Bruce Lee was the most influential martial artist in the second half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, only snippets of his actual teaching remain. However, a extended, albeit fictional video of his teaching remains, from several episodes of Longstreet, a crime drama series, broadcast on ABC from 1971-1972.
James Franciscus appeared in the title role, as an insurance investigator. Bruce Lee appeared in four episodes, as Li Tsung, an antique dealer and Jeet Kune Do expert, who becomes Longstreet’s martial arts instructor. Lee’s most famous line was uttered on this show: Be like water.
The Real Creator of Bruce Lee’s Most Famous Line
Lee began teaching in the back of a restaurant, but at the time of his death, was charging a then (and still) astronomical $275 per hour. In today’s dollars that would be $1,600 per hour. This is Lee’s actual rate card.
Only the wealthy could afford these rates, and screenwriter Sterling Silliphant was one of them. Silliphant won an Oscar for In The Heat of the Night, and penned some 47 feature films in all, including Village of the Damned, The Killer Elite, The Enforcer, and Over the Top. He also worked extensively in television, writing Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Naked City, and Longstreet, among many others. And Silliphant penned one of Bruce Lee’s most famous lines – Be Like Water.
You must be shapeless, formless, like water,” wrote Silliphant for Lee’s character Li Tsung. “When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Be water my friend.
The famous black and white clip from a talk show where Lee utters those lines often has the question that precedes it edited out. In it, Lee is asked explicitly to quote from the script, as you can see HERE.
To watch the original quote, and some fun instruction including a lesson biting, watch these 10 minutes of instruction edited from the two-hour season premiere of Longstreet.
It’s a little ironic that Bruce Lee’s most famous line was written by someone else, but while the line is not Lee’s, it certainly could have been influenced by him, as he was the writer’s sifu.
