William Zabka: Postscript

I have to acknowledge, that I'm not really a huge fan of William (Billy) Zabka's work.  I didn't really love The Karate Kid, nor have I caught any of Cobra Kai.  My zeal for Zabka came after seeing him after a family trip to the video store when I was a kid.  One of the movies we returned with was the 1986 comedy Back to School. 

Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story (1984)

When I got a little older, I notice some of Zabka's shirtless pin-ups in old teen magazines, and promo shots for his projects including these promotional shots shots with actor Stephen Macht for the 1984 CBS School Break Special, Contract for Life: The S.A.D.D. Story. (1984)  Given the story was about drunk driving, I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but there is something highly homoerotic about the shots.  They'd be perfect for a Carnal video, if Carnal was making younger/older videos in the 1980's. 

This past September, I did a 12 Days post featuring Billy in his red speedo from Back to School. (HERE:)  When I was searching for shots for the piece, I ended up with a few extra shots of William that weren't from movie, and didn't fit into the piece.

The Karate Kid

Some of the shots were from the 1985 comedy, Just One of the Guys.  This was another flick I saw on VHS when I was a kid.  Some of you may remember the film, a high school female student pretends to be a boy.  The premise for why she did it was a bit flimsy, but it was an enjoyable watch.

Just One of the Guys

I posted about the film before, but looking for shots of William, had me thinking it was time to give it another look.  Check out my caps and clips, as well as one of William's cute co-stars from the film, who's nudity resume needed some further investigation.  Check it out on the NEXT PAGE HERE: 

William Zabka: Blast From The Bast!

William (Billy) Zabka wasn't really on my radar when I was growing up. One of his biggest roles was in The Karate Kid series of films in the 80's and for some reason those movies repelled me back then...they still do. I am sure that I would like them if I gave them a shot, but there was something about the film that had me turning, or tuning, away at every opportunity.

My first memory of Billy, I guess predictably, involved a little less clothing than his white Karate Gi. That piece of clothing was red in fact, a red speedo he wore in the Rodney Dangerfield flick Back To School. I remember our family renting the movie in the late eighties, and my sneaking back to the rec room to rewind Zabka's diving scenes, standing on the diving board in his speedo, high above the University swimming pool.

It is funny how memories get buried until the just the right trigger. Some sadly are lost forever, but sometimes some get uncovered in the unlikeliest of places. Never really a fan of How I Met Your Mother, it was a sit-com I rarely watched unless using it as background sound while working around the house or multi-tasking something for work.

In 2013, it was an episode featuring Zabka, that had me flashing back to the past. Zabka appeared as himself seven times on the CBS sit-com in 2013 and 2014. After seeing Zabka on the show, I IMDB'd Billy to find he has worked fairly steadily since his debut in the eighties. I had also forgotten about another VHS mainstay that Zabka co-starred in, One Of The Boys, next on my cue of Billy movies to check out!

Karate Kid (1984)

Back To School (1986)

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!

A Look Back: Just One of the Guys

'Terry feels discriminated against when the summer jobs at the Sun Tribune go to two guys. She decides to do something about it. She dresses like a guy and gets a haircut. Will students at the other high school notice? Girls notice "him".'

As I said in the previous post, the premise in Just One of the Guys, for getting it's main character Terry, (Joyce Hyser) to dress as a high school boy, was a bit of stretch.  We'll let it go however, as the movie was enjoyable enough, and it led to a few scenes with some cute butts in the locker rooms. 

Billy Jacoby 

The film wasn't sold on it's story, it was it was the talented cast that won me over.  In addition to Hyser and William Zabka, the comedy also featured Leigh McCloskey, Sherilyn Fenn and Toni Hudson.  It also featured a great performance by Billy Jacoby, (now Billy Jayne) who was utterly adorable as Terry's younger brother Buddy.  I've enjoyed Jacoby in a number of films, including his creepy turn in the film Bloody Birthday.  There was a hot nude scene with a 'guy in a van' I previously featured on the site. (HERE:)

Clayton Rohner

The film also featured actor Clayton Rohner, who played Rick Morehouse in the flick.  Rick is a socially awkward exchange student who Terry meets on her first day of school.  Given she's pretending to be a guy, they become friends, but Terry quickly develops a crush while trying to bring Rick out of his shell. 

Rohner is a busy actor, and has had many memorable roles, including a string of hits in the 80's and 90's.  Check out my closer look at the actor, and his two on-screen nude scenes, in the POST BELOW:

The locker room nudity was fairly tame in Just One of the Guys, just a few cuties in jock straps.  The situation however, with Terry getting to check out all the guys in her high school, naked in the locker room, was pretty hot, and a fantasy, many of us had.  One of the hottest in the cast was Jacoby, but he would have been about 16 during filming, so younger brother Buddy, was not in the high school scenes. 

Zabka

Rohner

One of the hottest scenes, (although no nudity) was when many of the characters, including Zabka' and Rohner's get handed a towel by Terry when they exit the shower.  Terry enjoys her views, especially checking out Rick, (Rohner) walking away.