A tender and poignant story of four friends who spend the last weekend of the Summer of 1959 looking for the body of a missing local boy, “Stand By Me” won the hearts of critics and audiences in the Fall of 1986. Starring Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and newcomer Jerry O’Connell, the movie still stands as one of the most influential and also most beloved coming-of-age films of the 1980’s.
On this episode, Tim Williams and guest co-host, Laramy Wells, share their memories of this 80's classic, what they picked up on after rewatching it, and the differences between the film and Stephen King's "The Body" which it is based on.
Here are some additional behind the scene stories we didn't get to talk about during the episode.
Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix and Jerry O'Connell soaked Corey Feldman's clothes in beer, then dried them so he smelled like a wino.
Rob Reiner "agonized" over the pie-eating scene because he was having trouble trying to envision what kind of writer Gordie would become and how that would play out as a 12-year-old. "Ultimately, in my mind, he became Stephen King," Reiner said. "And Stephen King is a great story teller and most of the stories he tells are supernatural or there's horror involved." He decided to go over the top with it and make it rather cartoonish, the way it would appear in a young boy's mind. According to Reiner, the audience went crazy for it, justifying his decision to leave it in.
The lead actors weren't allowed to see the body of Ray Brower (played by Kent W. Luttrell) until they unveil him on camera; this method was used to unsettle the four boys and gain the best reaction possible.
Sources - Imdb and Wikipedia
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