10 Things You Didn't Know About The Karate Kid Films
Crane poses at the ready! We're taking a run and flying jump-kick back into the world of old school training and rivalry with a look at some top amazing facts you might just not know about the iconic The Karate Kid!
Get ready to put on your Cobra Kai T-Shirt and headband as you punch through some amazing facts of this total retro classic! Enjoy...
Surprisingly, during filming in late 1983, Ralph Macchio was age 22! Many of the cast didn't believe him when they asked his age.
In early casting, Charlie Sheen was offered the role of Daniel LaRusso, but he later turned it down.
The classic car Daniel polishes in the famous âwax-on/wax-offâ scene, was later given to Ralph Macchio by the producer, and he still owns it!
You have probably spotted several Coca-Cola products in the movies, well this was part of a contract with Coca-Cola that required them to be seen and discussed, including brands they owned such as Minute Maid. Ralph Macchio objected to this so would try to obscure logos and much as possible without having to do another take.
The skeleton fight scene was eventually all done in one take using Karate students rather than the cast. This was because, in earlier takes, the actors would complain about being hit too hard in the action and this causing them to break the momentum and miss cues.
The now iconic song 'You're the Best' played in the tournament was actually originally written for Rocky 3, then also turned down for Flashdance. 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'Maniac' was ultimately used for those films instead. The song even references 'references "history repeats itself" which would be relevant for Rocky 3.
Pat Morita was originally turned down for the role of Mr. Miyagi. this was due to concerns of him not being taken seriously following his comedy role as Arnold in Happy Days.
During the filming of the post-Halloween dance fight when the Cobra Kai were wearing skeleton costumes William Zabka landed a kick that caused production to stop for a day and a half while Ralph recovered. In a later scene, you can see a real bruise on Ralph's face.
The iconic 'Crane Technique' was actually made up for the film and isn't a traditional movie of technique, however, it was based on a real 'crane stance'.
The classic drunk Miyagi scene was almost cut from the film due to runtime. It was later considered to be the scene that earned Pat Morita the Academy Award nomination.
Pretty cool stuff huh! Hopefully, you've picked up some cool trivia to bust out during your next viewing.
If you're still looking for your fix of cool Karate action whether you're watching the classic movies or the latest Cobra Kai TV show, head over to our site and pluck out your next Karate Kid T-Shirt like Daniel and the fly.