AMBITION, NONETHELESS
A Personal Account of the 1995 KF:TLCon
by Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer


Master Po: Never forget that a priest's life is a simple one . . . and must remain free of ambition.

Caine: Have you no ambitions, Master Po?

Master Po: Only one. Five years hence, it is my wish to make a pilgrimage to the Forbidden City. . . There, in the Temple of Heaven, will be a festival . . . The Full Moon of May. It will be the thirteenth day of the fifth month, in the Year of the Dog.

Caine: That is not such a great ambition.

Master Po: But it is ambition, nonetheless. Who among us is without flaw?


Well, it was actually more like the fourth day of the eighth month in the Year of the Pig when I made my pilgrimage, which I must confess had been my greatest ambition for the past several months. And it wasn't to the Forbidden City, but rather to Canada for the KF:TLCon being held in conjunction with Toronto Trek Nine. I'm no stranger to science fiction conventions, but to say I was looking forward to this one would have been putting it mildly. I fear that Master Po would have been quite ashamed of me, but perhaps he would have understood.

I feel it only fair to warn you right off that I am a Caine fan, with my second favorite character being the Ancient. While I have nothing against Peter -- he's a perfectly fine young man and I'd be proud to have him as my son -- he's not the reason I watch the show and he's certainly not the reason I travelled all the way to Toronto. So if your primary interest is Peter, please don't expect too much from me in that department.

The Opening Ceremony on Friday evening pretty much set the tone of the entire con. Lenore Hutton and Valerie Bristor welcomed everyone and told us a little of what was to come. Then Richard Spiegelman, who handles transportation for the series, gave us a quick overview of the various departments responsible for the actual production of the show and told us a little about his job. Michael Sloan talked for a while and answered questions. Kim Chan, who had been patiently posing for endless numbers of photographs prior to the ceremony, completely charmed the audience by going up to the podium and proceeding to take a picture of us. He came across as almost as wise and good in person as he is in the show. I'm getting close to fifty years old now, but I want to be like him when I grow up.

The fans had a lot of questions about the nuts and bolts of making the show. Many of them would be answered in greater detail the following day, when there was a production panel that covered all the information about who does what and gave us some idea of the incredible amount of work that goes into the slightly less than one hour of film that we actually see.

Somehow, after hearing about the long hours routinely put in by everyone, including the stars, show business began to sound a whole lot less glamorous than I had always imagined.

After the Opening Ceremony, there were autograph/photo sessions going on, plus KF music videos being shown. I'm not much one for autographs and I had been up since three AM travelling, so I decided to watch the videos another time, and get some sleep instead.

The next day began with a kung fu demonstration by Rob Moses, who is a real sweetheart and had the audience eating out of his hand. He showed us a couple of the different empty-handed forms, plus one with swords and one with the three-sectional staff. He also brought his lovely young daughter up to help him demonstrate how to kick someone without actually making contact and explained a little about the way the stunts work.

Next came the Precinct Panel, featuring Michael Sloan and the entire cast of characters from the 101st. They were great, full of enthusiasm, humor, and good feelings for each other and the show. They fielded a wide variety of questions, telling anecdotes and giving hints of things to come in the next season. I was especially delighted to hear that we would be seeing more of Matthew Caine. At one point, the fans were asked what they would like to see in upcoming episodes. The response that got the most laughter and applause was a request for an episode where everyone except Kwai Chang has flashbacks.

The next thing on the schedule was an appearance by David Carradine, but he didn't show up. (I later learned that he had just flown in from Los Angeles and was too exhausted to get there on time.)

I knew he was supposed to be at a booksigning a little later on, so I decided to hope for the best and go about my business. Since the art show was nearby, I went to take a look and discovered an absolutely incredible oil painting of Caine, Peter, and Matthew. The price tag put it way out of my range, but imagine my delight the following day when I discovered that my room mate, Kari Masoner of the KF zine CORRIDORS, had bought the painting and I was able to stare at it to my heart's content when she brought it up to our room!

After I left the art show, I overheard a chance comment in the lobby that David had just arrived. Since there was an autograph/photo session going on, I figured I might find him there.

Now, as I've already mentioned, I don't have a thing for autographs, nor do I particularly wish to go up to an actor and attempt to say in the few seconds allotted to me how much I enjoy their show and how much it means to me. After all, what could I possibly say that hasn't been said a thousand times before? Therefore, I didn't get on the autograph line. Instead, I found a vantage point across the corridor from which I could see what was going on. All the folks from the Precinct Panel were seated at tables, industriously signing their names. When the crowd parted long enough for me to locate David Carradine, I simply stood there and watched him.

Having had no really good idea of what the man would look like without all the makeup and theatrical tricks of the trade, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he looks pretty much like he does in the series. A bit rougher around the edges perhaps, and with a little less hair, but he appears even younger in person than in some of the photos I've seen. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which began to get a little frayed as time went on. He wore a dark blue shirt with a mandarin collar, under a white jacket.

After perhaps twenty minutes, he was spirited away by volunteers. Since I figured they were taking him to the booksigning set up in one of the Con suites, I headed there and found myself a likely spot for observing the activities.

I'd have been perfectly happy had I been able to turn myself invisible. However, I had neglected to bring any of that mist of the marsh dust with me, so the best I could manage was to remain relatively unobtrusive -- not all that easy when you're standing only about ten feet from David Carradine and you have to force yourself to look away from him every now and then because it's not really polite to stare fixedly at someone for an hour. Fortunately, I knew the volunteer who was in charge of the room, so I was able to stand next to her and carry on an intermittent conversation, so I might have succeeded in looking a little bit as if I belonged there.

David rarely smiled for pictures and seemed tired. Nevertheless, he graciously signed anything that was put in front of him, from books to T-shirts to odd scraps of paper. Once when he was handed a photo of Chris and himself, he proceeded to draw glasses and a mustache on poor Chris. Then he looked up and grinned. Mostly, though, he was pretty serious and may even have been rather bored. But then, how much fun could it possibly be to sign your name over and over for hours at a time? And he inevitably added that characteristic yin-yang symbol, which means it takes him just that much longer to do it.

I found it fascinating simply watching him, but after a time I also began noticing the people coming up for autographs and listening to what they said. Every so often, they brought gifts, often something they had created themselves, such as fanzines or artwork. Seeing this inspired some strange thoughts in my head. (Or was it just the lack of food and sleep endemic in con attendance? I'll let you decide.)

Remember how I compared the con to a pilgrimage? I wasn't entirely kidding. Of course, I can't presume to speak for everyone. I'm sure the possible motivations are as many and as varied as the number of people who were there, but I doubt anyone ever went to a shrine and offered gifts to their god with any less fervor than I saw displayed by some of the fans.

David, Chris, and all the rest: you aren't just sitting there signing autographs. Whether you know it or not, you are the place where the dream touches the reality. We come to see, to speak a few words, to carry off some token such as a photo or piece of paper bearing your name, to gain a touch, a hug, a kiss -- some sign that we have been noticed by the ones who represent our fondest dreams and most exalted hopes.

Our words may be inadequate or fumbling, but we struggle to express some very real and awesome feelings: Be the dream for us. Let us believe that honor and glory can be real. Help us trust in the light and the truth, and let us not be crushed by the mundane realities we face in our daily lives. Give us hope. And, if you wish, take hope from our belief in you. That's all we ask.


Okay, I'm out of mystical mode now. It's safe to continue reading.

David left after the booksigning session and that's the last we saw of him at the con.

I went on to the previously-mentioned panel on production, then to a special showing of "Manhunt" by Michael Sloan, where he explained various things about how the episode was made as it played through. He then showed us just a little bit of an as-yet-unaired episode, much to everyone's delight. When he had finished, Michael left to a standing ovation by the fans.

I determined to stay up late this time in order to watch the music videos. Prior to that, I caught a bit of the KF trivia contest, but I can't say I knew more than a few of the answers. Trivia just isn't my thing.

The music videos ranged from dramatic to inspiring to absolutely hilarious.

In case you've lost track, we are now up to Sunday, the tail end of the con itself. The big excitement of the day was the charity auction, since there were some truly marvellous items up for bids. I had blown my meagre budget simply by coming to Toronto, so I knew everything was hopelessly out of my reach. Rob Moses was one of the guest auctioneers and I'm sure his hilarious clowning around and the promise of a hug from him for every buyer certainly helped keep the bidding spiralling ever higher.

For those of you who are curious, I'm going to list just a few of the items, along with their prices.

A day on the set of KF:TLC -- $4,100!!!

A KF:TLC crew jacket -- $1,320

One of Kwai Chang Caine's shirts --$750

Scripts from various episodes, some not yet aired, one written by David, and some with photos, leather binding, etcetera -- ranged from $400 to $725 each.

The cheapest thing available was the styrofoam coffee cup Rob was drinking from. He walked off for a moment, and one of the other auctioneers grabbed it. By the time Rob returned, it had been sold for $20!

When all the shouting was over, the KF items alone had raised approximately $10,585 for the Ronald MacDonald House. This accounted for more than three quarters of the entire amount brought in by the auction.

We also held a separate raffle, which raised over $2,000 for the American and Canadian Cancer Societies, in memory of Robert Lansing.

I concluded that KF:TLC fans are either incredibly generous -- or totally insane!


That was the end of the actual convention activities for the day, but a group of folks went to see Scott Wentworth perform in MACBETH that evening. I wasn't one of them, so I can't tell you about that, but I am reliably informed that it was an unforgettable experience for those who attended.

On Monday, there was a tour of filming locations scheduled. We filled two tour buses, which meant we had almost 100 people. As it turned out, too much had been scheduled and things became a little hassled and hairy at times, but we muddled through.

The only thing we got a really good look at was Casa Loma, a genuine castle that's one of Toronto's tourist attractions. In addition to being used for "Tournament", "Illusion", and "Enter the Tiger", it had some really nifty towers you could climb by way of winding metal staircases.

Space doesn't permit me to describe every stop on the tour, but I do have to mention the kwoon in Chinatown. By the time we got there, we were running late, so we dared not tarry. I couldn't help wondering what the locals thought when two huge buses pulled over and unloaded a small mob of people, who proceeded to frantically snap pictures of what is now nothing but a somewhat rundown storehouse for ceramics and other souvenir items, then after only five minutes disappeared back into their buses and drove off.

But the true high point of our tour was the last stop: the studio where the show is filmed. No, there was no actual filming going on, as it was a Canadian holiday. (Perhaps that was just as well, since we probably wouldn't have been able to go there if it had been a working day.) As it was, we were given free rein to explore, photograph, wander around, and just generally do whatever we wished for about two hours, with the only restriction being that we not disturb anything or take anything as a souvenir, no matter how small or seemingly-worthless it might be. (I can't speak for anyone else, but I have never been so tempted in my life!)

Just a quick description, for those of you like myself who have never seen a tv studio. This was a converted warehouse, dimly-lit, high-ceilinged, stuffy. The sets were scattered around almost at random in this huge open space, with spare props and equipment sandwiched in between. Going from set to set was rather like being in a funhouse, as you were never quite sure what strange vista would unfold around the next plywood corner. Everything was smaller than it appears on tv. Sounds disappeared in the surrounding open spaces, which made for an unnatural quiet, despite the presence of so many people. It was anything but glamorous, with empty paint cans, discarded tools, soda bottles, and other such mundane items lying around in various places.

Most folks took a quick look through everything in order to orient themselves, then scattered to their own individual areas of interest. Peter's bed seemed to be a favorite place for being photographed, along with Caine's meditation room, sitting on the floor in front of his altar, surrounded by candles. At the end, we all got together for group photos on the steps of the Temple.

I guess by now you've figured out that I spent most of my time in the set representing Caine's apartment, examining everything in minute detail and snapping pictures. I discovered numerous odd, unusual, and surprising items on the various shelves and tables. The room is full of stuff that looks as if it came from thriftshops, flea markets, and Chinese yard sales. Would you believe packages of Chinese cigarettes, the Popular Science Do-It-Yourself illustrated encyclopedia, flayed lizards mounted on sticks, an ancient Motorola radio, an encyclopedia open to a page on bats, and a birdcage without a bird, to name just a few? If one can judge by the amount of dust on everything, Caine is no more conscientious at housekeeping than I am.

Going out on the balcony, I was confronted by a mural of the Toronto skyline, minus a few of the more distinctive structures. I also discovered that Caine has a shocking affinity for plastic plants! (There are some real ones too, but those are kept elsewhere under better lights when they aren't being used.)

In the relatively brief times when I could tear myself away from Caine's apartment, I also looked over the Temple set, which is nowhere near as elaborately detailed, and the Ancient's apartment, which is done in much the same style as Caine's. (Darn if he doesn't have the same brand of Chinese cigarettes, among other things! I'd have expected better of such a wise old man. Or perhaps the tobacco is for treating insect bites. That's the only good use I've ever found for the stuff.)

After having been on the sets and committed them to memory, it's going to be very strange to see them on the show. None of it will ever look quite the same to me again. (Wow, I stood right there! Yeah, that's how it looked from that angle!)

When it came time to leave the studio and return to our hotel, we were two busloads of exhausted but happy people.


"Come to Chinatown . . . "


Well, on Tuesday morning I did just that, taking a shuttle bus into downtown Toronto and walking from there. Unfortunately, no one could tell me where to find Caine. Oh well, you can't win them all. Perhaps I just asked the wrong people.

I may not have found Kwai Chang, but I did end up with a lot of other interesting stuff, such as jade pendants, teacups, incense, and a fresh supply of chopsticks.

Chinatown is just as dirty, smelly, rundown, and generally awful as any city seems to me, but at least the buildings are small and things are on a human scale. I was easily able to locate the kwoon again, and got a laugh out of seeing the adult bookstore across the street. (How come that never showed up in the series? It would have been great local color.)

Wandering around surrounded by signs that may or may not have English translations, open air grocery stands with fruits and vegetables, some of which I didn't even recognize, and hearing predominantly Chinese spoken around me all added up to a strange and thought-provoking couple of hours. I highly recommend it as a learning experience.

When I returned to the hotel, I found myself with a little time to kill before I needed to go to the airport. I'm not much of a drinker, but it was going to be a long trip home to North Carolina, so, figuring I needed something to sustain me, I went to the hotel lounge and ordered -- Yeah, you guessed it! -- a grasshopper.

Several hours later, it was with a full but heavy heart that I watched Toronto disappear from sight through the window of my plane. I couldn't help but reflect on the things I had seen, even as the clouds swallowed us up.

Yes, the sets may be plywood, the flowers plastic, and the characters just actors doing a job. But the words and ideals are often true and real, perhaps more true and more real than the so-called truths we see around us in our ordinary lives. Not bad for such a silly thing as a tv show.

Unlike what befell our revered Master Po on his pilgrimage, mine resulted not in tragedy but in joy, and in perhaps some small measure of enlightenment.





IN THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN (1997)

Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer


Master Po: Five years hence, it is my wish to make a pilgrimage to the Forbidden City. It is a place where even Priests receive no special status. There, in the Temple of Heaven, will be a festival. . . It will be the thirteenth day of the fifth month, in the Year of the Dog.


It was with a divided heart that I set out for the Forbidden City, seeking Master Po's glorious festival. (Okay, so it was the 27th day of the sixth month, in the Year of the Ox. And it was Toronto, not exactly the Forbidden City. And it was the Kung Fu Fan Festival. But the Valhalla Inn might as well have been the Temple of Heaven, as far as I was concerned.)

I began my journey with a certain amount of discouragement, in part because I knew there was very little chance that David Carradine would be able to attend. (Since I'm basically a Caine-fan, the fact that Chris Potter would definitely not be there didn't particularly bother me. Apologies to all you Peter-fans, but that's the way it is.)

I had also been unable to get too excited about the possibility of a tv movie, after having read Michael Sloan's synopsis in a previous issue of the Kronicle. While not wishing to go into detail or to be unduly negative, there are many things I do not like about the plot as described. I've often felt I might prefer to leave the series as is, with any further development left to the imaginations of our prolific and creative fan writers.

Be that as it may, I certainly welcomed the opportunity to spend a few days in the company of other KF fans. The Valhalla Inn, while not exactly suggestive of the correct cultural ambience, is a lovely place, with an enclosed courtyard complete with fountains, flowers, and trees.

The first major event was a reception on Friday night, where guests and fans could mingle, chatting informally, drinking, and nibbling on snacks. Michael Sloan and Sandey Grinn entertained us with comedy and songs, much to everyone's delight.

Since Lo Si is second only to Caine in my humble estimation, I was very happy to discover that Kim Chan was at the Festival. He was with us virtually from start to finish, and spent most of his time socializing with the fans. I was able to talk with him briefly and found him to be quite as delightful (even if not quite as old!) as the Ancient.

I even did something I said I'd never do, as I am decidedly not an autograph collector: I actually waited in line for Kim's autograph, because I noticed he was simultaneously giving out gorgeous 8X10 photos of himself and I wanted one to hang on my wall.

Saturday morning brought a chance to visit the dealers' room, where I was able to find several very nice photos of Caine. (Okay, yeah, I guess there were a lot of nice photos of Peter too, but I wasn't really looking.)

Luncheon was excellent. Guests were distributed amongst the various tables. Joe Barzo, locations director for second and third seasons, sat at my table and told us about his experiences with the series. He got quite a kick out of looking through my friend Muriel Emerling's scrapbook of the Locations Tour from the first KF Con.

Afternoon brought a panel, mostly consisting of the Precinct Gang, plus Michael, Kim, and even one of the villains we love to hate, Von Flores. Among many other topics of interest, Michael mentioned that he has completed the script for "Dreamscape" and is actively trying to sell the tv movie. Belinda Metz was unable to attend, but she did telephone to give us her regards and regrets during the panel.

Saturday evening's activities began with a showing of tapes of some of the KF actors and actresses in earlier performances, plus a tape sent by Belinda telling us of her current activities. Next, magician Nick Lewin, who performed in the episode "Magic Trick", entertained us with his comedy magic routine and told anecdotes about the filming of that episode, including a hilarious story of his first meeting with David, who had wanted a different magician and was a bit hostile, until Nick managed to win him over.

Last on the schedule was the showing of the rough cut of "Requiem", which ran approximately one and a half hours, containing a subplot that had to be cut from the televised episode, due to time constraints. After seeing the entire thing, I felt that Michael had made the right decision about what to cut. But, of course, if I'd had my druthers, I'd have preferred he'd left in every last word or look of David's. Cut anything else you want, but not that! (Okay, okay, I admit to being mildly prejudiced in this regard.)

Sunday brought a very different atmosphere, beginning with what I call the Great Rummage Sale. Most of us on tight budgets who attended past KF Cons could do nothing but drool and sigh wistfully as all sorts of wonderful mementoes went to a few high-bidders at the Charity Auctions or to lucky winners in the Raffles. This year was another story.

A large part of what remained in the KF wardrobe department when the show closed down was donated to the Fest for fund-raising purposes. After the most valuable items had been set aside for the Raffle and Auction, the rest was distributed amongst the con attendees. Everything was laid out on tables in one of the meeting rooms and we were all allowed to choose one item, first come, first served. There were a number of Chinese jackets and pants, a few robes, shirts, hats, belts, and bits and pieces of various unidentifiable items. It was great fun watching everyone digging through piles of clothing, trying things on, and exclaiming over treasures found. (I settled on a black jacket exactly like the ones worn in my T'ai Chi Ch'uan class, since I needed a spare uniform.)

For a short time afterwards, the hallways looked rather like gathering places for KF:TLC extras, as people wandered around dressed in all sorts of interesting outfits.

Next came a "nuts and bolts" panel, with locations and production people, plus Mike Dawson, Caine's stunt double, fielding questions from the fans.

Rob Moses, Mo and Ian Chow, and some of their students put on an impressive kung fu demonstration, beginning with a Lion Dance.

Then it was time for the fund-raising to begin. Shambhalla robes, tapes, photos, scripts, and Chinese masks are just some of the things that went to the Raffle winners. Sandey Grinn was our intrepid and highly amusing auctioneer. He kept us rolling in the aisles with laughter, especially when, on seeing Kim Chan engaged in an earnest and arm-waving discussion with one of the martial artists at the side of the room, Sandey began giving us his impression of what they might be saying. This went on for some time as the audience laughed uproariously. When the Ancient finally realized what was going on, he sent Sandey flying head-over-heels with a long-distance push.

Many marvellous items were for sale, but everything was bid up far higher than I could go. The single most expensive thing was the portrait of Caine used in "The Promise" -- $1375. In second place, at $700, was a copy of the script for "Dreamscape", courtesy of Michael Sloan, who also helped out with the auctioneering.

This is probably a good time for me to say something about Michael Sloan. While I cannot in all honesty say that I always agree with his ideas for KF:TLC, it is impossible not to admit the vast debt of gratitude and respect I owe this man for his enthusiastic involvement with the series and the manner in which he has fought for it and believed in it over the years, up to and including all his recent efforts to get the tv movie going. His sheer charm and charisma are unmistakable, and his willingness to share his hopes and ideas with KF fans, and to listen to their input, is surely unusual in the world of television production. Long after I was ready to give KF:TLC up for dead, I found this man still fighting to revive it. Michael, I humbly bow before you. By the time the Auction ended and the Fan Fest drew to a close, I was almost able to believe I had given up too soon.

"Come to Chinatown . . . "

On Monday, accompanied by Muriel, I ventured once again to Chinatown. On a previous trip I had done the same thing, but no one I asked had been able to tell me where to find Caine. This time I was prepared: I now knew how to ask for him in Chinese, so I figured I'd have better luck. Unfortunately, the only Caine anyone could direct me to was Peter, as his father had long ago left town! As you already know, I'm not terribly interested in Peter, so I had to content myself with shopping and eating instead. *SIGH* Maybe next time I'm here, Kwai Chang will be back?

As I left the Valhalla Inn and the (Forbidden?) City of Toronto enroute to my far-off home and everyday life, I found myself wondering whether, another year hence, there might be yet one more Festival in the Temple of Heaven, and the Legend might indeed Continue, after all.





IT IS MY WISH -- (1998)

Kerry Lindemann-Schaefer


Master Po: Five years hence, it is my wish to make a pilgrimage to the Forbidden City. . . There, in the Temple of Heaven, will be a festival . . . The Full Moon of May. It will be the thirteenth day of the fifth month, in the Year of the Dog.



In this Year of the Tiger, I was once again privileged to be able to attend the KF Fan Festival in Toronto. I set off a couple of days early, in the hopes of having time to also visit Niagara Falls, since I had written a story which took place at that venerable tourist attraction and wanted to experience it in real life.

I was only partially successful, in that the best I could arrange was to go on a bus tour to Niagara, so I didn't have time to get to all the places I would have wished to see. However, I did go on the Maid of the Mist, a smallish boat that takes people for a close-up view of the Falls from below. Despite the touristy atmosphere and obviously commercialized stuff, it truly is a rather transcendent moment when you're bobbing around in the fierce currents inside the curve of the Horseshoe Falls, mist pelting down like rain, the thunder of falling water filling your ears, and you turn your eyes up to watch the crest of the Falls far above.

There is a majesty in such an awesome place that is hard to describe. I could almost hear Caine's voice speaking to me, as he had spoken to the protagonist in my story. That single moment made the rest of the less-than-optimum bus tour worthwhile.

But enough of the prelude: let's get on to the Fan Fest itself.

I had barely gotten my registration packet on Friday night and was sorting through the various materials and talking to friends when I looked up and noticed a woman walking into the lobby who seemed to bear an uncanny resemblance to photos I had seen of Marina Carradine. Well, of course, it was Marina. Then David walked in. Until that moment, I hadn't been 100% sure they were actually going to make it to the con, since a lot can happen in an actor's busy life.

David and Marina were quickly ushered to the elevator and up to the con suite, which was temporarily reserved for arriving celebrities to use for relaxation and freshening up.

The next item on the agenda was the Welcome Party, where cast and crew mingle with fans on a fairly informal basis. The "snacks" at this party amount to more than a meal for me, so I proceeded to eat my dinner, now and then meeting someone I knew from previous years or sitting and chatting with friends.

Kim Chan was there, in an atrocious purple shirt, white pants, and garish suspenders. He attracted a good-sized crowd of admirers. Like the Ancient, he seems to have no trouble being the center of attention of mobs of adoring ladies.

I noticed one fan who had travelled all the way from Hawaii and was handing out shell necklaces to the guests, in place of the usual floral leis, so if you see photos from the con, that's why so many of the guests are wearing these necklaces, especially on Friday night.

The party was in full swing when David and Marina appeared in the doorway. At first, people seemed a bit shy about approaching as they made their way across the room, but it wasn't long before a few brave folks went up to speak to them. More followed and soon David and Marina were just a couple of the many celebrities surrounded by fans.

I was content merely to watch, as there really isn't anything I could say to David in the course of a few brief seconds that would be anything other than inane and foolish. I did get up enough nerve to bring him a drink. (Relax. It was just Coca-Cola, nothing worse.)

I couldn't help noticing that Marina is more beautiful in person than in many of her pictures and films. She and David appeared very affectionate and offered the fans many photo opportunities of them kissing during the course of the weekend.

As the evening wore on, Sandey Grinn and Michael Sloan did a bit of entertaining on the piano. At one point, they called on David to play, which he did. He seemed both surprised and pleased by the enthusiasm of the crowd.

I gave up and went to bed before the party finally ended, but David and Marina were still there, spending a lot of time standing around talking to people in the lobby outside the convention room, where David could get away with smoking.

Not much was happening on the following morning. The dealers' room was open and did a brisk business in zines, photographs, raffle tickets, and other such items. There were two raffles to be held: one for the usual offering of KF-related things and the other for seats at the table with David and Marina at the upcoming luncheon. While I wasn't fortunate enough to win the seats, I did end up at the next table and had a great view of what went on.

At first, it seemed as if the Carradines weren't going to make it to lunch at all, but they did finally arrive before the meal was over. (I'm told they were suffering from severe jet lag and had fallen asleep.)

I wasn't close enough to hear the conversation, but I've been able to gather from other people's accounts on the Net that the talk ranged all the way from the pros and cons of retirement to nuclear waste, the latter topic inspired by the silver bracelet David wore and had bought in Moab, Utah, where nuclear tests had been conducted in the past.

As David and Marina finished their meal, someone asked to take a picture. The luncheon rapidly degenerated into an impromptu photo session after that.

Next up was the Question/Answer Panel. So many different topics were covered that I couldn't possibly give a complete synopsis, so I'll try to focus on KF or David-related items. When asked about the prospects of a KF:TLC tv movie, Michael Sloan was somewhat optimistic, pointing out that there is often a lag time of several years after a series is cancelled before a movie is seriously considered. (Please note that, while I've read reports by some fans who interpreted Michael's remarks as meaning Warner Brothers is currently showing some interest in doing the movie, it did not sound that way to me.) There was also a bit of talk about what would have happened in a fifth season or in future tv movies. I found it particularly interesting that Michael indicated Peter would probably not have continued indefinitely as a Shaolin priest in his father's place. (At a later time during the con, Michael is reported to have also said that Caine would return and Peter go back to his police work.)

When asked about current projects and/or plans, David described a documentary on martial arts that he had been working on in China, which is scheduled to be aired this fall. He also talked about the circumstances surrounding Chris Potter's being chosen to play Peter and how highly he thought of Chris. He talked a little about his music and the movie he recently finished, "American Reel", dealing with the music industry. Then he gave the fairly well-known account of how "Long Riders" came to be made, and mentioned that the Carradine Brothers would be getting the Golden Boot Award this year.

David really seemed to loosen up during the panel, losing his customary serious expression and breaking into smiles and laughter at many of the remarks. There was a lot of joking around and many funny stories told by the panelists, as usual.

Next came a long and (to me) rather boring Autograph session. Since I'm not into autographs -- No, not even David's – I just stood near the doorway and watched David and Marina cope with the crowd at their table. David seemed pretty quiet, as usual, not saying a whole lot to the fans but amiably posing for photos and signing whatever was placed in front of him. At a previous con, I had noticed many fans giving him gifts, but I didn't see as much of that this time, although he was presented with a lovely oil painting of Caine, given by Kari Masoner, who was sharing a room with me.

Saturday evening brought the Charity Auction and Raffle. Both events took place simultaneously: a few things auctioned off, then some raffle numbers drawn, then more bidding. Sandey did his usual hilarious job as auctioneer, keeping everyone in stitches and incidentally driving the bids higher and higher. David and Marina were in attendance, laughing right along with the rest of us. At one point, Kim Chan had everyone rolling in the aisles as he attempted to auction off his "Ancient Wisdom Tooth", a piece of temporary bridgework necessitated by the loss of one of his teeth. David offered him money to keep the tooth, amidst cheers and more laughter from the fans.

So many items had been donated for the raffle that everyone was able to get something before it was all over, thanks to the policy of only allowing a person to win once. (I chose a sash that had obviously come from the Shambhallah costumes.)

Afterwards, Michael showed some footage from a movie he's been doing, in which some of the KF regulars have parts. Marina brought a short tape with some coverage of their wedding, plus an amusing ad for David's new T'ai Chi tape. We watched an episode from the series, but I was about to fall asleep by then so I retired to my room. I later regretted doing so, as I heard that David brought stacks of photos of himself and offered them to the fans shortly before the festivities broke up for the night. (I did get a couple of the photos though, courtesy of my room mate.)

Sunday brought the Locations Tour. You'd think by now that there wouldn't be any locations left for us to visit, since we'd already gone to every place imaginable in previous years. But not so. This time we concentrated on places outside the city, rather than just around Toronto. In addition to a couple of drive-bys of fields, houses, etcetera, we stopped in the small town of Schomberg, which doubled for Braniff in many of the series shots, had a delicious lunch buffet at the Guild Inn and toured its marvellously-landscaped grounds, where much of "Shaolin Treasure" was filmed, and visited the Pickering Museum and Pioneer Village, which was used in "Gunfighters". Although a lot of our time was spent in the bus driving around, the few stops we did make were well worth it.

As the final event of the Festival, there was to be a brief Lion Dance and martial arts demo on Sunday night. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when I found that David and Marina, instead of leaving earlier in the day as I had expected, stayed around to attend the closing festivities! While the martial arts seemed to me not to have been as varied and inspired as in previous years, there was still a great amount of appreciation and spirit shown by the fans. (Okay, I'll admit it: I was watching David more than the martial artists out on the floor.)

When it came time for the closing remarks, David got up and spoke for a couple of minutes, to much applause. Valerie Bristor, our intrepid convention coordinator, thanked everyone for coming and told how much money we had once again raised for the Canadian and American Cancer Societies. (I'm afraid I've forgotten the exact figures, but it was no small sum, considering there were only 125 people in attendance.)

Due to job changes, Valerie will no longer be able to organize future KF Cons, so this well might be the last one, unless someone else steps in to fill her shoes. This knowledge made the entire experience a somewhat bittersweet one for me, at once glad that I was able to attend and yet sorrowful that the chance may not arise again. My sincere thanks to Valerie, who made so many memorable experiences possible for me, and for so many other KF fans.

After the official closing of the con, I did something I don't usually do: went to the hotel lounge and had a drink. Maybe I just didn't want to be alone with my thoughts, or maybe I saw a mob of fans surrounding Michael and Sandey in the bar already. Whatever. I spent several hours sitting around talking and getting to know a few of the other folks a little better before I finally was ready to give up and go to bed.

The following morning, several of us went on an expedition into Chinatown. This being my third time there, I found it not quite as intimidating as it had seemed in the past. In fact, some of the streets looked downright familiar. We shopped, ate, and walked around, despite the sweltering temperatures of a Toronto heatwave.

As usual, I made sure to pass by the location of Caine's kwoon. Sadly, it no longer looks as it did in the past. The storefront has been repainted in garish pink and green. The disappearance of this last lingering trace of the series from the streets where it had been filmed filled me with a strange melancholy, even as I took a few obligatory photos of the desecrated site. Will Caine and Peter someday walk these streets again, or is it truly all over? Only time will tell us the answer, of course. But for now "it is my wish" that the pilgrimage will continue. And that -- one, two, even five years hence --there will still be a Festival for KF fans to attend.



BACK TO KF PAGE