I just heard on the news that Pat Morita passed away today. Known best for his role as Mr. Miyagi in "The Karate Kid", Pat also provided the voice for the Emperor in "Mulan". I made a short mockumentary of the Making of Mulan for our wrap party, and our producer, Pam Coats, called in a favor and asked Pat to narrate it and appear as host. He was great! A consumate performer.
The photo above is from our last night of shooting (in front of Disney/MGM's Chinese Theatre). The couple to the right is Krissie and Marten Kaufman. Krissie produced our short video and Marten was my DP (Director of Photography). Actually, this was the night that Marten proposed to Krissie -- on camera -- with Pat's help. He helped us set up the whole thing as a surprise to Krissie. After the last shot, I called "cut" and "wrap", then asked for one more take. Since I had called "wrap" (signaling the end), Pat started throwing a small fit and called for Krissie. Then as he talked things over with her, Marten knelt down behind her. Oh, he wasn't nasty, he just wanted her to clear this up, is this a wrap or not a wrap? What's going on here? After Krissie was good and flustered, and Pat turned her around to see Marten holding the ring.
She played the video for everybody all day the next day at work.
It's nice when sad news can bring back good memories.
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