The Karate Kid (1984)

 

The Karate Kid - 1984

Coming up next we have 1984's mega-hit and enduring favorite "The Karate Kid", a film about a young man who moves from the East to the West Coast of the United States.  There, he encounters a lot of bullying until someone unexpected steps in and teaches him how to defend himself.

The film's cast includes Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, Randee Heller, William Zabka, and Frances Bay.

Young Daniel Larusso moves with his mother from New Jersey to Reseda, California.  Even though his mother tries to get him excited with promises of a swimming pool and the fabulous California lifestyle, he isn't exactly thrilled.

And once he gets a view of the neglected apartment complex pool, Daniel knows that life in California isn't off to a great start.

But things start looking up for Daniel when he meets Ali, a cheerleader who attends the same high school he does.

Everything goes swimmingly until Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny gets jealous and decides to make it a point to teach Daniel to stay away from her.

That doesn't stop Daniel from seeing Elisabeth, though.  He keeps right on hanging out with her.

Johnny has had enough and decides to take care of Daniel once and for all.  As he's giving Daniel the beating of his life, help arrives from an unexpected source.

Mr. Miyagi is the handyman at the apartment complex where Daniel and his mother live.  The two of them have gotten along since Daniel moved in, and Mr. Miyagi has always taken an interest in the young man.

Mr. Miyagi goes to Johnny's karate instructor (Johnny is a black belt in the sport) and asks for a truce so that he can properly train Daniel and an official match can be scheduled.  The instructor agrees.

And so Daniel begins a training regimen with Mr. Miyagi that has him scratching his head in bewilderment.  There's a lot of car washing/waxing, catching flies with chopsticks, and painting fences.

Mr. Miyagi even takes Daniel to the beach so that he can learn balance in the wild California surf.

Little does Daniel realize that this is all for him to learn the subtleties of the karate movements.  And once he's mastered them, he can begin the more hard core training.

When the time comes, Daniel is ready for the competition.  He makes it all the way to the semi-finals before a friend of Johnny's makes an illegal hack at Daniel's knee and nearly takes him out of the competition.

Daniel proves his resiliency by staying in the game even though he's severely injured.  And when he wins the competition, he earns the respect of his opponent.  As Daniel celebrates, Mr. Miyagi looks on proudly.

Cast rundown:

   Ralph Macchio............................Daniel Larusso

   Pat Morita..................................Kesuke Miyagi

   Elisabeth Shue...........................Ali Mills

   Martin Kove...............................John Kreese

   Randee Heller.............................Lucille Larusso

   William Zabka............................Johnny Lawrence

   Frances Bay...............................Lady With Dog

And that's it for The Karate Kid.  This film has been credited with popularizing karate in the United States.  There were a lot of actors who were in consideration for the role of Daniel, among them: Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Cruise.  The film spawned a very successful franchise and revived the career of Pat Morita, who had so far been associated with comedic roles.  He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.

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The Blue Bird (1940)

 

The Blue Bird - 1940

Coming up next is 1940's "The Blue Bird", a film about a bratty young girl who is sent on a quest to find the blue bird of happiness.

The film's cast includes Shirley Temple, Johnny Russell, Spring Byington, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Eddie Collins, Sybil Jason, Jessie Ralph, Helen Ericson, Laura Hope Crews, Russell Hicks, Cecilia Loftus, Al Shean, Ann E. Todd, and Sterling Holloway.

Mytyl and her brother Tyltyl are in the Royal Forest and have just caught what they believe to be a rare bird.  They are not certain, but they hope it's a thrush.  Taking birds from the forest is illegal and when a forester happens upon them, they make a mad dash back to town.

In town, Mytyl shows off the bird to a very ill girl named Angela.  Angela asks to trade for the bird, and Mytyl coldly informs Angela that she doesn't have anything she would like to trade for.  Angela is very disappointed at not being able to have the bird.

At home, Mytyl is full of complaints about the way the family lives.  "Why do we have to be so poor all the time?" she asks her horrified parents, who are doing the best they can to provide a good life for their children.

Bad news comes when Daddy Tyl is informed that he is to report to the army for war the next day.

Mytyl later confesses to her mother that she's very unhappy.  Her mother tells her, "Well, of course, you’re unhappy.  If you don’t mend your ways, you’ll never be happy.  Never."  With that, Mytyl and her brother drift off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Mytyl and Tyltyl are awakened by a loud knocking at the door.  The fairy Berylune arrives and has a task for them.

Berylune sends the children off into the night to find the blue bird.  "Don't you know that the blue bird means happiness?" asks Berylune when Mytyl wants to know why they are looking for it.

They don't go off on their own.  Berylune sends the dog and the cat (now in human form) to join them with Light as their guide.

Their first stop is the past, where they meet up with their deceased grandparents.  Granny Tyl tells Mytyl, "Every time you think of us, we wake up and see you again."  Confused, Mytyl says, "But we thought you were dead."  Granny shakes her head and says, "No, dear.  Only when we're forgotten."

Their next stop is the land of luxury.  Tylette, the cat, is thrilled to be there.  The children are initially quite fond of Mr. and Mrs. Luxury and all the comforts that wealth can provide.

However, wealth makes them argue with each other.  They decide to steal away during the night.  "They're just too young to appreciate luxury," says Mrs. Luxury.  "And we're too old to escape from it," adds Mr. Luxury.

Their final destination is the future, where they meet with children who have yet to be born.  One of the children they meet will eventually be their little sister.  They also meet the future Abraham Lincoln.

The next thing they know, Mytyl and Tyltyl wake up and realize that it was all a dream.  However, Mytyl is profoundly affected by all that happened and has greatly changed in her outlook and personality.  She's changed so much that her parents can hardly believe it.

Mytyl realizes they never found the blue bird of happiness in their dreams, but when she looks at the cage containing the bird she found in the forest, she realizes it's been right in her own home the whole time.

Cast rundown:

   Shirley Temple.................................Mytyl

   Johnny Russell.................................Tyltyl

   Spring Byington...............................Mummy Tyl

   Nigel Bruce......................................Mr. Luxury

   Gale Sondergaard.............................Tylette

   Eddie Collins....................................Tylo

   Sybil Jason......................................Angela Berlingot

   Jessie Ralph.....................................Fairy Berylune

   Helen Ericson...................................Light

   Laura Hope Crews.............................Mrs. Luxury

   Russell Hicks....................................Daddy Tyl

   Cecilia Loftus....................................Granny Tyl

   Al Shean..........................................Grandpa Tyl

   Ann E. Todd.....................................Little Sister

   Sterling Holloway..............................Wild Plum

And that's all for The Blue Bird.  This film didn't perform well at the box office.  Audiences did not like the idea of a spoiled, bratty Shirley Temple.  This film was Fox's answer to MGM's "The Wizard Of Oz".  You can note the comparison of a black and white film in the beginning, and a full on color spectacle during the dream sequence.

In the land of the future, we meet a little girl who rushes to be born before her time.  She is admonished by Father Time and stays behind until she is ready to be born.  Four-year-old Caryll Ann Ekelund portrayed this little girl.  Tragedy struck on Halloween 1939, several months before this film was released, when Caryll Ann's Halloween costume caught fire from a jack-o-lantern and caused severe burns, from which she succumbed a few days later.  She was buried wearing her costume from this film.

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