It Takes a Thief is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Gu Long's Chu Liuxiang Series. The series was first broadcast on RTV (now ATV) in Hong Kong in September 1979.
| It Takes a Thief | |
|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 俠盜風流 |
| Simplified Chinese | 侠盗风流 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Xiá Dào Fēnglíu |
| Jyutping | Hap6 Dou6 Fung1 Lau4 |
| Genre | Wuxia |
| Based on | Chu Liuxiang Series by Gu Long |
| Directed by | Lee Wai-man Siu Hin-fai |
| Starring | Pat Poon Kenneth Tsang Paul Chun Alex Man Bonnie Ngai Law Lok-lam Mary Cheung Man Man-yee Wen Hsueh-erh Yuen Pui-jan Miu Kam-fung Chan Yuen-mei Yung Wai-man Nancy Sit Choi King-fai |
| Opening theme | Hap Dou Fung Lau (俠盜風流) performed by Amy Chan |
| Ending theme | Siu Wan Kei Sum Sing (簫韻寄心聲) performed by Nancy Sit |
| Composer | Michael Lai |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original language | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Kong Lung |
| Producers | Johnny Mak Tsui Hark |
| Production location | Hong Kong |
| Running time | 60 minutes per episode |
| Production company | RTV |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTV |
| Release | 1 September 1979 – 1979 |
Changes in title and characters' names
editThe series' original Chinese title was 盜帥留香 (Dou Seoi Lau Heung; literally "Bandit Chief Liuxiang"). It was released around the same time as Chor Lau-heung, a similar television series produced by TVB. RTV and TVB became involved in copyright lawsuits against each other because of similarities between It Takes a Thief and Chor Lau-heung. TVB won the lawsuits and eventually RTV had to change the Chinese title of It Takes a Thief from 盜帥留香 to 俠盜風流, and the names of characters in the television series. The name of the protagonist Chor Lau-heung (Cantonese for "Chu Liuxiang") was changed to "Dou Seoi" (盜帥; literally "Bandit Chief"), one of Chu Liuxiang's nicknames in the novels. It Takes a Thief started airing on 1 September 1979, two days earlier than TVB's Chor Lau-heung.
Cast
edit- Note: Some of the characters' names are in Cantonese romanisation.
| Cast | Role | Original character |
|---|---|---|
| Pat Poon | Dou Seoi | Chor Lau-heung |
| Kenneth Tsang | Kung Bing-ngan | Kei Bing-ngan |
| Paul Chun | Mo-tsan | Mo-fa |
| Alex Man | Nam-kung Yat | Nam-kung Ling |
| Law Lok-lam | Yat-dim-hung | Chung-yuen Yat-dim-hung |
| Lau Kwok-sing | Koo Tit-fa | Wu Tit-fa |
| Bonnie Ngai | To Hung-kuen | So Yung-yung |
| Ma Man-yee | Chor Seung-wan | Shum Wai-san |
| Mary Cheung | Kung Fei-yin | Kung Nam-yin |
| Candy Man Suet-Yee | Hak Fu-pak | Black Pearl |
| Yuen Pui-jan | Yip Siu-sin | Lei Hung-sau |
| Chan Yuen-mei | Lau Ching-ching | Sung Tim-yee |
| Miu Kam-fung | Chau Hung-yip | Chau Ling-so |
| Nancy Sit | Princess Lung-siu | Princess Pei-pa |
| Yung Wai-man | Kuk Mo-sau | Kuk Mo-yung |
| Kwan Suet-lai | Kam Pou-sat | Shek Koon-yam |
| Yik Kar | Sheung-koon Ching | Cheung-suen Hung |
| See Ming | Sheung-koon Yin | |
| Miu Kar-lai | Princess Consort | Imperial Consort of Lou-lan |
| Choi King-fai | Lang Mou-mei | Lau Mou-mei |
| Mannor Chan | Sui-mou Tin-kei | Sui-mou Yam-kei |
| Leung Tin | Pik-yuk Mo-koi | |
| Yip Tin-hang | Tin-fung Sap-say-long | |
| Wong Wai | Ja-kam-yee | Ja-mo-hup |
| Ling Man-hoi | King of Yin-hap | King of Lou-lan |
| Cheung Hoi-yiu | To Fan | To Wai |
| Cheng Lui | General Man | |
| Kui Ngok | Hung Tung-kwok | |
| Ma Tsung-tak | Lau Fei-yin / Tsui Fung-muk | |
| Ko Hung | Sze-to Lau-sing | |
| Lee Tin-ying | Mak Chun-tin | |
| Ng Wing-sum | Green Beard | |
| Mok Hing-chung | Lung Kim-fei | |
| Ng Tung | Lee Koon-yu | |
| Lee Gong | Lei Suet-hang | Lei Yuk-ham |
| Yuen Wai-hung | Golden Monkey | Monkey Suen |
| Cheung Hung-cheung | Au-yeung Yuk | |
| Tung Piu | Ng Kuk-hin | |
| Man Chin-sui | Sheung-koon Seon | |
| Lam Kam-tong | Iron Ear Divine Constable | |
| Nora Miao | Ko Nga | Ko Nga-nam |