The Bob Wall Interview
Conducted By Paul Bax
Describe your initial meeting with Bruce Lee at the 1964 Internationals.
BW: (answered with a scan from a magazine of a previous interview)
What was it about Lee’s demonstration that impressed you and set him apart from the others at the tournament?
BW: Bruce was charismatic and dynamic. He did the blind folded sparring, one-inch punch and two-finger push-ups. Nobody had seen that before.
This tournament also introduced Chuck Norris to Lee also. This was sort of “fate in the making” for all parties involved…
BW: Chuck Norris saw Bruce Lee, but did not meet him at the ‘64 Internationals.
In your opinion, did Chuck Norris influence Lee’s kicks?
BW: There is no question that Chuck Norris influenced Bruce’s kicking. Chuck, Bruce and I worked out a lot together. Bruce shared his talents and picked up on anything he liked from anyone he worked out with if he respected them. He definitely liked and respected Chuck and the feeling was mutual.
How did the martial arts community view Lee back in the early 60’s?
BW: The Martial Arts Community either loved or really disliked Bruce for his brash statements for the time.
Lee’s demeanor was heavily steeped in Taoism. Did Lee’s philosophical underpinnings affect your outlook on life?
BW: Yes, Bruce’s philosophical viewpoint was very interesting. I loved Bruce for his talent, charm, and his whole energetic, exciting personality.
Did the battle scene with the bottles go bad because Lee was a perfectionist or because Robert Clouse was a bad director?
BW: The broken bottle scene was made dangerous because we used real bottles. Each time you broke them they broke differently and the edges were obviously very sharp. However, we did the scene several times perfectly, except that I had to fall into the glass, each time. Then there was a mistiming on the 7th or so shot and Bruce was cut. Bruce’s only instructions to me were to come at him as fast as I could and aim to his right peck. He then kicked me with a right leg forward crescent kick, which hit me between the wrist and my elbow. When the accident that cut Bruce’s hand occurred, the kick landed on my arm above the elbow, so the bottle did not move and as Bruce spun around he jammed his right hand into the bottle. If Clause had given us stunt bottles, there would have been no problem. But Bruce was into reality-based filmmaking, including the live snake he snatched, which bit him once out of several takes. Bruce had the talent, guts, speed, and was fearless. So guess what, his films stand the test of time.
Clouse has passed on. Any regrets about your feud over the last few years?