"The Master" (1984)TV series

Creator:

Michael Sloan

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

20 January 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Action

Tagline:

The Master Is Here! He's the supreme warrior. Even his eyes can kill you. His student is the supreme heartthrob. His eyes can melt you

Plot:

An aging American ninja master and his headstrong young apprentice search for the elder man's daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Katana | Kung Fu | Ninjitsu | Martial Arts

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Lee Van Cleef	...	John Peter McAllister / ... (7 episodes, 1984)
Timothy Van Patten	...	Max Keller (6 episodes, 1984)
Shô Kosugi	...	Okasa (5 episodes, 1984)
Cynthia Lea Clark	...	Bridesmaid / ... (3 episodes, 1984)
Andrea Gray	...	Dancer on Phone / ... (2 episodes, 1984)

Also Known As:

Master Ninja (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

60 min | 60 min (13 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Viacom Productions

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The roof of the bar begins to collapse before the Master kicks it.

Quotes:

Truck Driver: I thought you died on me. You haven't moved for an hour.
John Peter McAllister: A warrior in 16th-century Japan sat under an icy waterfall... with his arms above his head like this,
[raises his arms above his head]
John Peter McAllister: without moving, for 86 hours.
Truck Driver: Why'd he do that?
John Peter McAllister: I can't imagine.
Truck Driver: Yeah, well I say you didn't move at all.
John Peter McAllister: Slow heartbeat. Close the door on the senses... and listen to the silence.
Truck Driver: You must be a lot of laughs at a party.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja I (#4.22)" (1992)

Lovably lame

Lee van Cleef and Timothy van Patten make lovably lame main characters in this silly "movie" spliced together from two episodes of a 1980's TV series. David MacCallum shows up as an extremely unthreatening international terrorist/kidnapper, and George Lazenby is a cut-price secret agent whose tuxedo seems to be surgically attached to his skin. We're expected to believe that elderly Lee is capable of executing acrobatic somersaults and climbing sheer walls. Tim registers mild annoyance when his mentor and best friend Lee appears to have been buried in a shallow grave.