FILM 2364: THE KARATE KID (1984)

TRIVIA: Ralph Macchio was 22 during filming. Some of the cast did not believe him when they asked about his age.

The yellow classic automobile that Daniel polishes in the famous "wax-on/wax-off" training scene, then later offered by Mr. Miyagi as Daniel's birthday gift, was actually given to Ralph Macchio by the producer, and he still owns it. The car is a 1948 Ford Super De Luxe.

The studio wanted to drop the "drunk Miyagi" scene, feeling it slowed the pace down. Director John G. Avildsen argued for it and has felt it was the scene that got Pat Moritano minated for an Oscar.

Elisabeth Shue interrupted her studies at Harvard to be in this movie.

Toshirô Mifune auditioned for the role of Mister Miyagi. According to director John G. Avildsen in the DVD commentary, Mifune was great in the audition, but Avildsen felt that his version of Miyagi was too serious and too much like the samurai warriors he played in Akira Kurosawa movies.

At the time, Columbia Pictures was owned by Coca-Cola, which insisted that its products appear on screen. Ralph Macchio objected to that, especially after having to say "Minute Maid" in the breakfast scene. In Miyagi's workshop he deliberately covered the Sprite logo with his hand, so they made him redo the scene. This time, Ralph showed the Sprite logo for the shortest time he could get away with.

This was the top rental video of 1985.

The role of Daniel LaRusso was allegedly initially offered to Sean Penn. Penn turned it down because he was trying for more adult roles. Penn later said in an interview that he thought Ralph Macchio was one of the greatest living actors.

The exterior shot of the Kobra Kai (when Daniel is having lunch with his mom) was filmed right next door to where D-Fens (Michael Douglas) buys the snow globe for his daughter in Falling Down (1993).

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW: Ralph Macchio is a cutie pie in this film and probably this was the reason that everyone thought he was the hero of the story when I fully support the modern reading that he is in fact the villain and a lot of the movie made no sense.