Karate Kid

The advertisements for "The Karate Kid Part III" promise that "the boy becomes a man" in the second sequel to the surprise 1984 hit. As a matter of fact, Ralph Macchio, who plays the boy in all three "Karate Kid" movies, hasn't been a boy for nearly a decade. Macchio, who portrays the engaging underdog Daniel LaRusso, is 27 and lives with his wife, a cardiac care nurse, at their home on Long Island.

"The Karate Kid Part III" (citywide) is one film too many. The fresh and inspired 1984 sleeper, a stirring, worthy crowd-pleaser, starred little Ralph Macchio as the new kid in Reseda who defeats the high school bullies when coached in karate by Noriyuki (Pat) Morita, his apartment house handyman. It did cry out for a sequel, which took us to Okinawa for new and reasonably enjoyable adventures. Part III, however, is not merely a disaster of the most uninspired contrivances but is actually unsuitable for youngsters, the series' natural audience.

We saw the movie "See No Evil, Hear No Evil" because it was supposed to be a comedy and it was advertised as a box-office hit. We were appalled at the language . . . four-letter words used throughout the movie. It made me wonder if the movies aren't to blame for the downfall of morals and ethics over the years. In the '20s and '30s actors and actresses were constantly shown with a cigarette, and smoking was widely accepted. It's taken all these years for anti-smoking crusades to educate the public.

Mild-mannered Jimmy Fritsch isn't someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley. Despite his unassuming appearance as a typical 5-year-old, the Covina kindergartner is a national karate champion. After only a year of training, Jimmy is seeking to become the youngest person in the United States or Canada ever to earn his black belt. "He just totally exploded," said Jim Fritsch, Jimmy's father. "He is like a human sponge, and he absorbs everything" he is taught.

Mild-mannered Jimmy Fritsch isn't someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley. Despite his unassuming appearance as a typical 5-year-old, the Covina kindergartner is a national karate champion. After only a year of training, Jimmy is seeking to become the youngest person in the United States or Canada to ever earn his black belt. "He just totally exploded," said Jim Fritsch, Jimmy's father. "He is like a human sponge and he absorbs everything" he is taught.

Lynn Kobayashi runs his karate classes like a drill sergeant but denies he is training junior Rambos. "Our art is a violent art form," said Kobayashi, an L.A. City Department of Recreation and Parks teacher. "In our system, you learn how to hurt and maim another human being. I'm not going to teach somebody this knowledge unless I see that they have the discipline to handle it." Be prepared to do two things in a Kobayashi class--sweat and take orders.