"Stand By Me" (1986) with Vinnie Brezinsky & Laramy Wells

Tim: Even four decades after its release, this eighties flick remains as likable and relatable as ever. Adapted from the Stephen King novella The Body, this Rob Reiner film saw four friends exploring the outskirts of Castle Rock, Oregon, looking for the body of a missing kid. ⁓ they figure they can become heroes the town if they can locate the body. But what they end up having is a bonding experience that transforms them on a single day. Today, the film's emotional resonance hasn't dimmed. It still pulls us back to that specific, irreplaceable feeling of camaraderie, reminding us of a time when the biggest problems in the world could be solved with a group of friends and a shared secret. It's a cinematic time capsule, perfectly capturing the bittersweet, heartfelt, and endlessly formative spirit of childhood. So find your pair of sneakers, grab your canteen, and meet us by the railroad tracks as Laramie Wells, Vinny Brzezinski, and I discuss Stand By Me from 1986. On this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast. Well, welcome to the show, everybody. I'm your host, Tim Williams. So glad to have you with us on ⁓ episode. And as always, I'm thrilled to have a talented team in the studio with me again. First, he's ready navigate through the woods and share insights from the source material that the movie is adapted from from Moving Panels Podcast. Welcome back. The one and only Laramie Wells. How you doing, Laramie?

Laramy: Yeah. I'm good. I c I come in and out of your life like a busboy in a restaurant.

Tim: And I'm incredibly excited to have this gentleman back on the show. He may not be a Castle Rock native, but he knows how to feel the tracks to know when a train is coming. Please welcome back to the show, Vinny Brzezinski. How you doing, Vinny?

Vinnie: Ha ha ha. Good guys, how are you doing?

Tim: Good, good, good. So stand by me. So this is part of a kind of a re-watch series. So I've decided to go back and re-record some episodes on some movies that I covered back in season one when the show was still kind of figuring out what we were doing or what I was doing. And so Laramie was actually on that that first episode and talked about the book quite a lot. So we probably won't get as deep into that this time with the new format, but Wanted to kind of see it with fresh eyes, new voices, and ⁓ just it's such a good movie. I I don't mind rewatching again and talking about it some more. So let's jump on in. So ⁓ Vinny, we'll start with you. When did you see Stand By Me for the very first time?

Vinnie: Don't know the exact date. I know it was in the 80s, right? I just remember going to the local video store, seeing the the the ⁓ you know the sleeve for it, and I'm like, ⁓ this looks pretty cool, knew nothing about it, ⁓ and just fell in love with it, right? ⁓ I think that was the first time I might have heard the song Stand By Me, right? ⁓ which is great. But then all you know, when she started going to other 80s movies and you saw one of the quarries was in it, River Phoenix was in it, right?

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

Vinnie: Then Will Wheaton came as like Star Trek fame. And I was just like you know, this was the one of the ones that start started me with this, but I watched this movie so many times. I think the local video store just sh probably should have gave it to me at this point, 'cause it was it was all it was all it was always in my possession, ⁓ at least once a month.

Tim: Ha ha.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Ha ha.

Laramy: Ha ha ha.

Tim: Gotcha. Gotcha. What about you, Laramie? On TV?

Laramy: Yeah, probably. ⁓ you know, I I should have listened back to what I said the first time we did this episode. ⁓ yeah, but more than likely it was on T V, ⁓ and then and then I I picked up the the originally the VHS. I had a VHS of this and then later got the D V D. I haven't upgraded from my D V D yet. But ⁓ yeah, you know, this is this is a a great one for me and ⁓

Tim: Ha ha. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: You know, as a Stephen King fan, it's one of the ones that's I you know, I really like, especially the fact that it comes from the same group of stories that Shaw Schenker Nipshink comes from, which is my absolute favorite movie. So yeah, no, this is a a good one. Yeah, but I can't pinpoint exactly when I watched it, but yes, probably more than likely on television.

Tim: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Yeah, this is one of those that I don't remember the first time watching it, but I'm pretty sure that I rented it or we re-rented it and watched it. I don't think we watched it as a family. I think this was probably like during the summer, like my friends and you know, from friends of ours or went to a friend's house and watched it. But I remember seeing the original, like the theatrical version. But then I remember when it came on TV, I was so excited and I recorded the TV version and I watched the TV version so many times that even watching it again today, like, I remember the edits, like the Lard, which they just called the Lard they called him Lard in the in the T V version and how they had to edit all the vomit. And it was just like it was so choppy. It like really it was so hard to keep up with watching the TV version. So getting to watch it again today, like 'cause I've I mean I've seen it so many I've seen it many times since then, but because I watched the T V version so many times in my head, like that's what I remember. Those are like my core memories. So but ⁓ Yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It's funny watching that scene too, 'cause the the vomit doesn't quite line up with their mouths. So

Tim: No, no. ⁓

Vinnie: Ye y honestly, you don't really notice until you get into a better resolution. Like I mean, I've seen it so many times back in the day and re-watching it this weekend, I'm like, ⁓ it's not even close to being lined up. Like it's just

Tim: Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: Yeah, true, yeah.

Tim: Yeah, well at least it's better than like I when I think Star Night Live when they started like getting like it became like almost every week there was some kind of episode where they somebody was vomiting, but they did it with like their hand and you would see Yeah. And you would the tube coming out of there. Yeah. It's like at least it's better than that. So ⁓ but yeah. But ⁓ how long has it been since you rewatched it before we watching it for the podcast? I'll go back the other way, Laramie.

Laramy: Yeah. They did it with their hand yeah, you see the tube coming out of their Yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Honestly it was probably when we did the show the first time around. Yeah. Honestly it probably was.

Tim: Five years ago. Okay. What about you, Vinny?

Vinnie: If if if it's on like a streaming service, it's normally one of my ⁓ Labor Day rewatches every year, right? So it's just going back to school, go back, and when you have days off, you know, I have to spend do something between college football games. So I was just like, ⁓ let me go in and watch this. But yeah, it's probably yearly and every time it's on TV, even if it's in the background, it's on.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, that's a good time to watch it.

Laramy: That's a good one, yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it pops in and out of the streaming services every once in a while. Like I think it'll be on like Max and then I'll see it pop on Tubi every once in a while, but it usually doesn't stay on there very long. But yeah.

Vinnie: It was on something r I remember I was gonna watch it for ⁓ Memorial Day 'cause it was on one of the streaming services. And then I'm like, no, it's I'm gonna I normally watch it the other holiday and then I go to rewatch it this weekend and it wasn't there. I had to get it on on ⁓ Prime, but it's fine. But I was I was like you telling me right now there's not on anywhere? 'Cause I thought all the Stephen King stuff was on HBO Max 'cause I just watched the the longest walk, right? Or the long walk, whatever it's called. So I figured those would be on there.

Tim: Holiday. Right. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. The long walk. Yeah. It's on MGM plus, but who who has that subscription? Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah. Who has that? It's basically what it's gonna come to Amazon Prime like in two months, but they like if it's a new release, like it'll be on MGM Plus like a month or two before it comes to Amazon. So Amazon Prime. ⁓ yeah, I I've watched it. ⁓ I can't say I've watched it every year, but I've watched it at least once since we when since we recorded the last episode.

Vinnie: I don't even know what that is. Okay.

Tim: And I'm kind of like you, Vinny. I may not watch it every summer, but it's definitely a summer movie. Like I think of that in the summertime. Like I want to watch it when it's like a really hot day outside. And I just want to like in a cool place and watch, you know, them being outside, you know, our escapism. I don't want to be outside, I want to watch other people outside. So that's when I want to watch it. So yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Especially living in the south, right? When that that June and July comes, it's like we don't wanna go outside.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: No, no, I do not like the humidity at all. So all right. Well, it's that time of the show we put our nostalgic knowledge to the ultimate test. It's time for risky quizness.

Laramy: Mm. There we go.

Tim: All right, we're about to see if Laramie and Vinny have been paying attention or if they've just been daydreaming about pie eating contests all afternoon. Let's see who's coming out on today. So here's how it works. I'm gonna ask you five true or false questions. You guys can work as a team, and of course you can play along at home. ⁓ so you're gonna decide whether the statement I'm gonna give you is true or false. And these are all about casting and pre production of the movie. Are you ready?

Laramy: Let's hope so.

Tim: Yeah. All right, true or false. John Cusack, who plays Gordy's older brother, Denny, was originally considered for the role of Chris Chambers. True or false?

Vinnie: I wanna say it's false. Could ⁓ there was a bunch, but I know the only reason he really came in, and I don't know why I I know this, but he I think he only really came in as a favor to Rob Reiner, because Rob Reiner did ⁓ the sure thing, I think, before. And I think he was like, Hey, we need someone here, will you come in? So I think he was a last second call for that. That's the only reason I wanna say he's not up for eyeball. I think it was kinda like ⁓ Steven Dorf was up for eyeball.

Tim: Ha ha ha. The sure thing. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Well this is for Chris. This is for this is for River this is yeah, this is for River Phoenix's character. Yeah.

Vinnie: Or that could have been that could have been ace. Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ it's her rivers? Yeah, I don't think he was I I don't think he was there.

Laramy: This is this is for Chris. This is for yeah. Yeah, I think he he was he would have been too old. I mean 'cause they're supposed to be twelve, although River Phoenix was I think fourteen or fifteen. Yeah. ⁓ but yeah, he would have been too old for Chris.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, he was a little older. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, you're right. Vinny hit it right on the head. He was he was kind of a last minute favor to ⁓ Rob Reiner. They had a they had a hard time finding the right fit for the older brother. And so because he would just finish filming The Sure Thing with Rob Reiner, he called him and said, Hey, I just need you for a couple hours on one day for a few small scenes. So ⁓ so yeah, good job, Vinny. All right, number number two.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Thanks, you two.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Kiefer Sutherland, who played the bully Ace, was notoriously friendly with the younger actors off camera to ensure that they felt safe. True or false.

Vinnie: I wanna say true. ⁓ if I'm not mistaken, he trained River Phoenix how to play stand by me and that's one of the ways that this this caught by. So I think he was pretty good with the younger guys. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, I have heard that. So yeah, I would I would say that was true as well.

Tim: You guys are knocking out of the park. He was ⁓ he did like there were times he did to keep his distance for before intense scenes, but he was like a big brother to ⁓ the young actors as well. So all right, I I smell a sweep coming on. All right, number three. The leech scene in the swamp was completely computer generated to ensure the safety of the young actors.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Mm. No. The the leeches were made out of some slight like gelatin type stuff and were were put on their body with ⁓ rubber cement.

Vinnie: Yeah, and I think the the pond was actually they did make that pond, I read somewhere.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. It was a man-made pond that they they left filled for like three for like three months or like three weeks. So by the time they got it, they hadn't had no idea what was living in it.

Laramy: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Corey Fellman's told the story where he said that they made they did did it as a man made because they didn't want to use a real, you know, place 'cause they didn't know what was in it. But he was like, But then they left it sitting there for three months, so we really didn't know what was in it. Yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Right. Mm-hmm. Right, right. Yep, exactly right. It was they were not real leeches, but they weren't ⁓ computer generated. Even so the the solution they used for their skins didn't come off very well. And so unfortunately the next day they went to a water park, but they wouldn't let them ride any of the slides because they they had all these marks on their bodies that they couldn't explain. So

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, 'cause it was like it was like rubber cement and red food coloring so that when they pulled it off it would look like it was bleeding. Yeah, you could see the red.

Vinnie: Ha ha ha.

Tim: Yeah, you could see the red, yeah, but it didn't, it wouldn't what the red wouldn't wash off. So it's still like they had red marks all over their bodies. So all right. ⁓ number four, true or false. Before filming began, director Rob Reiner insisted that the four leads, River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell, live together in a rented house to build genuine chemistry before cameras rolled.

Vinnie: I know they met. I don't know how if you try to throw a trick question, I don't know if they lived in the same house. I know they met before.

Tim: True or false.

Laramy: I yeah. Yeah. I know he had them do like improv stuff together and Yeah, I know there was like he wanted them to bond. Yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah. I just don't know you're trying to get us with the house thing. You throwing a curveball.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Am I? Am I? I need I need an answer, true or false.

Laramy: ⁓

Vinnie: I would say true, because I would say most of the statements already true. So it's up to you, Laramie. I'll let you do it. You do it false?

Laramy: Yeah, I'm gonna go faults on it. I don't think I don't think he's gonna have 'cause Jerry O'Connell like eleven at the time. So I don't I don't think he'd have just them live I know that they stayed in a hotel because I know they got in like a lot of trouble at the hotel. So I don't think I think that is a trick question that they're they never were in a house together.

Vinnie: I'll go with it. Yep.

Laramy: So I'll say false.

Tim: All right, Laramie's right. It was that they were not in a house, but they did they did spend significant time playing games. ⁓ that they did the improv, but yeah, they they did not live in a house together. So all right. ⁓ will they sweep a full five for five? Here we go. True or false. The train used in the iconic train dodging scene was a real active railway line, and the stunt was filmed with a live train approaching. True or false.

Laramy: Yeah. Yes. True. They used a ⁓ a a wide angle camera to make it look like they were closer to the train than they actually were.

Vinnie: And ⁓ That's yeah. He's right.

Tim: And he's Yeah, whatever he said. ⁓ yep, absolutely right. It was, yeah, the far end of the trestle with the two actors on the opposite end and they used a long lens that shot the photo photo and compressed the image so much that it made it look like the train was right behind him. So

Laramy: Mm. Yeah. And the shots of them actually running in front of the train were stunt doubles. Yeah. Women actually.

Tim: Sun doubles, yep. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Yeah, I was gonna say I read I think I read they said that yeah, and they couldn't get them to do it right, all the scenes, and apparently Rob Reiner went nuts on them. ⁓ and that the scene they're actually cr the time that they're actually crying was the take they took. And he they were actually true crying.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. He couldn't get ⁓ to cry. Yeah. Yeah. Or scared. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. All right. Well, good job. Full sweep five for five. We haven't had that in a while on the show. So, well, tell us how you did at home. If you played along, you can send us an email, reach out to us on social media, or leave us a comment on YouTube if that's where you watched it. So always fun to play the trivia. So let's jump into casting. So we've talked about a few of these guys, but some we haven't. We'll try to try to go through them as as best we can. So ⁓ at the top of the cast, we've got Will Wheaton as Gordy. Of course, he played Wesley Crusher on the TV series Star Trek Next Generation. He was also Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers in the 90s, and Bennett Hunniker in Flubber. Wheaton has also appeared in recurring voice acting roles as Aqualad and Teen Titans, Cosmic Boy and Legion of Superheroes, Martin Brisbee in The Secret of Nym, and Mike Morningstar, Darkstar in the Ben 10 franchise's original continuity. He's appeared regularly as a fictionalized version of himself on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory and in the roles of Fox on The Guild, Colin Mason on Leverage, and Dr. Isaac Parrish on Eureka. But yeah, I always liked him when he popped up on Big Bang Theory. He was a good, good character on there. So yeah. Yeah. Like I like as you know, is he really a friend or not? And like he just like, yeah. But the that first episode where he tricks, tricks Sheldon as hilarious. Anyway, but yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. You had foil for Shelton.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: This is what this was my first introduction to Will Wheaton for sure. ⁓ I'm a big fan of Toy Soldiers. It's totally, you know, a guilty pleasure movie. It doesn't make any sense, but it's so much fun to watch. So ⁓ Sean Aston, Keith Coogan, Will Wheaton.

Vinnie: I brought about that until you just brought it back up right there. Yeah. I mean I know I seen it, but yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: ⁓ yeah, I yeah. It it's yeah. I've probably seen that movie in like high school.

Tim: Really? ⁓ Yeah, yeah. I went to the dollar theater to see it and then I owned it on VHS and I own it on Bluebray now. So yeah. It's a it's a long long standing favorite of mine. So

Laramy: I was a next generation fan, so I knew him as Wesley Crusher.

Tim: Yeah. All right, ⁓ let's go to River Phoenix as Chris Chambers. Of course, he's the older brother of actor Joaquin Phoenix. He was known as a teen actor before taking on leading roles in critically acclaimed films, becoming one of the preeminent acting talents of his generation. He began his acting career at age 10 in television commercials. His early film roles included Explorers in 1985 and The Mosquito Coast in 86. He then made a transition to adult Oregon FB. Rolls earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the drama Running on Empty in 1988. Of course, he passed away in 1993. We won't get into that part of the story, but ⁓ I think I said this the last time we watched it or last time we talked about movie. But this is that movie when I go back and watch it that I just see what a talent he was. Like he just every scene, like there's it's just so flawless. You know, I mean it's a great cast anyway. Like I think they're really good together, but he was definitely a standout and you could see why he was such a, you know, he was such a standout.

Laramy: Yeah. That's a tragic Hollywood story.

Tim: Yeah, unfortunately. Yep. So ⁓ Sean Aston said he auditioned for the role of Chris right after River Phoenix had done his audition. Aston said when he walked into the room he knew he had no chance because he saw the filmmakers were choked up and holding back tears, meaning Phoenix had nailed the audition. Aston s Aston said he was equally impressed by Phoenix's performance when he saw the film and agreed that Phoenix was the right actor for the part.

Laramy: Yep. I no it nothing against Sean Aston. I do not see Sean Aston playing that part. I see Sean Aston playing Gordy. I don't see Sean Aston. Yeah.

Tim: No. No.

Vinnie: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Yeah, I could see him playing Gordy for sure. So

Laramy: But I don't see him playing Chris.

Tim: Yeah. All right. Going down the list, Corey Feldman. Of course, we talked about Corey Feldman in several episodes already. Friday the 13th, the final chapter in 84, Gremlins in 84, The Goonies in 85, Lost Boys in 87, License to Drive in 88. ⁓ so nothing new to add about Corey Feldman in this. But I will say, and I might have said this last time we talked about it, this might be my favorite Corey Feldman performance where I feel like he was actually really. really acting, like he's not just playing a version of a character that he wants to be. ⁓ even though he said that this was the character that was closest to his real life, like at the time, which I think is why it comes across very genuine. But

Laramy: Although at the same time Corey Fellman has proven that you don't always trust everything he says.

Tim: This is yeah, we we won't yeah, we won't jump down that rabbit hole, but yeah, yeah, yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah, I would think it would be the between this and Lost Boys Boys for me for his some of his best. I thought those two he was very himself in, or it felt like he was himself in those.

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I like him in Lost Boys too. That you know, of course, that was the first ⁓ Corey's movie together. ⁓ but he definitely had was better better in that than the others for sure. So

Laramy: I mean, you don't think his best is the voice of Donatello and Teenage Punic Turtles?

Vinnie: Ha ha.

Tim: I try not to think about it, honestly.

Vinnie: I was out honestly today years old when ⁓ when I found out that you So he was the original Donatello? Like from the original

Tim: Ha ha ha. ⁓

Laramy: ⁓ really? Yeah. He in the in the live action movie Yeah. In the live action movie he's the voice. He's obvious he's not in the suit, but he's the voice of Donatello.

Tim: In the movie, the nineties movie.

Vinnie: ⁓ yeah, I guess he was, wasn't he?

Tim: Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Yeah. Okay. Good to know.

Tim: Yeah. You can tell a few like if there's a few times you can definitely tell. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. So all right. And rounding out the four, we've got Jerry O'Connell as Vern. He's known for his roles in the TV, yeah, in the TV show Sliders, ⁓ My Secret Identity, Joe's Apartment. Yeah. He was Frank Cush and Jerry Maguire, 96, Derek and Scream Two, Michael and Tomcats, Charlie Carbone and Kangaroo Jack.

Laramy: Yeah.

Vinnie: Now that you say that I can hear it. I can hear it.

Laramy: Yeah. Hey, Vern.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Loved my secret identity.

Tim: And detective Woody Hoyt in the NBC drama Crossing Jordan. ⁓ but this was his debut film, and of course, he's you know totally different now. Well, he's still very goofy, but different different than he was back then. ⁓ I do think it's interesting, and this is because we just recently watched Goonies, or we just recently episode on Goonies, the opening scene where Vern makes his entrance about I don't forgot the secret knock. I'm like

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: This feels so much like Chunk and the Goonies. Like that, those two scenes could almost be paired together. I mean, they're not exactly the same, but you get that same feel of like the outsider who wants to be part of the group, who is part of the group, but like they he's always the butt of the jokes and doesn't know the secret knock or the secret word. ⁓ but he did bring the comb, even though he lost it on the bridge. That was, you know, it's so sad. You can see it falling out of his pocket. I'm like, no, don't lose the comb.

Laramy: But he brought the comb. Even though he loses it, yeah.

Tim: So all right, so before we jump into the rest of the cast, we'll I we'll ask this question, who is your favorite of the four and which one did you relate to the most?

Laramy: Mm.

Tim: As a kid, when you first saw it.

Laramy: Mm.

Vinnie: I'll go first. ⁓ I related more to Ver ⁓ to Vern more. I was a junky kid. Like I was ⁓

Tim: Yeah, we've talked about that on the we talked about the the Teen Wolf episode, right?

Vinnie: Yeah, I was I was a bigger kid. ⁓ and saying that there's no way that ⁓ Lord Ass was a hundred and eighty-five pounds, ⁓ or the way they made him look. I was too ten and I didn't have that build. ⁓ when I wasn't like ten years old. ⁓ I was also six foot one, but still. ⁓ but no, I mean I I was always that kid that was ⁓ a little bigger, right? And I not that he was big, big, but he was always the funny chubby kid, right? So

Tim: Right, right.

Laramy: Ha ha ha.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: And he always he loved Pez and I love Pez, so I always felt like it was a a good good f character fit. I mean, look I always quote the whole if someone's like, Do you want what do you want to eat? And I'm like, That's easy, Pez, cherry favorite Pez, and no one no one ever gets the quote. And I just I just walk away. I'm like, Okay, I'm okay.

Tim: Who doesn't love Piz? Come on. Yeah, who doesn't love Piz? I love Piz. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. What about you, Laramie?

Laramy: I don't know that that's that's kinda a hard one for me. ⁓ I would probably say it would either be Vern or Gordy. ⁓ 'cause ⁓ you know, I wasn't I I wasn't a chubby kid. I was actually a very scrawny kid. ⁓ but I was kind of the I I was kind of just the the quintessential Boy Scout, if you will. ⁓ and so ⁓ whichever one you wanna kinda put into that category would probably be

Tim: Okay.

Laramy: be where where I was. You know, not quite ⁓ not quite to the level that ⁓ Teddy is. You know, I wasn't like obsessive about military stuff and and you know doing everything a certain way, but ⁓ but I, you know, I kinda I kinda had that ⁓ that goofiness like Vern does. ⁓ but at the same time I was kind of just the average kid like like I think Gordy kind of portrays in this.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Would you be the guy that brought a comb when you have almost a shaved head?

Laramy: Honestly, probably. You know, is that whole Boy Scout, be prepared, you know, so

Tim: Yeah, be prepared. ⁓ yeah, yeah, that's what I was saying. ⁓ I think Gordy was who I gravitated towards the most when I watched it the first time. And not because I was a lot like him, but I was I was very like skinny like he was, very thin. ⁓ but I also like stories. Like, but I I'm I'm not a very I like say I don't think I'm a good storyteller. I usually just pull from other stories and like make my own story. I'm more of an adapter than a like original thought kind of guy.

Laramy: Well, how about you, Tim?

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: But ⁓ but I liked that he was, he kind of told the stories and he was only brave when he needed to be. Like he wasn't, you know, you could tell like Chris had the confidence that he would think he would be like the real lead. ⁓ definitely not Vern, definitely not Teddy. ⁓ so yeah, it was probably more, more Gordy. But my favorite character was Chris because that That confidence is what I wanted. Like, but I also had friends like I had friends like Chris too that were like misunderstood and people looked at them as being like bad influences, but I knew they were good guys who just came out of bad situations. And so, ⁓ yeah. So do you have a different for your favorite versus who you related to the most?

Vinnie: I mean, I always wanted to be Chris, right? I always wanted to be the cool kid, right? ⁓ I I think that but I was always I just remember all for all of them, I hate cigarettes. Even back then when I saw them all smoke, it was all kind of a turnoff. ⁓ But I was just like I would want to be this kid. ⁓ but I was like, I knew I would never be that guy because I don't have that I I always pushed that limit, but I never went the next step. And I was like, ⁓ it'd be cool to be that guy for like a day.

Tim: ⁓ yeah yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha.

Vinnie: And then ⁓ go back to normal.

Tim: Larry.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, ⁓ I don't know. I'd I'd probably I'd probably still say Vern or Gordy. ⁓ 'cause yeah, yeah, it'd be cool to be the the cool kid, but I I think kinda like Vinny's saying, like I I think I I think with both Teddy and Chris, ⁓ although their performances are great and all that, ⁓ you know, I I think what takes me away from being their favorite is Chris, yeah, just being a little too rebellious and then with Teddy just being a little too nuts. ⁓ so that that probably what ⁓ or you know for the joke, just edit me saying, Yo, my favorite is Ace. There you go.

Tim: Well, we're about that's what we're gonna talk about next. So let's jump into the rest of the cast. So Kiefer Sutherland is ace, ⁓ born to actors Donald Sutherland and Shirley Douglas. He got his first leading film role in the Canadian drama, The Bay Boy, in 1984. Of course, he had he's been in films such as The Lost Boys, which we've covered, Young Guns, we've covered, and then the 90s. He went to Flatliners, A Few Good Men, The Three Musketeers, Freeway, A Time to Kill, Phone Booth, and on and on it goes. He's had a

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: prolific career and still one of my favorite actors ⁓ when he's in stuff. He's not as in stuff as much as I'd like for him to be, but ⁓ but yeah, still has the blonde hair, or I guess he had the blonde hair for he kept the blonde hair for Lost Boys. ⁓ 'cause he's kind of I don't he's not playing the same character, but he plays such a good bad guy. Like he plays such a good, like menacing character. So

Vinnie: Well you heard the fan theory, right? Put that?

Tim: I think but go ahead and say it again 'cause I I I I don't I haven't put I can't put all the dots together.

Vinnie: So this is it actually the way I found I this is the way I actually found out this was actually in Portland, Oregon versus Portland, Maine, like the rest of them are. But they said after a bunch of troubled stuff, he actually moves, he he's they get shipped out, his parents kick him out, and they go down to California, he's lost, ⁓ and he finds this guy who ⁓ turns him into a vampire and he turns into the the guy from Lost Boy. I'm like, it's pretty clever. It also has ⁓

Tim: Okay. Right. Right. Yeah.

Vinnie: It also has Teddy in it, so ⁓ you never know. I was like, that ⁓ kinda makes sense. Like it's one of those ones where you see you're like, ⁓ that could never happen. But if you just it's in Portland, Oregon, he only goes what f couple hours, right? And there he is.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, just good just head south, yeah. And then that ha you know, he got bitten the like say he got bit in the fifties, he doesn't age, so even though it's eighty seven, you know, ⁓ and advising you the lost boys, he's still the same age. So I can I can see that.

Vinnie: Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: I will I will say though, I know we said we weren't gonna talk about the book an awful lot. ⁓ the character of Ace does return in another Stephen King book. ⁓ he he returns in needful things. Yes. Yeah, he he becomes like the the enforcer of ⁓ I can't remember the gaunt, the the devil character. ⁓ Le Leland?

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: He does, doesn't he? Yeah.

Tim: Okay.

Laramy: Leland caught? I can't remember. ⁓ but he kind of becomes his enforcer. And so ⁓ I'll although, yeah, that you know, you use use the movie, the fact that the movie is set in Castle Rock, Oregon, whereas all the other Stephen King things is Castle Rock, Maine. ⁓ but but in the no in the the books, the character does ⁓ and you mentioned Teddy. Teddy is actually referenced in ⁓ pre this

Tim: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: Teddy is actually referenced in Carrie.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Well really? That's cool.

Laramy: Yeah, he he worked he was no longer there, but he worked ⁓ at the gas station at one of the gas stations that Carrie blows up when she's on her her ⁓ her spree going from the prom back home.

Vinnie: Huh. Learning tons of stuff today.

Laramy: So and the and and the timeline and the timeline fits. So 'cause if he was he was twelve in nineteen fifty, whatever it is, and carry takes place in the seventies, you know, that would make sense that he was probably in his twenties or something when ⁓ the incidents when he was working at that gas station.

Tim: Yep. Yeah. Yep. Yep. They referenced him in the gas station. I had that in my notes. I was going down to make to like look at look at it. So yeah. That's good. I'll exactly. I have no I I jump ahead. I have no problem with that. So all right, going back to the cast, Casey Samask Samasko. I always probably say his name ring wrong is Billy. ⁓ of course we talked about him in Back to the Future as well as Young Guns. He's also been in Of Mice and Men, which is one of my favorite books. And he had the leading role in the 80s film.

Laramy: Yeah, well You're talking to the Stephen King guy, so yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Young guards.

Tim: Three o'clock high. So, ⁓ but yeah, he's good in this. And then Gary Riley as Charlie Hogan. ⁓ he received notice for his portrayal as Dave in the 87 comedy Summer School, which Laramie and I talked about a long time ago. He made notable appearances as the thief who steals money from Steve Martin and John Candy's characters' wallets and planes, trains, and automobiles. And he's also the Metalhead customer. Who Judge Reinhold cannot bear to rip off after discovering his girlfriend is pregnant in the movie Ruthless People with ⁓ Danny DeVito and Bed Midler, which I just rewatched like two weeks ago. I was like, Yeah, that's ⁓ Dave, Dave and Chainsaw from ⁓ summer school.

Vinnie: Cool. Yeah.

Laramy: Okay. Didn't recognize him.

Tim: So yep. And then Bradley Gregg as Eyeball Chambers. ⁓ he's best known for supporting roles in this movie, A Nightmare Elm Street 3, Dream Warriors, which we just covered last year. And he's also in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade from nineteen eighty nine.

Vinnie: I remember Dream Warriors. That's where I was I'm looking yesterday, I'm like, I know he looks familiar. And I'm like, ⁓ that's a

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Ha ha ha. Mm-hmm. ⁓ him and River Phoenix were actually close friends and they appeared in the beginning of the movie Explorer Explorers as well, night eighty five, and they're also in the opening scene of Indiana Jones and Last Crusade together.

Laramy: ⁓ cool.

Tim: There go. So for another Nightmare in Elm Street reference, we've got Marshall Bull as Mr. Lachance. He was in Nightmare Elm Street 2, Freddy's Revenge. He was also in the creepiest character. Yeah. He was also in Twins in 88, Total Recall in 1990, which is what I probably remember the most from. And Starship Troopers in 1997.

Laramy: Marshall Bell. The creepiest, creepiest character. Yes. Quado.

Tim: And then if Miss La Chance looks familiar, it's because she was in Gremlins as Lynn Peltzer, the mother of main character Billy Peltzer. She also played Kevin Bacon's mom in Footloose. And the third mom, she's the mother of Lorraine in Back to the Future.

Vinnie: ⁓ yeah.

Tim: So let's not say she let's not say she wasn't typecast, but yep.

Laramy: Okay. Man, I didn't recognize her, but Yeah.

Tim: And then we've got Richard Dreyfus as the writer, as he's credited, but of course he's the adult Gordy. Of course, he rose to prominence with starring roles in American Graffiti in 73, Jaws in 75, Close Encounters of Third Kind in 77. He's been in a ton of movies like Mr. Holland's Opus, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Stake Out, Always, Pocart, Postcards from the Edge, What About Bob, The American President, Piranha 3D. Gotta gotta put that in there. And of course.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Hey ⁓

Tim: Red from twenty ten, which Laramie and I just covered on his podcast last year as well. So but yeah. ⁓ and they had a they had trouble casting that role. They had actually had cast someone else in the role before Richard Dreyfus. It wasn't a name that I recognize, but he was he was an actor of like the late 70s, early eighties. ⁓ and then they tried Michael McKean, ⁓ or Michael McKean, I guess you'd say his name. ⁓

Laramy: Love it.

Tim: who auditioned, but then they ended up going with Richard Dreyfus. So but perfect choice.

Vinnie: So I was watching this yesterday again and I look at the first scene, I'm like, that's not Richard Dreyfus. So apparently the first guy that they had, they kept in that first scene. Yeah. I was like, man, Richard Dreyfus looks really different. And then and then all of a sudden they show him a little l you know, in a little bit. I'm like, that's not the same person. And then I I googled it and they're like, Yeah, they have they mistakenly left that guy in for the first part where they he reads that Chris Ch died, and I'm like

Tim: In the truck? Yes. Yep. Same. Yeah.

Laramy: No. Yes. Yes. Is that Yeah.

Tim: Hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. They weren't gonna go over a budget to reshoot that. It's too far away. Nobody's gonna notice. So

Vinnie: Good 'cause I thought I was going crazy for a second. 'Cause it ended up like that looks nothing like him.

Laramy: Yeah. It was it was ⁓ David Dukes was the actor. Yeah. Who which

Tim: Yeah, David Dukes, yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: And honestly, I w like back in the day I never noticed, but again it when now they get my I guess more high definition and I'm looking at this and I'm this like I'm like, ⁓ that's not him

Laramy: Yeah. All right, yeah.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, of course. Ha ha ha.

Laramy: Nah. But he he did l ⁓ he later was in he still did a Stephen King thing, me with my Stephen King references. He did the ⁓ the miniseries Rose Red. ⁓ no if he yeah. He was in that many, many years later.

Tim: ⁓ okay. Gotcha. Gotcha.

Vinnie: Okay.

Tim: Gotcha. All right. And then rounding out the cast, more cameos here. But of course, we mentioned already John Cusack as Denny LeCance. ⁓ we've talked about ⁓ John Cusack several times. Better Off Dead, the sure thing. ⁓ we haven't done the sure thing yet, but Better Off Dead, ⁓ One Crazy Summer, Say Anything. Been well discussed on the podcast. And then ⁓ who Laramie and I just spoke about on our last episode, Dick Durock as Bill Travis, who's ⁓

Laramy: Swamp thing.

Tim: In the Pieting Cest. He played the DC comic superhero Swamp Thing in both the feature film Swamp Thing in eighty two and the return of Swamp Thing in eighty nine. And ⁓ yeah, so which we what yep, yep.

Vinnie: Did not know that.

Laramy: Yeah. I honestly forgot he was in it and then he walked out and I was like, Hey. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, yeah, we just saw him on ⁓ blind date. Yeah, on blind date. So all right, anybody else from the cast that I might have missed or anybody you wanna ⁓ talk about or somebody that stood out for you that you wanted to add more about?

Vinnie: Yeah. I think you covered most of them.

Laramy: So I I will throw this out. Were were you aware that ⁓ what's his name? But the kid that actually plays Ray ⁓ Bauer that he went on to be like a stunt coordinator?

Tim: ⁓ yeah. I you know what, I did not even look at his his credits, but that I think I do remember reading that somewhere. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. And he's also in the ⁓ the pie eating scene.

Vinnie: ⁓ yeah.

Tim: He is in the pieting scene. Yep. I did read that today. Mm-hmm. Mm hmm. So

Laramy: He's standing behind the twins. Yeah. So again, with the high definition, you could probably go, hey, that was the same dude. ⁓

Tim: Yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: Just looks more alive in this scene. All right, well let's talk. Yeah. All right. Well, let's talk about iconic scenes. So this should be a fun one. So ⁓ Laramie, I'll start with you. When somebody says stand by me, what's the first scene that pops in your head?

Laramy: Yeah. Lot more color in his face. ⁓ it's I'm torn between two. ⁓ so there's the the running from the train on the bridge, and there's the leeches. It for me it's it's it's both of those. Like those immediately flood flood my mind. ⁓ probably initially. Then there's others that will will come after it. But but my initial thought probably goes to one of those two.

Tim: Yep. Okay. Yeah. Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, for sure. Yeah. What about you, Vinny?

Vinnie: I hate to say it, but like those two in Quicksand unlocked my terrors from the 1980s, right? I always thought I was gonna die of quicksand, according to everyone, right? ⁓ but where I grew I grew up in a small town, Pennsylvania, I lived by a river, a lot of lakes, ⁓ and there's train trestles, right? ⁓ so some of my friends be ⁓ we're gonna go over there, and like, I'm the and there is a high train trestle. And after I saw that, like that movie, I'm like, I'm not crossing that train trestle.

Tim: Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Right, right. No, okay. Mm.

Laramy: Yeah.

Vinnie: There's no way my fat butt's getting across that train trestle if a train's coming. ⁓ but you don't realize, like, your whole most of the time your feet can fit in s between these slats. Like they're it's very scary. And then the leeches thing, like I was like, I'm not going in the lake to like w now, granted, I've never met anyone that had a leech, but I just remember they're like, ⁓ you going in the river or whatever? I'm like, nope, I just watched stand by me, I'm not going in there. ⁓ there was never any sand, so we're good. There was no quicksand. But the other two were were

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Ha ha

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Right.

Vinnie: Or true life ⁓ I don't wanna say, you know, horror for me, but it was just like they could have happened. And I'm just like, ⁓ going in there. I always did like ⁓ and it still even got me nerve wracked when I watched it yesterday, ⁓ the chicken scene. Like where he was going and it and I'm just like, This this go over? This come on, this it's cool, we could lose. And then all of a sudden that the logs and then logs run into final destination for me, and I'm just like, nah,

Tim: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, yeah, yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah.

Tim: Mm. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Like even watching it yesterday, I'm like, ⁓ I'm gonna turn my head and just do something else on the computer for a minute.

Tim: Ha ha. Yeah, yeah. Those are good. I forgot about the chicken scene. Yeah. Until you said it. I was ⁓ yeah, that is pretty intense. But yeah, I would say the same. Like we ⁓ we lived, there was someone we did, I when I was in Maryland, we used to walk all across the base and there were train tracks there. Like we didn't have a trussle, but even just walking on train tracks that were like off the road, like I didn't like walking on the train tracks. Like I just didn't I was just something about it. I know I would I would do the thing where I I'd like put my hand down to try to feel.

Laramy: Mm.

Tim: Any vibrations. I never did, but it was like I was like, Well if is it real? Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. I yeah, and I love how he he goes down to feel the vibrations and then the train's behind him. Like there's no like, could it be? Is it? You just turn around. You see the smoke coming out of the side. No, I'm I'm the same way. Even when I would go to like ⁓ you know, Six Flags, ⁓ just crossing the train track. you know, just like hold up. Like yeah, yeah, no, yeah. The trains were terrifying as a kid.

Tim: To Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, it's six flags. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: And I think the leech scene that made it worse when you're a younger kid, yeah, the leeches s would have stunk, but where the one leech was, and you're just and you're just like

Tim: ⁓ yeah.

Laramy: Yes. Yep. No, thank you.

Tim: Yeah. Why does it have to be there? Like it could be anywhere else. Why there? Yeah. Yeah. ⁓ yeah, for me iconic scenes, definitely the train. The train sequence is probably the most iconic for sure. the pie eating contest ⁓ scene is is one that I always think about ⁓ as well. And then at the end when ⁓ Gordy pulls the gun on Ace, like I definitely that that always stands out to me too, or you know. ⁓

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: That confrontation was always one of my favorite parts. So so what about fav Go ahead.

Vinnie: An another one that yeah, so another one really quick is when you're a kid and watching this at eight years old, when they used to do the the t the phrase that came after chopper. ⁓ and and ⁓ you know, the immature kid in me would be like

Tim: Yes. Yeah. ⁓ yeah. It's funny with it being like and you know, is it was rated R and it was intentional because even though I don't think they used in the promotion of a being based on a Stephen King novella, but because p Stephen King was known for horror, they didn't think anybody would go see a Stephen quote unquote Stephen King movie that was PG or PG thirteen. So they purposely put, you know, the language and things in it to give it an R rating. But

Laramy: Mm-hmm. PG thirteen. Mm-hmm.

Tim: There's so many phrases and so many things in that. Like if you're not that age, like there were so many things I could relate to as a kid. Cause I watched it, I was about, I was probably about 11, 10 or 11 when I saw it. So ⁓ like the conversations they were having, the things that they joked about, like that was still, even though it was a different decade, it was still very I could still relate to it a lot. So ⁓ like that, you the whole, you know, sick balls. I mean, I think we could say that on this podcast, but like that.

Vinnie: Yeah. Yeah, I think it I I didn't know, so that's why I was just like ask. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, that's fine. No, no. You've already said lard ass. We're we're well past that now. But ⁓ but yeah, like the sick balls. Like, I mean, that would definitely be something that we would have called some wild dog in our neighborhood. And probably we called every dog we saw after that, you know. ⁓ you know, that's what we were we would call, you know, we would we would say, yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Vinnie: And then the phrase would always come up and like I just remember seeing this is one of the first movies I thought that was like kind of like edgy for me because I was like seven or eight. I saw in eighty seven, eighty eight, right? And but everyone that saw that movie every time you saw a dog, that's what they would say. For at least until I was in my teens.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right, right. Look out, it's Chopper. Yeah, so which they made look like Cujo if you if you noticed. So yeah. So all right, what about favorite scenes? So any scenes outside of the iconic scenes that you would consider your favorite or ones that you that impacted you or you want to talk about?

Vinnie: Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Yes.

Vinnie: So later in life, I kind of liked his scenes with his brother. early on, you know, you don't understand death when I was young and all that kind of stuff. But losing some people in your life going older, like when I watched it yesterday, I'm just going back, I'm like, ⁓ this would have touched me if I was an like an adult back then, right? Losing his brother, seeing his mom, you know. I wanna say comatose. That was kind of like how she was, but

Laramy: I think.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Right. Mm-hmm. How a fam yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: You know, this going through all the things with with what he was dealing with and it just I had more I I felt more in touch with that later on in life and then I didn't expect that yesterday when I was watching it. It's just something strange, but ⁓ I was like, ⁓ that it's hit more now than it did twenty years ago.

Tim: Mm-hmm. ⁓ yeah, for sure. Like I that that you bring a great point because like as a kid, I didn't understand like why his parents I did they seem mean. Like why are they so mean to him? I don't understand why they're mean. But now as an older, like knowing how people process grief and like understanding like how death affects a family, especially a death that tragic and unexpected for the s an ⁓ a son, you know. So yeah, I I definitely see those scenes through different eyes as an adult for sure. So

Vinnie: Yeah. And then you go in like when he went to that grocery store, that convenience store, and the guy was like, Do you play football like your brother? And like again, back then you're just like, it didn't make sense, but then you're just I mean, it kinda did, but you're just you feel it now and you're like, what with what he was probably going through in a small town, but if you and if you grew up in a small town, everyone knows everything about you. And going through it, I'm like, man, this kid must have been going through it and when you're rewatching that movie.

Tim: Yeah. Right, right. Yeah, yeah. Everything. Yep. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Which is good.

Laramy: Well that and when the well, I was just gonna comment off of that, when the ⁓ the junkyard guy like is yelling at him through the fence, like he's telling all four of them how he knows who they are, he knows what they what you know, what their personal life is like. So yeah, it's definitely that connection. I think with me in that same regard of seeing it differently as you get older, and also after reading the book.

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

Laramy: I I kind of wish, and I thought about it when I was watching it this time that Rob Reiner did elaborate a little bit more on ⁓ Gordy seeing the deer. Because in the book, that's a much more like poignant moment. And I I mean it essentially has to has to deal with what the story is essentially about. You know, it's it's Gordy.

Tim: Okay. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: kind of catching that last moment of innocence, ⁓ you know, where when he's ⁓ when he's, you know, I don't know if you'd say metaphorically or whatnot, headed towards death. ⁓ so you know, it's kind of kind of that whole ⁓ kind of same idea. but I mean Stephen King does that in a lot. I mean, there's a lot of connections you can make with this book and and ⁓ it, for instance. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Of where he does a lot of that kind of loss of innocence and ⁓ you know, growing up and nostalgia and all that. ⁓ although I do always find it funny, I I think that the ⁓ the the ⁓ the pie eating and they're saying, Well, what happens next? What happens next? And they they kinda joke at Gordy about not being able to finish a story, which I I kind of find funny 'cause that's notorious about Stephen King too, is that

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

Laramy: He he doesn't do a good job at finishing a story. So yeah. ⁓

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I read that was there was like an inside joke, yeah. Or like a little little little dig at Stephen King there.

Vinnie: ⁓ yeah, so it Yeah, that one just hit home because I just I would think I was telling you guys I just launched the long walk and I was just like, is this over? Like, is this

Tim: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I was

Laramy: Look, side c complete sidebar. Have you have you ever have you read that book?

Vinnie: I have not.

Laramy: The endings are different and I'll be happy to tell you the ending of the book after we stop recording.

Tim: Ha ha

Vinnie: Yeah, I I do want to hear it because I was watching this and I was like, ⁓ this isn't people said it was hit and miss, but then it was like it just ended. And I'm just like, Okay. Okay. Gotcha.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: Mm. Yep. Well, so does the book, I'll tell you that, but they have different endings.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah. I was warned about the ending and I watched it anyway and I was like, ⁓ now I know why you said why you said what you said. So yeah. ⁓ yeah. ⁓ yeah, any other any other favorite scenes? Like for me, like the f like there's funny scenes. I'll talk about a funny scene first and I'll talk about s the my favorite, like funny I'll say funny scene is them standing watch at night in the woods.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Laramy: Mm.

Tim: And Vern with the gun and every no every noise and he he jump like every time it's just that's just comedy gold. Like I could watch that and still like chuckle every time I see it. So I love I love that sequence. ⁓ for more of the serious, like the the scene with Chris and Gordy, you know, at the campfire, like them kind of really having that heart to heart conversation. ⁓ once again, re ⁓

Laramy: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Further.

Tim: Yeah, River Phoenix, just the I the the gravity that he brings to the role, ⁓ he brought to the character. ⁓ and even, you know, and giving Will Wheaton his credit, like he's not, you know, I'm not, you know, brushing him off either, because I think he does well as well. But it's just that just one of those one of those great scenes in a movie that you just I'm I'm just when that scene is on, I like I'm not distracted. I have to see, have to watch it and like soak in every word and soak in every moment. It's just a great, great scene. So

Laramy: ⁓ and when he tells the story about stealing the money, ⁓ I I think this is a true story. Apparently Rob Reiner wasn't getting the emotion he wanted out of him, very similar to the fear they had running around. And so he just he got River into a mindset that just caused him to have that. And that's what moment we see. But apparently after they shot that, he was so locked into that.

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

Laramy: feeling that Rob actually had to take him aside and and calm him back down. But

Tim: Yeah. Mm hmm. Yeah, he told him to think of a time when an adult had disappointed him or let him dim and he had he got in got so into it, yeah, he he couldn't it took some time to bring him back to to be able to shoot something else. So yeah. All right. Well, I wanna read before we jump into like scenes and trivia, I wanted to read this little blurb that I saw. ⁓ I kind of paraphrased a little bit more, but I thought this was a good kind of ⁓ a good way to kind of summarize the movie.

Laramy: Yeah. Disappointed, yeah.

Tim: Although Stand By Me is mainly seen as a coming of age drama rather than a horror film, fear is a central emotion in the story. For Gordy, it's the fear of a life without his brother and the pressure of living up to his parents' expectations, who are now distant. Chris's fear was never escaping his family's reputation. Verne worries about not fitting in and becoming the target of jokes, while Teddy is haunted by the trauma inflicted by his father and the fear of inheriting his madness. The real horror stems from their personal demons. Not monsters as they threaten to derail the boys at every step. So that was really good kind of breakdown of the movie. Would you agree with that?

Vinnie: ⁓ good. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. No, I I do think that kind of each one of them represents a different kind of aspect of growing up. ⁓ even their futures, you know. ⁓ so ⁓ which which that's sad. ⁓ just to go back to the book. In the book, we are we learn about all of their futures. and we find out that Chris was actually the third one to die, that Vern and Teddy had already died.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Right, right. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Vinnie: ⁓ no way.

Laramy: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Teddy I believe it's Teddy is killed in a car crash. ⁓ it was like him and some him and some friends ⁓ either drinking or doing drugs or whatnot and they slam into a I think it's a telephone pole. ⁓ that kills him. And then Vern Vern actually like gets married, has kids and all that, but then he dies in a house fire. ⁓ so yeah. They you know, they don't tell those in they don't give those in the movie because ⁓ you know, I guess that they didn't want it entirely to be a bummer at the end. Because also in the book, Ace actually gets his revenge on them when they get back in town and beats the snot out of ⁓ like breaks ⁓ Gordy's hand and ⁓ yeah.

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

Vinnie: Yeah, that was one thing I always wondered. I'm like, you're going back to the same small town. You just pointed a gun at like the biggest bully. ⁓ and it never really like it's not like he's gonna be like, ⁓ I feel bad for him. His brother just died. We're just gonna let him go. ⁓ You knew there was something that was gonna happen, but it never gets brought up.

Laramy: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

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

Laramy: Yeah. Well let me ask you ask you this 'cause here's a difference in the the book in the movie. ⁓ Gordy's not the one that pulls the gun in the book, it's Chris.

Vinnie: Yeah, I think I was reading where they ⁓ Rob No, I do too. I think Rob Reiner changed it. I think it was Rob or someone changed it, but they were just like it felt like it was or could have been Stephen King, I think, or s or s cause I think it's supposed to be this that's supposed to be about Stephen King. And I think he might have had it, but they changed it last minute. Like you said, it was supposed to be Chris. ⁓ but it just felt different having the very shy, laid back kid

Laramy: I like Gordy better. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah, I like Gordy better too. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. It ex it yeah, if it felt like that that turn in his life.

Vinnie: being like no ace, just you and

Tim: Mm-hmm. It definitely had a bigger bigger impact and it I mean, it was I won't say unexpected, but it was a good surprise at the end, like that it was him to do it, you know. So All right, well, let's ⁓ talk about a few we've covered a lot that I had my notes for trivia, which is great. So we're getting close to our our hour here, but ⁓ I did find this interesting. While filming the scene in which Ace and Eyeball take Gordy's brother's Yankees cap, Kiefer Sutherland's first instinct was to put it on rather than hand it to Eyeball. Rob Reiner told Sutherland not to put the hat on as a way of showing that Ace was stealing it just to be cruel to Gordy and not because the hat itself was all that important to Ace.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Sutherland and Will Wheaton both confirm in the DVD's behind the scenes documentary that the reason that Gordy never gets the hat back from Ace is because Ace threw it away immediately after stealing it from Gordy. Which I hate. Yeah.

Vinnie: Well, if you walk it if you're walking if you I was watching that yesterday, ⁓ his brother had it on his head when he left. So unless he threw it off took it off his brother, that they do it. But I thought his brother took it to just to be like a jerk. Like ⁓ Chris's brother took it to be a jerk. But yeah, I that's I think if you would maybe do it'll show the photo of it laying on the ground or something, or I think would have been a little bit more

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

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

Vinnie: Telling. But that would have been a good to know, like back then.

Tim: Yeah. Yeah. I think it just it it talked it excuse me. It speaks of Ace's character of like he is a real bully. Like he's not just taking it because he wants it. He's taking it just to ac antagonize. I mean that's which you see that in other variations. Like, you know, he makes the comment to the guys who are like, If you guys had two thousand dollars, I would have killed you myself. Like he even the guys he's around, he would he would stab them in the back. It's not he has has no loyalty to anybody, so ⁓ well yeah.

Vinnie: So with with the Yankees hat and a lot of this stuff stuck with me yesterday watching it again. Because again, I always thought it was Portland, Maine, just like the rest of them. But it makes sense because I think they just never chuz know they changed it late. Like if you're on the West Coast, you probably have a Dodgers hat, like in any other movie, like the Sandlot, right? And there was also a Michigan State flag in in his ⁓ his brother's room, right? I'm thinking if you're in the West Coast, it's probably a USC or or something of that nature.

Tim: Right, right.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Okay, yeah, I think I remember seeing that, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah, Washington or or even Oregon. Yeah.

Vinnie: Yeah, something. Yeah. But you yeah, Oregon, like even when you're you're seeing like all the photos, Rob Reiner had an Oregon hat on, right? ⁓ but that I guess it's all that little stuff made me just always think it was Maine. And also I knew some Stephen King stuff. I wasn't the biggest buff, but I knew it all took place in in Maine and there's a Portland, Maine. I've been to a Portland, Maine, right? ⁓ but but I'm just watching that last night and I'm like, yeah, that would be weird for a kid out west coast to have a Yankees hat back then. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha. In Maine. Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: And yeah. Mm-hmm.

Tim: Yeah, it's that's true. I d yeah. I think I read

Vinnie: Little things you catch, but it was me just being picky. Yeah.

Laramy: I think it was just the fact that it was it was filmed in Oregon. So they just said, let's just set it in Oregon. Yeah. Yeah.

Vinnie: Well that's what they did. That they fell in love apparently with that town. And that town par I I was hearing that they still try to keep it as close to ⁓ the standby me set as they can, and people come there and and they do. It's called like Brownsville or something like that. ⁓ and people still go out there. But it was the little things like that that I was I'm rewatching unless like I never would have caught before. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Mm. Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Yeah.

Vinnie: But now that I get now that I know it was out west, I'm like, ⁓ I don't know if that would happen back then. H really hard to find a Yankees hat in the fifties ⁓ on the West Coast, probably. Maybe. I would guess. Yeah.

Tim: Yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: On the west coast, yeah. Yeah. That may that makes a lot of sense. I didn't I didn't even put that together until you till you said it. I like, That makes a lot of sense. I w I yeah. A lot of sense.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. And the Brownsville, Oregon actually has a stand by me day, which is is right about now. Like it's the, it's I think it's the last Saturday of July every year.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Very cool. Very cool. ⁓ all right, a few more things of trivia. The lead actors weren't allowed to see Ray Bauer until they unveiled him on camera. This method was used to unsettle the four boys and gain the best reaction possible. So the good old Richard Donner trick that he did for the kids at the Gangoonies. So ⁓ boom. we did those already. So Rob Reiner corrects most much of the success with his cast to the fact that he had been an actor himself. Will Wheaton said he did not realize it at the time, but that was the experience of working with Reiner. But that the experience of working with Reiner taught him the meaning of the term and actor's director. In the making of documentary, Keith Sutlin also said of Reiner, because he's so proficient as an actor, he can allow you to discover a moment when in fact he's telling it to you, which I thought was cool.

Laramy: Is is there ever a bad story about Rob Reiner?

Tim: Not really. None that I've heard. So, ⁓ yep.

Laramy: And it was also because of this movie that Stephen King ⁓ wanted him to do misery.

Tim: Misery. Yep. Exactly. And he ended up producing a couple of other adap adaptations as well. ⁓

Vinnie: No.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, it's Rob Ry ⁓ I d yeah, I'm sure people have seen this, but you watch like movies especially from the eighties and nineties and you see the Castle Rock pictures. Even though that's a Stephen King thing, that's actually Rob Reiner's production studio.

Tim: Mm-hmm. Hmm. I did not know that until today. Thank you, Laramie. That's why we have a podcast so you can learn all these things. So all right, let's jump into box office. The film was a box office success in North America. It opened on a limited release in 16 theaters on August 8th, 1986, and grossed $242,000, averaging about $15,000 per theater. The film then had its wide opening ⁓

Laramy: Yep. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Same.

Laramy: No

Tim: In 745 theaters on August 22nd and grossed $3 million, averaging $5,000 per theater and ranking at number two. The film's widest release was $848 theaters and ended up earning over $52 million, well above its $8 million budget. So well done. Well done. All right, now it's time to take a look at how good. Sorry. Yeah.

Laramy: It's it this is this is one of those greatest movies. I'm just gonna say this like this is this is one of those movies that if you have not seen it, you need to see it. That's it. Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ for sure. Yeah. I think it's on one of the list of like the thousand movies you you should watch before you die. I think it's what one of those. I don't know if it's a thousand or a hundred or whatever.

Laramy: Yeah.

Vinnie: But it's all it's also different now because a lot of people can know, you can Google it, and it's Stephen King, right? But there's like a lot of times if it these movies back in the day and it didn't say Stephen King on it, which I don't think the poster did, you would know. I don't think I realized until I was like

Tim: Right. No. Mm yeah, exactly.

Laramy: No. Well, you would have seen it at the very bottom and all those little credits. It would have said based on the book by Stephen King.

Tim: Yeah, yeah.

Vinnie: But like it it's as I didn't learn about this one until I was like maybe in high school, a junior high school. And then like another one was like Maximum Overdrive. Like I didn't know that that was r really Stephen King until but most of them had it. Like it would from like the Shining and Kujo, Carrie, yeah. But like those you you would never know, but ⁓ but it's it's yeah, it's definitely a top ten for me. Like it's ⁓ and and Laramie, you're gonna be mad at me.

Tim: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: ⁓ yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Yeah. They would say like Stephen King's whatever. Yeah.

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

Vinnie: I just saw the Shawshank for the first time two week three weeks ago.

Laramy: U you've seen it. That's the important thing.

Vinnie: Well, I I don't know why I didn't in the past. I I don't like long movies, but then I I I'm a I'm a huge Stephen King fan and I watched the new It and I'm just like, you know what? The new It was so awesome that was on HBO and I'm like, I'm just gonna tool I'm just gonna do this. ⁓ but a lot of times when you go back and you watch a movie that everyone thinks is the greatest thing in the world, you go back in and you're like meh. ⁓ no. Like it it it didn't.

Laramy: Yeah, but

Tim: Ha ha ha. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah, I don't get it. Yeah.

Vinnie: It wasn't that. I was just like, What took me so long to watch this? And my friends all the time were just like, Well you love Stephen King, why don't you do it? And I'm just like, I don't wanna go there. Like if it's see there's there's certain movies that I still haven't seen, like I have not seen any of The Godfathers, I've not seen ⁓ like stuff like that, but I ⁓ like Scarface I've never seen. And people are like, ⁓ you need to, but there's so much high expectation on it. ⁓

Tim: Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim: Yeah.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Vinnie: And that's why like if something if you have not seen Stand By Me, I think it will still stand up just like the Shawshank, right? Everyone could talk so highly of it, and you're not gonna go, I don't think that you're gonna go there and be like, meh, like you're you're gonna go in. And then it's another one of these ones that it stands the test of time because I think even in the eighties, it was a pick about the fifties. So it it doesn't it doesn't really change that much about it.

Tim: Right, right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Right, right, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I was gonna say. Like that what what those two have in common with Shawshank and Stand By Me is because they're peri ⁓ period pieces, if that's you wanna call it, but because they're in a different time, they weren't trying to be current or things that you like watching in a later generation, you wouldn't understand the references. But this is like the both of these movies, like, yeah it has some fifties music in it, but that's not really gonna that doesn't tell the story. But the heart of the story is there. And I think if if the heart of the story is there, people are gonna be drawn by that, not necessarily the the references that they would maybe like feel like, ⁓ I don't really understand why people think this is so great, you know, or like things are like even though this movie is like highly quotable f as far as I'm concerned, it's not one of those movies that's like so highly quotable in pop culture that you're like, ⁓ well, that's where that reference came from. Like I think you would still it would still have impact for you. So All right, well, let's jump into the rewatchability nostalgia meter. It's time to take a look at how well this 80s flick holds up today. It's our way of measuring how enjoyable a movie is for repute repeat viewings along with the waves and nostalgia it brings. Here's how it works: it's a one to ten scale. Any number between one and ten will do, but here are a few parameters to help you decide. At the bottom of the meter is a number one, means it's I saw it once and it was ⁓ it was that was enough. In the middle at a number five is a good watch, a good rewatch every couple of years. And at the top, the highly coveted ten means it's highly rewatchable and full of nostalgia. So Vinny, I'm gonna put you on the spot. First up, where does stand by me land for you on the rewatchability and nostalgia meter?

Vinnie: Yeah. I think if you were listening earlier, you already know my my opinion on this, right? ⁓ I never like to give anything a ten. ⁓ so I'll give it a nine. ⁓ but again, it's the it's the ultimate s one of the ultimate summer movies. And not to not mention that it's one of the greatest movies of all time. You see some of the some great young cast early. You have Richard Dreyfus. ⁓ you know, he was big in the eighties, you have all this coming off, but

Tim: Right, right. Yeah, and that's perfectly fine.

Vinnie: It hit a little again, it hit a little different that I concentrated on it for the first time watching it. I mean, I'd have it on in the past, or you know, hey, it's on AMC, I'm just gonna throw it on. ⁓ sit down and watching it again for ⁓ this time, and it's it just was completely different to me, and it was in a good way. ⁓ like I I saw these characters different. I I saw in a different light, and it's not bad, but like you know, eight-year-old Vinny watching this versus

Tim: Mm-hmm. Right, right.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

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

Vinnie: forty six year old Vinny watching this. It's it hits different, but both in a good way. And I will I will still watch it every year. I will college football's week for opening weekend it'll be watched again at some point. Hopefully I don't have to rent it again. But ⁓ but I will watch it. I always do watch it every

Tim: Ha ha ha

Laramy: Ha ha.

Tim: Love it. What about you, Laramie?

Laramy: Nah, it's pretty much the exact same. ⁓ I I kind of agree with Vinny. Like I part of me wanted to give it a ten, but I was like, I just I I don't think I can give it a ten. j just because like I I don't think it's the perfect movie, but ⁓ but yeah, it's it's up there as one of the greatest movies ever. ⁓ again, Shaw Shank to me is a little higher, but ⁓ But I mean it's it's it's not that long of a watch. I mean it's under an hour and a half. ⁓ so it's over pretty quick. Again, I think also as knowing the novella, ⁓ and some of the changes that were made. Some like I said, for the better, like we said with Gordy with the gun. Some that I think I I would have liked to have seen flesh out a little bit more, like the deer scene. ⁓ but I get that they weren't trying to 'cause obviously the novella is narrated by Gordy. ⁓

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: So we get a lot more into Gordy's head ⁓ through the novella, whereas the movie just kind of sprinkles it in here and there. whereas the movie plays out more in the moment. But it's it's a hundred percent one of those movies that everyone needs to see. It is one hundred percent nostalgia. ⁓ and I agree with Vinny when you watch it as a kid or a teenager, as a young adult, or even, you know, we start reaching middle age, like.

Tim: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Ha ha ha.

Laramy: There are different parts of this movie that are gonna hit you. There are parts of this movie that are gonna affect you differently. ⁓ and that's one of the great things about Stephen King. I mean, regardless of thinking about Stephen King writing this or not, I mean, you can say, well, Stephen King's not, yes, he's known more for his horror, but the man writes everything. ⁓ I I mean, I'm actually I just recently have read a couple of his ⁓ his ⁓ his crime stories where the

Tim: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Laramy: You know, he the man can tell a story. But whether you you know it's Stephen King or not, it's still just a good story. So yeah, no so definitely, definitely I'll I'll give it a nine as well.

Tim: Mm-hmm. All right.

Vinnie: A lot of times I hate going back to watch some of these movies, ⁓ especially ones that I know I love. ⁓ I'll just be honest, like I remember re-watching Ghostbusters about ten years ago. And I I loved the movie, but I sat there and I just criticized it. I would still recommend it if you've never seen it. Now look, I watched some of this again and

Tim: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Vinnie: Some of it didn't make I overcriticize. It's like why if they're run they're running out of time and they don't want to be on this guy's property, why are they throwing rocks at this can and in the junkyard? Like little stuff like that that I started to critique. I get it, it's hot. They're trying to get shade. ⁓ but you're walking through the woods. You can get shade in a woods. ⁓ but i i it didn't it didn't kill it for me, right? ⁓ I was worried that s I mean, I've watched it so many times, but I haven't sat and analyzed it.

Tim: Right, right.

Laramy: Yeah.

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

Vinnie: going forth and I was just like I was happy that it didn't kill it for me. Again, I will still watch Ghostbusters, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't hold for to me never like I was like, man, why did I like this so much? It's still good. But like if if I were doing that, I'd be like, nah, it's not as rewatchable as that. So I was praying it didn't kill it, but no, it did. I I think I liked it even more after watching it.

Laramy: Yeah. I will say I I will say you're the moment you're talking about about them crossing through the junkyard. I like when movies at least have a line to explain some ideological thought. So they have the line where I believe it's Teddy says, hey, what time is it? It's about to open. So they knew that it was closed. They knew that he and the dog were not there.

Tim: Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: And so at least that explains why they were okay, even though they're telling the story about Chopper, about going ahead and crossing into there. And and you you know, you can take that maybe they knew that hanging out there for a little while, they were at least safe because they were fenced in. ⁓ but I like that one line that Teddy says to at least explain why they are okay being there. Cause Teddy is loud as soon as they jump over the fence. So it's

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

Vinnie: See, I I I always took that as they were almost open 'cause they weren't they going to the store at that point. ⁓ they were crossing over to get to the store. I always took that as they weren't open as the store. But I just maybe I I

Laramy: Mm.

Tim: ⁓ no, it was the junkyard, yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: No, he sa because he says that the the ⁓ I forgot I don't know if they say his name or not, but the man and the dog ⁓ you know, will be there soon. So no, it is the junkyard.

Vinnie: Yeah.

Tim: All right, well, ⁓ for my ranking, I think it's nines across the board for all the same reasons you guys talked about. ⁓ I it's highly rewatchable. I may not watch it every year, but I've I will watch it every couple of years. I mean, yeah. If it's on, I'm gonna sit down and watch it. ⁓ so yeah. I won't I won't say more than you guys have already said 'cause you already said it so well. So All right, gentlemen, I appreciate you guys joining. Thank you, Laramie. Thank you for Vinny for being a part. Such a great movie, such a great conversation. ⁓ appreciate you guys hanging out with me today.

Vinnie: Thanks for having us. I appreciate it being on. Yeah.

Laramy: ⁓ it's a blast.

Tim: Yep. All right, that's a wrap on another trip to the greatest decade of cinema. We sparked a memory or helped you rediscover a classic today. Please head over to Apple Podcast and leave us a five-star review. It truly helps the show reach more fans like you. To make sure you're always in loop for our next deep dive, hit that follow or subscribe button. And if you want to keep the show running, consider becoming a partner over at Buy MeACoffee.com. For more 80s goodness, our digital headquarters is always open at 80s flickflashback.com. And while you're there, Check out our T Public store for original designs and movie-inspired merch that'll have you looking like a 1980s icon. Thanks again for tuning in. I'm Tim Williams for the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast. We talked into the night, the kind of talk that seemed important until you discover girls.