the credit it deserved. Plus Fred Ward is so underrated as an actor. RIP Fred Ward a great actor who will never be forgotten. Also, I never knew they made a tv show maybe it would have been a hit if they brought back Fred Ward
The movie, coming out in the summer of '85, had little chance of gaining ground with "Back to the Future" hitting screens at about the same time. The satirical aspect of the book series was, also, a very big reason for it's success; political and social themes were exploited to, often, hilarious effect. If done well, that could make the difference, in a NEW picture, between a good one and a great one. An 8 or 10 episode limited series on one of the streaming platforms would give it a shot at, maybe, a three or four year run😎
Hulu and Netflix, R ya lis'nen?
As a lifelong comics fan , I thought when I first see Remo back in the 80's , that he would have made the perfect Wolverine .
I saw Remo Williams in the theatre as a child and absolutely loved It! It was part James Bond, part Karate Kid. That Statue of Liberty scene was unmatched! The music was amazing and the choreography was epic! No CGI here folks! The stunt work was as good as any Bond film (it helped that its director, Guy Hamilton directed a number of Bond films!).Too bad it didn't do well enough to have a sequel. I got excited about getting a potential TV series and I even taped the pilot on VHS ! Sadly, it paled in comparison to the film.
That may not be the case in today's TV market. TV series are a LOT better in their production costs and actor quality. A Remo reboot would be a good idea.
As a child of the 70s & 80s, I cannot say how much this movie had an impact in my life. The thought of "Joe average" becoming something extraordinary reached into my soul and never let go. "Concentrate! This is NO time for prayer!" comes to my mind, every time some one hurts themselves and yells out "Jesus!". Thank you Fred, Thank you!
"Just remember...I won him....he is MINE."
(Cheun in regards to the pink stuffed rabbit he won at the fair)
Cheun had some of the best one-liners! He and Remo had GREAT chemistry. I would have LOVED to see More of their adventures together.
@@jayanxiety Remo: Chuen! You are incredible!
Chuen: No!....................I am better than that! (Theme song hits a high note, cut to the credits)
I first came upon the book series when I had built my first house in upstate NY. I was still working at a company that had offices in Brooklyn and Queens and I worked at both. Having only one car, I used the Trailways bus system once a week to travel home and back again. I started reading The Destroyer series to pass the time on the bus. I started with book #7 I believe it was Union Bust. After reading that one, I just HAD to read the series from the beginning. I've been reading them ever since.
But don't eat a hamburger. The MSG will kill you. And oh yes, remember to practice breathing every day.
The series of books was great. Real adventure in the vein of The Executioner.
I have seen that movie more than star wars.
I havent seen it since i was 8yrs old
Loved the movie, and it led me to seek out the novels in used book stores, I probably read 50 of them. BTW Wilford Brimly wasn't a villain, he played Remo's boss and arranged to contract Chuin the master of martial arts to train Remo.
This showed up on my RUclips feed and I was glad it did! I think the original Fred Ward cast Remo Williams and Buckaroo Banzai were both terrific pulp movies that never really got the chance they might had had if they were just made a few years later.
Both will always give me fond memories of seeing them in the theater as a kid, though.
This movie introduced me to the series. I didn't realize there were hundred of books until I watched it a second time and I finally found more information on it on the internet. Back then search engines either didn't exist or weren't well known and it was mostly AOL and some BBS. The series was fascinating at the time as it proposed that the human body is far more amazing than it's current modern day use case. Every now and then I can find an odd copy of one of the books in second hand bookstores.
I really believe that this series could have succeeded, and still could succeed, with the right casting, the right director and the right special effects. The series had the same kind of attraction that the Lee Child "Reacher" series of books has.
And if it had the matrix style special effects
Godspeed Fred, thanks for some great memories.
Loved Fred Ward as Remo. Couldn't believe they never did another movie. Fred Ward was a very watchable actor. RIP Fred
I watched Remo as a kid when it first came out... It's always been one of my absolute FAVORITES!!👍
Remo Williams was an extremely fun movie! Much like you, I also had never heard of the Pulp Comic the Destroyer until many, many years later, and also watched this epic movie in the theatres (though I don't remember how many were in there with me). When it came out on video, I immediately showed all my friends, and it rapidly became one of our favorites. I haven't seen in in over a decade now; I think it may be time to revisit this underrated classic.
I absolutely adore the Remo Williams movie, its a rare gem just like Doc Savage, i could watch them over and over.
They both need rebooting
@@dnf-dead Honestly dont think they could do them justice.
@@kevincrowe1872 you have a good point
Sadly, while the books has a large and loyal following, the character was little known in general, and was a complete mystery to most movie-goers. I was an avid reader of the books from the time I discovered them in the Army PX in while stationed in Germany, and read them all the way into my mid-20s. Practically none of my friends had ever heard of the books. I truly wish they had been able to make more Remo movies.
I am truly sorry to have read on a few Facebook pages that Fred Ward has sadly passed away and he was a criminally overlooked/underrated actor, and I thought he was very good in Remo, the first Tremors movie, and The Naked Gun 3. RIP 🙏
You should check out his movie “Time Rider”
The Right Stuff has to be mentioned too!
And Thunderheart.
He was hilarious as the dad in Secret Admirer. I really don't give a crap about that teen-angst movie BUT Fred Ward was great in his small parts. ruclips.net/video/kvSm74qxdhA/видео.html
For a time, this was my favorite book series, and I'm actively trying to rebuild my collection after a house fire. There's over 120 books in this series!!
Actually there is 150.the last one is called the end is the beginning,I believe.i was disappointed,I was expecting a grand send off it was another run of the mill story.
I read them all😅😅
From Japan. Junkman, thank you for sharing a clip. RIP Fred Ward, I didn't know his passing. The novelization of this movie is still eyeopener for me. In a scene of 1st mission, the mind of Remo is stable as calm water... I love this phrase. Of course I love this movie.
On our side of the pond this is called Remo: unarmed and dangerous. I love this film shame it never got the sequel it deserved, it's time for a reboot/remake!
I'm one of the many who hoped for more but alas it was not meant to be. The sentiments expressed by all I am in agreement. But the memories and actors I'll always have in my heart to put a smile on my face. Respect .
Such a GREAT movie! ... It's a damn shame they didn't make at least one sequel.
I read these books back in the day and loved them. It was great t9 watch the relationship between Reno and Chiun develop over several books.
Just don’t ever interrupt Chiun when he’s watching TV . . .
Cult classic. Rented it on VHS in the late 80s, watched it a few times over the years - always great fun. Great characters and directing, action scenes that still hold up til today.
I'd love to see what Netflix or Amazon Prime could do with this series. Amazon did a hell of a job with the "Reacher" reboot, so it would be interesting to see what they'd come up with. The movie bombed, but I remember liking it very much as a kid.
Good point. I hadn't thought of that as a comparison
Netflix and Amazon would make it water-downed and take out all of the scenes that would "upset" people, which would make the character unrecognizable
Oh fuck no, you really want it woke-ified and bastardized and race swapped to hell and back...... They would absolutely RUIN it from start to finish. Have you even watched the shit they put out?
@@ericsee7836 I hate the fact that you’re right
@@ericsee7836 yeah. We would see the daughter of Remo who takes out all the toxic men in every episode. At least they would hire a real Korean for Chuin.
I loved this movie as a kid, Even bought Destroyer books and comics. I never knew about the TV pilot, thanks for the heads up!
ruclips.net/video/iQGeLXmN4ps/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/iQGeLXmN4ps/видео.html
I was a big fan of this film, Fred Ward, and the books. I bought the books regularly during the early 90s while I was in the military. I was also a big fan of Mack Bolan. RIP, Remo.
I read every single one of these books, most of which before the movie came out (also all Death Merchants and Executioners). I wasn't aware this show existed.
I had a friend that was into the Destroyer novels, and from what he told me, the film was very tame, compared to the novels. I don't mind when films take comic book like antics and bring them to something closer to believable. While I'm imaginative, I can only take so much, before the heroes turn back into actors on a stage. I didn't have that problem with RW TAB. You can't drag me to a Marvel Universe film.
Remo and Chiun are more akin to Neo in "The Matrix" but no jacking in required. Just the sun source of all martial arts and a legend of a dead Night Tiger trained by an avaricious Master of Sinanju who becomes the Avatar of Shiva.
It just so happens that this trainee is a wisecracking American while the Master is basically racist against virtually everyone to varying degrees including those from his own village.
The Master loves Ung poetry (something like a hysterectomy performed with a spoon), soap operas (to the point that he'll delete anyone who interrupts him) while claiming that they're America's only contribution to the arts, and Barbara Streisand (who he tries to include as partial payment during contract negotiations). Oh, and gold. By the ton preferably.
it was an awesome movie! I always wanted to walk on the concrete as he did
I loved this movie! I had always wanted to see more films. :(
I read a LOT of the books and found the movie fairly close to the characterization of the novels. The only thing I didn't like about the movie was that a number of the action scenes felt like they were isolated action stunts rather than part of a sequentially stunt movie. Having really enjoyed the book series, I was happy to see it on screen. I'd like to see it come alive again. In the age of J Bond, I think Remo could be a good counterpoint if done correctly.
They would make him a woman. Or gay...
@@Ricardo-cl3vs Oh, yeah! Like they did with Batwoman?
@@comingviking
Exactly like they did with BatMa'am!
@@Ricardo-cl3vs Well, that worked out great. She could lecture Chiun on his antiquated ideas about women. Make him see the error of his ways. Or he could come out of the closet and start a florist shop. That works, too.
@@comingviking
Yeah, precisely the crap I don't want to watch...
I say lend the series to the Koreans and let them unfold the next generation of stories. Loved the original as well as the books. Fred Ward...first star to the left son....
Remo is one of my favorite characters. I bought a whole box of the books last year but can never find time to read them unfortunately. I also really enjoyed Fred Wards characters Earl in Tremmors
Loved, loved, loved the movie. Remo had a little of everything in it like action , comedy and so forth. I had no idea the did anything after that , of course this was before internet. RIP he was a good actor. PEACE
Fred Ward was perfect for the role.. i will forever remember him as Remo Williams
It's a bit surprising that with the success of John wick and the new Jack Reacher TV show that someone hasn't tried a relaunch of Remo williams/The Destroyer.
I loved that movie. I started reading all the books after that. Wish they would do another one.
I got to see this in the theater with my dad. We saw two movies that day, Silver Bullet and Remo Williams. He was changing shifts and didn't know when we would be able to go to the movies again. RIP dad.
Thanks for the great video and bringing a wonderful memory back!
I remember when this movie came out, I really enjoyed it. Fast forward two or three years later I bumped into a butt naked Fred Ward in the locker room of a Golds Gym in downtown Santa Barbara, CA. and got to ask him if a sequel to Remo Williams was in the works to which he confirmed there wouldn't be. He was a short guy, but solid as a rock! A top 100 moment in my life.
I loved the Remo Williams movie, didn't know there was a sequel, even though Fred Ward wasn't in it.
I've done my part in showing the next generation.
Remo Williams was one of my favorites growing up.
When I read the words Remo Williams it,s strangely reminds me of something.😂😂
@@remowilliams6152 probably a bed pan... lol
@@glenwaldrop8166 if u can,t see my nick, u must be dyslexic. Or just plain dumb.
Awesome vid, as always! Thanks so much for sharing this one. I LOVE Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins! Saw it on TV as a kid and fell in love with it and like you, assumed that of course the adventures would continue. Kid me waited eagerly and saved the TV Guide listings every week for years hoping for a sequel or series, never knew they actually made one! I don’t think anything could top the original, but I do need to see this now.
Brings back memories of one of my favorites from when i was a kid. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
And I just learned there are Remo Williams fans
Legend has it that they’re still looking for a Korean actor.
great video! thank you! I am 49 y.o. and I loved remo williams as a kid. i remembered it and was downloading it for my kids to watch when i saw and thought to inquire about a possible sequel. Your vid popped up and it was very entertaining and now i don’t have to suffer the series. thank you thank you thank you!
Thoroughly enjoyed this video, Junkman. Thank you for posting.
I read a number of the books when I was a kid. The movie based on the books was kinda campy but I always liked Fred Ward. I suggest reading the books. A proper remake would be awesome.
One of my favorites. I felt Joel's character was like a good guy version of Dr Fu Manchu. Ward had some good roles in those days up to I think Tremors. Uncommon Valor is another classic.
I was stuck in Decatur, Illinois working graveyard shift at a shit radio station from December of '87 to May of '89. I never knew this had been made until just a few years ago when I somehow stumbled across it on the IMDB. My bff Eric (RIP) was a hardcore fan of the books. I remember we were at a used bookstore once and he was going over their stack of Destroyers and he was discarding them as he went and I asked him if he had #1 "Created the Destroyer" because I didn't think he had. He said that he didn't, he'd never seen a copy. I picked up the one on my hand and put it in front of him and I asked him why he discarded the one in my hand. He looked and said, "I have that one... wait.... THAT'S NUMBER ONE!!!! Where'd you get that from?" I told him, "You just tossed it away, buddy. Get your eyes examined." I think I have all of the comics, including the original magazine size editions. Good stuff, though most of the books weren't written by the creators. Richard Sapir died I believe before the series really took off, and possibly before #1 was even published. Warren Murphy didn't write too many of them, the actual author was whoever the book was dedicated to. Interesting tid-bits.
Wow, this movie brings back some memories. I believe I caught it after it had left the theaters and either watched it on a rented VHS tape or on TV. My wife at the time (now ex wife) watched it together and thoroughly enjoyed it as we liked action movies of this type and others such as the Pink Panther. I recently found this movie on a streaming service and watched it again. Joel Grey and Fred Ward were great in these roles and it’s a shame that the adventure did not continue. I was totally unaware that they tried to make it into a TV series. Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us fans of Remo. Maybe someone will try a remake of the movie or series. Time will tell. If so, I don’t think they’ll be able to find anyone who can be as good as the original characters in the movie.
The "Destroyer" series began in 1971, as a kind of companion to the wildly popular "Executioner" pulp series. The first 69 were written by Warren Murphy (who was involved with the movie also) and Richard Ben Sapir. The stories were wild and imaginative, and endlessly entertaining for young male readers, I still have 150-odd titles, and reread the early ones now and again for nostalgia's sake.
Fred Ward was great in the role, I just wish Hollywood hadn't changed the origin story so much. A railroaded Jersey cop "executed" for a crime he didn't commit, and recruited for CURE was better.
I was hooked on the Executioner series myself. Always thought it was what the punisher was modelled after.
Don Pendleton's "Executioner", starting 1969, was good, too, and paved the way for all the rest, though "Destroyer" was the most metaphysical.
If memory serves in one of the books the authors explained how it all came about , and the Destroyer was first written in 1963 and shelved for several years . I too had the early books including " Created , the Destroyer " , and the Executioner books but thanks to a mother hell bent on a spring cleaning binge they are lost forever .
That is correct. The origin of Remo is covered in almost every book. The "Destroyer" origin is expounded upon in a few, but probably best in "Masters Challenge", where he has to fight comers from around the world to earn his spot as the next Master of Sinanju. "Shiva, the Destroyer; Death, the Shattered of Worlds; the dead Night Tiger made whole by the Master of Sinanju", is revealed in full form to be Remo's avatar, when he meets and defeats Nuihc, the unworthy nephew of Chiun, who has always coveted the crown😎
In Korea door handles do not break.
read all the books and still watch the movie when i stumble across it...rice was never the same afterwards
really enjoyed this back in the day. saw it on video. thank you for the memories.
Familiar with it but it didn't look appealing. When are we gonna get the Porno in the Woods vid?
There were dozens and dozens of those Destroyer paperbacks littered around our band house back in the eighties, and given the rather outrageous scenarios in the books, a bunch of us decided we'd go to see the movie at our local uptown theatre when it opened. While it was an OK movie, it certainly didn't compare to those books and I think most of us were pretty disappointed by it.
Hear, Hear. Why didn't they make an R-Rated Remo Williams film, and hire a Martial Arts Actor to play him ?
OMG, I remember that show. I loved that as a kid. I needed this. Thanks for the post.
I remember watching this film in the eighties in the eighties and I am 56 now I am 56 now and I still love it. Just like everybody else I wish they made a secret long live Remo
Williams. PS I am from the other side of the pond I am from Scotland. Great from great Film great actors. Love your RUclips channel brings back lots of happy memories of My youth.
I remember the original Remo movie when I got it on video once. I thought it was pretty decent, but had no idea then it was supposed to be a part of a series. I wasn't a great fan of Joel Gray's master character in it, I found him rather annoying, but Fred Ward was excellent and it has become an underrated gem. I have since found out that Fred died recently, which is so unfortunate. Very underrated actor. RIP Fred. Who knows, Remo may yet see the light of day on dvd or blu ray.
This was a favorite movie of mine. I always wondered (and waited) for the next adventure. Was a shame it never arrived. Thanks for this new information.
I didn't get to watch this film in theatres but managed to buy the VHS version back in 85/86 and was a big fan. I was hoping for a sequel but alas it was not meant to be. This s very underrated film IMO and I'll watch it from time to time.
When I was young, I grew up watching adventure movies like Indiana Jones, Firewalker, Ishtar, Romancing the Stone, and The Jewel Of The Nile. There was a place among those thrones for Remo Williams. It's not too late. I'm still waiting for the sequel. As a Korean, I am very pleased about this film, which introduced the fantasy of K-culture to the United States for the first time, even though there may be some distortion. Rest in peace Fred Ward.
I saw Remo's movie in my living room on VHS. The year before I had taken a field trip to the Statue Of Liberty when that scaffolding was still on it and that image on the cover is what caught my eye. I LOVED this movie! Like you, I had no idea that it was based on a book series. It took a dozen viewings before I ever read that in the credits. Needless to say, I tracked down about 80 of those titles straight away and devoured them! What a brilliant cast of characters!