Happy Throwback Thursday! Our throwback year today is 1984. One of the biggest movies that year was The Karate Kid. It’s semiautobiographical, based on the life of its screenwriter, Robert Kamen. When he was 17, he was beat up by a group of bullies after the New York World’s Fair. To better defend himself in the future, he started studying martial arts. Producer Jerry Weintraub had optioned a news story about a young child of a single mother who became a black belt to defend himself against neighborhood bullies. So Kamen combined his life story with the news article to create the screenplay for The Karate Kid.
When it came to casting the part of Daniel, many different actors were considered, including Sean Penn, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryor, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Cruise. Ralph Macchio ultimately landed the role, thanks to his performance in 1983’s The Outsiders. Pat Morita was initially turned down for the part of Mr. Miyagi because of his association with stand up comedy and his character Arnold from Happy Days. But he was given the part after growing a beard and adopting an accent based on his uncle.
The Karate Kid grossed $100 million in the U.S. and Canada, becoming Hollywood’s biggest sleeper hit of the year. Learn more in the audio below.