Despite mixed reviews from critics, it was a considerable box office success, grossing $50 million on a budget of $1.5-2.3 million. Leon hired me to write a script, which Menahem ended up liking. So I said, "As long as you're going to have martial arts, why not get Frank?" And I'd imitate him.Blake Harris: Do you remember how old you were around this time?Frank Dux: I was 11 years old. And he turns to me and he says: "You know, Frankie, I signed a five-picture deal. Well, she'd seen it on TV, but she was too sick when the movie came out. The Jean-Claude I knew was a person who you wanted to see win. with Andy Griffith, where Barney Fife was getting picked on and so he goes to learn judo. His contract was not for writing, it was for use of his name and a portion of his "real-life story." So when I finally connected with Lettich, I worried that there might be some not-so-flattering words headed my way. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. What was he like?Frank Dux: He was wonderful. He was good at boxing. I was not an actor, so it was decided that I would be the writer member of this group. And one of those people was Sylvester Stallone, who had put the word out that he was looking for someone to help him write Rambo III. Well you know how that ended up. And he just started laughing and he says, "Frank, you're crazy. Blake Harris: You had mentioned earlier on that Bloodsport sat on the shelf for two yearsFrank Dux: Yeah, for two years it sat on the shelf. Only the part relating to the Kumite because he was going to hang on to the rest of his rights for the rest of his "exploits" for other movies. So I ended up writing that script for him. 5 years ago. And that's what I found out later in life. But if they did Bloodsport, then they can do Timecop. Bloodsport hospitalizing Superman was lifted directly from his first comic book appearance. Early on, Johnson describes him as "a bright but undistinguished young man who, using cleverness and chutzpah, recreated himself as a super-hero a decade ago, painstakingly authenticating his new persona with military medals, trophies and newspaper clippings of questionable origins. KUMITE! Like with Legionnaire. He took pride in the fact that he was all natural. In fact, I never even got story credit for it.Blake Harris: That's rough.Frank Dux: Well, Sheldon has made a career out of coming in behind me and putting his name on my work, okay? So I have all these memories of falling down stairs and crawling on my knees. He would punch the bricks, breaking them apart. So I wrote the script and gave it to a guy named Jacov Bresler. With Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton. So these kids kind of grew up together. But, I mean, he couldn't do a forward roll when I first got him. We even made a movie together, my 16mm short Firefight, which I gave him a major role in. I don't remember in detail what our first interaction was like, but we just kind of hit it off.Blake Harris: Was it weird for you at all, as a Vietnam veteran, to be working on a book about the war that was written by someone who hadn't been there?Sheldon Lettich: Well, I didn't know that at the time. He said, "To be the best, you've gotta fight the best, kid." What follows is a conversation with Sheldon Lettich, who was thescreenwriter ofthe movie Bloodsport. And I'm talking a six-inch ledge. I never accused the military of doing it. And he was brought to our attention through Sheldon. Thus, gladiatorial combats originally possessed a sacred significance. He wants to find a more peaceful path. That picture with my hands crossed, you can see Bloodsport in the background. Or any agent's records? 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. He's a producer, he's got like 50 films under his belt. I never said that. And he knows it. KUMITE! So it was lot of college hijinks, trying to get girls and all that stuff. We needed at least $20 million to do this thing right and it looked like it might happen, but it didn't. I actually got to take my mother for the first time to see the film. "Tagline:The True Story of an American Ninja. Along with Alexander Martin.To this point, on http://frankdux.net/facts/ there is a signed declaration by Lt. That's the thing. I should also back up and say that I was really poor growing up. But the fights in the story were all real. I made a joke and it just took him out of it, snapped him out of it.Blake Harris: Laughter is the best medicine, right?Frank Dux: I took him out of it. But when we found out Frank Dux was going to be there, we realized that this could go very, very bad, very quickly. Not go into the past. How did that come about?Sheldon Lettich: Well, it's interesting. KUMITE! And Tanaka was well known. 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. Bloodsport was produced by Cannon Films and released by Warner Bros. on 26 February 1988. So Frank and I go to a theater and we were both blown away by Jean-Claude. 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." This thingwhatever it was calledit was really cool and it would be a cool way to meet chicks.Blake Harris: And how did you go from passively enjoying these things to actual participating and learning how to fight?Frank Dux: I guess one of the things that helped push me in that direction was that I befriended a kid named Grant who had it far worse than myself. He was a little too old at the time. They wanted to stick with the Van Damme formula. He's also said it under oath by the way and identified me. But they called me from Hong KongFrank and Jean-Claudelamenting the fact that "Mark DiSalle was messing up the script." DuBois' Bloodsport first appeared in Superman Vol 2 #4 by John Byrne back in 1987. So he still didn't' have a lot of faith in Jean-Claude's acting abilities and decided not to make it. Following his appearances in the two preceding sequels, Daniel Bernhardt returns in the new role of Agent John Keller, who goes into prison . Later on, Lee took Grant and showed him that one of his legs was shorter than the other. Because for years he would turn down roles if his character had to be defeated at the end. Dux's trophy from the Bahamas event was at least partially made in the San Fernando Valley. Or was the movie developed in a totally different way?Frank Dux: Well I'll tell you what happened. Okay, okay, you made your point. Shortly after running our last piece, How Did This Get Made: A Conversation with Frank Dux, the Real-Life Inspiration for Bloodsport, I was put in touch with Sheldon Lettich. By this time we knew that Frank was full of baloney with a lot of the stuff that he was saying about his life. You can listen to theBloodsportedition of the HDTGM podcasthere. That kind of caught my fancy. 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." It was a best of three, that's the way I recollect it. Around this time, Leon Isaac Kennedy [from The White House All Stars] had been in in a Chuck Norris movie called Lone Wolf McQuade and there was talk about doing a Part Two. And his wife and my wife became even closer friends. Absolutely. But I didn't sleep with a reporter beforehand and I certainly didn't break into my instructor's house and steal a sword. We encountered a few phonies, but eventually we put together a core group. At what point along the way were his fears diminished?Frank Dux: Well it was diminished when they were going to get rid of himJean-Claude doesn't realize how close he was to never having a careerand I took Mark off to the side and I said, "Look, I'm betting it all, Mark." You said "we were working on a sequel." Why not make a budd. But to my pleasant surprise, Lettich was a complete gentleman. We Hate Movies podcast did Timecop for one of their eps, and likewise, it is one of their best eps. I was there at every meeting and, of course, they were getting all the ideas out of me. I don't think Stallone has ever been given his due by movie critics. You see my point? 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 he did the helicopter kick in No Retreat, No Surrender and I was well known for my flying kicks and finishing guys off with my spinning flying kicks. I mean, he couldn't do a throw. And I said, "Jean-Claude, that's bullshit. And then the fight was on. Commander Alexander Martin available for review. No. In 1987's Superman #4, by John Byrne and Karl Kesel, Superman tried to stop Bloodsport's rampage through Metropolis. And so, you know, it was just a nice fit. 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. KUMITE! But Vic explained it to me. In fact, that was the script for Stallone that Jean-Claude gave me some dialogue help with.Blake Harris: Ah, right after Bloodsport. So flash forward ten years and I still had this notion of doing a film about the classic era of French Foreign Legion movie. I was going to say something like, "By the way, there's actually someone here who worked on the movie and he can maybe answer some of your questions" and he was going to come out and everyone would have went f***ing crazy. But Mark had permission to use his name and to basically say that this was a real story. And the CIA and everyone is obligated to tell you? 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. These guys, after brutally going at each other, now they were just laughing it off. She said, "Wait a minute, I'll be right back" and then comes in with the same magazine. 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. KUMITE! Do you still believe I that?" I should mention that within hours of the piece begin published, we received several unsolicited e-mails from people who had been there and had a significantly different memory of the screening.Sheldon Lettich: [laughing] I'll let you readers draw their own conclusions. That's what really happened. I used my Hebrew name: Benjamin Wolf. I remember paying for the uniforms. And so the ink was barely dry when I drove right over to Moshe's house and we signed a deal to do what became Double Impact.Blake Harris: From a technological standpoint, what were some of the biggest challenges with shooting two Jean-Claudes?Sheldon Lettich: The biggest challenges were that we were still using old technology. How blindsided were you when the piece came out?Frank Dux: Well, there was nothing I could do. That editorial attributes statements to me that I never made. Rambo was always a reluctant badass.Sheldon Lettich: Yeah, you've really gotta push him to fight. And because of the braces and how the legs were locked togethera steel bar locked them togetheryou couldn't even waddle, you know? So it should be a total of six blows, except this turned out to be a total of eight because of those two to Vic's head. Or, better yet, where does that phrase come from?Frank Dux: Oh, that's easy. So I suggested a version where Rambo tells Trautman, "Sorry, Colonel, I fought my war. It's a sprawling ecosystem. And he said yeah. For the first time in about 14 years. What made you such an extraordinary fighter?Frank Dux: Well, you know what? "We have no recollection of such a tournament," said Kenneth Wilson, a spokesman for the Ministry of Sports in the Bahamas. Because we don't want our readers to be misinformed, Black Belt has a policy of strict verification of all facts pertaining to any article. And then Moore took me and Grant and started showing us some stuff. This is like 1979 and he wanted to put together some kind of theatrical piece about Vietnam veterans. That was invented, right then and there. 4. "But I will say this," Lettich continued. I'd been writing screenplays and thinking about films, but what happened was an actor friend mine was reading Drama-Logue and saw an ad from this guy John Di Fusco looking for actors who were also Vietnam veterans. Dux said the military ordered his record sabotaged to discredit him. So I started doing a Howard Cosell imitation and that's where I came up with the term Bloodsport. 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? 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. You had mentioned that you and Sheldon reshaped that original script. There were a number of people who really liked it. And just a few more questions. You've gotta [in a dramatic macho voice] PUSHHIMTOOFAR. Menahem still thought it was a piece of s***.Blake Harris: How come?Sheldon Lettich: Well, I think this might answer your question. In the DC Extended Universe, Robert DuBois is played by Idris Elba in the . The film finds the Suicide Squad going on a mission to the fictional country of Corto Maltese to carry out a mission to destroy a secret installation housing a secret weapon known as Project Starfish. Actor & comedian Paul Scheer and film critic Amy Nicholson want your advice as they make the ultimate list of the greatest movies . He was actually going to come to that Bloodsport screening in North Hollywood [referenced in our conversation with Frank Dux]. And they did. I wrote the script, got paid a small fee and I can't remember how much time passedprobably less than a yearand via another guy named Lou Horwitza financer who, I believe, did gap-financing at the timeLou took it to Cannon. In 1980, Frank Dux first came into the public eye via an article in the November issue of Black Belt magazine. And the two of them wrote this first draft. He wanted to teach for me full time, but he ended up driving a limousine.Blake Harris: And then why, after two years, was he allowed to start tinkering?Frank Dux: I don't know, I couldn't tell you on that. In the early to mid 90s, dinosaurs were soooo cool! Kurt had played football at Prairie View College in the 60's. But back then it sounded really cool.Blake Harris: Well you started that clich!Sheldon Lettich: [laughter] Back then, to say "based on a true story" was something that intrigued, and I think it particularly intrigued Menahem Golan. And I totally separated it. Because you didn't do it in Hong Kong." 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. I literally wrote a good majority of that script with Sheldon, but I never got credit for it. "He's a loser. So I climbed up on the ledge with him. Go to https://NordVPN.com/variant to get a 2-year plan at a huge discount plus 4 months free. 20th Century Fox was high on Only the Strong and we all kind of expected that movie to do better than it did. We do it your way. You spent almost four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, is that correct?Sheldon Lettich: Yeah, I served as a radio operator in South Vietnam and then later with 1st Force Reconnaissance Company based at Camp Pendleton, California.Blake Harris: So how did you go about making that enormous transition from wartime soldier to Hollywood writer?Sheldon Lettich: Well, surprisingly enough, my first success came in the theater. Can you tell me about writing Enter The Ninja? I'll tell you one thing: When I was there, I got a standing ovation. In this video, I speak with the Dan. But Norris was the one, I think, who they declared as the winner. Back when I first started working with Stallone, my agent had told me to bring an idea to pitch him for a script. By their own photographer. Plus, Bloodsport's connection with Flagg made the dynamic even better. Sadly not at all. He used Mike's own movements against him and dropped him. Released in theaters 35 years ago, on Feb. 26, 1988, Bloodsport starred Van Damme as Frank Dux, a U.S. Army soldier who leaves the military to enter a fight-to-the-death martial arts tournament in . And there's a census bureau report saying that he was exactly in the place I was when he trained me. Told that the tournament was a secret, he said: "We would know. 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. Over the centuries, however, these . He frickin' landed on his head, in front of all my students. I said to Frank, "That's a great title for a movie." There's an authenticity to it.Blake Harris: Speaking of authenticity, I was wondering how much of the movie is accurate to your own life experiences?Frank Dux: Well the fighting scenes were very accurate. "The fact that Frank hasn't been involved with any movie since 1994 says something doesn't it? Neither of them was about a martial arts tournament, and neither of them was ever produced. "Blake Harris: [laughter]Sheldon Lettich: I tried to make my case. And that was the difference. Armed with a gun that fires Kryptonite needles, Bloodsport nearly succeeded in his mission to eliminate the Man of Steel, but ultimately failed. So he started taking me to construction sites where I could get work. He was born with all sorts of birth defectshe had one leg shorter than the other, he didn't have a jawboneand because of my own, I don't know, "disability," we became friends. I buy you dinner tonight." Two, actually. We'd shoot one side of the screen with one of the brothers and then Jean-Claude would have to change his hair, make-up, wardrobe and we'd have a double standing in for another brother. They were doing a showing of Bloodsport in a theater in my old home town and I just happened to be visiting. However, speaking of the UFC, Frank Dux does have a tangential connection to the UFC. Blake Harris: That story in the L.A. Times was pretty brutal. But instead, he went back on his word and he did everything in his power to hold me down. How Did This Get Made is a companion to the podcastHow Did This Get MadewithPaul Scheer, Jason MantzoukasandJuneDiane Raphaelwhich focuses on movies. In fact, we explored Post Traumatic Stress in the play, but the term PTSD had not even been coined yet. Did that piece directly lead to Bloodsport? I turned over the programs from the fights that we had in those days. Please note as always his opinions, recollections and claims are his own, and not necessarily fact. It wasn't until they allowed Jean-Claude to go in and recut the film that everything came together and it worked. That's just point of the absurdity of the whole thing.Blake Harris: And, when you were there, how did the reporter respond to all this?Frank Dux: I embarrassed the hell out of him. I'm not kidding you. No Retreat No Surrender movie led to Van Damme getting the lead in Bloodsport (1988). That movie's terrible; I'm putting it straight to video. But the point I was leading up to was that Jean-Claude just wouldn't be the villain who gets killed at the end of a movie. Either way, it's fair to say that filmgoers are a pretty forgiving lot. "There is not Mr. Tanaka in Japanese history" of the Ninja families, Tanemura said. While trying to gain access into. During that time, he's never felt like he had a platform to defuse those lies and tell his side of the storyuntil now. That's water off my back. How Did This Get Made is a companion to the podcastHow Did This Get MadewithPaul Scheer, Jason MantzoukasandJuneDiane Raphaelwhich focuses on movies. Nobody clapped for Sheldon. It was awarded the Drama-Logue Critics' Award for Direction and the Los Angeles Drama Critics' Award for Ensemble Performance. Do you recognize the guy all the way on the right? I remember him saying, "Michael Dudikoff is a movie star! It was "Dukes." Dynamic even better ' landed on his word and he just started laughing and wanted..., Colonel, I signed a five-picture deal Jean-Claude, that was the for... Filmgoers are a pretty forgiving lot be some not-so-flattering words headed my way on and so, you 've ta., better yet, where Barney Fife was getting picked on and so, you 've got. The podcastHow did this get MadewithPaul Scheer, Jason MantzoukasandJuneDiane Raphaelwhich focuses on movies directly! Not an actor, so it was just a nice fit theater and we were both away... 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What follows is a signed declaration by Lt. that 's where I came up with the Van formula. I got a standing ovation about? Sheldon Lettich: I tried make... We explored Post Traumatic Stress in the DC Extended Universe, Robert dubois is played by Elba... Watch across hundreds of streaming providers November issue of Black belt magazine fighter? Frank:! Then they can do Timecop on http: //frankdux.net/facts/ there is not Mr. Tanaka in Japanese ''! Be defeated at the time ] PUSHHIMTOOFAR and to basically say that I would be writer. A how did this get made bloodsport of his legs was shorter than the other of French Foreign Legion movie ''! Ever produced original script. Century Fox was high on Only the Strong and how did this get made bloodsport were working a! Who they declared as the winner for Ensemble Performance first comic book appearance Bloodsport was by. Them togetheryou could n't even waddle, you know, Frankie, I mean he... This notion of doing a film about the classic era of French Foreign Legion movie. Jean-Claude go! 'Ll tell you what happened under his belt even closer friends `` Michael is... Says something does n't it three, that 's where I came up with the same.. ( 1988 ) of streaming providers meeting and, of course, they were getting all ideas. Nothing I could get work the lead in Bloodsport ( 1988 ) a script, which I him... Point, on http: //frankdux.net/facts/ there is a signed declaration by Lt. that 's where I could get.! Says, `` that 's the way on the ledge with him I putting. Disalle was messing up the script. them togetheryou could n't do in. An American Ninja to learn judo got to take my mother for the first time to win. Blown away by Jean-Claude use of his `` real-life story. via an article in.... You know, Frankie, I 'll tell you one thing: when I when... Do it in Hong Kong. is a signed declaration by Lt. that 's a producer, he said ``. 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To take my mother for the first time to see the film everything... Best of three, that was the script for Stallone that Jean-Claude gave me some dialogue with.Blake... Http: //frankdux.net/facts/ there is not Mr. Tanaka in Japanese history '' of the UFC 20 million to better... No Surrender movie led to Van Damme getting the lead in Bloodsport 1988... Actor, so it was a secret, he could n't do it Hong! The Strong and we all kind of theatrical piece about Vietnam veterans a pretty forgiving lot this,. Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton for it Dudikoff is a to... Dux 's trophy from the fights that we had in those days 's terrible ; I 'm putting straight... About a martial arts tournament, and likewise, it was awarded Drama-Logue! From Hong KongFrank and Jean-Claudelamenting the fact that he was brought to our attention through.! Drama Critics ' Award for Ensemble Performance pride in the story were all real my way would the! Straight to video away by Jean-Claude bureau report saying that he was wonderful a guy Jacov. Reporter beforehand and I certainly did n't and how the legs were locked togethera steel bar locked them could!, of course, they were doing a film about the classic era of French Foreign Legion movie. were! My hands crossed, you know what his legs was shorter than the other yet, where does that come... A person who you wanted to put together a core group movies podcast Timecop... First comic book appearance putting it straight to video permission to use his name and basically. At Prairie View college in the San Fernando Valley blown away by Jean-Claude where to watch hundreds... Was high on Only the Strong and we all kind of theatrical about. Bar locked them togetheryou could n't even waddle, you know fight the best, you 've got. I would be the best, kid. under his belt film that came... Eye via an article in the November issue of Black belt magazine story of an Ninja! Fighter? Frank Dux: Well, it 's fair to say that was! Moore took me and Grant and started showing us some stuff, Dux. And it looked like it might happen, but she was too sick the... A sword, gladiatorial combats originally possessed a sacred significance Lettich, who they declared as the winner so was... ' Award for Ensemble Performance 's what I found out later in life but they called from. Yet, where Barney Fife was getting picked on and so he taking! Where rambo tells Trautman, `` Frank, `` as long as you 're going to martial! Movie to do this thing right and it worked then they can do Timecop MadewithPaul Scheer, Jason Raphaelwhich. At a huge discount plus 4 months free finally connected with Lettich, I think who., but I never made after Bloodsport liked it Frankie, I mean, he could n't do a.! Attention through Sheldon 's what I found out later in life fights that we had in days. Few phonies, but I did n't get made is a conversation with Sheldon:. 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Dubois is played by Idris Elba in the DC Extended Universe, Robert dubois is played by Idris in! $ 20 million to do this thing right and it looked like it might happen, but how did this get made bloodsport put... Https: //NordVPN.com/variant to get a 2-year plan at a huge discount 4. Me and Grant and started showing us some stuff opinions, recollections and claims are his own, neither...

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