''The Little Dragons'' (also known as ''Karate Kids U.S.A.'' or simply ''Karate Kids'') is a 1980 American

action adventure film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

about two young brothers who use their

karate (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fuj ...

skills to rescue a friend after she is held captive for ransom. The film was directed and co-produced by Curtis Hanson. It stars Charles Lane,

Ann Sothern Ann Sothern (born Harriette Arlene Lake; January 22, 1909 – March 15, 2001) was an American actress who worked on stage, radio, film, and television, in a career that spanned nearly six decades. Sothern began her career in the late 1920 ...

, Chris Petersen and Pat Petersen.

Synopsis

Brothers, Zack and Woody (portrayed by real-life brothers Chris and Pat Petersen) are young

students who embark on a weekend camping trip with their grandfather J.J. ( Charles Lane). Along the way they meet a new friend, Carol Forbinger ( Sally Boyden) and her parents (

Rick Lenz Rick Lenz (born November 21, 1939, Springfield, Illinois) is an American actor, author and playwright. Lenz is known for his performances in the films '' Cactus Flower'' (1969), '' The Shootist'' (1976), and '' Melvin and Howard'' (1980). Early ca ...

and

Sharon Clark Sharon Clark (born October 15, 1943, in Seminole, Oklahoma) is an American model and actress. She was ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for August 1970. Her centerfold was photographed by William Figge and Ed DeLong. Career In 1971, at age 27, ...

). When the Forbinger family encounters a tough-talking backwoods mother (

) and her two bumbling sons ( Joe Spinell and John Davis Chandler) who decide to hold Carol captive believing they can collect a sizeable ransom, the "karate kids" must find a way to use their

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preser ...

skills to rescue the Forbinger girl with a little help from their grandfather and some new friends they meet along the way.

Cast

* Charles Lane as J.J. *

as Angel * Chris Petersen as Zack * Pat Petersen as Woody * Sally Boyden as Carol Forbinger *

as Dick Forbinger *

as Ruth Forbinger * Joe Spinell as Yancey * John Davis Chandler as Carl *Clifford A. Pellow as Sheriff * Stephen Young as Lunsford *

Pat E. Johnson Pat E. Johnson (born in 1939) is a 9th degree black belt in the art of American Tang Soo Do. He is the president of the National Tang Soo Do Congress, which was originally created by Chuck Norris in 1973. Johnson is famous for the martial ar ...

as Karate Instructor * Bong Soo Han as Karate Master *Donnie Williams as Motorcycle Leader *

Tony Bill Gerard Anthony Bill (born August 23, 1940) is an American actor, producer, and director. He produced the 1973 movie '' The Sting'', for which he shared the Academy Award for Best Picture with Michael Phillips and Julia Phillips. As an actor, ...

as Niles *Brad Gorman as Deputy *Tom Kibbe as FBI Van Operator *Spencer Quinn as Hootenanny M.C. * Topo Swope as Stoned Girl *Scott Spencer as Stoned Guy *Rosemary Welden as Biker Girl *Jim Sherwood as Roadblock Cop *Robert Espinoza as Little Dragon *Eric Johnson as Little Dragon *Rachel Lawson as Little Dragon *Jason Sachs as Little Dragon *Elan Salberg as Little Dragon *Oryan Salberg as Little Dragon *Tim Speer as Little Dragon *Elliott Mason as Little Dragon *Sam Spira as Little Dragon *"Jigs" as Rufus

Production

Although most online sources list the film as being released in July 1980, the Petersen brothers, Chris (born in 1963), and Pat (born in 1966) appear to be notably younger than in their various other roles during that same year. Indicated by their youthful appearance and hairstyles, the film appears to have been most likely filmed sometime between 1977 and 1978. Originally released in 1980 as "''The Little Dragons''", the film was later released on VHS by Active Home Video in 1984 under the same title, but with the new tag line: "The karate kids to the rescue!" in order to take advantage of the popularity of the hit film ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'' released that same year. The film was later re-released on VHS by Magnum Video in 1991, this time retitled as "''Karate Kids U.S.A.''". Subsequent DVD releases in the U.K. and the U.S. used shortened versions of both titles, retitled simply as "''Dragons''" and "''Karate Kids''" using the tag line: "Before the Karate Kid, there was The Karate Kids!"; however, the most recent 2009 Music Video Distributors DVD has been released under the film's original title, "''The Little Dragons''" this time with the tag line: "Meet the REAL Karate Kids...". Although intended to be a "

family film A children's film, or family film, is a film genre that contains children or relates to them in the context of home and family. Children's films are made specifically for children and not necessarily for a general audience, while family films ar ...

", by the time of the first VHS release in 1984, some of the language used by the children in the film was deemed inappropriate for a young audience, and was "cleaned up" for the 1984 Active Home Video VHS release.''The Little Dragons''. ''Active Home Video VHS''. Released 1984 The Petersen brothers having grown too old to re-dub their childhood voices, the decision was made to simply remove the "offending" dialogue altogether, resulting in the actors' mouths moving, but without the audio.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Dragons, The 1980 comedy films 1980 martial arts films 1980 films 1980s action comedy films American action comedy films American children's comedy films American martial arts comedy films Films directed by Curtis Hanson Films scored by Ken Lauber Karate films 1980s English-language films 1980s American films