Before our feature presentation, ACME would like to start the evening with another Porky Pig Looney Tunes cartoon, the 1937 Porky's Badtime Story (co[starring Gabby Goat), directed by Ub Iwerks, Bob Clampett, and Chuck Jones .
The original title to this short was It Happened All Night (a pun on the 1934 screwball comedy It Happened One Night), but was changed due to the Hays Office finding it too risque.
Before the start of our feature presentation, the staff of The ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour would like to honor the fantastic comic Robert Klein -
I wonder if you can still buy from him every record ever recorded!. And is he still offering a free ice crusher!
We’ve selected another entry from the excellent reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, edited by Steven Jay Schneider. Today’s film is the 1978 Hong Kong martial arts mystery Five Deadly Venoms, a genre classic directed and co-written by the legendary Chang Cheh and produced by Runme Shaw for the iconic Shaw Brothers Studio. The film stars Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien, Philip Kwok, Wai Pak, and Lo Mang - actors who would go on to be affectionately known by fans as the "Venom Mob." Five Deadly Venoms is widely regarded as one of the most influential and beloved martial arts films of its era. Blending intricate fight choreography with a whodunit plot structure, the film centers around a dying martial arts master who sends his last student on a mission to track down five of his former pupils - each trained in a distinct and deadly kung fu style: Centipede, Snake, Scorpion, Lizard, and Toad. Over time, it became a touchstone for fans of martial arts cinema and an enduring cult classic. Its influence extended far beyond film: the movie has been referenced extensively in hip-hop, most notably by the Wu-Tang Clan, whose members cite it as a foundational inspiration for their music, personas, and overall aesthetic. RZA, in particular, has paid tribute to the film in numerous interviews, sampling its dialogue and themes in his productions. Fun fact: The music used during the film’s first fight scene also appears in an entirely different context - Monty Python and the Holy Grail - highlighting the eclectic and often recycled nature of soundtrack libraries in 1970s cinema. So join us here at the ACME Eagle Hand Soap Radio Hour. Sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy tonight’s feature presentation: Five Deadly Venoms.
The film's legacy has even reached into the world of animation. In DreamWorks' Kung Fu Panda, the supporting cast includes the Furious Five - anthropomorphic martial artists representing traditional animal styles: Crane, Tigress, Mantis, Monkey, and Viper. In the DVD commentary, the filmmakers openly acknowledge that these characters were inspired by the Five Deadly Venoms, a testament to the film’s lasting impact across generations and genres.
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