12 Days: William Zabka in Back to School

Thornton Melon: What's your favorite subject?

Bubbles: Poetry

Thornton Melon: Really? Well, then maybe you can help me straighten out my Longfellow.

To help his discouraged son get through college, a funloving and obnoxious rich businessman decides to enter the school as a student himself. 

There are thousands of movies set in high school, comedies, dramas, coming of age films.  High School is such a crucial time in our development, not to mention that many of us experience our first sexual experiences during our junior and senior high school years.  I've featured many of them on the site, but I think the most appropriate back to school film to feature this week is the aptly titled Back To School.

I was never really a huge fan of Rodney Dangerfield, yet I remember laughing at his antics the first time I saw the 1986 comedy.  I think I first watched it on VHS with my family, one of our weekend video rentals.  Dangerfield appeared alongside Robert Downey Jr, Adrienne Barbeau, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young and Keith Gordon.

For so many of us however, the film is most remember for those scenes with actor William (Billy) Zabka in his red speedo.   I wasn't really a huge fan of Zabka either, never got into the Karate Kid craze, but I did ejjoy a hot blond budging in a speedo.   Zabka filled out his speedo rather well, and also did a good job playing the mean high school jock.

I was surprised on a recent re-watch how few scenes of Zabka in his red speedo there were.  When I think back on the film, that's all I usually think of, but there were really on a couple.  Regardless, even though most of you have seen it before, always time for another quick peak!