 |
|
"Visiting the
site used for major scenes in a film you know and love is a surprisingly fascinating
and rewarding trip. Often the site is nothing like you imagined. Film makers
are very selective about what they let you see...."
[Note: This page may take a while to load as there
are TONS of pictures on it, so please be patient -- Its worth it!]
A
Note From The Author... -
[Updated 20th Oct 2006]
For more than
six years, this page has been one of which I'm most proud. When I started looking
in 1996, there was absolutely no information whatsoever on the locations of
the Karate Kid... Anywhere.
From my initial discovery of several of the locations myself -a whole continent
away from my home near London, England, to the amazing contributions of visitors
who took up the cause, to contact with so many great people I would come to
know as friends, making this page has been such a wonderful journey. This hasn't
been my page since the first visitor contributed to it.. It's
now our page. For all Karate Kid fans, by Karate Kid fans.
More than that, it has inspired other film fans to find their locations and
publish them in a similar fashion.
Along the way, amongst so much great stuff, there has been the odd dark moment,
-like finding our info on other people's websites...
In almost
every case of copying, when I wrote to them to politely ask why, I found that
the people meant no harm.. They were just movie fans appreciating what we'd
we'd done. They didn't know it was wrong...
Exceptions? Well, there was this
person, who lifted the karate kid locations information and quotes wholesale
from this page, went and took a few pics and now wants visitors to pay $2.95
to see them! Talk about internet piracy! When I wrote him to ask
why, he claimed that we had only stolen the information to start with,
so that meant that he could take whatever he wanted from us!
...And, not long ago, I discovered that the all the locations addresses
on this and many of our other movie pages had been lifted wholesale
by the IMDb. The undisputed 'daddy' of movie web sites... Looks like
piracy is catching on...
Anyways, I hope
you enjoy the locations and if you organise your own road trip or visits, I'd
love to hear from you :-)
-Nick Alaway
Webmaster: fast-rewind.com
Why Karate Kid Is Unusual With Respect To Locations...
 |
| In This 1997 Picture, The Author Stands In Front Of The Real Karate Kid Apartment Building. |
To
achieve the 'gritty' real-life look that the director and producers were looking
for, the Karate Kid was filmed almost entirely at authentic San Fernando Valley
Locations selected under the watchful eye of executive producer R. J. Louis.
"Its
better to photograph the reality than try to re-create it on a sound stage"
|
This provides us with the almost unique ability to find them and visit them. (This is unusual because most films are filmed on sets located on studio soundstages or private studio 'lots' (or back-lots) which are broken down when filming is completed. This means that they are often lost forever or could not be visited, even if they still existed.)
 |
| The real-life kids of the apartment complex pose for a 'publicity' picture at the real Karate Kid apartment. -Matt Buchholz |
Even
years ago, prior to my first visit to Los Angeles, I had long suspected that
all of the KK locations had been authentic. This opinion was further fuelled
by the re-appearance of the KK apartment building in KK3, looking obviously
different and showing the passage of time.
However,
actually finding locations is a different matter. Little is often published
about the locations used for a film so the only thing left is to study the movie
in minute detail and come up with some educated guesses about where places might
be. Out in the field, these guesses can be checked out.
Some films have official web sites or books that give a great deal of information about the outside locations used. Often these are blockbuster movies that have a lot of fans and a great deal of general interest. Scant information exists at all on the production of a small minority film like the Karate Kid (even though it was very profitable) let alone the locations used.
In the case of Karate Kid, all
of the locations originally known by me were found by a process of sheer logic,
guesswork and more than a little luck. As I live near London, in the UK, you
can imagine that the process was not easy!
Star
Contibutors!
Since the site was launched though, people have written in with the locations
of several of the key scenes. Thanks to Matt H,
we now know the location of the tournament scenes and thanks to Jon
Hertzberg, we now can verify that the Jersey scenes were filmed in
Jersey.
We were also lucky to have Matt Buchholz join
us as our official L.A. Locations Scout for a time and he has left his mark
on this page and his wonderful pictures can be seen below. Matt has located
and recorded the school location for the first time and visited both the apartment
and the beach locations and taken some excellent new pics of these locations.
We were also eternally grateful to Jose Artiles,
who wrote in with the info that has at last solved the riddle of the Cobra Kai
Dojo. The suprising story of this location can be found below in the Dojo section...
Probably the greatest contribution was from our last official LA locations scout,
Christopher
Lozano, who had very kindly spared loads of his own time to scout
existing locations and find new ones. You can see the fantastic fruits of his
labors in virtually every section of this page.
 |
| Karate Kid Filming Locations In The Greater Los Angeles Area |
As a result
of their efforts, the original work that I did is now dwarfed by the new stuff
from Chris and Matt, and it is difficult to imagine a more complete tour of
the filming locations for a movie published anywhere...
My eternal thanks to Chris and Matt and everyone who
has so selflessly helped.
Once found, visiting the site
used for major scenes in a film you know and love is a surprisingly fascinating
and rewarding trip. Often the site is nothing like you imagined. Film makers
are very selective about what they let you see of a site. It is true to say
that most of them try to show the locations in the most visually appealing way.
Unsightly areas seem to be cleverly disguised or the camera is kept well away.
Many of the locations are in the greater Los Angeles
Area, and are within a few miles of each other. If you are in LA and have an
interest in film making, go have a look! It really is worth the trouble.
So, without further delay,
lets take a virtual tour of the actual filming locations used in the film (where
known!) in the order that we see them in the film...
Visit The Karate Kid Filming Locations!
The Newark Location And The Drive Cross-Country - [last updated 10th Sep 1999]
As the film starts, our heroes
are leaving a location stated onscreen as 'Newark, NJ'. Our NJ Correspondent,
Jon Hertzberg, tells us that it is believed
that Daniel's NJ 'neighborhood' was actually filmed in Kearny, NJ. The industrial
areas shown briefly are also genuine NJ locations. -Thanks Jon!
They then are shown travelling across the USA....
Into Arizona - [last updated 28th Jul 2003]
After
a long drive punctuated with some bad singing on the part of Daniel's Mom, we
get to the staggering vistas of Arizona. The red stone cliffs and needles of
the 'wild west' form a great backdrop for Bill Conti's
fabulous and sadly unreleased original soundtrack score*.They
are seen leaving the Canyon Portal Motel and having to push start the car to
get going.
Sadly, Becky wrote in to say that: "On my vacation
last week, I recently tried to track down The Canyon Portal Hotel in Sedona,
AZ that was used in the opening credits of The Karate Kid. Well, 20 years later,
the hotel has been rebuilt, renamed and remanaged. It's hardly recognizable,
especially with its new strip mall neighbors right in front of it. In fact,
the only way I was able to confirm that the hotel was in fact the same hotel
(minus the address and talking with the staff and getting confirmation that
2 1/2 years ago it was still The Canyon Portal Hotel), was looking at my pictures
when I got back and comparing them to the movie... The same rock formations
were in the background!"
In
case you are ever in the area, the Canyon Portal Hotel
is located at, 280 N Highway 89a, Sedona, Az 86336-4237
-Tel: 520-282-7125.
*Update: See The Music
Section for more details.
The 'Karate Kid' Apartment Building
- [last updated 13th Oct 1999]
Of all the locations in the film, this one is a "must see"
if you are in or near LA and you like the film. Originally discovered by this
author in January 1997, the location used as the apartment building is a genuine
apartment complex that is still used and is located in Reseda, just as it was
supposed to be in the movie. The great thing is that it is still virtually identical
to how is was in 1983 when the film was made. It is slightly more run down than
it was and there have been a few minor cosmetic changes, but overall it is extremely
similar to how we see it in the film. Below, you can see a comparison between
the movie and real-life.
 |  |
Apartment
Building As It Is Seen In Movie (1984) | Apartment
Building As It Is In Real Life (1997) |
If you look at the picture above, what you can only just see on the extreme right of the picture is the 'field' [9] that Daniel runs across trying to evade Johnny & co which leads up to....
 |
|
.....the
section of the fence [5] that was used for the "skeleton
fence fight" sequence. Nowadays it has small trees and shrubs growing next
to it which I'm guessing were cleared to allow filming at the time, and the
dirt road and gates seen in the film [5] (see pic
below) were not present any more, but the location is true to the film and you
can walk the same routes taken by the characters through the complex, as they
were filmed.
Normally
film makers pay no attention to the real life 'continuity' of a location and
whether a location is accurately used or not, but in the case of the apartment
complex, the location was correctly portrayed on film.
The exception is Miyagi's Workshop. After being saved from the Cobra Kai, by our Okinowan 'Spiderman', Daniel is taken for tea and wisdom to Mr. Miyagi's workshop. [2] In fact, at the real apartment building, Mr. Miyagi's little janitors room was sadly absent, having been clearly 'mocked up' specially for the film, the film makers used a couple of car parking spaces that they 'blocked off' to temporarily fabricate his little workshop. In some ways this was a little disappointing, but the complex is so true to the film in other ways that we should be grateful for that. The interior scene would most probably have been filmed on a studio soundstage (a set).
 |  |
Picture
Taken At An Angle To Show The Location Of The Car Parking Space Used To
Fabricate Miyagi's Workshop. | Picture
Showing The Central Section Of The Complex Where The Pool Is. |
 |  |
The
original Karate Kid Website L.A. Location Scout, Matt Buchholz, stands
in front of the door to Daniel's apartment (Apart 20). Matt had been looking
for the location and finally found it from this web page. |
Matt Buchholz has also sent this excellent picture of the rear section
of the apartment complex. Here you can clearly see the wooden posts that
were part of the original 'South Seas' apartment complex design. |
 |  |
In
This 1997 Picture, You Can See Where Miyagi's Workshop Was Built (Marked
In Red) Into Car Parking Spaces... | Here
Is A Close-Up Of Miyagi's Workshop Door, As It Is Now (1997) You Can See
That Security Is Tighter Too. |
For
those of you who want to see where it all happened, the address of the KK apartment
building is 19223 Saticoy St., Reseda, LA, CA 91335-2503.
I would urge anyone who is interested to see it whilst it remains in a form
that is so similar to the film, but remember that it is a genuine apartment
building that is home to many people, so do respect the residents privacy
and don't trespass. On the upside is that it is very open around the
site and you can always ask someone if its OK to have a look round. Oh, and
apartment 20 [1] is exactly where it was in the movie
too, and I'm sure it was used for the interior scenes of Daniel's apartment.....
'Bop
Bop' On The Beach
-MAJOR
UPDATE 21st Jan 2001
Having been invited by Freddy to attend a "Sorta Adios To Summer" (I always did wonder what he was saying), Daniel finds himself at the next known location us, Leo Carillo State Beach. Situated just south of Oxnard on the Pacific Coast
 |
| The Craft -- Just one of many movies filmed at the "Karate Kid" beach |
Highway,
about 18 miles north of Santa Monica. It
transpires that the beach was named after Leo Carillo, a popular radio and TV
performer who played 'Pancho' in the TV series "The Cisco Kid". Carillo,
served on the State Park and Recreation Commission and was related by blood
and marriage to a long line of distinguished original Californians.
The
State Beach has 1.5 miles of sandy beach and rocks and has been used for countless
film and TV productions over the years including such productions as "Point
Break", "The Craft" and "She's All That" as well as the TV Series
"Baywatch". Often if you are watching a TV or Movie production and you see sand,
rocks and sunshine, you'll be watching a production that used Leo Carillo State
Beach as the location.
I'm guessing that it's used a lot because its away from LA (its in fact the
last State Beach in LA County) and the State must have a sympathetic view of
using Leo Carillo beach for film and TV productions. Little has changed in the
years since late 1983 when KK was filmed, so if you're in the area -go take
a look!
 |  |
| -Daniel at Leo Carillo State Beach | NEW! The Beach as it is now... [Chris Lozano] |
There is a main Lifeguard station atop the rocks [H] which has a large number '2' on it that is clearly seen in the film. This is the same lifeguard station that is seen when Johnny and The Cobra Kai's first appear on their motorcycles at night [below] at position [D]. -What you don't see in the film is an ugly concrete underpass that allows a trash infested stream to pass under the freeway [G] and also beach goers to pass safely through to the car park at [F]. |
 |  |
| -The Cabra Kai atop the beach point. [Matt Buchholz] | -The same location as it is today (1999) [Matt Buchholz] |
 |  |
| - In this superb picture, Matt Buchholz has captured perfectly the section of the beach that was used for the beach beating. You can clearly see the path that the Cobras rode down to the beach from the Lifeguard station.... | ...In the scene in the movie. -Matt Buchholz |
 |  |
| NEW! Shown for the first time, the section of the beach used for Miyag'is balance lesson and crane demonstration. [Chris Lozano] | ...And the scene in the movie. |
There
is a small road leading to a parking area at the far end of the bay and it is
here that Daniel braved the waves and Miyagi demonstrated the Crane. I could
not see any sea defense posts (the stump Miyagi uses) on the beach, so I must
assume that either they have been removed or it was added by the filmmakers.
 |  |
| NEW! Also shown for the first time, the section of the beach used for the "lookie what we have here" conforntation where Miyagi breaks the bottles. [Chris Lozano] | ...And the scene in the movie. |
Incidentally,
the lifeguards on duty in May 1999 still remembered Karate Kid being filmed
and particularly Miyagi's 'Crane' demonstration [C]
atop the sea defense post [See Pic Above] -- which,
of course, wasn't really Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita) at all... you can read who it
really was here.
'Cruel
Summer' At School
[Updated 21st Jan 2001]
After
admitting his 'Minute Maid' substance abuse, Daniel bravely heads off to school
only to find that his nemesis and friends are also pupils. I haven't visited
the school myself, but am eternally grateful to our original L.A. Locations
scout Matt Buchholz, who scouted our deduced
address to check it out. We were able to confirm is that the school does
still exist, and is now in a semi-derelict form, though more recently Chris
Lozano confirmed that it was still used as an adult learning centre,
often chained and gated to prevent access.
 |
| NEW Here we see the school covered way, where Daniel saw Johnny and said "I gotta Go" and "Get off my case!" [Chris Lozano] |
It now is used part time as an adult education centre. The location was used
for all the school scenes including the halloween dance and a driveway that
runs through it was used for the sequence where Daniel runs out of the dance
causing a crash between a couple of cars. It used to be the the Charles
Evans Hughes Junior High School and the production company obtained
permission to film there because the school had been closed due to falling enrollments.
The address seems to be 5607 Capistrano which is near
22400 Philiprim St; Woodland Hills, CA 91367-4461. This was identified
by the 'Philiprim' street sign clearly seen at the beginning of the scene. It
would not have been possible to see the numbers on the sign were it not for
the DVD copy of the film and some sleuthing work. Incidentally the autumnal
looking trees in the school 'soccer trials' sequence clearly back up the
published production start date of 14th October (1983).
 |  |
| NEW Here we see the school dedication plaque as seen in the movie where Daniel joins his new school for his first day [Chris Lozano] | NEW The lockers where Ali sneaks up on Daniel. (Except the scene is filmed from the opposite end in the movie) [Chris Lozano] |
 |  |
| A picture of the now semi derelict school clearly showing the name. -Matt Buchholz | NEW
This detailed map shows the school locations in detail [Chris
Lozano] |
"Fear Does Not Exist In This Dojo -Does It?" -MAJOR UPDATE 21st Jan 2001
Exactly
9 months to the day after I first wrote this section, we found the truth about
the dojo location.
Our most sincere thanks in this case goes to Jose Artiles,
who wrote in to give us the details that had for so long been eluding us.
The dojo location actually turns out to be two exterior locations! -Whilst meeting
his mom for dinner, Daniel checks out what he later discovers to be the Cobra
Kai dojo.
 |  |
| Dojo Location #1 as seen from "the Orient Express" restaurant. | NEW! Dojo Location #1 as it is now. [Chris Lozano] |
 |
| NEW! "Orient Express" Restaurant as it is now... [Chris Lozano] |
They
were sitting in a restaurant that the filmmakers called the 'Orient Express'.
According to Jose, this location is a different one to the frontal location
seen later in the film when Mr Miyagi and Daniel go and cut a deal with Kreese.
In the first scene at the "Orient Express" restaurant , we see Dojo
#1, which is located at the 5300 W block of
Wilshire Blvd at the intersection with Cloverdale.
Thanks to our new, official LA locations scout, Christopher
Lozano, we can now confirm that the "Orient
Express" restaurant is now a Korean style restaurant/club called "The Express"!.
Chris has sent us this picture of the outside of the restaurant as it is now...
Chris also tells us that you sadly cannot look through the windows of the restaurant
to check out the interior, presumably as they have been 'blacked-out' in some
way. These pictures were taket at night (obviously!) -we hope to get some daylight
ones in due course.
Dojo
#2, used for the frontal external scene with Daniel & Miyagi
was filmed on a street called Lankershim Blvd. in North
Hollywood, CA. The intersection street is Magnolia. The dojo was
located next to a McPhersons Jeweler. The fact that two locations were used
explains why in the exterior shots of the dojo, we never see the "Orient
Express".
The same location appears to have been used for the dojo in Karate Kid III.
I also believe that this location has been used in a number of other movies
including (believe it or not) 'Enter The Dragon'...
Thanks yet again to Chris Lozano, we have
stunning pictures of this location now too... Chris reports: "By the way,
the dojo actually teaches a Korean style of martial arts called Tae Kwon Do.
Even though the dojo was used again for Part III, you may notice that the exterior
is never fully shown as it was in the first movie. In other words, they probably
did not put the Cobra Kai signs up again outside."
 |  |
| Dojo Location #2 which is also seen again in KKIII | NEW! Dojo Location #2 as it is now. Look at that logo! [Chris Lozano] |
What Chris has managed to find are some
most stunning revelations: The interior of the dojo location is yet another
Karate Kid location "frozen in time" AND just look at the logo
used by the real Tae Kwon Do school
that occupies the dojo in real life!!
Is it me? Or does it look familiar somehow?
Just take a look at the stunning picture he provided below, shot through the
entrance glass door...
 |  |
| Dojo Interior as seen in the movie | NEW! Dojo interior as it is now -frozen in time. [Chris Lozano] |
Pushed
Over The Edge
-[UPDATED! 21st Jan 2001]
After dinner, Daniel is again harassed by the Cobra Kai and is pushed
off the road and down a steep slope. This appears to have been shot on a construction
site. Without any additional clues, I realise that the chances of locating it
are slim. However, Chris Lozano thinks that
he may have an idea where it is: "I may
have found the location where Daniel's bike is run off the road. On the school
map, Burbank Blvd runs to the east of the school location. A few blocks away,
I passed a steep slope on the south side of Burbank Blvd that looked very much
like the one seen in Karate Kid. I did not have time to check it out but hope
to someday."
Halloween
Shower Horror - With A Twist
- [updated 6th July 2000]
 |  |
Shower persuit scene after school
halloween dance. | -School location as it is now (Oct 1999) -Matt Buchholz. |
At
the school halloween dance, Daniel once again foolishly angers Johnny and is
pursued from the school back to the apartment complex. We know know, thanks
to yet more excellent scouting work by Matt Buchholz,
that this sceen was filmed at the same school, at the gym and a central driveway
that runs through the school. In yet more locational accuracy, the door that
he runs out of was actually the gym, which is where the scene was filmed.
Later,after failing to get over the fence in time, Daniel is given a beating
to remember until a kindly janitor steps in to save the day. If you visit the
apartment location you can trace his route over the field next door and up to
the fence where he takes the beating.
"Man, I Thought Chung Lee's Chinese Restaurant Was Good" - [updated 15th July 2003]
In
the morning, Daniel and Miyagi go to the Cobra Kai dojo once again to do a deal
whereby Daniel will enter the All Valley Under 18 tournament, in exchange for
a lack of beatings until then. Afterwards, they go to Miyagi's house to start
training. This is now the only major unknown location of the film.
We now know that this location was just "a rundown shack in a weedy yard
until the construction crew descended upon it. When they were finished, the
interior became a modest and beautifully austere Japanese dwelling with mats,
screens and other authentic Oriental accoutriments. The yard itself was landscaped
with miniature mountains, lanterns, decking, a pond complete with expensive
koi (Japanese fish) and hundred-year old bonsai." -Source
KK Press Kit
This location appears to be near railway tracks and an oil industry storage
area or junkyard..
Despite the efforts of many, for more than two years, the location has remained
a mystery... until....
Trufilm wrote in to say "Around
the time of the filming of Karate Kid 3 I was working as a production assistant
at Warner Bros. I was roaming the lot at the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank and
much to my surprise I came upon a location thatseemed vaguely familiar to me.
It was Miyagi's pad! Complete with railroad tracks and old cars in the yard.
It made sense to me (since most of the scenes in all 3 films took place at Miyagi's)
that they would build it on the lot. From what I remember it was off to the
right of the main entrance at the WB Ranch lot. There were a lot of trees surrounding
the area from what I remember. I also remember seeing Danny Glover's house from
the Lethal Weapon movies just across the way as well."
The mystery appeared to be solved. But, on further inspection, the location
just seemed "different" in the 2nd and 3rd installments to the original.
It wasn't until Karate Kid director John G. Avildsen
himself wrote in that we were to get closure on this long running mystery...
| "The
location used for Miyagi's house in the first movie was a real location
in Simi Valley. In between movies they demolished it and we rebuilt it on the Warner Lot"
|
Can anyone help with that SImi Valley location? Mr Avildsen didn't respond to
my further inquiry on the address...
It was designed and prepared under the watchful eye of art director William
Cassidy, who cited Mr. Miyagi's house as being the big challenge of the picture,
where the design of his home had to "reveal his true serenity of spirit.
His philosophy as a pacifist and a stoic had to be made organic in the movie"
In
KK III, in some of the scenes you can see a 5 or 10 story office building or
other commercial facility in the background... can you see Miyagis run down
yard from your office?
Ali's
House In The Hills
- [Updated 15th July 2003]
To
collect Ali for their date, Daniel and his mom pay a visit to Ali's imposing
house [See Pic On Right ] in the hills.
 | ||||||||
Ali's
House as seen in the movie | ||||||||
|
Thanks to superstar locations
scout Pat Evans, we know know that the location
is indeed in the Hills, following the pattern of most of the other locations
being in "real life" locales and that, like so many of the other Karate Kid
locations, it's frozen in time, having hardly changed at all since 1983...
The address is 4072 Alonzo, at the intersection
of Alvarado and Encino Lake Dr.
Dating at Golf N' Stuff
- [updated 31st Oct 2000]
After the embarrassment
of having to push start the car, Daniel and Ali go to Golf
N' Stuff at Norwalk at 10555 E. Firestone Blvd.
In the intervening years, there has been some change at Golf
N' Stuff Norwalk and the big water slide is just one of the major casualties
of progress. But thanks to Chris Lozano, we
now know that much more remains the same than was previosuly thought. In the
pictures that Chris has provided, check out the all important arcade location...
it looks as if the movie could have been filmed yesterday!
In addition, our thanks goes to Troy,who wrote
to Golf N' Stuff and learned that the park was built in 1970, with the waterslide
being added in 1980. Sadly for KK fans, there will never be a 'next time' to
do the waterslide as it was finally removed on the 26th March 1996... [Just
a few months before I first visited the site].
But, just look at the other pics... and, if you are in the area, go and recreate
your own Karate Kid date at Golf N' Stuff Norwalk and see what's what. To get
there take the 605 freeway and exit at the Firestone Blvd. exit.
 |  |
NEW!
Seemingly frozen in time, the Golf N' Stuff Arcade exterior still looks
the same 16 years later... [Chris Lozano] | NEW! Even more amazingly, the interior still looks the same in 2000 --check out those mirror-balls! [Chris Lozano] |
Humiliation
At The Country Club
- [updated 13th Nov 2000]
For
their second date, Daniel is to meet Ali outside what in the movie is called
Encino Oaks Country Club. Apparently, there
is no 'Encino Oaks Country Club', but thanks to the excellent work of
Pat Evans, we now know where it was in fact
filmed:
| "I
bring you some interesting location news for 'KK', straight from the horses
mouth as it were. I got called into work the other night unexpectedly and it couldn't have been a happier coincidence for who should I run into but Johnny himself, Wiliam Zabka. We chatted for a good long while... hell of a nice guy! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask him about the KK locations. He told me firstly that the country club was in fact the Calabasas Country Club. If you remember, I told you I had gone to the Knollwood CC and it was definitely not the place. So one less mystery there! I went to Calabasas CC and spoke to a nice lady who gave me the email address of the groundskeeper. Apparently, he's the only one left on staff from the KK days. It was bought about ten years ago and the new management have made some major renovations to the place. The old building, which would have housed the Banquet room in question was unfortunately demolished some years ago. So even if it was used, the actual site is no longer there. Sad news, but I think we're close to unraveling the mystery once and for all. I have emailed the groundskeeper for info. More interestingly, he told me that Miyagi's house was a real house in Encino. The crew actually came in and fixed it up with the Japanese garden and so forth, which jibes with what was written in the press packet." -Pat Evans |
For
those of you who fancy going to have a look, Pat kindly established that the
address for the Calabasas Country Club is 4515 N Park
Entrada, Calabasas, 91302. It is private, but we'll try and get more
info...
All Wet Behind The Ears - [Updated 26th May 2000]
In
one of the final lessons of his training, Daniel takes a dunk in the lake and
is taught how to punch. Thanks to an anonymous location
scout we can now reveal that these scenes were filmed on a
lake on the Tejon Ranch which is located just an hour north of LA on
the I-5. This is a vast corporately owned area that is used for many film and
TV productions. Curiously, I had wondered about this location when I had done
a search on the internet for "Lake +LA", but its great to have another
location verified.
I don't believe that it would be easy to visit the location but the very determined
fan could probably obtain permission. More information on the ranch in general
can be found on their website.
The
Tournament
-[Updated 6th Nov 2000]
Thanks
to our Tournament Correspondent, Matt H,
we learned that these scenes were filmed at CSUN,
or California State University Northridge.
As Matt rightly pointed out "...if
you look when Daniel is laying on the table after he is put 'out of commission'
by Bobby, there is a big banner under the table that says "CSUN".
Also, if you look carefully, it is possible to see a basketball score table
on the wall in certain shots. This location was not found until only 3 days
before the scene was due to be shot, according to the press kit.
 |  |
| Tournament entrance as seen in the movie | In this amazing picture by Chris Lozano you can see the tournament entrance in real life, still frozen in time in Nov 2000... |
Our last, official LA locations
scout, Christopher Lozano, had scouted the
locations used and has sent us the following report and some fantastic pictures:
"The tournament took place inside what is known
as the "Matadome" on the campus at California State University, Northridge.
It is named "Matadome" after the school teams' name of "Matadors".
The first pic [above] is of the entrance check-in scene. The others [below]
are in the gymnasium from different angles. Notice the championship banners
on one end of the court and the U.S. flag on the opposite side. Also, notice
there are dual staircases on only one end of the court. If you pay attention
to subtle details in the pictures you can see them in the background while watching
the movie. I have not included any outdoor pictures because I am unable to confirm
the exact location of where the Miyagi/Kreese confrontation took place in Part
II. I may need to return to the campus to try to sort things out."
 |  |
| Shot from Tournament scene in the movie showing staircase and flag | In this picture by Chris Lozano you can see the whole tournament location as it is in real life, The staircase and flag are easily recognisable and the grey board is where the All Valley scoreboard was put |
Thanks
once again to
Chris
for literally 'going to the mat' for us!
| ||
Don't forget to visit our parent site @ www.fast-rewind.com. We have the most comprehensive information on 80s movies of any site on the web and we're a non-commercial site too --free of pop-ups and other distractions. Along with the best movie locations information, we have reviews, trivia, pictures and so much more for many of your favorite 80's movies. Click here to go to our 80's homepage and thank you for visiting us.  |
Well, that's our look at the real life locations used for the movie Karate Kid. If you're in southern California sometime, go have a look, its a lot of fun if you're a fan of the film. Hopefully someone out there will be able to let me know where the other locations are that are used.
Also, please remember to give me feedback. Was the article interesting? Have you got anything to add? Are there any errors that you can correct me on?
This site is Copyright ©1999,
2005 Nick Alaway/Fast Rewind Websites. No part of it is to be used on another
site or in any printed publication or for any use whatsoever without the express,
written consent of the author.
Certain images that are used are Copyright 1984 Columbia Pictures Inc.
[I was originally
spurred into action by the excellent location breakdown at the
Back To The Future website].
©1999, 2006 Fast Rewind WebSites. All Right Reserved. |
