"Blind Date" (1987) with Laramy Wells

Tim: You have a high powered job, a big presentation the next morning, and a seemingly innocent setup for a dinner date. What could possibly go wrong? If you're Walter Davis, the answer is everything. We're talking about ruined careers, an ex-boyfriend with a vendetta, and enough slapstick destruction to make even the most seasoned comedy fan sweat. So straighten your tie, pop open the champagne, and try not to crash your car into another store as Laramie Wells and I discuss Blind Date from 1987. On this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast. Welcome to the show, everybody. I am your host, Tim Williams. As always, I am thrilled to have one of my creative partners back in the studio. Please welcome back the man who definitely knows better than to let a blind date spiral out of control, the one and only ⁓ Laramie Wells from Moving Panels. How are you Laramie?

Laramy: I'm good. You okay, Agnes?

Tim: Ha ha ha Yeah, ⁓ Blind Date, Bruce Willis, Kim Basinger, John Laroquette. ⁓ I I can't say it's truly a forgotten eighties movie, but I don't think people talk about this one as much as they probably should. It's a fun one.

Laramy: Hmm. Yeah. Yeah, and Bruce Willis's first movie. That's that's another reason it should be talking about, yeah.

Tim: Yeah, very first like starring role. Yeah. Yeah. So well let's let's jump right in. When did you see Blind Date for the very first time?

Laramy: it was years ago. I couldn't put my my exact I will say I did not see it on television. I went out and actually purchased it. ⁓ I'm a huge Bruce Willis fan, as I I think anyone listening to the show knows. ⁓ ⁓ so I went out, I did it was on VHS, so give you an idea of how long ago it was that I purchased it. ⁓ but yeah, got got a hold of it on VHS so that I could watch it. ⁓ so we're probably talking late nineties, if not early two thousands.

Tim: Ha ha ha Okay. Okay. Mm-hmm. Yes, well established. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: ⁓ probably about the time that I I I saw it then.

Tim: Yeah. This is one that I did see in the theater. I remember seeing this one at the movie theater on base in Fort Meade, Maryland that had the you know, just it played over the weekend. It was, it had been out I you know, this one did pretty well at the theater. We'll talk I mean we'll in in the box office, we'll talk about it towards the end, but ⁓ I don't remember having to wait that long to see it though. Like they got it kind of early. So it was packed with people, but I was already a Bruce Willis fan, as we've talked about. I loved moonlighting. That's where I, you know.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: kind of discovered Bruce Willis and ⁓ became a big fan of his through that. So was looking forward to the movie. I d I will say when I first saw it, I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I did watching it later. ⁓ but I still had a soft spot for it. So ⁓ but yeah, but how long has it been since you watched it before we were watching it for the podcast?

Laramy: ⁓ again, probably a good good while. ⁓ I even when I went to I knew I owned it and I've upgraded to a D V D. ⁓ I knew I owned it. It honestly took me a minute to find it. ⁓ even though my collection is alphabetized, I've got another set of movies on a shelf upstairs. ⁓ and it just happened to be on that shelf. And but that shelf isn't as an alphabetized, so it took me a minute to find it. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. ⁓ Okay. Yeah.

Laramy: So so that gives you an idea, 'cause I didn't even know where it was in my house.

Tim: Yeah, I I can't exactly remember the last time I seen it. It's been within the last probably 10 or 15 years, I would say. I have a digital copy that I got from back when it was still voodoo. Now it's Fandango at home. But it was part of a I usually a lot of the ones that I get from there are usually like the have the mix and match where five movies for 15 or you know, three for 15 or something like that. So

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: it was kind of a bundle deal. But I might have watched it when I got it then 'cause I hadn't seen it in so long. But yeah, it had been a while. But it was still like watching it again today. I remembered there was more of it that I remembered watching it this time than when I watched it the last time. So but ⁓ but still a fun still a fun movie. Very enjoyable. And we'll we'll definitely get into it. So

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. But like many Blake Edwards movies, what doesn't hold up. Like and when I say doesn't hold up, like could not be made today. Yeah.

Tim: Mm yeah, yeah, it's it's ⁓ no, no, definitely not. Definitely not. So ⁓ yeah. All right, well, now it's time to see if you know the fun facts and trivia about blind date before the cameras ever started rolling. Let's head into our trivia segment we like to call risky quizness. All right, Laramie, I pulled five random bits of information directly from the pre production and casting files. Your job is simple. Tell me if they're true or if they're false. ⁓ Are you ready?

Laramy: ⁓ typically not, but let's go ahead.

Tim: All right, and of course you can play along at home. So here we go. Number one, true or false. Before Bruce Willis was cast as Walter Davis, the lead role of Blind Date was originally intended for Sean Penn. True or false.

Laramy: I I I could I could see that. So I'm I'm gonna go true.

Tim: Yeah, that is true. The film was originally intended for the recently married Madonna and Sean Penn, but both backed out after the project failed to attract a director. The project moved to establish director Blake Edwards, who agreed to direct contingent on making some script changes. So cause most most Blake Edwards movies are movies that he's written. So this is one of the few movies that he made that he did not was not an original idea. So all right.

Laramy: Mm.

Tim: Number two, true or false, director Blake Edwards famously wanted the film to be a dark, serious drama, but the studio forced him to make it a slapstick comedy instead. True or false?

Laramy: Man, you know what, knowing Blake Edwards movies, I I would have to say that was false. I mean, this is the guy behind the Pink Panther. So

Tim: That is absolutely correct. It is false. He was known specifically for comedies, and ⁓ Blind Date was always intended to be that way. So yeah. All right. You're doing good. All right. Number three, the character of David Bedford, played by John Larriquette, was originally written to be a much smaller role, but was expanded significantly during filming due to his chemistry with the rest of the cast. True or false?

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. That one I really don't have a clue on. So I'm just gonna take a guess. I'm gonna say I'm gonna say you're you're saying it was meant to be smaller, right? So I'm gonna say true. Okay, good.

Tim: Yes. That is true. His performance was so r well received that the writers expanded his scenes during production, which I could see. He's like, you know, chewing up the scenery, like just having the time of his life. So, all right.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. John Larry Kitz Yeah. Absolutely. And I love how it's just it's the s it's almost like the same line and same delivery every time you see him. He's like, Are you I'll kill you Yeah.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right, right, right. ⁓ yeah. And because he was well, I we'll get into casting, but of course he was at that point well established as the lawyer from ⁓ Dan Dan from Nightcourt, which was kind of a little out there as well. I mean it's a little bit more ⁓ more extreme. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So all right.

Laramy: Nightcourt. Yeah. Little bit more of a straight man. Yeah.

Tim: On a roll, here we go. Number four. Blind date marked the feature film debut for actor Phil Hartman who played the character of Ted Davis.

Laramy: Ooh, was this the first movie for Phil Hartman? I'm trying to think of what other Phil Hartman things. ⁓ and is and what year they came out. ⁓ that's where that's gonna get tricky. ⁓

Tim: Yeah, that's where that's where it gets tricky.

Laramy: ⁓ man. I'm I'm gonna say it was just early enough that I'm gonna say it was, but I it might not be.

Tim: It's false. Yeah. It was an early prominent role for him, but he had appeared in several films prior, mostly cameo like smaller roles, but like nineteen eighty seven, Jumpin' Jack Flash is more is was one more he was like his first feature film debut. So

Laramy: Yeah, I I was worried about that one. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And I'm not as familiar with that one. 'Cause I was I was honestly thinking of like like, you know, ⁓ 'cause ⁓ I was thinking of things like ⁓ like wasn't he in like Pee Wee's Big Adventure? Yeah. So I was like, Well y but yeah.

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm. But once again, very much a cameo, yeah, in that. So yeah. All right. Well, you've only missed one so far, so you're still in the win column. But let's see if you can round it out with the last question. True or false? The wine tasting scene where the restaurant is destroyed was filmed on a set designed to be easily reset, allowing the crew to perform the chaotic stunt multiple times in one day. True or false?

Laramy: Ooh. that one's a hard one too, because I could all I could see it being false because it was like, Hey, we've got to do this in one take. ⁓

Tim: Ha ha ha

Laramy: Man, that one's a difficult one to go with too. I'm gonna go with my gut and just say I'm gonna say false. I'm gonna say it had to be done. It it's gonna be it's true, but I'll I'll say false. Yeah.

Tim: It's true. Yeah. Yeah. The production team built a specialized set that could be rapidly cleared and reset to capture the escalating destruction. I'm thinking, you it's Blake Edwards. He's done these type of movies multiple times. He's not gonna want to take that chance of having to only film it one time. So yeah. But hey, you got three out of five. It's still a win. You won the series if we're going by baseball rules. So

Laramy: I believe it, yeah. Yeah. True.

Tim: But ⁓ if you played along at home, tell us how you did. You can send us an email, reach out to us on social media, or leave us a comment right here on YouTube. That's where you're watching the episodes. So always Hey, by yourself. Yeah. It's I think it's I think it's, you know, I like having the one on ones, but it's always better when it's a team because I like I love hearing you guys try to like, you know, help each other out and like, I think it's this. Well, I think it's that. And so

Laramy: No. Still probably the best I've done on one of those, so yeah. Yeah. And I and I and I tr ever since you started doing those, I try not to look at a lot of trivia. Cause I'm like, I don't want to feel like I cheated. So

Tim: ⁓ okay. Right, right. So all right, well, good deal. Well, let's jump into casting. I told Laram before this, it doesn't have a huge cast, but there are a lot of what as Nicholas has coined the phrase, that guys ⁓ in this that you like. I've seen that guy before. And there are a few in here, but let's talk with the starting cast. ⁓ top build ⁓ was not Bruce Willis, even though most people will know him as the lead. The top billing goes to Kim Basinger.

Laramy: Nope.

Tim: As Nadia Gates. Of course, we've talked about her in our Batman episode from a couple of years ago. But just to give you a quick ⁓ recap, ⁓ she gained widespread attention for performance in the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again in '83. She went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for her role in The Natural in '84, which we also covered. And of course, I mentioned Vicky Vale in Tim Burton's Batman in '89. She had previously be cons been considered for the role of Jenny in Blake Edwards' earlier comedy hit Ten in nineteen seventy nine, which went to Bo Derrick. So

Laramy: Hmm. And that role's so iconic for Bodarick. It it's crazy to think of anyone else, yeah.

Tim: Yeah, no, I can't imagine anybody else. Yeah. And seventy-nine, it's like she would have been I mean, I guess she w I I just think of her like she's already kind of young in this, and this is late late eighties. So but yeah. Yeah, I don't know. I'd have to think I it's hard for me to think of her in the seventies 'cause I only know about her in the in the eighties. So not that she was very old in the eighties. So but yeah. But this was a fun role for her. It was definitely probably the first. First. Yeah. For me, that probably wasn't the first movie that I saw her in because this was before Batman. Cause I don't think I'd really we talked about the natural, I don't think I was some what I'd really seen. I don't I wasn't into Bond that early, so I hadn't seen Never Say Never again. So this is probably my first introduction to to Kim Basinger. So

Laramy: Yeah. ⁓ Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think it would have been it would've been Batman for me.

Tim: Yeah. All right. And then, of course, Bruce Willis as Walter Davis. ⁓ we've talked about him, of course. ⁓ widely recognized as a Hollywood icon of the action genre. He first achieved fame with a leading role in the comedy drama series Moonlighting, which talked about from nineteen eighty five to eighty nine. He also appeared in over one hundred films, gaining widespread recognition as an action hero first portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, which we have talked about many times. Right.

Laramy: Yes. Which was which was just his third movie. It was just two after this one. He does die hard. Like heck of a way to start a career.

Tim: Yeah, this was his first credited film. We did talk about he he is in the background of the verdict, which you and I talked about a couple years ago.

Laramy: Verdict, yep. And ⁓ First Deadly Sin, I think is the name of the the other movie that he's it's a Frank Sinatra movie. I think it's called the First Deadly Sin. He just walks past ⁓ Frank Sinatra in one scene. but yeah.

Tim: Okay. ⁓ okay. Gotcha. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So, but it was because he because this movie did well, it helped him get the part of John McClain. They knew they knew he could he had the stuff to be in be in a movie. So what did he make between this one and I didn't look it up. Look it up. Sunset. Yeah. Him and James Garner, right? Yep.

Laramy: Sunset, another Blake Edwards movie. Mm-hmm. Yep. Where he plays ⁓ Nyx. What was his first name? ⁓ man, I cannot think. ⁓ yeah, but he plays yeah, famous cowboy actor. ⁓ Tom, Tom Nicks, Tom Nicks. Yeah.

Tim: Famous cowboy. Yeah. Yeah, I can't think of it either. Tom Nicks. Okay. I was thinking Tom, but I was like, it doesn't sound right. So yeah. And that one I actually watched that one a couple of years ago. I hadn't seen it in a long time. And it's a that's a that's another fun movie too. So he's really good in. So yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: It's fun. It's not as good though. It is he did have that, as many actors have, that sophomore slump of the second movie i is not is not that great comparatively to first movie or even movies that came after. It's like a little bit of a slump. I think the worst slump, just to go off task a little bit, because I whenever I talk about this, I always think of Steve Martin. Because he does the jerk and then he follows it with pennies from heaven.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. Mm. Ha ha ha I really wanted to like that movie, but it's so hard to get through.

Laramy: And I know that there's as about say I know there's people that like it. I know there's people that like it, but man, that is a hard movie to watch.

Tim: Yeah. Yep. ⁓ yeah. I bought I got I bought a digital copy, it was part of a bundle and I tried to watch it and I was like I made a got like twenty minutes in. I was like, I this is just not what I want to watch right now. Like this is not what I expected it to be. So yeah.

Laramy: Yeah, that is a hard movie to watch. Yeah. And Sunset, yeah, Sunset's fun, but honestly as a movie, I mean if you know, if we ever talk about it, you know, we'll talk about more, but but yeah, it's it's it's just not great. Like so it's de I would say it's definitely a forgotten eighties movie.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, ⁓ yeah, it is. So ⁓ I thought this was fun. I'm sure this is something you already know. Of course, his character's name is Walter in this movie. Did you know Walter is his actual first name, Bruce being his middle name? So Walter Willis. He could have been a ⁓ comic book character. Yep. All right, and then we got John Laroquette as David Bedford. We talked about him already being from Nightcourt from

Laramy: Correct? Yep. Yeah, alliteration.

Tim: 1984 to 1992, and he g he reprised his role for the reboot in 2023. He also had his own sitcom, The John Larquette Show, from 93 to 96. He then moved to other series like The Practice, Boston Legal, and one of my favorites, the TNT series, The Librarians from 2014 to 2018. Yeah, that was a fun show. ⁓

Laramy: Yeah. Love the librarians. ⁓ I also like to remind people that he is the narrator of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Yeah.

Tim: I was just just about to say that. Yep. That was his ⁓ him his film debut. And ⁓ he followed that. He was in Stripes in '81, Madhouse in nineteen ninety, and Richie Rich in 1994. So but yeah, ⁓ that we talked about already that I mean he's a kind of more exaggerated version of his character from ⁓ Nightcourt, I think. ⁓ but so off the rails in this movie.

Laramy: Yeah. Hm. Yeah.

Tim: So off the rails.

Laramy: Yeah, yeah. I mean right off the bat. He just introduces himself and then immediately attacks Bruce Willis.

Tim: Yeah. I'm going to kill you.

Laramy: Yeah, yeah. And again he delivers that line the same way every time.

Tim: Save.

Laramy: This is great.

Tim: Yeah. Yep. All right. And then we've got William Daniels as Judge Harold Bedford, known for his television roles, notably on St. Elsewhere. He was the voice of Kit and Knight Rider, but of course we know him most as Mr. Feeney from Boy Meets World. So and of course he he's still alive. He made it to

Laramy: Yes. Kit. Phoenix! Fenek. Yeah.

Tim: see Danielle Fischel in Dancing with the Stars last season, so that was pretty cool.

Laramy: That's that's gonna be a hard one when he passes. Yeah. Former president of SAG, too. Mm-hmm.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. But he's so fun in this. ⁓ yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was fun watching him in this. Just a good, you know, he's trying to get order on the court and ends up using his shoe.

Laramy: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Keeps having to apologize to the sonographer.

Tim: Yeah.

Laramy: And he hits her with hits her in the head and then he curses and yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ gosh. All right. ⁓ this is one of the that guys we'll talk about. Mark Bloom as Denny Gordon, Bruce Willis' friend at the beginning. That's, you know, telling about his escapades the night before. ⁓ he found success with a supporting role in Desperately Seeking Sues in ninety f in '85, which he followed up the next year with another supporting role in Crocodile Dundee, which is probably what I remember him most from. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, that is that, yeah.

Tim: So another movie that I have yet to cover on the podcast, and I don't know why, because it's so iconic of the 80s. But yeah, good old Crocodile Dundee. Yeah. Yeah. I we yeah, we'll we'll I won't get into it right now. So and then ⁓ the one that I I I love but I hate to talk about, but of course the late great Phil Hartman as Ted Davis.

Laramy: Yeah, not good, but iconic. Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ he joined the California comedy troupe The Groundlings. While on the Groundlings, he worked with Paul Rubens and John Levitz, who became good friends up until his death. Phil and Paul created the character Pee-Wee Herman, which we talked about in our Pee-wee's big adventure episode. Of course, he had a record eight seasons on Saturday Night Live. And his career, ⁓ his movie career included movies such as House Guest in '95 with Sinbad. He was also in Greedy in 94 with Michael J. Fox, Jingle All the Way in 96 with Schwarzenegger. And he also was in Sergeant Bill Coe in 96 and Small Soldiers in 98. But once again, he had so many little pop up cameos in different movies. and I know we're I'm gonna jump in the 90s for a second, just because I just I was looking for something just goofy to watch. The most 90s movie. Why is it so I'm Married an Axe Murderer by with Mike Myers? Like the music, the poetry, yeah, whoa man. Whoa man. Yeah. ⁓ the the the soundtrack, the a huge giant poster of Atlantic City. ⁓ there it is.

Laramy: Yeah. Woman wo man Yeah man Yeah. You know what this apartment needs? A giant giant map of Atlantic City. ⁓ yeah.

Tim: yeah, Mike Myers before he was Austin Powers, but he has a bit role in that as like the Alcatraz tour guide. And so ⁓ it's so funny. He was like, My name is I forget his like my name is Charles Button, but people love to call me Vicky. ⁓ his straight, like deadpan delivery. It's so good. ⁓ but yeah, so sorry.

Laramy: Yes. ⁓ yeah. Yeah.

Tim: Took you to the nineties, but if you need if if you need a good, just stupid, funny movie that just makes you laugh, So I Married and Axe Murder is still one of my favorites. So

Laramy: Yeah, yeah. I even just recently re-watched his little goodbye on Saturday Live. Yeah. The one where they have all the characters singing the you know, goodbye, farewell, and then he comes down at the end, and it's him and Chris Farley. And Chris Farley is his Matt Foley character. But he sits down with him, puts his hand, Chris Farley like nestles into him. And it's ⁓ it's just such a

Tim: ⁓ really? Okay. Mm-hmm. Mm. Ha ha ha. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: It's it's sad but beautiful moment between two of two of the greatest. ⁓ so yeah.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I loved him on news radio. That was another great show that I I loved him on. So but yeah, but he's great in this. My favorite my favorite scene is when he's on the phone talking to him and his wife is like, But he she can't get drunk. She'll get wild. Don't get her drunk. She gets wild. What kind of why are we talking about?

Laramy: Yep, that was a good one. Yeah. She gets wild, yeah. She loses control. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ definitely definitely one of my laugh out loud moments of the movie. So, but yeah, man, good old Phil Harmon. Gone too soon. All right, moving on. ⁓ Stephanie Farrisi as Susie Davis, which of course is the Ted Davis, played Ted Davis' wife. She looked familiar and I cannot place her for the life of me. She's the mom on Hocus Pocus, which is not where I knew her from, but she's

Laramy: She's the mom on Hocus Pocus. Yep. That's where I knew her from.

Tim: She's John Candy's wife in the great outdoors.

Laramy: ⁓ that that's correct. Yes. I'm not as familiar with Great Outdoors, but yeah, but with my wife and daughters are huge Hocus Pocus. So I see that movie every year, so I recognized her as the mom from Hocus Pocus.

Tim: Yep. ⁓ I love the great outdoors. Seen that one a million times. Yeah. Yep. So yeah, it's yeah. ⁓ So so yeah. So she's also been in ⁓ Sideways in two thousand four, flight plan in two thousand five, and Mike and Dave need wedding dates in twenty sixteen because you know that movie needed to be made for some reason. When Zach yeah, when Zach Afron was trying to just keep making movies.

Laramy: I I forgot that movie. Yeah. That was a movie I've seen.

Tim: so somebody I recognized, Barry Sobel, as the gas station attendant, only because I was huge into stand-up comedians at the time, which is how he got his start. But he's also was in Doc Hollywood in '91, Revenge of the Nerds 2, Nerds in Paradise in '87, and Larry Crown in 2011. He's actually done a bunch of writing as well, but ⁓ a very forgotten movie from the 80s called Punchline with Sally Field and Tom Hanks.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: He's in that movie, but he was actually ⁓ Tom he was actually like Tom Hanks's muse not muse, but like ⁓ consultant. Yeah. So like he pat like that was Tom Hanks was trying to do his comedy like Barry Sobel was doing his comedy at the time. So so yeah, so ⁓ definitely rec I recognized immediately when he when he popped up, like I know that guy. ⁓ but yeah.

Laramy: Consultant. Yep. Mm.

Tim: Then this I had no idea this was this guy's name is. Brian George as the Matre D at the restaurant. He was

Laramy: Yes. Which you know from just about any like sitcom from the nineties. As

Tim: Yeah. ⁓ but he was the United Yeah, he was the United Nations Secretary in Austin Powers. ⁓ he was Julian Bashur's father in Star Trek Deep Space Nine, but most of us know him as Raj's dad on the Big Bang Theory. So yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Correct. Yes. He he also ha it was in a storyline or is in several episodes of Seinfeld. ⁓ Yep. Yeah. And I mean you can just go through his IMDB and you're just gonna see he's in the episodes of this, episodes of that. He's also a big voice actor. ⁓ 'cause he's done a lot of D C stuff. So I I know him ⁓ I know him from doing D C stuff.

Tim: Yes, as Babu Bat Yep. Yeah, ⁓ yeah. Mm-hmm. He is, yes, yes, very much so. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I just had no idea his name was Brian George. I would definitely have missed that on trivia.

Laramy: No, you wouldn't think yeah, you wouldn't think that. He's also the ⁓ the voice of Barbosa in like the video games and and all anything dealing with Pirates of the Caribbean that's like animated, he's the voice of Barbosa.

Tim: ⁓ really? Okay. ⁓ okay. Gotcha. That makes sense. I could see that. I could see that. Here's a name I know you definitely know. The Bouncer was played by Dick Durac. Am I saying it right? American actor and stunt man who appeared in over over 80 films and over 700 TV episodes. Of course, he played The Swamp Thing in both the feature films Swamp Thing in 82 and The Return of Swamp Thing in 89, and also reprised it in the 1990 to 1993 Swamp Thing TV series.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm. Swamp thing.

Tim: He was six foot six inches tall, which of course gave him the ability to play a rival Hulk creature in the Incredible Hulk, a two part episode. He was also with Clint Eastwood films. He was also with Clint Eastwood in the films The Enforcer in 76 and Any Which Way You Can 1980. And I didn't I think we might have talked about this before, but it's been a while. He made a brief appearance in Stand By Me as the County Fair Pie Eating Champion.

Laramy: ⁓ yeah, I think I do remember talking about that. I forget that, but ⁓ yeah. No, he's just swamp thing to me.

Tim: Yep. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Big guy. So a little bit of trivia about the role. The bouncer was originally going to be played by Andrew Dice Clay, who turned he turned down the role multiple times with increased pay amounts made for each subsequent offer.

Laramy: ⁓ thank you, it didn't happen.

Tim: This was thought to be career suicide in the eighties when director Blake Edwards offered you a part in any of his films. However, if Dice had taken the film, he would never have performed for the agent that saw him and would eventually sign him to play two sold out shows at Madison Square Garden in nineteen ninety. This was the first time in history that had ever been done by a stand up comedian. So by not being in the movie, he had a career.

Laramy: Well, yeah. It just wasn't a movie career because yeah. ⁓ no and how would that have worked it's like it works so well with ⁓ Dick DeRoc because it's it's it's almost a silent it like it's just him standing there and Bruce just going off Andrew Dice Clay doesn't know how to shut up so I don't Yeah. And I always forget the name of his really bad movie. ⁓

Tim: No, no. Right, right. Yeah. ⁓ yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. The Adventures of Ford Fairlane. Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen it. I think I started it once and maybe, yeah. A ⁓ a wanna be forgotten movie. I don't know if I think was that that was a nineties movie, pretty sure. So all right. ⁓ the last, excuse me, the last that guy is Saab Shimono as Mr. Yakamoto.

Laramy: There it is, yeah. I was about to say I know it has the name of a car in it. ⁓ I saw it once, yeah. Yes.

Tim: He's appeared in dozens of films and television shows and character roles, including Midway, Gung Ho, which is what I remember from, with ⁓ Michael Keaton, Presumed Innocent. He was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3. He was also in The Shadow, Jackie Chan Adventures, Samurai Jack, and Southland Tales. So but yes.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. That's that's your last that guy? You're not gonna talk about George Co.

Tim: That is Let's talk about George Co.

Laramy: George could that plays his boss. So first off, I have to just go ahead and say he plays ⁓ Martha's father, William Clark, on ⁓ Smallville.

Tim: Yes. ⁓ I knew it had to be a Superman reference.

Laramy: Yeah, but I mean he's he's been in so many other things. ⁓ he was in the original Stepford Wives. I know that. ⁓ and yeah, but he's another one of those that guys. Like I didn't make a list of anything about stuff he was in. That's just stuff I know off the top of my head. But yeah, he's

Tim: Okay. Gotcha. Yeah, I think when I looked at his filmography, it didn't have a whole lot on there. But yeah. I'll give it to you.

Laramy: But yeah. And then ⁓ just to throw this out, the French waiter, ⁓ was was Principal Snyder on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That's all yeah.

Tim: Yes, yes. Okay, yeah. He had been in some stuff too. Yeah, he'd been ⁓ he had been in some stuff too. I recognized him for sure. most of the s ⁓ this is another like there's two two other people that are not really that guys, but if you're into music, most of the songs on the soundtrack were by Billy Vera and the beaters, who also appeared in the movie in the bar sequence where they play several songs. Of course, his song at that moment is it at this moment or at that moment? At this moment. Yeah. Anyway, it became famous on family ties, ⁓ became a huge hit because it was a slow dance sequence with Michael J. Fox. But anyway, ⁓ but yeah, I recognized him and then the guitar player, which I didn't look up until today, ⁓ played himself. That was actually Stanley Jordan playing himself. He's American jazz guitarist, noted for playing the playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands, which I saw him doing in the movie. So yeah.

Laramy: Okay. Very nice. Yeah. And this was right around this was the same time that Bruce had released ⁓ The Return of Bruno. And so I kinda wondered I kinda wonder if that was connected, like having having Walter be a musician.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. Even though we never see him actually play or hear him play, which I don't know if Bruce really played it played yeah. He can play a harmonica for sure, yeah.

Laramy: No. Yeah. I don't know if Bruce knows how to play a guitar. He can play a harmonica, but I don't know if he can Yeah. So 'cause yeah, I I I didn't look at dates, but I'm pretty sure this was the same year that the mockumentary Return of Bruno came out. Of course there was an album ⁓ you know, that followed. ⁓ yeah. I I have it on I have it on CD. And and

Tim: I think that's true. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. I had the cassette and and Okay. And I had the VHS of the special

Laramy: I have the VHS. Yeah, I have the VHS. I don't think they've have they ever released it on anything other than

Tim: I not that I know of. I mean, I don't have I don't have it anymore. But I remember having it. Yeah, I'm sure you do, yeah. But I remember having it. I was I'll I'm gonna true confessions, I was made of I was made fun of because I was such a big fan of Bruce Willis's music. Like I would bring it, we would have like Fridays at school, it was like bring music to play during the afternoon or whatever. And I would bring my Bruce Willis Return of Bruno Cassette, and they like, ⁓ God, we gotta listen to this again. I'm like, Yeah, you are.

Laramy: No, I still have the VHS. I still have it. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Tim: The whole harmonica solo, you're gonna listen to it right now. So but yeah, bye.

Laramy: Yeah. No, I have I have ⁓ I don't know I'm pretty sure he only released the two, but I have both of his albums. I have Return of I th ⁓ if I remember right, it was called ⁓

Tim: What was the second one?

Laramy: ⁓ if it doesn't kill you, makes you stronger or somet it's something along those lines.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, yeah. I had it too. I don't think I listened to it as much as the first one, but I do remember I do remember that one.

Laramy: Yeah. 'Cause the cover is is him and kind of like almost dressed as Hudson Hawk. ⁓ he's like walking, it's a tan, like I'm picturing the cover. ⁓ yeah. No, I ha I have both of those on C D. They're buried around here somewhere.

Tim: Mm-hmm. I'll be searching for those on Spotify or Apple Music tomorrow.

Laramy: Yeah, because he hit ⁓ Lose Yourself. I think he hit number five on the Bilbo Four charts. What's the highest he went with one of his songs? But it's called Lose Yourself and he he was he hit number five. ⁓ so so yeah, he was successful as a singer. ⁓ respect yourself. Yeah, you're right. Yeah, respect your su. Yep, you're right. Yep, respect yourself. Yep.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Was it lose yourself or respect yourself? Yeah, with the pointer sisters, right? Yep. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. All right, well let's jump into iconic scenes and favorite scenes. This one was kind of tough for me, but if someone says to you blind date, what is the first scene that pops in your head?

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, that is kinda difficult. ⁓ It might be that very first restaurant scene. That that might might be what pops into my head first. Honestly, what pops into my head first is just the cover, like the poster. I don't know if a scene really stands out, but so I really I don't know if there's any iconic scenes. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. No, yeah.

Laramy: But yeah, I would probably say the that very first ⁓ restaurant scene where where she rips the pocket. Like 'cause I especially remember when him and George Co., him and his boss busting the toy and they just hold their pockets up. Yeah.

Tim: Pocket, yeah. Right, right. Yeah, I was I was thinking really hard trying to think of an iconic scene. I was like, I'm kind of like you, like when he like when she's finally marsh she's sober and he goes like kind of crazy and he's they're at the bar or whatever and he's kind of losing it and he's doing the ⁓ the basketball thing with the ⁓ with the I don't know if it was a blueberry or a a grape or whatever. ⁓ yeah, so like that's

Laramy: Yeah. The Yeah. With the woman's cleavage ship.

Tim: Him being that like him kind of going out of character as he is in the rest of movie, that's what kind of stands out to me. But it's not like a specific line or specific scene. It's just that that whole sequence. But ⁓ what about

Laramy: Which I just remembered her her the guy whose party it was, he's another one of those that guys. And I'm trying to remember who he was. I'm looking through ⁓ Timothy Stack, yeah. The the comedian who ⁓ was ⁓ s d you did you watch the show Son of the Beach?

Tim: Okay. Okay. Yes. Yes, I remember that. Kind of kind of vaguely, like I've I vaguely remember it, but yeah. Yeah. That was one of those that was one of those Fox shows, right? Early early days of Fox FX. Okay. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Gotcha.

Laramy: He was the star of that show. Yeah. Yeah, he's another one of those that guys. ⁓ F FX. FX. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: What about favorite scenes? Do you have any favorite scenes?

Laramy: you know what I get a kick out of John Larriquette's character crashing into three different stores throughout the throughout the movie. You know, ⁓ and again, it's always the same. He gets distracted, he turns, ⁓ and then crashes. ⁓ and then the after he crashes into the ⁓ flower ⁓ factory or whatever it is, which he actually crashes through like a

Tim: Store fronts, yeah. Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. Mm-hmm. Right, right.

Laramy: Brick wall. Like the other two are at least glass went f storefront. This one's a brick wall. ⁓ how he survives that one. ⁓ but I I think that's what I I just get a kick out of that running gag and how he then pop reappears and is another layer of whatever on him.

Tim: Right. Right. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. ⁓ Yeah. A lot of physical comedy, which of course is very that's Bruce. I mean, that's Blake Edwards kind of that's that's his his thing, but the whole sequence like the night before the wedding where Bruce was trying to sneak in to give her the the candies and so all the like the different bedrooms and switching out and the comforter like I that that's the kind of stuff I love seeing that in movies. Like we don't see that enough anymore, like that those sequences of you know, that.

Laramy: So yeah. That's Blake Edwards, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: I that's just stuff that's that's just so much fun. Yeah. Don't yeah. ⁓ So yeah. So that's that that's about it for me. I mean, it it's it's a fun movie, it's a fun watch. It's kind of like I said, it's it's that old screwball comedy, so it's not you know, it's not heavy and plot, it's not heavy and you know.

Laramy: Yeah, William Daniel kicks the golf ball under the bed and you hear the you hear the you know, the dunk. You okay, Agnes? Mm-hmm.

Tim: Common sense because I mean when she when she gets drunk at the beginning, like why would you even try to take her home? What a good guy he is. But it was like

Laramy: Mm. But it's not look, this movie, you and I talked about this before we started recording. And and I know I'll bring it up again when you talk about rewatchability. This movie could not be made today. Or if it was made, it would have to be because they essentially are going, We're gonna make fun of alcoholism is essentially what they're doing. But what bothers me the most is that I get that it's a comedy of errors a little bit at the beginning.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Of course not. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Laramy: The way that Phil Hartman warns him about drinking. You know, he goes, he gets the alcohol. He's he's thinking, let's just have a nice little moment. And yes, she does kind of warn him and says, you know, I don't know, I get a little, you know, a little crazy when I drink. And he's like, well, let's just get a little crazy. And but then when he starts, everything starts happening, he then still offers her.

Tim: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Offers her alcohol.

Tim: Right, right.

Laramy: And that's where I go, ⁓ you like, can you not read the room here, Walter? That that's I that's where I have the biggest issue with with the story. ⁓ 'cause other than that, I'm I'm fine with like when they're at the the disco and he's distracted by talking to the the ⁓ bodyguard, the bouncer, and she steals his drink from behind him. Like

Tim: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: That, okay, that's that's continuing the, you know, ⁓ and then yes, it's kind of clever that he gives her the the chocolates that have the brandy in them. But again, I'm still going, yeah, but you're a like she's clearly got an alcohol problem, and you are feeding into that.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Brandy, yeah. Right, right. Yeah. And how does that change anything at the ending? Like he still shows up to, you know, say not get married, but I you know, it doesn't really ruin anything up until that point besides her just walking weird. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, her that's that's the it's very weak that she bails him out of prison and that's all he needs to change his mind about her.

Tim: Yeah. ⁓

Laramy: And then he's going to save her. And then I'm hoping there's a lot more time that passes between him stopping the wedding and then us seeing the just married on the back of the car. I really hope there was a a time gap there. Yeah. Because yeah, it did seem like you've been on one date and it went horribly bad.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Get to know each other a little bit. Yeah. Horribly yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: And now you're basing your entire relationship off of she bailed you out. Like

Tim: Right. And then for her to make this deal with John Leroquette to get him from not going like You know, you've you've agreed to marry someone else that you clearly do not want to marry just to make sure he doesn't go to jail, basically. And so, yeah, it it's there's there's there's some yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I guess drop all the charges. Which part of me was like, Can she have all those charges dropped? Like Arst

Tim: Yeah. And then you know, it right. And then I I don't think I realized until that scene that that the judge was his father. Like I don't know if if it's alluded to at the beginning, I just missed it or if it just becomes

Laramy: No, they throw they throw it in when they're in in court and when he goes up to the judge and he's he's explaining, you know, you know, hey, if you let make all this go, you know, I'll stop practicing law and and all that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then he goes and then as he leaves, he goes, All right, dad. Yeah. And that's where the reveal is. Yeah. No, that's where the reveal is, is right there.

Tim: Okay. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's that's what I was like, I was like, okay, gotcha, yeah. Cause I was like, how did I know that before this point? So gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah. ⁓ I do want to say I do remember another one of my other favorite scenes is ⁓ once again, another sight gag, is when the cop is having him do the drunk driving test and she's in the background. ⁓ gosh, that is the best.

Laramy: Yeah, and she's in the background. Mm-hmm. That that is a great scene. That is hilarious. Yeah. All right, I want you to raise your right foot and hold it six seconds and she just falls backwards. Yeah.

Tim: That is one of the best. And just kudos to Kim Basinger. Yeah. Kudos to Kim Basinger because that's that's just top notch physical comedy right there. It was just hilarious. So ⁓ yeah, enjoyed that a lot. All right. Well, let's jump into the little bit of trivia that I have. There's not much that we haven't already talked about. ⁓ there's gotta be a diehard connection, right? I mean, it's Bruce Willis.

Laramy: Yeah. That's a good one.

Tim: David Bedford's office window looks out onto the unfinished Fox building, which was soon to star as the Nakatomi Plaza and Die Hard. The structure still lacks, yeah. The structure still lacks windows and some stone facade on the upper stories and at ground level. So it's not fully constructed, but it's under under construction. So yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Okay. ⁓ my goodness. ⁓ now I gotta go back and see that. That is I gotta go back and see that. Nakatomi Plaza in the background.

Tim: It was his future was right there in front of him. He didn't even see it. ⁓ the script was rewritten so much that the original writer Dale Lawner, who wrote ⁓ pretty much disowned the finished film, which

Laramy: That's awesome. Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ well. The night before the wedding, Rambo, the Doberman pincher, is threatened with castration by Jordan the Butler, who's been in a bunch of Blake Edward films as well, if he doesn't stop barking. But if you notice the dog playing Rambo is a is a female. So well. I couldn't get it all perfectly. And then the last little trivia I have is the wedding scene at the end of the film was shot in the backyard of the Humbly Hills Mansion. Owned by Baron Hilton, grandfather of Paris Hilton.

Laramy: All right.

Tim: I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for trivia, as can tell. All right, box office. Blind date was released in the United States and Canada on March 27, 1987. During its opening weekend, it was the highest grossing film of the weekend, ahead of Lethal Weapon in its fourth weekend of release, and Platoon in its 15th. In its second weekend, it fell to number two, placing it behind Police Academy for Citizens on Patrol, which debuted that week.

Laramy: Ha ha ha.

Tim: And it fell to number three in the third week behind Police Academy 4 Citizen Patrol and the debut of Michael J. Fox's comedy, The Secret of My Success. But Blind Date left the top 10 highest grossing films after 10 weeks. In total, it grossed $39.3 million, making it the 23rd highest grossing film of 1987 in the US and Canada. So successful. Not a blockbuster, but successful nonetheless. Once again,

Laramy: No. Yeah.

Tim: It made enough money they said, Yeah, we'll give this this guy a shot to be in this action movie we're making. So Alright, now it's time to take a look at how well this 80s flick holds up today. It's the rewatchability nostalgia meter. It's our way of measuring how enjoyable a movie is for repeat viewings, along with the waves and nostalgia it brings. Here's how it works: it's a one-to-10 scale. Any number between one and ten will do, but here a few parameters to help you decide. At the bottom of the meter is a number one, means I saw it once and that was enough. Right in the middle at the number five is a good rewatch every couple of years. And the highly coveted 10 at the top of the meter. means it's highly rewatchable and full of nostalgia. So Laramie, where does Blind Date rank for you on the rewatchability nostalgia meter?

Laramy: So yeah, this one's not gonna be very high. ⁓ for for a couple of reasons. One, as we've talked about, like neither one of us had seen it in over a decade. ⁓ had been the last time we'd watched it. And yes, I am a huge Bruce Willis fan. But this is one of his movies, like yes, he's great at comedy. ⁓ he showed that in Moonlighting. He would come back and do it at like whole nine yards.

Tim: Ha ha ha No. Mm-hmm. Yes, yes.

Laramy: is hilarious. ⁓ so he can do comedy and he's great in this, but there's just something about this that does not make it one you think about. ⁓ and I I can't quite put my finger on what it is. It could be the, you know, pretty much taking advantage of a woman who has an issue with alcohol. ⁓ you know, that doesn't really hold up. ⁓ and it

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Yes, it's Blake Edwards, but Blake Edwards has done so many better movies. You know, the going back to police ⁓ Pink Panther, ⁓ Victor Victoria ten, you know, more iconic, more funny, and especially with Pink Panther, ⁓ you know, ⁓ with those movies. Even and so I I I have to I think I'm gonna have to put this one at maybe

Tim: Mm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: I don't know if I should go right in the middle with a five ⁓ or drop it just slightly ⁓ since it has been over a decade since I've probably seen it last. So I I'm I think I'm I'm gonna go with a four point five.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Okay. Okay. I'm not mad at it. I I un valid very valid reasons. Very valid reasons. I'm going a little, a little higher, but not much. A little higher just because of the nostalgia factor. Because I remember seeing it the theater. I have nostalgia for it when it when I, you know, even though it doesn't come on TV, if it were to come on TV, I would probably sit and watch, maybe not watch the whole thing, but I watch a little bit of it just for the nostalgia of it. So I'm going a five point five. I'm not gonna quite give it a six.

Laramy: Okay. Yeah.

Tim: I think it is a good rewatch every couple of years. I give it a little bit of a bump for the nostalgia that it it brings to me, ⁓ of the early, you know, early Bruce Willis, like the, you know, making his debut from Moonlighting, seeing if he could bring that same charisma that you saw on the small screen to the big screen, which I think I don't think he fully got us there, but I think that we saw enough glimpses to know that it could he could be a movie star if he had better material.

Laramy: No. Yeah. Yeah. And David Addison is so much more because again, it's so much more of an inspector Clousseau type character, ⁓ which Blake Edwards should have should should have taken hold of a little bit more. Because he's so more cartoonish on on Moonlighting as David Addison that that was just missing. And I think if you really embraced that.

Tim: Of a character. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Inspector Clousseau level. And and you know, he he was he was right there when he when they go to ⁓ Nadia's party and he's introducing himself, you know, ⁓ David Willis? No, not David Willis, David, not David, Walter. Yeah, Walter Davis. I was getting yeah, I was getting all flipped around with his ⁓ Moonlighting character.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. No, Walter. Yes. ⁓

Laramy: So when he introduces himself, Walter Davis, rocket scientist, and Walter Davis, gynecologist, Walter Davis, interior designer, like that, it was right there. Like if they had just been able to go full, ⁓ because even yeah, like you're talking about, those scenes when he's trying to sneak into the the house, ⁓ you know, like like when he gets hit by the golf ball in the tree and then he falls out of the tree. Like if there were more, if there was more of that.

Tim: Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. ⁓

Laramy: I I think it could have worked. That was where you really started to see the kind of the Blake Edwards ⁓ Pink Panther type aspect. And you really let Bruce Willis loose like that. I think it definitely could have been and been higher ⁓ for me. I don't have the nostalgia like you do because it was after the fact when I'm I'm getting into being a Bruce Willis fan. ⁓ but and you and I again talked about this before we started recording.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Right, right. Right, right.

Laramy: I think that's one of the reasons I like Hudson Hawk so much, is because he's so much more cartoonish in Hudson Hawk.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. ⁓ yeah. It's just, yeah. Just going for it. Just like no. Yeah. It's it is like yeah, Hud like Hudson Hawk course is it's not an eighties movie, but we both have love for the movie. But it's like it is like a live action cartoon. Like it's so goofy and absurd, but it's fun. It's just a fun, fun ride. So ⁓ well yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: All right. Well let us know where you think blind date should rank on the rewatchability nostalgia meter. Send us an email, let us know on social media or leave us a comment right here in YouTube. All right, Laramie, I want to appreciate thank you so much for joining for today's episode. So what you got going on at moving panels here in the middle of July?

Laramy: so we are wrapping up our summer series ⁓ as we've been talking about ⁓ movies and TVs, ⁓ shows that are inspired by, ⁓ necessarily based or adapted from. ⁓ so we we recovered Hancock, ⁓ Chronicle, ⁓ Incredibles at the beginning of the the summer. And we're gonna be wrapping things up ⁓ in the next couple of weeks with Army of Darkness, ⁓ which is probably the biggest one because it not only clearly ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah.

Laramy: was inspired by possibly like comic books, but then it inspired comic books because there are so many Army of Darkness comics out there ⁓ that continue the story and do different timelines and crossovers. ⁓ I just recently found out that there's an Army of Darkness Vampirilla crossover comic. ⁓ so yeah. So yeah, so you check those out. We're ⁓

Tim: Ha ha ha. ⁓ my goodness. Why not?

Laramy: doing a lot of even once one shot discussions about how ⁓ movies and TV shows themselves have been inspired by comics. and to to what we got. So so yeah, check those out.

Tim: Yeah, definitely do that. Always a good time on moving panels. That's a wrap on another trip through the greatest decade of cinema. If we sparked a memory or helped you rediscover a classic, please head over to Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star review. It truly helps us reach more fans like you. To make sure you're always in the loop for our next deep dive, hit that follow or subscribe button. If you want to help keep the show running, consider becoming a partner at buymeacoffee.com. For more 80s goodness, our digital headquarters is always open at 80sflickflashback.com. And while you're there, check out our Tea Public store for original designs and movie-inspired merch that'll have you looking like a 1980s icon. Thanks again for tuning in. Thank you, Laramie, for joining. I'm Tim Williams for the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast. Come on, Ted. you've tried to find me Miss Wright before. Only always forget to mention one crucial detail like she's a dope head or a lesbianer, keeps a dead cat in the freezer. What a new year's that was. Walter, could you get the champagne out of the icebox?