Flip Side
Linda Lee Cadwell is often thought of as a grieving widow but, if her two books are anything to go by, she went from being a seething widow to a grovelling one. In her first book about Bruce Lee, she needed to be cathartic so that people knew of her struggles as much as Bruce’s. Once the catharsis was over, Bruce was free to be idolized in other areas to the extent that he became a mythological figure by the time that the book rolled around in the form of a new book instead of a new edition. It’s often been said that The Bruce Lee Story (1989) is nothing more than a retread of The Man Only I Knew (1975) but with more photos. However, I can think of at least two instances where that was not the case. The 1989 book doesn’t include Bruce’s feelings on infidelity* nor does it contain the admission that he would awaken her in the early morning hours to fetch him a bowl of Shredded Wheat. While there are some new comments in general added to the 1989 book (such as foreword testimonials and an epilogue), there was a ton of stuff taken out. Here are other examples if not all of them…
Flirting — As a teenager, he had special cards made with a message asking a girl to smile if she was prepared to jump into the sack with him. Linda says that Bruce’s intention was more humorous than sexual.
Trickster — Like what was mentioned in a seventies documentary titled Bruce Lee: The Man, The Legend, he would trick Yip Man’s other students into thinking that there were no classes so that he could be the focus of Yip Man’s undivided attention.
St. Francis Xavier — Linda claimed that he only managed to stay in school because he bullied other youngsters into doing his homework for him. In the 1989 book, she tries to remedy this by saying: “Bruce has been portrayed as a juvenile delinquent, but by and large, I believe this to be an exaggerated picture. Bruce, I’m concerned, was basically much too intelligent not to have realized where to draw the line.”
University professor — Margaret Walters recalled: “He spoke good English at the time but writing themes of the kind that teachers assign are not easy for students who come from another background. It just doesn’t click with them. And so I more or less let Bruce write what he wanted that first quarter. He was quite homesick, so I got these descriptions of Hong Kong. I’m pretty sure that some of the things he gave me as themes must have been translations of Chinese poetry that he had studied or memorised in the past. And in fact I accused him once of doing that and he sort of laughed. He didn’t admit it, but he didn’t deny it, either.”
Armed Services Reserve — Besides what was mentioned in Polly’s book, there was what Margaret said about the draft board: “They were sure he was going to “skip the ship” and so Bruce had me writing letters. Dean Riley was trying to pull wires to assure them that Bruce Lee was a reputable and honourable gentleman who was not going to skip the country. So finally he got to go to Hong Kong and when he came back, he told us of his visit. He brought me some minor trinket as a present and he showed me a very beautiful gold bracelet he had bought. I see now that he brought this as an eventual present for Linda.”
Wong Jack Man — To avoid being sued, Linda (or Tom Bleecker) decided that he should only be known as The Challenger.
Al Dacascos — His involvement in Bruce’s life is curtailed, so him saying “And that was the last time either of us had any trouble with the Chinese community.” becomes “And that was the last time Bruce had any trouble with the Chinese community.”
Homicidal mentality — The part which is crossed out is what was removed from the 1989 edition: “He flung himself into the task of acting with a concentration that only a man who burned up energy like a furnace could achieve. Talent is supposed to find its own outlets; create its own opportunities; l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶m̶u̶r̶d̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶u̶p̶p̶o̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶‘̶o̶u̶t̶.’ But in Bruce’s case it seemed to me that intense desire — for, above all, Bruce was driven by intense desire — created not only its own opportunities but its own talents.”
Peter Chin — Bruce’s student said: “Being around Bruce always made you feel happy. You always felt yourself laughing and feeling good. For instance, he told some great jokes. Oh, sure, some of them were pretty dirty, why not? — kinda Playboy stuff.”
Bruce’s mother-in-law — Linda claimed that Bruce told Vivian: “You’ve got the greatest legs of any woman of your age I’ve ever seen!”
DIY problem — Linda said: “I remember once, shortly after we were married, when we bought one of these enormous, ‘king-size’ beds. Years later we were able to recall our efforts with amusement but at the time it wasn’t all that funny. As soon as we put the bed together on one side, it would fall down on the other — and vice versa. I’m afraid Bruce’s patience eventually snapped; he picked up this enormous box-spring mattress and hurled it with such force at the wall that he actually created a dent in the plaster. Stress and strain could, on occasions, play havoc with his creative, keyed-up temperament.”
Robert Lee — When he and Bruce were attempting to unload a 500 lb. crate from a pick-up truck, Bruce accidentally struck his head on the automatic garage door. The crate had been hard to handle and Robert, who had recently arrived from Hong Kong skinny and relatively weak, had been of little help to Bruce who, as Robert puts it, simply got madder and madder because he was unable to help properly. That bang on his head was the last straw. In a foul temper, Bruce jumped in the truck and started to drive away. Leaving the kids with Robert, Linda hopped in alongside him. They drove around for a few hours and silently brought themselves together, returning relaxed and pleasant as if nothing happened.
The lawyer speaks — Adrian Marshall recalled how upset Bruce was when an instructor at a Karate studio in Los Angeles actually claimed that he had taught Bruce a certain technique. Bruce flew into a rage about that, and the instructor deeply regretted making the claim…but it’s not disclosed as to how that regret came about.
Bruce’s other servant besides Wu Ngan — Fred Weintraub said: “Linda was the only one he would talk to, or trust, or have confidence in; she was his wife, mother, mistress, lover, everything . . . he would never talk to anyone else. If he didn’t want to talk to somebody, he made Linda talk to them. If he were angry, he made Linda call them up and say “I’m angry.” If he had a fight, he would have Linda call them. He would never call up and apologise personally, you know. He’d have her call up — but not to apologise; but to say, “Well, it’s all over now, it’s ok.” He knew when he had done wrong — it wasn’t a question of right or wrong. Bruce always knew right and wrong — it was just that he didn’t want to face up to it.”
Loyalty not properly rewarded — Linda said: “He was a spontaneous person. He did not believe in having his life and actions circumscribed by the conventions, particularly those foisted on populations by shrewd commercial interests. For instance, he ignored such occasions as St. Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, events nurtured by businessmen who see such days as opportunities to sell gifts, flowers, cards and so on. He sometimes forgot my birthday — though he was generally very good about our wedding anniversary. But he made up for it all by the sheer spontaneity of his behaviour. When he arrived home, he frequently brought flowers, or candles — or, perhaps, even an expensive dress. He would have bought whatever it was on the spur of the moment — but it was the very element of surprise that made it all so delightful.”
The Game of Death — Linda was quoted in 1975 as saying that most of the fight scenes had been shot. This reminds me of an evaluation that Bruce wrote called In My Own Process. It was written in the midst of preparing Enter the Dragon. In the essay, he claimed that The Game of Death was halfway done!
Medical tests — Linda said: “The doctors wanted to do more tests. Dr. Wu said, ‘I was going to examine the brain by injecting a radiopague medium into it and take a series of x-rays to visualise the blood vessel.’ In fact, this was later done by the Los Angeles doctors; Bruce decided he wanted a really complete check-up by the best men in America. Dr. Wu also testified that he had asked Bruce if he had taken any drugs and says Bruce admitted taking cannabis leaf.”
July 20 — Linda claimed that, around noon, Bruce was in his study dictating to his secretary (Madalena Chan?).
The inquest — Linda explained what happened after she returned to Hong Kong: “I saw Betty and talked to her and satisfied myself as to what had happened.”
* At one point, she said: “I told him, If that ever happened between us, I’d be gone — like a flash. He looked a little surprised for my voice was firm and emphatic. Would you? he asked, a little nonplussed. You’re darned right, I would, I said. And he knew I meant it.”
