Forgotten Magic by Celtic

By -
Official history has a funny way of neglecting to tell large chapters of our collective human story. If we only take enough time to read the text we are issued in whichever schools we fall into, and only enough interest to be able to leap through whatever hoop gets us a piece of paper that says ‘graduate’, we inevitably miss out on most of the best parts – and the most illuminating tracts. Finding real history requires more. Real history is akin to the gems buried deep in the dirt and rock of passing time, and we must dig for them. And dig with passion!

One of these nearly lost treasures is the story of Long Tack Sam, an internationally celebrated vaudeville star that you’ve probably never heard of. His story, fortunately for us, is collected by his great-granddaughter – Ann Marie Fleming. She has taken the time to dig through her family history and create a documentary called “The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam” which allows us to travel with him as he leaves China, marries an Austrian woman (Leopoldine) and eventually brings his art to North America. His contemporaries and colleagues included Laurel and Hardy, Houdini and the Marx Brothers among others.

You can purchase copies of the DVD at National Film Board of Canada website. A direct link to the page is here.

The official website for this story is located here.

An illustrated companion book is located here.

And finally, a small sample of the DVD located on YouTube:



Bookmark and Share

Comments

J said…
I'm amazed that you know of these rather obscure gems from history, Celtic. Nice find!
January 7, 2010 at 10:59 AM
neaato said…
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR THIS FIND. I WILL REMEMBER THIS DAY FOREVER, seriously. how did you come across this?????? where has this been all my life???

going to now buy/read/watch all of her stuff. again, thank you thank you!!! soooooo goooooooooooooooood!

it's like persopolis and sita sings the blues combined!
January 7, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Celtic said…
*laughs* Well, I suspect it may just be one of the side effects of becoming an old lady. I've gotten a lot of stuff crammed into this smaller than average skull of mine over the years. The hard part sometimes is getting it back out again when I want to!

Neaato, I wish I could remember how I first heard of this story, but all can say for sure is that I am an infinitely curious creature, so I just read and look things up a lot. But I am enjoying your enthusiasm. I am beyond thrilled to hear that you are going to support this lady's efforts and hard work with some of your own hard earned dosh.
January 7, 2010 at 1:42 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muscle Building Diet for the Asian Male

By J -
Image
As a strength trainer with an Asian American background, I often get questions and comments from Asian dudes all over the world. A common theme that pops up among Asian lifters is the belief that their Asian genes are limiting their progress in their quest for a muscular physique. I always tell them this: don't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor in your training goals or any goal. It does not matter if you are Asian or a skinny bastard or a woman. If your goal is to be bigger, faster, stronger, then you still travel the same road that everyone else travels to size and strength. I mean look at Tommy Kono . Here was a Japanese American who grew up in an internment camp, and he became arguably the greatest Olympic weightlifter the US offered to the world.  He was also a successful bodybuilder, winning the Mr. Universe title in 1955 and 1957.  He built a phenomenal physique in an era before steroids. He didn't let race or ethnicity be a limiting factor in his mind or on
Read more

Interview with Rick Lee

By J -
Image
Q: I'm an avid follower of your site and had a question, since I believe you are the most recent one to have done an interview /been in contact with Rick Lee. I was wondering: is he still actively keeping up with his website?  Also I was wondering if you ever heard of the podcast DVDASA hosted by David Choe ? I'm sure you know of him or can easily find out who he is, but I wanted to know how I can contact him. I think he'd make a great guest on the show especially, because of his Asian-Man website. I believe he was the first Asian male porn star. David Choe talks about it sometimes, but he mentions Keni Styles as the first, but Rick is.  I'd love for him to be able to get on the show, set the record straight and help continue changing perceptions of Asian males.  Sorry if this is sort of random. Anyways hope to hear from you soon Thanks! -J My Answer: Are you trying to contact David Choe or are you trying to contact Rick Lee or both?  I'm s
Read more

Strength Training for the Asian Lifter, Part II

By J -
Image
Since I keep getting inquiries on my previous article Strength and Bodybuilding for the Asian Lifter , I thought I'd write up a follow-up: I’m a bit of a bodybuilding purist. I normally don’t write my exercise articles from the angle of “develop the muscles that drive her wild in bed!” Men’s Fitness, however, interviewed me one time for an article titled Sculpting Her Five Favorite Body Parts. The interviewer picked my brain on how to develop muscles so that a woman, as she put it, “couldn't keep her hands off you.” When it comes down to it, Asian men want the same thing everybody else wants when they exercise: to look good naked! Women don’t give a crap how much you bench, but they will notice the tone in your arms when you’re wearing a T-shirt. A lot of Asian guys feel that their Asian genes are somehow holding them back when it comes to gaining muscle. But guess what? Whether or not it is true that Asian men have a harder time gaining muscle, most women don’t
Read more