But I was delighted to find how aware Ralph Macchio is of Halloween's influence and importance in the movie in his autobiography/trip-down-memory-lane "Waxing On: The Karate Kid and Me."
"... Now, I referenced that scene with motorcycles and ass-kicking from The Karate Kid specifically for a reason.
Because that was the scene scheduled as first up on day one of principal photography. We started our forty-two-day shooting schedule with a split day: one daylight scene and one nighttime scene.
The location was the beach at Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu, California. We started at twelve noon with soccer by the surf and flirting with Elisabeth Shue. Once the sun set, it was all motorcycles and ass-kicking by William Zabka. That exact date?
October 31, 1983.
Halloween! Is that irony or foreshadowing or what? Think about it.
How many movies not about Halloween have as many pop-culture threads about that specific day? It runs deep in the Karate Kid cosmos, with visions of polka-dot shower-curtain costumes and angry skeleton gangs.
Who knew on that day what was on the launchpad for this little, modestly budgeted underdog movie? On a sunny Monday afternoon in Southern California, we began capturing our story on film for the world to see. I eagerly juggled a soccer ball as I made my way down to the shooting location. The first setup was an establishing shot of us "kids" playing soccer on the beach. And it was there where I heard Avildsen call out for the first time, with bullhorn in hand . . ."The Karate Kid, day one. . .. Camera's set . .. aaand ACTION!"
I think this line really sums it up: "How many movies not about Halloween have as many pop-culture threads about that specific day?"
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