AFI’s Top 100 Movie Facts Part 3

As we continue this week with films ranked 26 through 50 we get closer and closer to my 100th blog at “Movie Musings.” I hope you have enjoyed reading each of my blogs and will continue to do! by the time I reach 200 blogs, 300, and so on and so forth. Please continue to share with me your favorite trivia—I would love to hear anything you might add.

50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) — Christopher Lee, who portrayed Saruman in both “The Lord of the Rings,” (2001-2003) and “Hobbit,” (2012-2014) trilogies is the only cast member of both trilogies to have met “Lord of the Rings,” and “Hobbit,” author, J.R.R. Tolkien.

49. Intolerance (1916) — In August 2013 a newly restored version of this film was shown at the Film Forum in New York City. The Babylonian orgy sequence in the film cost $200,000 dollars to shoot, which was almost twice the budget of the film that “Intolerance,” director D.W. Griffith made prior to this film, The Birth of a Nation (1915). 

48. Rear Window (1954) — Grace Kelly ordinarily refused to smoke cigarettes in movies, but made an exception for this one. All throughout her career, she often had affairs with her leading men. Her relationship with Jimmy Stewart was nothing more than a good friendship, despite her having acknowledged that he was one of the most attractive men he ever met. 

47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) — This film featured nine members of the original Broadway production reprising their roles from the film, which to this day is considered highly unusual for a film adaptation of a Broadway show including: Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski, Kim Hunter as Stella Kowalski and Karl Malden as “Harold “Mitch” Mitchell. Despite the fact that Jessica Tandy had originated the role of Blanche Dubois and won a Tony for it, she was passed over for the film for Vivien Leigh who won an Oscar for it. (Malden and Hunter also won Oscars for their performances as well. Brando was also nominated, but lost to Humphrey Bogart in The African Queen (1951)).

46. It Happened One Night (1934) — Despite the fact that they both won Oscars for their performances in this film, neither Clark Gable nor Claudette Colbert wanted to make this film at all. On the first day of shooting Gable said negatively, “Let’s get this over with.” And when filming was over Colbert said “I’ve just finished making the worst picture I’ve ever made.”

45. Shane (1953) — This was the very first movie that Billy Crystal saw in theaters as a child. He watched it while sitting on the lap of Billie Holiday because Holiday had recorded a number of records produced under the label of a record store that was owned by Crystal’s father. The film remained so dear to Crystal, that many years later Crystal hired “Shane,” actor Jack Palance to portray Curly the trail boss in City Slickers (1991). (Ironically, Palance was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in “Shane,” and was told by one of the producers that he would win, but he won for “City Slickers,” instead.)

44. The Philadelphia Story (1940) — James Stewart thought that he had been miscast in the role of Macaulay “Mike” Connor and felt that he didn’t deserve the Best Actor Oscar for the performance. He felt the Oscar should have gone to his life-long friend Henry Fonda for his performance in The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and thought the Academy had simply given him the Oscar because he had lost the award the previous year for his performance in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), which is ranked #26 on AFI’s Top 100.

43. Midnight Cowboy (1969) — Teenage girl fans of The Graduate (1967) would scream whenever they saw Dustin Hoffman filming this movie in New York, despite the fact that his costume as Ratso “Rizzo” was very filthy.

42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967) — This was Gene Wilder’s very first film.

41. King Kong (1933) —  “King Kong,” grossed $90,000 in its opening weekend. The success helped its production company R.K.O. Radio pictures from going bankrupt.

40. The Sound of Music (1965) — Christopher Plummer played the role of Captain Georg Von Trapp in this movie but never cared for the movie—despite the fact that it is his best known performance. He often mockingly refers to it as “The Sound of Mucus,” “S&M,” and “that movie.”

39. Dr. Stangelove (1964) —  Peter Sellers improvised most of his dialogue in this movie.

38. The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) — Paul Thomas Anderson was inspired to write, co-produce, and direct the film There Will Be Blood (2007) by this 1948 hit.

37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) — William Wyler loathed the musical score that Hugo Friedhofer wrote for this movie, despite the fact that it won the Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) — The bridge in this film cost $250,000 to build. It was made before anyone was cast in the film.

35. Annie Hall (1977) — Ironically, Diane Keaton’s real name is Diane Hall and her nickname is Annie. “Annie Hall,” writer/director Woody Allen knew that about her before he cast in the role and based the script loosely on his relationship with Keaton. 

34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) — Two actors who lent their voices to this film, Adrianna Caselotti (Snow White) and Moroni Olsen (Magic Mirror) also had bit parts in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) which is ranked #20 on AFI’s Top 100. Caselotti played a Singer at Martini’s Bar and Olsen voiced the Senior Angel.

33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) — Before this film was released, it was a Broadway play which opened on November 13th, 1963, at the Cort Theatre and closed on January 25th, 1964, after 82 performances. The play starred Kirk Douglas as R.P. McMurphy. Kirk Douglas; for a while, he owned the film rights, before passing them to his son Michael, who won the Best Picture Oscar for co-producing the film with Saul Zaentz.

32. The Godfather Part 2 (1974) — Al Pacino was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and then was nominated again, but in the category of Best Actor for his reprisal of Michael in this film. It made him the third actor to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same character.

31. The Maltese Falcon (1941) — Humphrey Bogart supplied his own costumes in this movie which was common at Warner Bros. Studios at the time, as a way for the studio to save money during World War 2.

30. Apocalypse Now (1979) — Marlon Brando improvised many of Kurtz’s lines, including “You’re an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks, to collect a bill.”

29. Double Indemnity (1944) — This movie, which was a star vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck, was based on a novel of the same name by James M. Cain, who had based his novel on a woman named Ruth Snyder, the subject of a 1920s murder trial, which is very similar to Barbara Stanwyck’s character of Phyllis Dietrichson.

28. All About Eve (1950) — Bette Davis and Gary Merrill, who play love interests in this film, married in real life on July 28th, 1950, a little less than three months before the film premiered in New York City on October 13th, 1950. Not long after they married, they adopted a baby girl which they named Margot, after Davis’s character in the movie.

27. High Noon (1952) — A hit for the studio, “High Noon,” was considered a huge comeback film for Gary Cooper. His movie star reputation had been in decline prior to this film, given a bigger reputation as a Hollywood adulterer rather than as a bankable Hollywood actor. He received the Best Actor Oscar for it.

26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) — Director Frank Capra received a great deal of letters all throughout his life by people who were inspired to go into politics because of this film.

AFI’s Top 100 Movie Facts Part 2

As I indicated last week, the approach of my 100th blog at “Movie Musings…” is cause for celebration! So we’re continuing a countdown of AFI’s Top 100 movie…looking at little bits of trivia you might not be aware of for each of these treasured films…this time films ranked 51 through 75. Let me know of your favorite trivia and you might add!

75. In the Heat of the Night (1967) — This hit in ’67 is Sidney Poitier’s favorite film among all the films he has ever made.

74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) — Anthony Hopkins, who won his only Best Actor Oscar for his 20-minute performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter in the film, based his character voice for the role as a combination of Truman Capote and Katherine Hepburn. Hopkins incidentally worked with Hepburn in the role that won her a third Best Actress Oscar: The Lion in Winter (1968).

73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) — Katharine Ross played the female lead, Etta Place, in this film. Her future husband, Sam Elliot had a bit part in the film also, but Ross and Elliot never officially met until 1978. They were married on May 1st 1984.

72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) — Morgan Freeman received his third Academy Award Nomination for his performance as Ellis Boys “Red” Redding in this film. He lost the award to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (1994). Freeman finally won an Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actor ten years later in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby (2004).

71. Saving Private Ryan (1998) — Tom Hanks’s Oscar-nominated portrayal of Captain John Miller in this film earned him an induction into the U.S. Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame in 2006.

70. A Clockwork Orange (1971) — Gene Kelly was so offended by the way Malcolm McDowell portrayed the title song and dance number from Singin’ in the Rain (1952) in this film that when he and McDowell were introduced at a party several years later, Kelly walked away in disgust.

69. Tootsie (1982) — While in production, on one occasion Dustin Hoffman disguised himself as “Dorothy Michaels” for a parents night at his daughter’s school. It was so convincing, the teachers there never even suspected who he really was.

68. Unforgiven (1992) — Clint Eastwood received both the Best Director and Best Picture Oscars for this film. He was also nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, but lost that award to Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman (1992), his 8th nomination (August 7th, 2017, is Unforgiven’s 25th anniversary.)

67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) — Elizabeth Taylor, who won her second Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal as Martha in this film, was only 34 at the time, despite the fact that her character was supposed to be 52.

66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) — Steven Spielberg and the crew originally tried to use mechanical snakes for the Well of Souls sequence. Ultimately, it was decided that they looked to fake, and were replaced with real snakes.  

65. The African Queen (1951) — Humphrey Bogart’s wife, Lauren Bacall, became very close with Katharine Hepburn during the making of this film. They remained close until Hepburn’s death on June 29th, 2003.

64. Network (1976)-This was Peter Finch’s final feature film before his untimely death at the age of 60 due to a heart attack. He won the Best Actor Oscar posthumously.

63. Cabaret (1972) — Joel Grey won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as the Master of Ceremonies in this film, and had previously originated the role on the Broadway stage, where he also won the Tony Award. He beat Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, and James Caan for the Oscar—all nominated that year for their performances in The Godfather (1972). (He also beat Eddie Albert in The Heartbreak Kid (1972)).

62. American Graffiti (1973) — During the post-production of this film, one of the members of the sound crew wanted George Lucas to retrieve Reel #2 of the Second Dialogue track. The crew member asked Lucas “Could you please get R2-D2 for me?” Lucas liked the sound of that and kept that in mind for future projects.

61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) — In the movie, John L. Sullivan (played by Joel McCrea) plans to make a movie entitled “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” That title was later borrowed by Ethan and Joel Coen for their 2000 movie of the same name.

60. Duck Soup (1933) — This was the very last film of Zeppo Marx.

59. Nashville (1975) — All of the songs in this film were recorded live rather than prerecorded in a studio, including the Oscar-winning, “I’m Easy.”

58. The Gold Rush (1925) — This is the fifth highest-grossing silent film in the history of movies.

57. Rocky (1976) — The line from this movie, “Yo, Adrian!,” was voted #80 on AF1’s Top 100 list of Movie Quotations.

56. Jaws (1975) — There is a reference to “Jaws,” played for a joke in the movie Stakeout (1987) where Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss are playing “Guess the movie by its quote,” and Estevez quotes Dreyfuss’s line from “Jaws.” “This was no boating accident,” and Dreyfuss replies “I don’t know what that’s from.”    

55. North by Northwest (1959) — Cary Grant was reluctant to accept the role of Roger Thornhill in this movie since he was 55 years old—much older than the character.

54. M*A*S*H (1970) — According to Tom Skerrit, who played Duke Forrest, about 80% of the dialogue in this movie was improvised. Director Robert Altman cast several people in this movie from improvisational clubs who had no previous movie experience whatsoever.

53. The Deer Hunter (1978) — This movie earned Meryl Streep an Academy Award Nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress. It was her very first nomination among her record 20. She lost the award to Maggie Smith in California Suite (1978), but won the following year in the same category of for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

52. Taxi Driver (1976) — The Genie in Disney’s Aladdin (1992) parodies Robert DeNiro’s “You talking to me,” line from “Taxi Driver,” in the scene midway through the film, where Aladdin doubts the Gene’s powers.

51. West Side Story (1961) — Marni Nixon’s singing voice was dubbed in for Natalie Wood’s singing voice and Betty Wand’s singing voice was dubbed in for Rita Moreno’s singing voice in “West Side Story.” Nixon did, however, sing a brief bit for Moreno in the “Tonight” sequence. Moreno won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the film despite not having done her own singing, but Wood unfortunately wasn’t even nominated.

AFI’s Top 100 Movie Facts Part 1

In a few weeks, I’ll be publishing my 100th blog! In honor of all you readers and our collective interest in all things movies, I thought I would celebrate with a four-part series of “interesting facts” about the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movies. So for the next several posts, we’ll cover 25 movies at a time—and see what we did and didn’t know about these master works. (I will be acknowledging facts from AFI”s more recent list in 2007 rather than the original in 1998, beginning with Ben-Hur (1959) and ending with Citizen Kane (1941)). Respond with your favorite trivia if you like—enjoy.

100. Ben-Hur (1959) — William Wyler won his third Best Director Oscar for “Ben-Hur.” His previous win had been 13 years earlier for The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) which is ranked #37 on AFI’s ’07 list.

99. Toy Story (1995) — Pixar Animation Studios offered the role of Buzz Lightyear to both Chevy Chase and Billy Crystal before casting Tim Allen in the role. Crystal went on to say that declining the role was the biggest mistake of his career. (He was offered the role of Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc. (2001) as a result).

98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) — Michael Curtiz, director of “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” also directed Captains of the Clouds (1942) and Casablanca (1942) in the same year. “Casablanca” won him his one and only Best Director Oscar and is ranked #3 on AFI’s ’07 List.)

97. Blade Runner (1982) — There is currently a sequel to this film scheduled to be released on October 6th, 2017, Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Harrison Ford is the only returning cast member from the original. 

96. Do the Right Thing (1989) — This was the seventh of nine films that Ossie Davis starred in with his wife, Academy-Award-Nominee Ruby Dee. The others include: No Way Out (1950), Gone Are the Days (1963), The Sheriff (1971), Cool Red (1976), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), All God’s Children (1980), Jungle Fever (1991), and The Stand (1994).

95. The Last Picture Show (1971) — Ben Johnson won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in this movie even his screen time only lasted 9 minutes and 54 seconds. That is the shortest performance to win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

94. Pulp Fiction (1994) — Uma Thurman initially declined to take the role of Mia Wallace in the film. She changed her mind when Quentin Tarantino read her the script over the phone, desperate to have her in the part. 

93. The French Connection (1971) — Gene Hackman was the sixth choice to play the role of Jimmy Doyle in this film. Others who were in consideration include Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, James Caan, and Peter Boyle.

92. Goodfellas (1990) — This was the third of six films that Joe Pesci made with co-star and good friend Robert De Niro. The others include Raging Bull (1980), Once Upon a Time in America (1984), A Bronx Tale (1993), Casino (1995), and The Good Shepherd (2006). DeNiro won his second Oscar for “Raging Bull,” which is ranked #4 on AFI’s ’07 list and Pesci won his first and only Oscar for “Goodfellas.”

91. Sophie’s Choice (1982) — Marthe Keller and Barbra Streisand lobbied heavily for the role of Sophie in the film but director Alan J. Pakula conclusively chose Meryl Streep (Perhaps as a result of her having begged him on her hands and knees).

90. Swing Time (1936) — Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers also made Follow the Fleet together in 1936. Both films were produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.

89. The Sixth Sense (1999) — The year following its release, in 2000, “The Sixth Sense,” was rented by 80 million people making it the year’s top-rated DVD title.

88. Bringing Up Baby (1938) — This film was Katherine Hepburn’s first experience ever with comedy.

87. 12 Angry Men (1957) — Henry Fonda produced this film with Reginald Rose. It was his only producing credit throughout his entire career.

86. Platoon (1986) — Oliver Stone wrote the first draft of the script for “Platoon,” in 1971 with Jim Morrison in mind for the role of Chris. Morrison passed away of a heart failure at the age of 27 in Paris before reading the entire script. When official production on the film began years later, Charlie Sheen got the part.

85. A Night at the Opera (1935) — This was the first film of The Marx Brothers that doesn’t have Zeppo Marx.

84. Easy Rider (1969) — Dennis Hopper was going through drug-induced paranoia at the time of production on this movie and screamed at the entire cast and crew. As a result, many of them quit the film.

83. Titanic (1997) — Gloria Stuart received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nomination in the film for her performance as Old Rose, and was the only cast member alive during the actual shipwreck. She passed away on September 26th, 2010 at the 100, which is the same age as her character in the film.

82. Sunrise (1927) — Janet Gaynor became the first actress ever to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in this movie, along with her performances in the films 7th Heaven (1927) and Street Angel (1928).

81. Spartacus (1960) — Anthony Mann was the original director for the film, but due to bitter creative differences clashing with Kirk Douglas, he was replaced by Stanley Kubrick. The salt mine sequences are the only shots by Mann that are in the final cut of the movie.

80. The Apartment (1960) — Jack Lemmon’s performance as C.C. Baxter in this film inspired Kevin Spacey to pattern his Oscar-winning turn as Lester Burnham in American Beauty (1999) after this performance of his good friend and acting mentor, Lemmon.

79. The Wild Bunch (1969) — Director Sam Peckinpah wept bitterly when shooting the scene with Ernest Borgnine and William Holden saying, around a campfire, “they wouldn’t have it any other way,” making it difficult for him to yell cut.

78. Modern Times (1936) — Charles Chaplin starred opposite his third wife, Paulette Goddard in this film. The film was released on February 25th, 1936 and they were wed on June 1st, 1936.

77. All The President’s Men (1976) — Originally rated R for occasional usage of the F-word. It was ultimately was rated PG due to the historical significance of the story.

76. Forrest Gump (1994) — John Travolta, Chevy Chase, and Bill Murray were all offered the role of Forrest Gump before Tom Hanks was cast. Travolta later regretted not taking the role. He and Tom Hanks both received Best Actor Oscar Nominations that year, Hanks for “Forrest Gump,” and Travolta for “Pulp Fiction.” Hanks won. 

Roddy McDowall: The “Real” Ape Man

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude “Roddy” McDowall was born in Herne Hill, London, England on September 17th, 1928. His father, Thomas Andrew McDowall was a sea merchant and his mother, Winifriede Lucinda McDowall was an aspiring actress. Both shared a deep love for the theatre, and having inherited the same, McDowall won an acting prize in a school play at the age of 9. This led to him landing his first starring role the very next year in the movie Scruffy (1938). He also acted in the film Murder in the Family (1938) playing the younger brother of a pair of sisters played by Jessica Tandy and Glynis Johns. He relocated with his family to the United States in 1940 amidst the breakout of World War 2. Eager to continue his acting career, McDowall was placed under contract to 20th Century Fox at the age of 12 and shortly after was cast in the role of Huw Morgan in How Green Was My Valley (1941). “How Green Was My Valley,” won five Oscars, including Best Picture. For Fox, he also made the films, Lassie Come Home (1943), and The Keys of the Kingdom (1944). Although each of these films were hits for the studio, Roddy McDowall didn’t want movies to be his only outlet for acting.

In the late-1950’s, he left Hollywood to try his luck on the Broadway Stage, and appeared in the plays The Fighting Cock (which won him the Tony Award for Best Supporting or Featured Actor in 1960), No Time for Sergeants, and originating the role of Sir Mordred in the Lerner and Lowe musical classic, Camelot. He also began appearing on television in shows like The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) and The Eleventh Hour (1962-1964). He won an Emmy Award for his appearance on NBC Sunday Showcase in 1961. 

McDowall continued to act in films, reuniting with “Lassie Come Home” co-star/good friend Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963). Not long after “Lassie,” Taylor and McDowall also starred together in MGM’s The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). McDowall also took up executive producing very early in his career, and served as executive/associate producer for seven films in which he also starred, including Rocky (1948), Killer Shark (1950), and Overboard (1987).

McDowall was cast by Walt Disney—in one of the last films that he would produce—in the role of Gregory Benson in That Darn Cat! (1965). Passed over for the role of Mordred in Warner Bros. film adaptation of Camelot (1967), he landed the role of Cornelius in 20th Century Fox’s Planet of the Apes (1968). He reprised the role of Cornelius for Fox’s two sequels to the film: Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973). He also played Cornelius’s father, Caesar, in “Battle,” and Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)). During one of his many guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show (1967-1978), McDowall came out onstage wearing his complete makeup from the “Planet of the Apes,” series and sang a romantic duet with Burnett. 

Roddy McDowall also acted in several other films for the Walt Disney Studios. Before “Apes,” he appeared in a film called The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (1967). He also starred in Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). He later reunited with “Bedknobs” co-star/friend Angela Lansbury for two episodes on her series, Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996). After “Bedknobs,” he made The Cat From Outer Space (1978), The Black Hole (1979), and also lent his voice to two Disney Channel Original Series: Darkwing Duck (1991-1992) and Gargoyles (1994-1997). His last acting role ever was voicing to the character of Mr. Soil in Disney/Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998).

Roddy McDowall passed away of lung cancer on October 3rd, 1998. Throughout his career, he created a legacy of characters on stage and screen of playing intelligent yet funny characters. Perhaps remembered best for the “Planet of the Apes” series, he brought a dry sense of humor to every role he played-making him an enduring favorite. 

Pat Morita: The Sensei of all Senseis

“Wax On, Wax Off. Wax On, Wax Off.” This classic quotation was spoken by a 5’3’’ American-born Asian actor who gained international fame for his portrayal of Mr. Miyagi in the 1984 cult classic film The Karate Kid (1984). The film earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination for the performance, and he reprised it for its three subsequent sequels: The Karate Kid part 2 (1986), The Karate Kid part 3 (1989) and The Next Karate Kid (1994). Noriyuki “Pat” Morita was born in Iselton, California on June 28th, 1932 and passed away on November 24th, 2005 at age 73. He will forever be remembered as Mr. Miyagi, but he had an intriguing career both prior to and after “Karate Kid.”

Morita unfortunately developed tuberculosis at the age of 2 and spent the majority of the next nine years of his life in Northern California hospitals. Told he would never walk, by the age of 11, he had undergone spinal surgery and training on how to walk, and miraculously recovered. His family also ran a restaurant called Ariake Chop Suey in Sacramento where he would entertain customers with jokes and even serve as a “MC” for group dinners. This led him to try performing as a stand-up comedian.       

On occasion, he would perform as the opening act for Vic Damone, Connie Stevens, and comedian Redd Foxx. As a result Foxx saw to it that Morita was cast in the role of “Ah Chew” on Sanford and Son (1972-1977). He also made bit appearances in film and television shows such as Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) and Green Acres (1965-1971). Ultimately, while doing “Sanford and Son,” Morita also landed the role of Matsuo “Arnold” Takahashi in Happy Days (1974-1984). 

Ironically, there is an episode of “Happy Days,” entitled “Richie Fights Back,” in which Morita’s character teaches Ron Howard (as Richie Cunningham) martial arts when he gets bullied in front of his girlfriend. The episode aired on television in 1975, almost a decade before “Karate Kid” was released. The same year as “The Next Karate Kid,” in 1994, Morita starred in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), in a similar role.

After making the entire “Karate Kid” series Disney cast Pat Morita as the voice of the Emperor in Mulan (1998), and he reprised it for the direct-to-video sequel, Mulan 2 (2004) and the Disney Video Game Kingdom Hearts 2 (2005). He was also seen in an episode of Disney’s/ABC’s Boy Meets World (1993-2000). Before his untimely death, Pat Morita also lent his voice to an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999-present) in the episode entitled “Karate Island,” as the character, Master Udon. 

Despite losing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to Haing S. Ngor in The Killing Fields (1984), Pat Morita will never be forgotten as the “Sensei” who teaches karate/martial arts in the most unconventional ways. Morita brought many wonderful characteristics to the performance, including a distinctive voice different from his own native origin. During his funeral, his “Karate Kid,” co-star, Ralph Macchio gave a touching eulogy in which last words were “Forever, my Sensei.”