the karate kid & raiders of the lost ark

TCM is playing The Karate Kid now. I must have seen that movie at least seven times in the theater in 1984. Both my sister and I loved it. We constantly quoted it. "Take a right, check it out..."

I remember sitting in our church basement and somebody brought up The Karate Kid. My dad motioned to my sister and I, saying "These two have seen it seven times", or something to that effect. I remember smiling that shy smile of mine that was part embarrassment and (in this particular instance) part pride. Pride because I loved the movie so much and was glad to be identified as someone who had seen it seven times.

When you're a kid, movies can have such an impact on you. Films like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Karate Kid made me feel great. They were such a rush. I remember coming out of Raiders with Chris, running and kicking and jumping around the Capitol Mall parking lot, yearning for adventure and certain I could be the next Indiana Jones.