Club Obi Wan was a restaurant and nightclub in Shanghai, China in the 1930s. Housed in a multi-story building, the club featured fine dining and lavish entertainment productions for both Chinese and foreign patrons. The business was controlled by Lao Che.[3]
History[]
In 1935, Willie Scott was a lead singer at the club, performing in a large cast of singers, showgirls, and dancers. The club was also a hangout for its owner, the crime lord Lao Che and his men. One evening at the club, Lao Che met with Indiana Jones to trade Nurhachi's ashes for a large diamond. Lao attempted to double cross Jones with poison, but Jones escaped, taking Scott with him. During the violent confrontation, Jones' friend Wu Han and Che's son Chen were both killed.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The club's name is a reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi, a character from George Lucas' film Star Wars. The Chinese characters used in its name, which can be seen on its marquee, phonetically spells out "Obi Wan" with the addition of the word "Nightclub". In early versions of the film's script, written by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, Club Obi Wan was originally called The Dragon.[4] Other versions had the club's name being Shanghai Paradise.[5]
The Star Wars influence was later given a nod in the Shanghai level of Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures with the appearance of C'boath Bar. While mispelled, it was named after Star Wars Legends character Joruus C'baoth from The Thrawn Trilogy, who was originally conceived of as a clone of Obi-Wan Kenobi before author Timothy Zahn was asked to change it.[6]
When Indiana Jones runs out of the window with Willie Scott, the former can be seen running behind the gong and collecting Willie. However, in the next shot, it can be seen that Indiana is from behind the gong and Willie is now running ahead of him before they jump out of the club's window.[2]
A 2006 episode of MythBusters attempted to show the plausibility of surviving a multi-story fall by breaking through a series of awnings, similar to Indiana Jones' and Willie Scott's escape from Club Obi Wan. Ultimately, it was determined to be plausible to survive, but with a high likelihood of serious injury.[7]
Appearances[]
- Indiana Jones Adventure World (Mentioned only)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (First appearance)
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novel
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom junior novel
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom comic
- Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
- Indiana Jones: The Search For Buried Treasure (Mentioned only)
- Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar (Mentioned only)
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: The Illustrated Screenplay
- The Adventures of Indiana Jones
- From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook
- The Temple of Doom: Superstar on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- The Temple of Doom: Diamonds are a girl's best friend on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org) (Picture only)
- The Temple of Doom: Lucas P.I. on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb: 1935 Journal
- Lao Che's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- Willie Scott's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
- Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- "You Call This Archeology?" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 3
- "The Thrill of the Chase!" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 4
- "No Time for Love?" - Indiana Jones: The Official Magazine 5
- The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones
- The Greatest Adventures of Indiana Jones
- Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Limited Edition Collector's Set)
- Grail Diary (prop replica)
- 40 Great Indiana Jones Quotes on Lucasfilm.com (backup link on Archive.org)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Limited Edition Collector's Set)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
- ↑ Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
- ↑ Raiders of the Lost Drafts at TheRaider.net
- ↑ The Complete Making of Indiana Jones
- ↑ Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
- ↑ MythBusters