We Owe It to Our Children

Before he was known internationally as a martial arts superstar, Bruce Lee had appeared in a handful of Hong Kong films as a child star in the 1940s/50s. One of these early films was The More the Merrier (1955), a.k.a. We Owe it to Our Children from the Union Film Enterprise, a family melodrama written and directed by renowned filmmaker Chin Chien (My Intimate Partners). Featuring the 14-year-old Bruce Lee and future Cantonese Opera star Yuen Siu Fai, the B&W film revolves around accountant Ming (played by Cheung Wood Yau) and his wife (Tsi Lo Lin) who suffers a miscarriage in an car accident. The couple decides to adopt a baby girl, not knowing that she's the daughter given up by Ming's poor co-worker who struggles to feed a bunch of kids. Bruce Lee plays the slacker son of the landlord (Ko Lo Chuen).