Remembering Bruce Lee: Jon Benn’s Real Life Stories from a Life in American Film
Jon Benn was the “merely a lead actor” in two of Bruce Lee’s most memorable films. He even got to play the memorable role of the mafia boss in The Way of the Dragon in 1972
Now over 80 years old, he’s created an autobiography which covers his years with Bruce Lee and a whole lot more.
In Remembering Bruce Lee, Jon Benn reminisces fondly about his experiences with Lee and a lifetime of other adventures. “I’m the only one who ever got to hit Bruce.”
“He could kick the ashes off your cigarette without you even noticing. That’s how fast and accurate he was”, Benn said. “He was the best and he knew he was the best. He could drop to the floor and do 200 pushups on two fingers.”
“Bruce Lee’s powerful fists of fury point directly at me”. Jon Benn
“He knew dozens of tricks besides martial arts and always demonstrated them to the cast and crew, especially to the girls. He appreciated attractive girls, and many of them flocked around him for much of the time.
Of course, I appreciated the girls too. I also admired Bruce’s ability to attract them. On most days, I brought a few girls along with me to the set because they all wanted to meet Bruce. Once he said to me, “Hey, Jon. Make sure not to bring any girls with you tomorrow because my wife will be here.”
Jon Benn was a major player in some of the most important films in martial arts films history.
“For Chuck, The Way of the Dragon became his first significant movie
appearance, the one that launched him toward stardom. His character,
a fighter-for-hire named Colt, went man-to-man against Bruce and
almost defeated him (or so it appeared in the movie).”
From facing Lee’s fists of fury to riding in a cowboy posse, from almost starting the Third World War to a nude scene with sex symbol Bo Derek, much has happened to Jon for the sake of appearing in movies.
“Unforgettably, one time I talked to Jayne while she lay on her
side by the pool. Then to my pleasant surprise, one of her huge tits
accidentally popped out of her top. (Despite my previous recollections
about plane crashes, sometimes the power of gravity does good things
too.)
Naturally, I eagerly asked Jayne if I could help in any way, but
she quickly shoved the roaming body-part back inside the garment from
where it had emerged. For me, a special once-in-a-lifetime chance
had come and gone, never to return.”
But that’s not all. From exploring ancient Mexican temples and falling into a volcano to eavesdropping on communists in Cold War Europe, from doing business with former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos to girls-in-hot-pants waving Passports to Pleasure, one heck of a lot has happened to Jon away from the cameras too.
These are the real life stories of an American film producer.
Remembering Bruce Lee
And Jon Benn’s Other Adventures
Jon T. Benn, alias “the Big Boss”
List $17.95 (US)
Trade soft cover 304 pages includes full-color photographs
ISBN 978-988-16139-9-8
Official Publication Date Aug 7, 2015
For more information www.BlacksmithBooks.com