The Misfits (Tip Chor Moon San)

[Ian Liew]

While watching Separation Hook's themesong on tudou, I couldn't resist looking at some of the others, especially Adam Cheng's vintage songs. I've heard this song so many times, and love it. I knew it was a serial called Tip Chor Moon San (literally, pasted the wrong door gods), but until today I've never seen anything of it.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/qVbxyJHEb6M/

Looks like Wong Yuen Sun and Chan Kwok Kuen have a great time there. Chan has always been a great actor, although not being very handsome his roles have always been limited to either grunts or comic relief (his sudden, clapping and exuberant "Ah Sook!! Lei Hou Yeah!!!" (Uncle, you're great!!) during the very tense and climatic court endscene in Final Verdict stands out in memory).

I recall during that great TVB concert where the period drama themesongs challenged the modern drama themesongs, Chan and his wife in the serial Chong Mun Ching from this serial came up to do a short sketch, so it must have been quite a popular drama then. I believe Chan's name was Nau Yook Kon (dried beef). Does anyone have any info on this serial?

[Ken Cheng]

While watching Separation Hook's themesong on tudou, I couldn't resist looking at some of the others, especially Adam Cheng's vintage songs. I've heard this song so many times, and love it. I knew it was a serial called Tip Chor Moon San (literally, pasted the wrong door gods), but until today I've never seen anything of it.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/qVbxyJHEb6M/

Looks like Wong Yuen Sun and Chan Kwok Kuen have a great time there. Chan has always been a great actor, although not being very handsome his roles have always been limited to either grunts or comic relief (his sudden, clapping and exuberant "Ah Sook!! Lei Hou Yeah!!!" (Uncle, you're great!!) during the very tense and climatic court endscene in Final Verdict stands out in memory).

I recall during that great TVB concert where the period drama themesongs challenged the modern drama themesongs, Chan and his wife in the serial Chong Mun Ching from this serial came up to do a short sketch, so it must have been quite a popular drama then. I believe Chan's name was Nau Yook Kon (dried beef). Does anyone have any info on this serial?

All I know is that the series was a comedy (duh!).

Chan's character was named "Ngau Gum Ngan" ("Eye Like a Bull's," a Cantonese expression meaning a hard, hostile glare...possibly comparable to the idiom, "Evil Eye" in English, though much less sinister-sounding).

[Ian Liew]

All I know is that the series was a comedy (duh!).

Chan's character was named "Ngau Gum Ngan" ("Eye Like a Bull's," a Cantonese expression meaning a hard, hostile glare...possibly comparable to the idiom, "Evil Eye" in English, though much less sinister-sounding).

That's the one!! Thanks for the reminder.. In one of Chui Siu Ming's songs "Fong Sang Sui Hei" he mentions that Ngau Gum Ngan is normally someone who can be ordered around by anyone. "Ngau Gum Ngan leh? Hoi, Yam Yan Sai lor!"

I recall in the sketch he talked about naming his son "Ngau Tau Kok" (bull horns)!! I found that highly amusing! =)

[Ken Cheng]

That's the one!! Thanks for the reminder.. In one of Chui Siu Ming's songs "Fong Sang Sui Hei" he mentions that Ngau Gum Ngan is normally someone who can be ordered around by anyone. "Ngau Gum Ngan leh? Hoi, Yam Yan Sai lor!"

I recall in the sketch he talked about naming his son "Ngau Tau Kok" (bull horns)!! I found that highly amusing! =)

Yeah, and then his wife pulled a gun on him. Emcee Ivan Ho then observed that Ngau Gum Ngan was doomed, unless he had Little Lee's Flying Dagger on him!

[Ken Cheng]

Aside: PASTED THE WRONG DOOR GODS sounds like a hilarious title, even in English. It's a funny enough expression in its native Cantonese, but even translated into English, it sounds equally amusing!

[Ian Liew]

Yeah, and then his wife pulled a gun on him. Emcee Ivan Ho then observed that Ngau Gum Ngan was doomed, unless he had Little Lee's Flying Dagger on him!

Memories! They don't make events like that anymore!!!

[Ken Cheng]

Memories! They don't make events like that anymore!!!

They don't have the people to do it. The culture is different. The culture was a bit more classy back then...entertainment was more about wit, less about T&A in your face 24/7.

Lee's Theatre, where that show was hosted, had great acoustics. I really liked the "echo-y' sound of the place when the hosts spoke into the microphones and the singers sang. You really got the feel of a live performance.

Trivia from that show: all the singers sang live on that program that night, with the exception of Frances Yip, who lip-synched to the studio recording of THE BUND's theme song. The reason was that Frances had a really horrible cold that night and couldn't perform the song up to her usual standards, so TVB had her lip-synch to the record instead. Nobody seemed to mind, though.

[Ian Liew]

Apart from the humour in the sketches (and there was so much of it! Ivan Ho's dubbing of Dionne Warwick, Donny Osmond and Barry Manilow singing period drama was so blatant and tongue in cheek it was brilliant!!) I loved the scene grabs in the middle of each song (during the instrumental break), when they show a few highlights and scenes from the related serial. Many of those serials I never watched, and it really gave you a flavour for the serial when you saw those few seconds of footage. Sadly, the last act was Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre, and the footage was of Cheung Mo Kei screaming in vain for Chiu Ming at the end.. kind of ended on a sad note.

[Ken Cheng]

Apart from the humour in the sketches (and there was so much of it! Ivan Ho's dubbing of Dionne Warwick, Donny Osmond and Barry Manilow singing period drama was so blatant and tongue in cheek it was brilliant!!)

I didn't quite get what was going on there when I watched the program years ago. I thought it was some crazy technical problem, with the guys in the studio control room *really* f*cking things up!

I loved the scene grabs in the middle of each song (during the instrumental break), when they show a few highlights and scenes from the related serial. Many of those serials I never watched, and it really gave you a flavour for the serial when you saw those few seconds of footage.

Those were great. If TVB wanted to promote its serials through these performances, it did a GREAT job. I thought these performances got the message across MUCH more effectively than those hype-filled ads.

TVB couldn't do it today, because it doesn't have the killer theme music to pull it off. Those theme songs MADE many of those series.

Sadly, the last act was Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre, and the footage was of Cheung Mo Kei screaming in vain for Chiu Ming at the end.. kind of ended on a sad note.

I sort of wondered what was going on there. I had never seen the 1978 version of HSDS, so its ending didn't jive with what I knew from HSDS '86.

Somehow, it doesn't seem "right" for Chiu Mun to die in HSDS.

Anyway, here's a clip from the show of Sandra Sin performing the theme song to THE FATAL IRONY. It was one of my favorite performances of the night, although to be honest, it was hard to pick a favorite from that night's performances because they were ALL great!