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Pat Morita was a standup comedian before finding success on Happy Days
Did you know Arnold had his own jokes?
For his entire career, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita took what could've been one-note characters and elevated them beyond caricature. He imbued each role with a special humanity that made them real and believable. What could have been a filmography filled with humdrum stereotypical parts was instead a series of show-stealing scenes that were frequently the best of the project.
People probably know Morita best as Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid series. But before that, he was Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on Happy Days, the owner of Arnold's Drive-In. While Richie Cunningham and his friends hung out, Arnold would enter with some comedic relief or wisdom that helped them through the episode's story.
While this is where most viewers became familiar with Morita's work, he'd been thrilling audiences for a long time before getting his big break on TV. Pat Morita started his show biz career as a standup comedian years before landing recurring sitcom roles. In a 1986 interview published by the Associated Press, Morita looked back at his beginnings on stage.
"Since I became a quote actor unquote, I've devoted more and more time to that aspect of my career," says Morita.
"I haven't really worked as a comedian for eight years, but I'm thinking of doing some college concerts if I can work up some material. I've got 12 to 15 minutes so far, but I need more. You've got to be prepared when you stand up for an hour in front of 2,000 strangers."
Morita's career was forever tied to his Japanese heritage, but he acknowledged how living in America allowed him more freedom in his art.
"Only in America could you get away with the kind of comedy I did. If I tried it in Japan before the war, It would have been considered blasphemy, and I would have ended in leg irons."
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