The Last Time I Saw Mr. Miyagi by Danny Zale

(I originally posted this on The Zale Map website in 2012 ~ Danny Zale)

Whenever I'm on HOLLYWOOD Blvd, at the Grove, Farmers Market, Starbucks, Whole Foods, CVS, Coffee Bean, etc. not a day goes by that I'm not asked "Any word on Mr. Miyagi yet?". I, sadly, have to tell them "Not yet, I'm still waiting." I can't stop by his house nor call him because, regretfully, I never asked nor did he offer an address or phone number as he would always call me or we would meet at our coffee spot before hitting the block to perform.

Mr. Miyagi - Phillip

But, let's back up, I'm getting ahead of myself. I first met Phillip a few years ago. I would often see him at various places as I biked around L.A. One day he introduced himself with his first and last name. The last name I regrettably forgot and, when I asked him again some time later he just said "Miyagi, just call me Miyagi Danny and I'll just call you Elvis or Wolverine." Funny though, he always addressed me as Danny after that, never as Elvis or Wolverine.

When we met I asked him what he did for a living and he told me he was retired but that he studied to become a lawyer and later he worked at the old May Company at Wilshire and Fairfax, pictured below.

The old May Company at Wishire & Fairfax

He said he lived from month to month on his retirement savings and times were really tough for him. I told him he should come to the block and perform as Mr. Miyagi as he looked so much like Pat Morita. He said "Yeah, I hear that a lot from people but I'm not a performer Danny, I wouldn't know what to do". I told him that I would be glad to help him and that he should think about it.

Several days later he showed up on the block, very shy and reserved. He listened and observed, taking in everything and about 2 weeks went by before, suddenly, he showed up on the block dressed up exactly as Mr. Miyagi from a vary familiar scene in the Karate Kid.

Mr. Miyagi grabbin' some eats

I was blown away at his sudden transformation and, as we were greeting each other, a large family of Asian tourists came and asked if they could take some photos. I invited them to step in the middle between Phillip and I, yelled out my "Quiet on the set, we're rolling!" routine and without missing a beat Phillip added matter-o-factly and with humble confidence "Show time!" The tourists' children giggled with delight and the crowd that had suddenly surrounded us clapped. Phillip had suddenly become Mr. Miyagi and, had I not known his real name, I would have sworn this was Pat Morita standing next to me.

All the Street Performers noticed his transformation from a shy, reserved observer to a confident yet humble entertainer. Everybody loved Phillip, how could you not. He would always greet you with a high five, warm smile and a kind word. He ended up becoming a mentor to several of the Street Performers and, though I may have mentored him as an entertainer, he mentored me on all the legalese for The Zale Map, but that's another story for another day.

Around September 2012 I took several weeks off to re-work my map, showing up on the block rarely but, when I did, I would work with Phillip. He liked to sit at the Coffee Bean on Hollywood at Orange with me, sipping coffee while reminiscing and taking photos as tourists would pull us off the property a foot away, snap the photos and then step one foot back and sit down. This was great for him as, due to his age, he didn't have to stand hour upon hour while performing.

After reworking the new design for my map I was told it was going to cost a large amount to make the 2nd edition due to the pagination design. This meant I had to start performing again in order to make it happen. So I show up to the Coffee Bean to work with Phillip and the outside patio had since been enclosed. We hit the Blvd to perform but he needed to break often and I would end up teaming with other Street Performers in the interim.

Around mid December 2012 through early January 2013 I had to take some time off. In early January he called and asked me to meet him as he wanted to give me my Birthday card. He looked very tired but he was smiling and I didn't want say anything. He said he'd been working long hours on the block the last few days and I remember those days were very, very cold. I thanked him for my Birthday card, gave him a hug and said good night.

A few evenings later, I happened to see him at the corner of Wilshire & Fairfax, leaning against the Petersen Museum. He was wearing his Miyagi bandanna so I assumed he was heading home from Hollywood as he never wore it to the block. He would usually get to the Coffee Bean or Starbucks on the block and pull it out of his jacket, adjusting it in the restroom mirror.

Petersen Automotive Museum

In the middle of the 2 cars in the center is where I last saw him

As I approached him I noticed he looked worse for wear than the last time. I asked him how his night was on the block and he said he was about to head out there now. I asked him why he already had his bandana on and he touched his hand to his head and then said in a light tone "I don't remember putting this on. I'm not feeling too good Danny." He smiled weakly. He told me he had been working straight through the cold snap and this worried me. I asked if I should call 911. He said no so I told him to go home and rest. He said he had been hit by a big bill and needed the income. I gave him a few bucks (though clearly not as much as he needed) and said "Call them tomorrow and get an extension but, for now, go home and rest a bit, your health is more important than anything else. I love you Phillip, wanna' see you stick around for a long, long time!" He gave me a hug as the 720 line was pulling up. "Yeah, I think I will go home. Love you too Danny!" he said as he climbed onto the platform with a slight wince. I yelled out for him to call me when he got home but I don't think that he heard me.

That was the last time I've seen or spoken with him. It's been almost a year now. I leave word at his favorite spots for him to call me but... nothing! I knew his general place of residence was somewhere in the Miracle Mile area but that was it. I've recently heard by three different people that he returned to China (he is half Chinese and half German) but this makes no sense to me as he would have called me at some point. It's been almost a year since I've spoken with him and he would never go more than 2 or 3 days tops without calling me. In fact, whenever he would introduce me to someone he would always say "This is my best friend Danny Zale." I just pray he's okay and I ask that you keep him in your prayers as well. If you see him PLEASE tell him to call me.

Phillip, if you happen to see this, I want you to know that I love you and miss you so very much and there's a lot of others that feel the same. You don't have to go into detail, just a quick "Hi, I'm okay." would be awesome!

Just a last thought, strange that the last place I saw him was directly across from the old May Company that he worked at all those years ago.
Danny Zale

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