John Gale (director)
Encyclopedia
John Gale, born Jun Gallardo, was a Filipino
B-movie
director, who started his career with martial arts
movies in the 70's and continued to Z-movie actioners in the 80's, often produced by K.Y. Lim's Silver Star Film Company. Silver Star was a notorious but prolific producer of extremely low-budget action films, characterized by very low production values.
Gale directed Richard Harrison
in Intrusion Cambodia AKA Rescue Team (1981), also starring a cast of Silver Star workhorses such as Romano Kristoff
, James Gaines
, Mike Monty
, Mike Cohen, and Ronnie Patterson. The assistant director
of Intrusion Cambodia was Teddy Page
, another prolific Silver Star director. Gale directed Kristoff and Monty again in Slash (1984), a film influenced by the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone
, to the point of plagiarism. Slash also featured Nick Nicholson
and Gwendolyn Hung. Another film of debatable note was Commando Invasion (1986), which featured Gordon Mitchell
, Ken Watanabe (not to be confused with the more famous Ken Watanabe) and former model Tetchie Agbayani
(as Carol Roberts, also in Intrusion Cambodia).
Gale also directed Christopher Mitchum
thrice, in Master Samurai (1974), Commander Firefox (1983) and SFX Retaliator (1987).
He seems to be now retired from film.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
director, who started his career with martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
movies in the 70's and continued to Z-movie actioners in the 80's, often produced by K.Y. Lim's Silver Star Film Company. Silver Star was a notorious but prolific producer of extremely low-budget action films, characterized by very low production values.
Gale directed Richard Harrison
Richard Harrison (actor)
Richard Harrison is an American B-movie actor and occasionally a writer/director/producer.Harrison was very prolific and worked with most of the better-known names in European B-movies during the 1960s and 1970s, branching out to exploitation films shot all over the world in the early 1970s...
in Intrusion Cambodia AKA Rescue Team (1981), also starring a cast of Silver Star workhorses such as Romano Kristoff
Romano Kristoff
Romano Kristoff was a Spanish-born B-movie actor working in the Philippines in the 80's and early 90's. He was also credited as Rom Kristoff, Ron Kristoff, Run Kristoff, Ron Krastoff, and other similar variants...
, James Gaines
James Gaines
James Gaines, birth name James Larry M. Gaines Jr., is an African-American-Filipino character actor, writer and director with dual nationality, born on May 18, 1955, in Maui, Hawaii. He was sometimes also credited as Jaimes Gaines, Jim Gaines, and James Gainers...
, Mike Monty
Mike Monty
Mike Monty was an American character actor, born in 1936 in Chattanooga, Tennessee as Michael O'Donahue but he changed his name to Mike Monty late in life....
, Mike Cohen, and Ronnie Patterson. The assistant director
Assistant director
The role of an Assistant director include tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, maintaining order on the set. They also have to take care of health and safety of the crew...
of Intrusion Cambodia was Teddy Page
Teddy Page
Teddy Page is a Filipino film director and occasional writer. Page, whose real name is Teddy Chiu, began his career as a young man in the early 1980s, directing low-budget action movies for producer K.Y...
, another prolific Silver Star director. Gale directed Kristoff and Monty again in Slash (1984), a film influenced by the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone
Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone , commonly known as Sylvester Stallone, and nicknamed Sly Stallone, is an American actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, film director and occasional painter. Stallone is known for his machismo and Hollywood action roles. Two of the notable characters he has portrayed...
, to the point of plagiarism. Slash also featured Nick Nicholson
Nick Nicholson
Daniel Patrick Nicholson, better known as Nick Nicholson, is an American expatriate character actor working in the Philippines. Since the early 1980s, Nicholson has appeared in both big-budget Hollywood productions shot in the archipelago and low-budget, Filipino action movies.He has acted in...
and Gwendolyn Hung. Another film of debatable note was Commando Invasion (1986), which featured Gordon Mitchell
Gordon Mitchell
Gordon Mitchell was an American actor and bodybuilder.-Biography:Charles Allen Pendleton was born in Denver, Colorado, and began working out in his Denver neighbourhood to deal with his tough companions. During World War II he served in the U.S...
, Ken Watanabe (not to be confused with the more famous Ken Watanabe) and former model Tetchie Agbayani
Tetchie Agbayani
Visitacion Parado, who is better known by her screen name Tetchie Agbayani, is a Filipina movie and television actress, Mutya ng Pilipinas, psychology instructor and Playboy model. She appeared in a regular issue of German Playboy and a special American edition entitled "Women of the World"...
(as Carol Roberts, also in Intrusion Cambodia).
Gale also directed Christopher Mitchum
Christopher Mitchum
Christopher Mitchum , is an American actor. He was born in Los Angeles, California, the second son of film star Robert Mitchum and his wife Dorothy. He is also the younger brother of actor James Mitchum....
thrice, in Master Samurai (1974), Commander Firefox (1983) and SFX Retaliator (1987).
He seems to be now retired from film.