#110 - "Weekend at Bernie's" (1989) with Nicholas Pepin (from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast) & Chad Sheppard

Attendees: Chad Sheppard, nicholas pepin, Timothy Williams

This transcript of the full unedited recording was computer generated and might contain errors. 

Timothy Williams: Have you ever wondered how far you'd go to keep your weekend plans alive picture this it's the summer of 1989 and two young employees are ready for a dream getaway at their bosses Swanky beach house, but there's a Twist when they arrive they find their boss who unbeknownst to them has been stealing from the company is very much dead. What follows is a wild 48 Hours filled with dirty old drunks clad ladies in an unsuspecting corpse that seems to still be the life of the party sound ridiculous. Of course, it does but who needs logic and common sense when you've got 90 minutes of slapstick and slight gags. This is one weekend. We'll never forget. So grab your sunglasses jump in the golf cart and meet us at the big house at the top of the Dune as Nicholas Pepin Chad Sheppard and I discuss Weekend at Bernie's from 1989 on this episode of the 80s flick flashback podcast.

Timothy Williams: Welcome in everybody. So glad to have you on this episode of the 80s flick flashback podcast. glad to have the guest Coast not my two guest host back again, you love them. We've got Chad Sheppard and we've got Nicholas Pepin from pop culture roulette. How you doing Chad?

Chad Sheppard: Doing well. How you doing, Tim?

Timothy Williams: I'm good, How you doing, Nicholas? Good good.

nicholas pepin: I am excellent. How about you?

Timothy Williams: So Weekend at Bernie's when I posted this one you guys jumped at the chance to talk about this crazy zany movie that I had sometimes remember came out in the 80s because it did come out in 89. So if you didn't really see it the year it came out it kind of Falls somewhat in more that 90s movie category, but let's jump in Chad. When did you see Weekend at Bernie's for the very first time?

Chad Sheppard: I was a younger fella. I did not seen the theater.

Chad Sheppard: I had to run it after my parents would not allow me to watch. This was PG, right? It was pretty pretend.

Timothy Williams: PG-13, but it's a very mild PG-13 I think.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, but it still was 13. I never did tell you this and I'll know if I'll be on that episode, but I wasn't allowed to see Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade And think it came out on video. so This was another saw later.

Timothy Williams: wow.

Timothy Williams: mmm

Chad Sheppard: Was able to see it. but I got them confused with the second one. I thought Bernie's two was an 80s movie. yeah, I know that now…

Timothy Williams: No.

Chad Sheppard: but I could have sworn and that's all that it's 93 and I'm like what?

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Chad Sheppard: But yeah, so I was kind of Fairly young probably watch my friends at HBO. So he recorded a lot of HBO shows up said that before and…

Timothy Williams: right Okay.

Chad Sheppard: watch it there. So yeah.

Timothy Williams: What about you Nicholas?

Timothy Williams: he

nicholas pepin: I distinctly remember going over to a friend's house and…

Timothy Williams: goofinist Yeah,…

nicholas pepin: and probably the same friend that I've talked about many times on this podcast in the past.

Timothy Williams: very antologic. That's good.

nicholas pepin: We've rent a lot of the movies that I'm not gonna say my parents wouldn't have let me watch because this one I feel like I want to watch with my dad and he would have really enjoyed just the anti-lawed the anti-logic of most of this movie.

Timothy Williams: Right, right.

nicholas pepin: But yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, this was the five dollar at Walmart.

nicholas pepin: no, I distinctly remember watching it and…

Chad Sheppard: purchase for me that and…

nicholas pepin: just really love it and…

Timothy Williams: Gotcha.

nicholas pepin: then a couple years ago.

Chad Sheppard: the second one.

nicholas pepin: I just did on DVD and…

Chad Sheppard: I like it had a special two for 10.

nicholas pepin: I needed five more dollars for the free shipping on Amazon.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, this one. I've seen a couple times.

nicholas pepin: I was Perfect my excuse to finally buy that movie.

Timothy Williams: I think I'm trying to remember if I saw this in the theater or not. I do know there's a funny story with this with my older sister who told my parents that she had gone to go see this movie with one of her friends, but we kind of all knew that they did something else that they probably weren't supposed to do or saw a movie. They weren't supposed to see and so I remember them her coming back home and they wrecked and a little bit more goofy than usual and I think I popped up as a little but the goody two shoes little brother and said what part did you like and she couldn't tell us anything that wasn't in the previews. So she was kind of found out so I have that I remembered that more than actually seeing it at the theater, I wasn't in Texas when this came out.

00:05:00

Timothy Williams: I was in Maryland but in Maryland we did have a movie theater on yeah, so I was in Maryland so we did have the movie theater on base. So this is probably saw this at the theater on base. But once again those movies are showing two months after they'd made their run at the regular theater. So I don't think I went and saw this one at first came out. I think I waited until it made it to the theater on base and watched it then but really liked it. But I even remember then thinking all the funny parts are in the commercial there wasn't much outside of what you saw in the commercials or the trailers that I felt were really really funny. and I know I watched a couple of times when it came out on video. I don't remember if this is the one that I owned it was probably one that I had recorded off of cable at some point, but it's not one that I found myself watching over and over and over again and then speaking of the sequel. I've probably only seen weekend Bernie's.

Timothy Williams: once And just did not like it at all. So I've never really rewatched it. but how long has it been since you rewatched it before rewatching it for the podcast. I'll start with Nicholas this time.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

nicholas pepin: When I purchased it on DVD a couple years ago,…

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

nicholas pepin: I was like I must watch this and I did and I was like, if it's everybody stupid as I remember but stupid fun the sequel I'm with you.

Timothy Williams: I think you have to find the combo DVD pack to find the second one.

nicholas pepin: I saw it once and I don't remember it all and I can't find it anywhere.

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

nicholas pepin: So that must have gotten lucky and…

Timothy Williams: I think when I was because I saw a couple pictures of the combo an old DVD combo…

nicholas pepin: purchased it when he did because it's not streaming anywhere and it's not like I can't even purchase it on Amazon.

Timothy Williams: but those are probably way out of print so I bought about you Chad.

nicholas pepin: I don't think or not for and a reasonable price. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: How long has it been?

Chad Sheppard: Since I bought it that was the couple years ago. from Walmart watched it and…

Timothy Williams: mmm

Chad Sheppard: I unlike you too. I have seen we can have Bernie's too.

nicholas pepin: Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: so many times again, I kind of thought they were not the same movie but I thought they were …

Timothy Williams: right That's kind of.

Chad Sheppard: yeah, I'm gonna kind of is watching this one the other day. I was like when is he start getting up and dancing to the music

Timothy Williams: Yeah, that's definitely the second one.

Chad Sheppard: No, that's too. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: So I wonder for Did you think you saw the second one first before you saw the first one or did you see him in order? Okay, yeah.

Chad Sheppard: I probably saw the second one first.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, that's…

Timothy Williams: how yeah, go ahead.

Chad Sheppard: I was 14.

Chad Sheppard: I was 14 in 93.

Timothy Williams: Mmm Yeah that

Chad Sheppard: But I remember in it being popular and the older people to older folks talking about it But yeah.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I think it's kind of like when Larry now we're doing Superman and Superman 2. all the stuff in Superman one that I really remembered was all the stuff that they replayed in Superman 2 and I realized I had seen Superman 2 way more that I saw Superman one as a kid but I didn't realize to go back and rewatching them. So yeah, I had tried to watch this it was on one of the streamers cable channels on demand. Probably five years three or something, maybe four years ago three or four years ago. And I was like, man, I haven't seen weekend to Bernie's in a long time. I'm gonna watch it and I turned it on and I was like,

Timothy Williams: I don't remember being this stupid I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't what I really wanted to watch at that time. So I got through maybe 20 minutes. I was like, what I need to watch this by the time I just not in that mood for that type of goofy funny, but when I rewatched it yesterday. I laughed so much. I was having such a great time watching it and I think because I remembered remembering how goofy it was and don't even think about logic and the crazy thing was tired was sitting on the couch with me. She watched parts of it at the end and she's like Why would they do that? he would be so bloated after being in the water. The longest entire was like don't think about logic. There's no logic in this movie at all.

00:10:00

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, what you're talking about the non-logic I want to I don't know. I'm jumping ahead.

Timothy Williams: I like anti-logic better.

Chad Sheppard: We're not and I had but as a man with a certain kind of haircut when they pulled his toupee off.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, go ahead.

Timothy Williams: To pay off, right?

nicholas pepin: No, no.

Chad Sheppard: And they thankful to back the rest of the movie.

Chad Sheppard: His hair was perfect again. how did that work?

Timothy Williams: yeah, yeah.

Chad Sheppard: Okay, that's one of the things about me.

Timothy Williams: mmm Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: among others but

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, we're getting a trivia. I've got some actual, scientific stuff of what really would have happened in the time frame so All right. let's jump into the story origin and pre-production.

Timothy Williams: I found I kind of had a hodgepodge some stuff together for this…

nicholas pepin: I'm sure we'll get to some…

Timothy Williams: but I found an article that was really helpful.

nicholas pepin: I've got a couple.

Timothy Williams: So I kind of tried to Taylor some of this back. so here we go producer Victor draw Dr. AI who had made the Gene Wilder rom-com The Woman in Red now most famous for Stevie Wonder's Oscar winning. I Just Called to Say I Love You song head teamed up with clain for an adaption of the French comedy the tall blonde man with one black shoe. Which became the early Tom Hanks vehicle the man with one red shoe Dre said, I love that script. We worked on that for I don't know six months or a year when we finished. I asked claim. Who was this the screenwriter. Do you have any other ideas? I want to try to find something original. He said yeah, I have an idea but nobody would ever buy it. It's about two kids who drag a dead guy around Fire Island, and I said, that sounds crazy and funny.

Timothy Williams: At the time Dre had a deal with MGM after some initial reluctance from the studio. He got to go ahead to develop the pitch into a screenplay, but the studio ultimately balked at the script. He said if someone pitched you an idea about two kids with a dead guy, you'd think they're crazy which forced the producer to look elsewhere to get the movie made as luck would have it. He was friends with Ted kochief who months earlier over lunch asked him what he was working on. He said I gave him some of the Bernie gags and he said that sounds funny. Please. Let me read the script when it's finished. I'd forgotten the conversation. We had another lunch and he said what happened to your script and I said, I just finished it. Do you want to look at it? He read it and said, I'd love to do it.

Timothy Williams: Weekend at Bernie screenwriter Robert clayne was possibly inspired by a seemingly, but vetted tail of seemingly apocryphal. Is that how you say that apocryphal but vetted tail of Hollywood after actor John Barrymore died at age 60 in 1942 his friends actor Errol Flynn and director Raul Walsh slipped a mortuary worker $200 to check out the body for an hour to play a prank. They set him up straight on a couch and pretended he was alive but sick and…

nicholas pepin: Yes.

Timothy Williams: tried to get Flynn's Butler to revive in with alcohol and coffee. Both participants have recounted the story in their memoirs. Bear Moore's granddaughter Drew Barrymore claimed on hot ones that the story was true. And when weakened at Bernie Starr Andrew McCarthy was guest on her talk show. if her grand she asked for grandfather had inspired his film and he said that could well be been true, but we do not have such a fine pedigree as that. We were just fools running around with a dead body. So I thought that was kind of cool.

Timothy Williams: According to Mill magazine screenwriter Robert Lane gave the script the title hot and cold and it went into production under that name. It didn't sit well with Terry Kaiser who played Bernie halfway through the movie. He said I went up to the producer and the writer and I said boys, this isn't hot and cold anymore. I hate to tell you. They didn't realize how much Bernie had become the Forefront of everything. I said Weekend at Bernie's is the title and they said I think you're right, but director Ted kochief claims that he came up with the final title after a Weekend at Bernie's test screening a studio public relations rep order to devise a new name. He said I always thought Bernie was a funny name. So I came up with Weekend at Bernie's. So there's some discrepancy of who came up with the title, but we can all agree. It's better than hot and cold.

Timothy Williams: And for those that don't know who Ted kochoff is, this is one of the few comedies he made we've talked about him on previous episodes like first blood which is not a comedy at all. so

Chad Sheppard: As I say there is a line in there. that when the guy gets fired he said Larry says you can come out now Rambo.

nicholas pepin: And way better.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: yeah, yeah.

Chad Sheppard: And He did do that one,…

Timothy Williams: Mm- Yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: didn't he?

Timothy Williams: nice little nod to the director there.

nicholas pepin: No.

Timothy Williams: He also makes a cameo in the movie.

Chad Sheppard: mmm

Timothy Williams: If you didn't know that we'll get there too, which I didn't realize that's all doing the notes. I didn't know that was him in that scene. so anything you want to add or discuss about the making of I think the biggest shock is they actually made this movie like they thought this was a good idea.

00:15:00

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah.

nicholas pepin: Yeah, especially back then when there was a much more limited release.

Timothy Williams: Right, right. Mm-hmm.

nicholas pepin: For movies. I mean they were an 89 there was definitely a lot more. direct video than there would have been earlier in the 80s, but I could see them doing a movie like that now because you've got to fill the original content on, 45 different streamers and…

Timothy Williams: yeah, yeah,…

nicholas pepin: you're just like, let's throw a couple of young up and…

Timothy Williams: you make a good point this would kind of fall in the category of any John Cena movie that goes straight to a streamer service like vacation friends or…

nicholas pepin: coming, Comedians and an established guy and just have some stupid fun, but that's just…

Timothy Williams: Ricky stonicki that I guess he just did recently this just completely stupid and…

nicholas pepin: because like I said, you've got however many different streamers looking for original content. But back in 89,…

Timothy Williams: utterly unbelievable,…

nicholas pepin: it's kind of a minor miracle that got this done at all.

Timothy Williams: but you watch it because there's

Timothy Williams: right, right. exactly. So

Chad Sheppard: I like John Cena is acting. I Peacemaker was fantastic. Yes.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, he's fine. He's funny. Yeah. Yeah. He's had summer better than others. I did watch both vacation friends and…

nicholas pepin: Both of…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

nicholas pepin: both of which I watched because they were streaming and…

Timothy Williams: we did laugh a lot watches.

nicholas pepin: I didn't have to pay to go see them in the theaters.

Timothy Williams: I haven't watched Ricky stanicki yet, but I kind of get the gist of it from the previews. I mean, …

nicholas pepin: I do too peacemate.

Timothy Williams: once again, what you're getting into when you watch it. But yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: right

Timothy Williams: I do like the memes now where it says he's turning into Jim Varney, which I think is hilarious. So

Chad Sheppard: no remainder ie

Timothy Williams: Yeah. But alright.

Chad Sheppard: Those are some movies you can do on your podcast.

Timothy Williams: Let's jump in. Yes, we're the trust me that's on there on the list.

Chad Sheppard: earnest Okay,…

Timothy Williams: We'll get there.

Chad Sheppard: okay. Sorry.

Timothy Williams: We'll get there eventually. Don't rush me. No skin and you're good. All right. let's talk about casting. Andrew McCarthy as Larry Wilson a guy named Larry Wilson, which I thought was funny McCarthy's first major role was in the 1983 comedy class opposite Jacqueline Bisset. He was a member that Hollywood group of young actors dubbed by the media as the brat pack the group starred in a few films among them Saint animals fire and pre and pink McCarthy appeared in the 1987 films mannequin in less than zero.

Timothy Williams: In 198 He started with Donald Sutherland and Kevin Dillon and Heaven Help Us also known as Catholic boys and he made his Broadway debut in the boys of winter Then he quickly returned to Hollywood in 88 to start in several films including Fresh Horses and Kansas. But I think after mannequin, this was probably his only other big hit Fresh Horses in Kansas didn't do as well. and of course, he's got the new documentary on Hulu about the brat back. So Yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: I said

Timothy Williams: that'll be out by the time we drop this so I think it actually releases tomorrow. So I'm planning on watching that too. So any thoughts on Andrew McCarthy

Chad Sheppard: Good.

Timothy Williams: Mm- Yeah. I would almost say this is my favorite movie of his just because he's playing so different than everything else he is wild zany just over the top and…

nicholas pepin: I enjoy them.

Timothy Williams: everything else.

nicholas pepin: I mean, he's a Mainstay of the 80s movies that I love so

Timothy Williams: He's kind of been more like the cool calm sophisticated person. So

Timothy Williams: if woman you think about Pretty in Pink and Saint almost fire the one the earlier ones, he is more of like the calm headed one of the group and even in mannequin, he's a little while…

nicholas pepin: I'd have to look at the list and…

Timothy Williams: but in this one as Larry,…

nicholas pepin: figure that out.

Timothy Williams: he's just …

nicholas pepin: I did not do my research on Andrew McCarthy.

Timothy Williams: he's the Oddball, he's which I think I want to say that I'd read and I didn't put in here that John Cryer was actually auditioning as well and they wanted Andrew McCarthy to play their role of Richard but when McCarthy got the script.

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: He said He wanted to play Larry and so they gave him that role and then brought in Jonathan Silverman to play. I guess more of the straight man. which I think works. I mean I could see John crier being that wild and crazy. But once again, you see him doing that anyway, so that's why I like this role for Andrew McCarthy to kind of be wild and crazy and be different than what he's been in other things.

00:20:00

Chad Sheppard: Yeah. Yeah he's a no.

Timothy Williams: Exactly knowing you don't have to say anything. It's okay. That's what editing is for.

Chad Sheppard: no, I Sorry,…

Chad Sheppard: no, I'd like him and in these movie are both the first one and the second one acting wise.

Timothy Williams: No, you're good.

Timothy Williams: mmm

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, of course, that's all I'm in the backpack movies and like that He did a director now.

nicholas pepin: All right. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, he's done a lot of direct. Mm-hmm.

Chad Sheppard: a big TV director in I think the last song I was on that medical show. I think it was filmed here in Atlanta the resident I think it was on that one or

Timothy Williams: the resident Mm- He's popped up and he's done several guest rolls on things. But yeah, he's known more as a writer and a photographer.

Chad Sheppard: no.

Timothy Williams: He's done some stuff with National Geographic stuff. But So I did find out that he's responsible for a lot of the movies on the Fly humor. He's the one that came up with stapling the toupee on top of Bernie's head tossing him over the side of the balcony of the sand. He talked about those in his Memoir. He did work closely with director Ted kocho to create one scenario in which dead Bernie waves to a couple of women in bikinis McCarthy took the game Monopoly from the condo where he was staying during the shoot set it up and played a game with Bernie. He said the game not only gave me something to do that illuminated character and enliven to modest scene. He added the scenario enabled him to tie fishing line to Bernie's wrist making the wave that much more plausible. So I guess before they probably just had him throwing his arm up like they were doing in the golf cart. So McCart.

Chad Sheppard: No, such Jonathan Silverman did that lightning and they were driving?

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah McCarthy also directed one of the scenes because kochief wasn't available. He was cameoing as the father of Jonathan Silverman. So he played the dad that comes out in the middle of the night, which I think is hilarious one of my favorite scenes, but despite the creative freedom kochief was a bit of a terror on set McCarthy says Ted was an explosive guy who occasionally lost his cool screaming profanities through a bull horn at scores of extras or throwing the assistant directors talkie into the sea when it went off during a take so how much fun was that?

Timothy Williams: But yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah on the beach of North Carolina. they couldn't afford to rent any of the houses in the Hamptons. So they built their own in North Carolina and then tore it down as soon as the movie was over. Yeah. Nope. Yeah, they tore down. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Yeah, they just tells you how expensive the houses are in the Hamptons. But yeah, it was something about there's a turtle migration that's very popular in that area. And so where the house was interfered with the migration routes of the turtles so they had to use that part of the beach.

nicholas pepin: yeah, that was in my list of favorite scenes just like You let your butler talk to you that way.

Timothy Williams: They had to agree to tear it down after they built it so

Timothy Williams: movie making at its finest

Timothy Williams: so I was gonna say something else. yeah, and it's funny because with kotchef being kind of like, a aggressive or kind of out on set. I love the line that he gives Richard and Richard's like if you don't mind laying out my suit for tomorrow morning is how about all you out?

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah.

Chad Sheppard: mmm

Timothy Williams: Why are you Am I Whispering? Yeah the walls are very thin.

Chad Sheppard: No.

Chad Sheppard: He's one of the daughter's boyfriend right or…

00:25:00

Timothy Williams: My neighbors downstairs,…

Chad Sheppard: the girls.

Timothy Williams: walking,…

Timothy Williams: that was just a great funny scene. So speaking of Richard. Let's talk about Jonathan Silverman is known for his roles in the film's Girls.

Chad Sheppard: and the first couple of Seasons Before the Chief died and…

Chad Sheppard: then they went somewhere else. Yeah. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Just Want to Have Fun in 85 Brighton Beach memorials 86 the film version of the first Neil Simon Eugene Trilogy.

Chad Sheppard: Then they went to an apartment somewhere in New York with.

Timothy Williams: He was also in Caddyshack 2 and…

nicholas pepin: Okay.

Timothy Williams: 88 little sister 92 little big league in 1994.

Chad Sheppard: sorry. my bad.

Timothy Williams: He played the role of Eddie and Beethoven's Big Break as well as starred in the film Jam in 2006.

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: He actually began his career on television with a recurring role on the m sitcom. Give me a break from 95 to 97. He played the title role in the TV series the single guy which came on after friends. I remember he has also made guest appearances on Friends CSI, Miami psych hot and…

Chad Sheppard: There you go.

nicholas pepin: I was always a big fan of a single guy.

Timothy Williams: Cleveland and white collar in 2014.

nicholas pepin: I know it only lasted the two years,…

Timothy Williams: He guest starred on Law and…

nicholas pepin: but I remember really liking it.

Timothy Williams: Order Special Victims Unit as a controversial stand-up comedian.

Timothy Williams: But yeah, I remember seeing Brighton Beach Memoirs as before this. Probably caddyshack2 because I remember going to see that but I definitely remembered him from give me a break. that was a big show that my family was a big fan of that show.

nicholas pepin: I think Conan had something to do with it. I don't know…

Timothy Williams: We used to watch it all the time. So

nicholas pepin: if he was a writer. He just guessed it on it. But yeah, I just remember really enjoying it and…

Timothy Williams: I think so. Yeah, yeah.

nicholas pepin: and thinking it should have lasted longer but that was in the air of…

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm. But in the grandpa,…

nicholas pepin: if it wasn't friends or Seinfeld it just didn't seem to make it for whatever reason.

Timothy Williams: yeah, they brought in the grandpa. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: That was later like that. we're getting so off topic. If you want to have a give me a break podcast, but yes when it went to the apartment. It's because NBC canceled and I think ABC picked it up. And so when I went to different network, and half of the cast didn't return it was basically this nail and Joey Lawrence. We're the only two characters that return so they moved to an apartment. So

Timothy Williams: Really want to look out for give me a retrospective podcast coming to you soon. So.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, I remember seeing here in the promos. it's Seinfeld friends and the single guy. Must see TV.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. I did too.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I was funny when I saw that it actually ran from 95 to 97. I really thought it was only a one-season show because it didn't last that long, but I guess it had two seasons but there was some really funny episodes that I remember really liking that show when it was on.

Timothy Williams: It's possible. Yeah, he was probably a right area.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. you could tell they were trying to keep it like friends but only with one person and so it didn't really have anywhere for it to really go and grow Anywhere With the single guy he's him and a friend I think of his but you lost kind of that Ensemble which was the big thing. Like I said Seinfeld was Ensemble friends was an ensemble comedy. So trying to do something more than one or two characters was harder to pull off back then I think but I agree with you. I like that show a lot.

nicholas pepin: It's been a…

Timothy Williams: but

nicholas pepin: since I've seen that particular Friday the 13th.

Timothy Williams: yeah, right. Let's see NBC.

Chad Sheppard: That's seven.

nicholas pepin: Absolutely.

Timothy Williams: Ariel moving right along we'll talk about as Bernie Lomax Terry Kaiser during the 1970s and early 80s. He appeared on Three's Company Hardcastle and McCormick one day at a time The Love Boat Night Court 227 Maude and The Golden Girls. I remember the episodes with him on Night Court every watch that a couple of last year. So one of his roles on the TV drama Hill Street Blues, he was a cast member on the syndicated sketch comedy show off the wall and part of an ensemble on Burnett's Carolyn company, which aired in 1990 in the 90s. He appeared on Walker Texas Ranger Fresh Prince of Air Lois and Clark. They do Adventures of Superman as HG Wells and also one Will and Grace his film appearances include rich kids and 79 steel and 79 and I for an eye on 81 six pack in 82 from a whisper to a scream in 87 and Friday the 13th Part 7 the new blood in 1988.

00:30:00

Timothy Williams: You recognize him from that Nicholas.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, we haven't gotten that far on the podcast.

Chad Sheppard: They had to keep that up the whole time too.

Timothy Williams: I know I don't think I've seen that one yet.

Chad Sheppard: That's got to be hard.

Timothy Williams: But yeah, I remember him from six pack for Yeah. Yes seven and eighty eight.

nicholas pepin: 

Timothy Williams: But yeah, I remember him from Night Court and I remember him from Six Pack, but that's pretty much all that. I kind of knew him from I'm sure I saw on some of the other TV shows as…

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

Timothy Williams: but he'll always be Bernie, even if you see him on something now, that this is his most iconic role for sure.

Timothy Williams: So he believes he landed the role because his mustache fit Bernie's character so well, and he only had it for a few weeks before because he hadn't bothered to shave it off during recovery from a motorcycle accident. Among other limited number of tools Kaiser used as a stiff Bernie's permanent smirk after a day of shooting and thinking his physical comedy wasn't funny enough. He developed the expression. He said I went back to acting 101. What does this guy trying to do while he's goofing on these guys? So I decided I'm just gonna goof on them all through the whole movie and see if I can break these guys up.

Timothy Williams: So I guess I read a little bit more detail where he said they did the scene where he gets, shot it gets the poison and he's just had a blank look on his face and he said he just looked like a dead guy wasn't really funny when he decided to add the little smirk and it felt good going in and got stuck with him. He said the whole crew busted out laughing and he was like if the cruise gonna laugh it should do really well and then he said he just decided to keep that which made any time they had his expression. It made it funny,…

Chad Sheppard: But yeah that looked very painful.

Timothy Williams: which I agree him having that smirk kind of, made him look a little bit more alive than just completely dead face. So

Timothy Williams: yeah, yeah.

Timothy Williams: We're gonna say something Nicholas. Okay, I thought I saw you move. They're gonna say something. It's all good. This was a question. I had how much do you think he did his own stunts? how much was him and how much was like because even Tire rash is is that a real person? I'm like, yeah, that's

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: I don't think they were smart enough back then to create a dummy version of him, but he said the producers did use a stunt double portraying Bernie and every bruising battering corpse abusing scenario, but that doesn't mean Kaiser didn't suffer for his art. He said I broke three ribs during the course of filming that happened when he fell off the boat the scene…

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I mean she for…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

nicholas pepin: what she gets she got. Yes. She was alright, I mean did it I mean,…

Timothy Williams: the boat hits the wave and…

nicholas pepin: it was really kind of a two-hander.

Timothy Williams: kind of jumps from the seat to the back of the boat.

nicholas pepin: I mean it didn't have a lot of cast outside of the three.

Timothy Williams: He said and one of the shots when he went up he came down wrong and…

nicholas pepin: Yeah, the three people so

Timothy Williams: landed on his ribs and cracked up and broke through ribs. He also said I had a nerve in the back of my neck pressed down that was causing violent dizziness when they kept dropping me on the couch on my head. He said for two days or two or three days after that they had to literally carry him into the places to do a scenes because he couldn't walk because it was too much pain to walk. suffering for your art

nicholas pepin: he

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I'm not sure why he didn't have the stuntman do more of that like, banging his head against the boardwalk or…

Chad Sheppard: Good commissary with Jonathan Silverman.

Timothy Williams: whatever when these Coming down on the wagon.

Chad Sheppard: I thought

Timothy Williams: I'm like that's surely had to be a stuntman but I think they said for the boat scenes. It was all him except for when they're dragging him in the water. That was actually a stuntman like I thought for sure that was a dummy and they said no there was a stunt man that was doing that portion of him being dragged behind the boat and then hitting the bells or whatever.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, very I mean physical comedy? But he made it work. I will say though and maybe I was only one but when he's alive like the opening scenes of Bernie in the office or whatever. I was like if they remade this which I don't want that. I don't want them to but I was like I could totally see Robert Downey Jr. Playing the role of Bernie, especially in the beginning.

00:35:00

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Okay, you guys are quiet tonight. Come on. Talk it up. All right, Moon run along with Catherine Mary Stewart as Gwyn Saunders. Of course, we talked about Catherine Mary Stewart on our Last Starfighter episode.

nicholas pepin: Yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: one

nicholas pepin: maybe it sounds like something that we would cover though. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: So I'm not gonna review much of that. Her film roles include the Apple night of the comment the last star fighter and of course Weekend at Bernie's she was also the original Caleb Brady on Days of Our Lives if you're Days of Our Lives, But I've yet tend to forget that she's in I know her more from Last Starfighter, but I thought she was good in the movie. so she was a…

Chad Sheppard: Is it the one with tar man?

Timothy Williams: decent love interest for

nicholas pepin: No.

Timothy Williams: Silverman

Chad Sheppard: I give those confused all the ones in the 80s about the okay.

nicholas pepin: Yeah, it's one of those that…

Timothy Williams: Mm- Yeah.

nicholas pepin: because Romero failed to copyright Night of the Living Dead. There was a lot of movies that were like, we're a sequel the Night of the Living Dead without actually officially being a sequel.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. yeah.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: And even she's yeah, the three people being Larry Richard and Bernie. I mean this really the three of them most of it g she kind of pops in and out to kind of give that little kind of subplot but yes, she really doesn't have that much to do and she talked about when she first read the script. She was like I don't know if this is really gonna be funny but I need the work. So it's like I'll take the role. but she wasn't sure how it was gonna come across in the final product, but she does have good facial expressions when her eyes get really big and she has that shocking with her face like she plays that pretty well so I didn't. Yeah, she did. Yeah, she did.

Timothy Williams: overall, they kind of fit like him being more the sweet guy dumb and gullible and a liar but sweet, because he can't tell the truth for anything for the first, half of the movie and she seems to be in endeared by that. So yeah, they're crimestry was pretty good. All right, so we'll move into the kind of a lesser roles Don calfa as Paulie the semi retired Hitman which was another one of my favorite characters.

Timothy Williams: He works deadly in both film and TV for over 40 years and worked alongside such high profile actors and directors as Warren Beatty Michael Douglas, Jack nicholasen, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Although he worked extensively as a dramatic actor. He's perhaps best recognized first comedic performances, excuse me, including this movie The Character Scarface in the movie Foul Play how old Grand in The Treasure of the moon goddess and mad scientist Ralph Williams in Chopper chicks in Zombie Town, which sounds like a movie that pop culture. Let us covered at least once on their podcast.

Timothy Williams: Right exactly.

nicholas pepin: She said it and I feel like she went out of her way to say Bernie differently every time she said Bernie.

Timothy Williams: He's perhaps best known for his major role in the 85 Colt horror comedy The Return of the Living Dead in…

Chad Sheppard: boiling boingy Yeah when she came into the house the first time.

Timothy Williams: which you played The Eccentric gun-toding and Beach blonde mortician Bernie kaltenberger. So I don't think I've ever seen Eternal living dead.

Chad Sheppard: That was so it's like nails on chalkboard.

Timothy Williams: So I don't recognize him from that but I did like

Timothy Williams: I've never seen it.

Timothy Williams: Mmm Yeah

Timothy Williams: I think I've seen the second one, but I never saw the first one because the second one was more of a comedy when it was more like a

Timothy Williams: yeah.

Timothy Williams: It was funny to watch. Yeah, but yeah, I do like Paulie in this one. I mean, he's funny. I can't imagine him not being funny but

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah for sure and my favorite line of his is when he's shooting at Timothy end and they're like, he's that you're out of bullets. He's like, yeah, but not this one.

00:40:00

nicholas pepin: That's why you look familiar.

Timothy Williams: He pulls out the other gun.

nicholas pepin: You've just named about a hundred things that I've seen.

Timothy Williams: Everybody's so over the top and this would just makes it so much fun. So I move around along we got Catherine Parks as Tina Vito's cheating girlfriend, which is probably the most annoying character in this movie for me. She's perhaps best known for roles in the 82 horror movie Friday the 13th Part three as Vera Sanchez as well as this movie She's appeared in TV shows her first being behind the screen and…

nicholas pepin: I tell you what. I know you've mainly only done not show movies for 80s flick,…

Timothy Williams: she later had a recurring role on the short lived CBS series Zoro and…

nicholas pepin: but you might have to do a Love Boat because it feel like you talked…

Timothy Williams: son and 83. She made guest appearances on TV shows such as The Love Boat…

nicholas pepin: I feel like you talked about Love Boat more than any other thing on your podcast.

Timothy Williams: who wasn't on The Love Boat in the 80s and seven days Three's Company Mike Spillane's Mike Hammer Street Hawk Tales from the Dark Side Hunter and empty nest. So yeah. Bernie come on Bernie. I just

Timothy Williams: Yeah, every time pointy pointy. Yeah. Yeah.

nicholas pepin: Okay.

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: All right. So we'll move along I'll just mention Greg Salata as Marty Vito's assistant. He's been in movies such as the devil's own in 97 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to The Secret of the Ooze in 91 and…

nicholas pepin: did they make jokes about it or now

Timothy Williams: Pink Panther remake in 2006 another guy. He seemed familiar but didn't really know…

nicholas pepin: 

Timothy Williams: who he was and then of course Vita was played by Louis giambalvo. Who is definitely that guy because even Tyra was like, who is that? What's the guy's name is I have no idea. But I know I've seen him in a thousand things and here are some of the things he's been in.

nicholas pepin: Yeah, this could be a fun game for your listeners go back and listen to episodes to find an 80s flick flashback in much. Love boat wasn't brought up at least once.

Timothy Williams: Bernie Miller Heart to Heart saying elsewhere Hill Street Blues The Love Boat Remington Steele The Team Simon and Simon Fame Nots Landing Murder She Wrote Star Trek Voyager aiming Ali McBeal ER NYPD Blue Boston Legal Without a Trace CSI Ugly Betty Dirty Sexy Money and raising the bar. He also played Al Capone on the NBC series The Gangster Chronicles,…

nicholas pepin: There's a lot of stuff that I've been watching recently that I've been like.

Timothy Williams: and he was also in the winning television movie Gia starring Angelina Jolie playing her Father Joseph his feature films include Bottle Shock gun,…

nicholas pepin: how did I watch this with my parent my parents not just anybody's parents…

Timothy Williams: shy Hoffa and…

nicholas pepin: but my parents because as we've talked about they weren't the strictest…

Timothy Williams: the 83 horror science fiction film nightmares. He's best known for his roles in such films as airplane to the sequel 82 and…

nicholas pepin: but there was definitely a little bit more restrictive than you…

Timothy Williams: Real Genius as well as Jagged Edge and…

nicholas pepin: but yeah, there's been some stuff from

Timothy Williams: I'm sorry 85 in the 1988 film The Dead.

nicholas pepin: I don't know how that slipped by him.

Timothy Williams: Okay, exactly. That's what I'm saying. he's been in a million things in that here. yeah, so yeah. Yeah, I remember I think he was one of the pilots and airplane to the sequel because I'd watched that not too long ago and I saw Real Genius in the last year so I recognized him from that as well. But yeah, all the TV shows. I'm sure I've seen and

Timothy Williams: mmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: So funny funny story You should mention that so I'm actually going back and watching all the love boat episodes on Paramount plus because they have them I have all the seasons and it's an HD. The other day I was cracking up laughing. They had an episode that had

Timothy Williams: Was it Betsy Palmer that played Voorhees mother?

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: And Linda Blair from The Exorcist for both on the same episode and neither one was possessed or killing people and I was like, why won't they just use them for what they're known for but yeah when I saw I don't forget I Saw Linda Blair's name Papa was like, wow, that's interesting. And that's all Betsy Palmer was like wait You've Got The Exorcist and…

Chad Sheppard: The Gardener they knocked out him and…

Timothy Williams: Friday the 13th on an episode of Love Boat.

Chad Sheppard: the other guy And put them in and…

Timothy Williams: So yeah.

Chad Sheppard: put them in the closet.

Chad Sheppard: Okay.

Timothy Williams: No No Love Boat wasn't that meta back then and the funny thing about Love Boat is you'll see the same actors on the show, but they play totally different characters when they come in as a guest star I've seen certain people like Jimmy Walker has been on there three times and…

nicholas pepin: I mean because there wasn't really much of anybody. I mean it was just like I said other than the main three …

Timothy Williams: he plays a different character each time. so

00:45:00

nicholas pepin: I mean you stretched it more than I would have but

Timothy Williams: No, not at all. No, so yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: What? …

Timothy Williams: so yeah, so if yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: there is one person that I would kind of want to I thought about it and…

Timothy Williams: that would be fun to go back and I've seen Tom Hanks on the boat.

Chad Sheppard: I was like no I gonna mention it but then I actually looked him up and…

Timothy Williams: I've seen Corey Feldman.

Chad Sheppard: found out…

Chad Sheppard: what all he did. this and post is the kid who buried

Timothy Williams: on there twice

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Right, right.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, Bernie. And it says today is his name in the IMDb is bratty kid that was Jason.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, That would be interesting to find out but yeah. Love Boat is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine…

Chad Sheppard: Just had a Walnut And he was on Shining Time Station.

Timothy Williams: because I remember watching that it's funny watching it now because I remember watching it as a kid and just I don't know…

Chad Sheppard: I remember that as a kid. with

Timothy Williams: why it appealed to me. maybe just because it was a boat or whatever but watching it now there was so much adult themes that went way over my head and…

Chad Sheppard: Don't know what shining times station is. it was on PBS.

nicholas pepin: 

Chad Sheppard: It was a

Timothy Williams: I'm like, how did my parents allow me to watch this as a kid, but

Chad Sheppard: It was a dead is a train station and a little Mr. Conductor who was played by Ringo Starr.

Timothy Williams: Right, right. Yeah. Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: And then he left and then they made it George Carlin. You don't remember that at all.

nicholas pepin: Okay …

Chad Sheppard: There was two kids and

nicholas pepin: okay. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Yeah

Chad Sheppard: Showing time station was Thomas Tank Engine is the stories that Ringo or…

Timothy Williams: Yeah. It's a conversation.

Chad Sheppard: George Carlin would tell. And he would tell.

Timothy Williams: We'll have that conversation on the podcast.

Timothy Williams: But yeah,…

Chad Sheppard: He would tell the stories to the kids.

Timothy Williams: I'm kind of saying looking back my parents were.

Chad Sheppard: He was one of the kids. Fast forward to 2020 he's the director of the Borat sequel.

Timothy Williams: I felt like they were strict but looking back they were a little more liberal than I think I thought they were at the time…

Chad Sheppard: I was like what?

Timothy Williams: but yeah,…

Timothy Williams: but also such as went over our heads I think as long as we didn't react to it or…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, I didn't you…

Chad Sheppard: I haven't seen it but course, I'm sorry original Borat,…

Timothy Williams: ask questions, they're like, okay cool.

Chad Sheppard: but then I was like …

Timothy Williams: Just keep watching, you…

Chad Sheppard: how could they improve on that?

Timothy Williams: don't make any sudden moves.

Chad Sheppard: But he directed?

Timothy Williams: They won't know anything's wrong,…

Timothy Williams: kind of a thing so,…

Chad Sheppard: That and…

Chad Sheppard: he also is a director on…

Chad Sheppard: what we do in the shadows here recently, too. And his IMDb pitcher is still the little kid.

Timothy Williams: All right back to the last person on the cast.

Timothy Williams: We mentioned them already. The director Ted kochief has a cameo as Mr. Parker just to give you some information about Ted cutoff.

Chad Sheppard: from this movie as old as little headshot, I guess from that so As I thought I would.

Timothy Williams: He is a director known for making of the very first Blood movie in 1982. The other comedies he's made were Fun with Dick and Jane and 77 North Dallas 40 and 79 and switching channels and…

Chad Sheppard: What I didn't have cable growing up I didn't have a cable to my twenties.

Timothy Williams: 88. I know Chad you mentioned about the line about you come out now Rambo that was a nod to Ted kachev.

Chad Sheppard: My parents thought cable was a double. So that's why I borrowed the videos from my friend…

Timothy Williams: If you didn't know George Chung…

Chad Sheppard: who had HBO.

Timothy Williams: who plays The Gardener was also in Rambo First Blood Part 2 and…

Chad Sheppard: so I watch a lot of PBS and so yeah, so

Timothy Williams: he wears a costume similar to the one he wore as the villain which I thought was interesting little nod they did for First Blood Part 2 as well.

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. In the closet. Yeah. Yep.

Chad Sheppard: Are you being served and all that? Do you know that Joe?

Timothy Williams: Are anybody else that I didn't cover on the cast? I think I hit the Mainstays.

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I mean a lot of that kind of stuff, you…

Timothy Williams: even more than I probably should have

nicholas pepin: Monty Python

Chad Sheppard: yeah. Dr. Who

Chad Sheppard: Okay, We're all sorry.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: 

Chad Sheppard: The waving with the hand that's when he's playing and…

Timothy Williams: Okay.

Chad Sheppard: they're playing Monopoly and he pulls the thing and…

Timothy Williams: yeah. Yeah, very keeps very Bernie burying Bernie. It's

Chad Sheppard: Bernie's waves. And one of the things that stands out to me is how hot it is in New York in these scenes and…

Timothy Williams: mm- right Mm-hmm.

Chad Sheppard: it would seem the scene where they're on with the tar on the roof. the guitar all over the papers they're looking at and Yeah.

Timothy Williams: I have no idea what that is. Nope.

Chad Sheppard: I think just

nicholas pepin: I mean for iconic scenes I don't know if there's any one I mean,…

Timothy Williams: that's probably why.

nicholas pepin: I think the iconic is Them carrying him around like they're in there's such a like.

Timothy Williams: Okay.

nicholas pepin: I mean that's most of the movies. So it's hard to narrow.

Timothy Williams: Mm- Okay,…

nicholas pepin: It's hard to narrow it down and…

Timothy Williams: I yeah.

nicholas pepin: say this one is but when I think a Weekend at Bernie's basically, it's the poster,…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I vaguely remember that now.

nicholas pepin: the One on one side one on the other Bernie kind of slashed over in the middle,…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah.

nicholas pepin: And everybody else being too drunk to realize that Bernie's been dead for three days.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah. That also is an iconic scene when they're in the house and…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. I vaguely remember that. Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: everybody is talking to him like he's still alive and…

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Chad Sheppard: then they don't know he's dead.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

00:50:00

Timothy Williams: Okay.

Timothy Williams: That's cool. Yeah, see. I did have him down originally,…

Chad Sheppard: That's 80 smugness for you.

Timothy Williams: but when I looked I was like there wasn't anything that I would have really remembered or thought about him being in but now you say that that makes sense. So yeah good call there.

Timothy Williams: right right

Timothy Williams: yeah, yeah.

Timothy Williams: I remember Sesame Street in the electric company. and Reading Rainbow

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

nicholas pepin: I mean, it's so early in the movie.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Upstairs Downstairs

nicholas pepin: It's hard to call it a favorite scene, but every time I watch it. I love it. The two of them are walking and they're talking about how hot it is and just what they want to do and…

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

nicholas pepin: that guy jumps out the mug them. and Andrew McCarthy just pushes him away…

Timothy Williams: Yeah. All…

nicholas pepin: because it's just too hot and they just keep walking and…

Timothy Williams: cool. Now you're good.

nicholas pepin: the guys just like looking at the knife and…

Timothy Williams: All you're good. All…

nicholas pepin: looking just like what?

Timothy Williams: let's talk about scenes favorite scenes. Does this movie have an iconic scene? I don't know. So Chad if someone said we can Bernie's the first one not the second one.

nicholas pepin: We've already talked about the Richard's father coming out that one…

Timothy Williams: What's the first thing that you think of?

nicholas pepin: but Burr Bernie's fight. Now I'm going to do something for an audio podcast.

Timothy Williams: Like Monopoly, yeah.

nicholas pepin: I'm gonna make quotation marks, but Bernie's fight.

Chad Sheppard: that

nicholas pepin: With the Hitman when he falls off the deck I don't know the second or…

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

nicholas pepin: third time and lands on the Hitman and…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah, they're talking about the heat wave in New…

nicholas pepin: they're fighting like he's still somehow only.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Mm-hmm

Chad Sheppard: That was good.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, that's ink sir. What about you Nicholas?

Chad Sheppard: I liked…

Chad Sheppard: how The Gardener and the maintenance guy.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: They okay in the head putting the closet and then they came out and then they did it get when Gwen was in she came in and they just casually just did it again.

Timothy Williams: right

Chad Sheppard: They put the birth of glass over the head and we do this all the time. I would look like That was good.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, everything else is part two.

Timothy Williams: Right, right.

Chad Sheppard: So when you do the 90s look flashback. I'm ready.

Timothy Williams: Mmm Yeah

Chad Sheppard: Just kidding. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: right, they can't believe nobody can figure it out, but it's like I read some things about how. This can be seen as a satire because basically that scene especially is how shallow people were the rich the entitled they're so shallow. They don't have a real relation with anybody. they're all their mooching off of all his

Chad Sheppard: Gallagher

Timothy Williams: all of what he has in this place and Don't really care enough about to have a real conversation with them. you…

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

Timothy Williams: kind of talk at him and move on to the next thing so.

Chad Sheppard: God.

nicholas pepin: 

Timothy Williams: Yeah. yeah. The height of Reaganomics, so yeah up for iconic for me. I think the boat scene is probably the one that I think of him being dragged behind the boat for some reason stands out to me is iconic. but I agree I think any scene with them carrying him I love when they're trying to get him hold the boat they're trying to get on the fairy and

Timothy Williams: I think we say Richard doesn't want to keep throwing his arm up. he's waving and say hey Hi Bernie. Yeah, so another that's pretty well in blazing in my mind. So what about favorite scenes any certain scenes want to talk about?

Timothy Williams: Yes.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, right like man.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. That I left that scene popped up.

nicholas pepin: One of the scenes that makes I mean,…

Timothy Williams: I was hilarious last night.

nicholas pepin: like I said using the term anti-logic one of the things it makes no sense to me in a movie that makes a lot of no sense.

Timothy Williams: Mm-hmm

nicholas pepin: Is when the Hitman actually kills him I want to say for the first time,…

Timothy Williams: There you go air quotes.

nicholas pepin: but he actually killed them.

Timothy Williams: Yes. Yeah and…

nicholas pepin: He pulls this a little needle out and…

Timothy Williams: lands. Yeah. Yeah.

nicholas pepin: Jabs him through khakis. how in the world are you getting a needle through?

Chad Sheppard: 

00:55:00

Timothy Williams: That was a good one,…

nicholas pepin: all of his clothing and…

Timothy Williams: too. Yeah. What about you Chad you got any?

nicholas pepin: and injecting him wouldn't the needle break off

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, no idea. Yeah.

nicholas pepin: I guarantee you the first time I saw it. I did not know that…

Timothy Williams: Okay.

nicholas pepin: that's what was happening but when I watched it again, I was like, yeah, and he's yeah,…

Timothy Williams: some of my favorite Yeah.

nicholas pepin: this is just nothing but Coke.

Timothy Williams: Give that in mind for me favorite scene. Yeah, we've covered a lot of them already. I do like the scene…

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: where when Richard or Silverman and

Chad Sheppard: I did find a funny the guy who was trying to in. about the car And it kept going up and up and he's like, okay, that's my final offer them. He probably should because yes, okay.

Timothy Williams: Captain Mary Stewart, I was on car Mary Catherine, but that's the lady from SNL. Catherine Mary Stewart and they're on the beach and they're starting to get romantic and then all of a sudden you see Bernie's body washes up next to them like that that scene I was just left the lighthouse scene is funny too when she's like no don't look in the light and then he looks the light and he just more, Prat Falls and sight gags and stuff. But that's funny. the other one that was laughing at last night. I love it when Larry is hiding from The Hitman who's coming down the stairs and he grabs the phone cord and then tries to choke him with it,…

nicholas pepin: I think don't they make reference to having just got out of college or…

Timothy Williams: but then ends up like wrapping him up and then why once he wraps him up,…

nicholas pepin: just started there. So. You…

Timothy Williams: then he wants to fight him like he's just come on,…

nicholas pepin: I mean if she's going back to finish off or…

Timothy Williams: but I knock some out…

nicholas pepin: senior year and…

Timothy Williams: but just him trying to wrap him up in the Telephone line wire whatever and…

nicholas pepin: they just graduated then that

Timothy Williams: then he picks him up and…

nicholas pepin: That is true.

Timothy Williams: throws him down and…

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I mean.

Timothy Williams: I'm like was that planned…

Timothy Williams: because there's no padding like he had to hurt him when he picked him up and…

nicholas pepin: I guess…

nicholas pepin: because they weren't in high school. it didn't think to look that up. But

Timothy Williams: threw him like that's a hard floor. when I watched that I was like man, did they plan that or that just happened? so I like that scene.

Chad Sheppard: They're way over 18, so It doesn't matter.

Timothy Williams: But it's all Goofy and stupid and doesn't make any sense, but it was funny.

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Right, right. Mm-hmm.

Timothy Williams: right Right and then he sits down on his hand and he's still pulls the needle out. And then he puts the needle in his jacket with the cocaine and it's like and can we talk about the cocaine problem in this movie? we once again probably went over my head as a kid, but when they go to Bernie's office, he goes in the bathroom, he's wiping his nose. He goes in the bathroom. He comes back out. I'm like, okay Bernie's a straight cokehead, but I hadn't that I'm sure whenever my head as a kid.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: You're And then all this friends are taking his money and then the way you got something for me Bernie. I don't see you're playing hard to get going through his pockets and…

nicholas pepin: but

Timothy Williams: you found the good stuff so that was obviously not shocking for them to find drugs on it on his person at the party.

Chad Sheppard: I don't know if it was him or a stun double but the scene where they put him in the wagon and then they pull him down the wagon to the golf cart. when they dumped the body over onto the golf cart,…

Timothy Williams: Yes about the car. Yeah.

Chad Sheppard: you see the dead person put their hand. To make sure they don't fall off the golf cart like all that.

01:00:00

Timothy Williams: Mm- You're like family. yeah, and then I know I mentioned in the intro about you…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: the dirty old men which when Catherine Mary Stewart first comes in and she runs in the real drunk guy and then I guess there's other friend and he's like, that's a nice outfit. It looked better crumpled up in my bedroom floor. I'm like dude, come on that's just terrible,…

Chad Sheppard: yeah.

Timothy Williams: so she runs away quickly and I'm like, yes, we know once again one of those scenes and 80s movie that makes you cringe now it's like that that has not aged well at all.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, those are more jokes in part two like that of them.

Timothy Williams: So, men there were clearly the age of her father that are hitting on her so

Chad Sheppard: I'm actually fighting or not fighting but I'm doing something and he would because no plot of the thing was he was actually able to move through Voodoo,…

Timothy Williams: And they're quiet.

Chad Sheppard: but that's the whole thing,…

Timothy Williams: but I know she also says she's going back to college,…

Chad Sheppard: but That was you…

Timothy Williams: but she definitely looked older than Then she was in college she looked about as old…

Chad Sheppard: definitely in that movie, too.

Timothy Williams: if not older than both of them.

nicholas pepin: No, not yet.

Timothy Williams: Silverman and McCarthy

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah.

Timothy Williams: I mean this goes along with our other podcast Nicholas about people in their 40s playing 2020 and 17 year olds, so

Timothy Williams: We like to stick with the theme.

Timothy Williams: Right, right.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. All right, let's jump into some scenes and trivia. I don't have a whole lot here. I will cover a few things. I think that how long about being unquote Weekend at Bernie's but the movie depicts the characters arriving on the island about 6:30 on Friday evening and the movie actually ends around late afternoon Evening Saturday, so it wasn't even a full weekend. It was really, possibly a little bit more than 24 hours, which I think I kind of put together this time. I was like, yeah, they really are. only there overnight once…

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I mean that's by the end of the party.

Timothy Williams: but he still would have shown more signs of being dead even and…

nicholas pepin: People would have been what's that smell like

Timothy Williams: and that sense Catherine Mary Stewart told a story about Terry Kaiser being a real trooper playing Bernie. She said when they were shooting the scene…

nicholas pepin: He was out playing Monopoly in the sun getting a nice tan,…

Timothy Williams: where the boys discover him at the desk and…

nicholas pepin: .

Timothy Williams: realize he's dead.

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: It was really Terry sitting there and he had to hold his breath while they got the scene. Ted let the camera roll after the scene had ended as a joke to see how long Terry could last he slowly turned red and eventually grasped for gasp for breath everyone had a good laugh as expense like that's kind of mean…

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: but Yeah.

nicholas pepin: lays with him in the biblical sense

Timothy Williams: And he would talked about he's had college students come up to him and…

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I wonder if that is…

Timothy Williams: say that they've had nights…

nicholas pepin: where a couple years after that Kevin Smith got his idea when he did a very similar scene in Clerks.

Timothy Williams: where they rewatch the movie to figure out if they can catch him breathing in some of the scenes where he's dead. And he said they felt like here you only lasted two minutes then we saw you breathing. He's like, I fooled you for at least a minute and a half so it still works so

Chad Sheppard: 

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: yeah. yeah. Yeah, there's a few turns and way he falls that you can tell had to been planned so he didn't really hurt himself too bad, cheap shot but another funny scene. I love how many when Bernie falls down the stairs and there's one foot. It's still sitting on the railing and though so when the Hitman comes back down he throws to throw his foot out of the way and it comes back and hits in between the legs, Gotta Have a good crotch. So my guy getting kicked in the crotch in a comedy movie in the 80s, but that was well played there that they set that up pretty well.

nicholas pepin: there were a couple of women just recently in the last few months that Had a dead guy that they were a man…

Timothy Williams: 

Timothy Williams: right Yeah.

nicholas pepin: who they were in charge of or had been taking care of he died and they threw him in the car and tried to take him through the drive through bank.

Timothy Williams: Mm- anything to add Nicholas

nicholas pepin: Yeah, and the teller was like no that guy's clearly dead and…

Timothy Williams: He's saving it all for the end. Okay?

nicholas pepin: called the cops.

Timothy Williams: All So two true stories are just some actual factual things. So according to Texas State University forensic anthropologist a person who had studied dead things Daniel Westcott,…

01:05:00

Chad Sheppard: No.

Timothy Williams: Larry and Rich The person's name was Daniel Westcott. So Larry and Richard would have had a terrible time dragging Bernie's body around to keep it upright Wescott Likens this action to trying to carry 150 pound bag of loose potatoes. He said Bernie's body would have been quite rigid according to Westcott rigor mortis or muscle stiffness sets in just a couple of hours after death. He said it will usually start to dissipate by 24 hours. So for much of the movie, he would have been in rigor also for much of the movie screen time. Bernie would have subjected to Auto autolysis or the breakdown of cells and the rotting that occurs when bacteria and fungus start the future

Timothy Williams: Utrefection I'm not a scientist process and make bloating and stinking occur, which Bernie's friends certainly would have noticed. once again, no logic so I mean

Timothy Williams: Right, right. And he would have lost some color in his body. I mean, he looks more tan the next day than he did when he died. So

Timothy Williams: Right, right. I don't want to really talk about the scene but the most illogical scene of all the logical scenes, which maybe what Nicholas went and talk about was when veto's girlfriend comes and effectively spins the night with him or stays in his room for what he say 20 minutes, so Yeah. Okay. There you go. so

nicholas pepin: 

nicholas pepin: I mean, I feel like this is also one of those movies that maybe didn't do I mean that was in the time period where we talked about this many times where movies would stay in the theaters for a long time.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. Yeah. I know.

Timothy Williams: I know the senior referencing.

nicholas pepin: But I also feel like this is one of those that really found life and…

Timothy Williams: So maybe Rigamortis only set in that one part of the body. But anyway moving on keeping in a family- friendly podcast. Yeah.

nicholas pepin: at Blockbuster. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: So as we mentioned we get at Bernie's washes over the fact that real corpses tend to rot and appear obviously lifeless and that could have been a misguiding influence for two Denver men who tempted to carry out a real-life Bernie Gambit and August of 2010. According to CBS Denver Robert Young and Mark rubinson went over to the home of their friend 43 year old Jeff Jarrett…

nicholas pepin: yeah, I mean because I feel like I'm not even I mean,…

Timothy Williams: who was unresponsive and…

nicholas pepin: it's so hard to remember 1989.

Timothy Williams: close to death rather than call for medical assistance young and…

nicholas pepin: I mean that was a long time ago I don't know…

Timothy Williams: Robinson dragged Jarrett to their car and they embarked on a night on the town on Jared's dime.

nicholas pepin: if I had. This movie until I was watched it on video at my friend's house.

Timothy Williams: They patronized various bars restaurants and a strip club retrieving money from Jared's bank account with the use of his ATM card later that night after Jared had expired young and…

nicholas pepin: Which is entirely possible or the reason I was so excited to see. Was because I had seen the trailers and…

Timothy Williams: rubenson took him back home and…

nicholas pepin: it was one of those that my parents were like no that looks stupid.

Timothy Williams: went back out with the Dead Man's credit cards and…

nicholas pepin: We're not going to go see that.

Timothy Williams: then total police There was a dead man at their friends home officer eventually arrested young and rubenson. They avoided jail time for the charge of abuse of a corpse after agreeing to a plea deal.

nicholas pepin: and also I definitely know I was at the height of my Batman Mania so

Timothy Williams: For real?

nicholas pepin: yeah, yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. it's still inspiring people today. It's not only funny, but it's inspiring.

Timothy Williams: that's sarcasm for our listeners out there. So All right. let's talk about box office and critical reception wrap this thing up.

Timothy Williams: Weekend at Bernie's open in American theaters on July 5th 1989 and…

nicholas pepin: I mean I mean because …

Timothy Williams: it's opening weekend it landed in eight being beaten by such holdover smashes as Indiana Jones and…

nicholas pepin: if I'm writing and IMDb, I'm debating between a six and a seven. You…

Timothy Williams: Last Crusade Batman The Karate Kid Part 3 and…

nicholas pepin: it obviously has a lot of problems.

Timothy Williams: even Dead Poets Society Lethal Weapon to was the weekends other debut release and…

nicholas pepin: But it's got a high rewatchability factor. it's stupid,…

Timothy Williams: was the number one film. So for some reason they decided to counter program Weekend at Bernie's with Lethal Weapon to the producer says Fox stop advertising the movie…

nicholas pepin: but it's stupid funny.

nicholas pepin: so I guess I'll give it a 6.5 then,…

Timothy Williams: because they didn't get the numbers they wanted opening weekend,…

nicholas pepin: .

Timothy Williams: but Bernie's wasn't dead yet doing steady business over the next several weeks.

Chad Sheppard: I think it's pretty high probably seven and…

Timothy Williams: So it wasn't considered a blockbuster,…

Chad Sheppard: a half. For me.

Timothy Williams: but it did do well.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, for some reason I thought this movie was short when I was watching another day and…

Timothy Williams: I mean it had enough to make a sequel but I did read some in some of the notes about that.

Chad Sheppard: I was like, okay. …

Chad Sheppard: this is longer than I thought I would be. I was No, not really. but like I thought it was shorter.

Timothy Williams: Once it started getting some test audiences like it tested really well with especially younger kids…

Timothy Williams: which is why they were tracked. it was like I had already an rated cut and…

Chad Sheppard: For some reason. I don't know. I think the version I may have seen before they edit out the lighthouse…

Timothy Williams: then they trimmed it down because they saw that it was working more with younger viewers.

Chad Sheppard: because I don't remember the lighthouse scene.

Timothy Williams: So they got it down to 13…

Timothy Williams: but they really expected to be a bigger hit…

Chad Sheppard: At all when he fell I'm like,…

Chad Sheppard: okay. …

Timothy Williams: but then the producer got mad…

Chad Sheppard: I don't remember that but yeah,…

01:10:00

Timothy Williams: because then the studio decided.

Chad Sheppard: I probably would rank.

Timothy Williams: We're gonna release it the same weekend as Lethal Weapon 2,…

Chad Sheppard: part 2 that's a smidge higher…

Timothy Williams: which they weren't happy about because I knew was gonna get plumbled at the box office.

Chad Sheppard: because I've just seen it more times And that was you…

Timothy Williams: Which is…

Chad Sheppard: I said I was 14 when I came out and…

Timothy Williams: what happened but it still made money. It just wasn't as big of a hit as they expect as they hoped it would be

Chad Sheppard: I watched that more apparently. But I do like this one. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: any thoughts

Timothy Williams: Right, right.

Timothy Williams: Mm- yeah, for sure and K. bringing a PG mean you're gonna get more views on cable especially back then because they only played PG and PG-13 before nine o'clock. So it was going to get heavy rotation during the day especially in the summer.

nicholas pepin: he

Chad Sheppard: Yeah, I definitely would want to rewatch us over like a stupid Adam Sandler really Jack and…

Timothy Williams: right

Chad Sheppard: Jill or some stupid. Yeah.

Timothy Williams: 

Timothy Williams: Right, right. Yeah, I mean look at the competition it was up against Indiana Jones Last Crusade Batman Karate Kid Part 3.

nicholas pepin: I think we're finally gonna get around to doing well. I can't remember when you said we're actually going to air this episode.

Timothy Williams: I mean summer of 89 was a pretty huge year for movies.

nicholas pepin: But the time you get her.

Timothy Williams: So that's why I think I didn't see it when it first came out.

nicholas pepin: of June Okay.

Timothy Williams: I probably at least 112.

Timothy Williams: I probably waited and saw it much later because it wasn't gonna be at the top of my list of Blockbusters to go see at that time.

nicholas pepin: Yeah, I think we're about to do the pop culture vehicle bracket that I've been threatening to do for a while now.

nicholas pepin: So, where I'm pretty sure that's…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I was back.

nicholas pepin: what we're gonna have done just recently so hopefully you enjoyed those episodes.

Timothy Williams: You were back watching Batman for the fourth and fifth time instead of saying Weekend at Bernie's, right?

nicholas pepin: It will include a lot.

Timothy Williams: All So Rotten Tomatoes has it at 54% on the Tomato Meter and…

nicholas pepin: I don't want to give too much away. But it's a big one.

Timothy Williams: a 57% audience score 6.4 out of 10 with viewers on IMDb and…

nicholas pepin: It's a big one. And it might be at least two episodes,…

Timothy Williams: a 32 on Metacritic.

nicholas pepin: but we'll see…

nicholas pepin: how it goes.

Timothy Williams: It's not that bad is it I…

Timothy Williams: it's got to be. Above the 50s, right?

Timothy Williams: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: Yeah. What about you said?

Chad Sheppard: Our computer will not we used to there was one time we did.

Timothy Williams: Good Douglas. I'm sorry.

Chad Sheppard: but it's because Our computer system won't send the actual name of the song and…

Timothy Williams: Yeah, that's decent. What do you think scale of 1 to 10

Chad Sheppard: stuff like that, which is very popular for that. we can't really do it. We're looking for on online presence,…

Timothy Williams: Okay.

Chad Sheppard: but wjga 921.com is our website for people who want to go and It takes yeah.

Timothy Williams: It's still not that long.

Chad Sheppard: You can't listen but whether Eclipse their clips of things on there,…

Timothy Williams: I mean things on an hour and hour and 40 maybe so yeah.

Chad Sheppard: I think. Yeah, you can see my picture of me

Chad Sheppard: Yep.

Timothy Williams: Really? Okay.

Timothy Williams: right Yeah. apparently

Timothy Williams: Yeah, I'm not going as high as a seven. I think I'm in the upper 60s. I think I do like a six point seven six point eight because even when was over last night, that's all I was. Like I said, it was fun. I said, I'm not gonna watch this again probably for another couple of years because all the gags that are coming like it gets very predictable, but they're still in nostalgic Factor there for it too. So it's definitely one that I'll watch a game but it's not one that I'm gonna want to watch every year probably. And like I said, you're gonna kind of have to be in the mood for it too.

Chad Sheppard: Yeah.

Timothy Williams: It's kind of like an Adam Sandler movie or a Mindless comedy. You got to kind of be in the mood for that and not Looking for something a little bit more meaty in the story Department. And logic department for that matter.

Timothy Williams: Yeah, yeah. All right. thank you guys for being a part today of the podcast. So Nicholas what's going on over at Pop Culture roulette anything exciting coming down the pipe for end of June beginning of July?

01:15:00

Timothy Williams: This will be the 21st. Yeah, so until

Timothy Williams: yeah.

Timothy Williams: Is this a multi-episode one or just one? Gotcha. What definitely get ready to Give a listen to that one for sure. So Chad, how are things at the radio? You're now the new afternoon DJ?

Timothy Williams: drive time

Timothy Williams: that's not a streaming station where they can listen anywhere just yet,

Timothy Williams: Gotcha for yeah, I got you.

Timothy Williams: Not yet.

Timothy Williams: Listen there.

Timothy Williams: okay.

Timothy Williams: All right.

Timothy Williams: Sounds Alright, thanks everybody for listening. Thank you Nicholas and Chad for joining us. That's a wrap on today's episode of the 80s flick flashback podcast. If you had as much fun as we did drop us an awesome review with a shiny five star rating on Apple podcasts. Don't forget to hit that follow or subscribe button and spread the words all your fellow 80s flick loving friends got questions or just want to chat about your favorite flicks connect with us on Facebook Instagram and tiktok. If you're feeling extra cool support the show and buy me a coffee calm every little bit helps even five dollars a month makes a big difference. You can also check out our online store at 80 slick flashback.com and tpublic.com for some killer 80s flick flashback gear and original designs. Thanks again for tuning in everybody. I'm Tim Williams for the 80s flick flashback podcast. My old man worked hard. All they did was give him more work.