Jackie Chan Teaches Conan A Stunt

From January 17 through January 21, Neon Splatter is celebrating all things Jackie Chan. His movies, his many other projects, and his impact on film as well as film lovers. This is #JackieChanuary.

It’s no secret that we here at Afternoon Delights are big fans of Conan O’Brien. So when we saw a point of intersection between the Alpine from Brookline and #JackieChanuary—we seized on it!

On an April 1, 1999 episode of Late Night With Conan O’Brien, Jackie Chan was on to promote…RUSH HOUR, maybe? Which had opened in September 1998? I have no idea; there’s an odd gap for Western productions so I’m guessing there was some re-release/re-packaging of one of his older movies and he was making the talk show rounds.

After discussing Jackie Chan’s very minimalist approach to packing on his long international press tours—which honestly raises more questions than provides answers—O’Brien and the Hong Kong legend choreograph a simple but entertaining bit of stuntery using only Chan’s incredible talents and O’Brien’s desk, chair, and a pillow.

It’s a fun slice of Jackie Chan-ness, but also shows how deceptively simple moves come together at high speed (through physical prowess and practice) to produce incredibly entertaining sequences.