If only…if only…if only they could all be like Willie Aames, life for the autograph collector and celebrity encounter freak would be so much easier. Although I wasn’t the biggest of fans of Eight Is Enough, it is one of those shows that I would typically catch if I was home in front of the TV when it came on during the late 1970’s. Willie Aames played Tommy, the middle of the three boys in the Bradford family.
Willie didn’t have the most lucrative of careers outside of this show, although he did have numerous other less successful series (The Swiss Family Robinson, Dungeons & Dragons – in voice-over) and had minor roles on shows such at The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Odd Couple, The Love Boat, and Charles in Charge. The movie scene wasn’t all that lucrative for Willie, but he did have rolls in the Scott Baio vehicle Zapped! and the Blue Lagoon-ripoff Paradise.
After becoming a born-again Christian, Willie Aames not only became an ordained minister, but spent the bulk of his career from 1995 to 2004 portraying Bibleman, in both live appearances and a direct-to-video series.
It was clear from the start that Willie was a nice guy, being both friendly and cordial to my sister and me when we greeted him at the Chicago Hollywood Celebrities show on Saturday, March 14, 2010. He told me that it was $20 per signature on either his or my item (which is typical and in this day and age, fair). I chose to have him sign the photo above that I had previously gotten co-star Dick Van Patten to sign when I met him at the Santa Anita Racetrack. I then offered him an additional $10 so that I might take away an extra signed photo (seen below) with the lusciously hot Phoebe Cates from Paradise – a deal he pleasantly accepted. He also was completely willing to pose for a photo with me without any additional cost.
Celebrities like Willie Aames are nice to find: pleasant, cordial, not too greedy, and actually possessing good business sense. God must have been whispering in Bibleman’s ear.
Celebrities of the 2010 Chicago Collectors Show will continue…
Andrew loved Bibleman. He use to watch them all the time and even bring them over to my house when I’d babysit him. I haven’t heard him talk about the show for awhile now so he’s on to other super hero shows and such.
Bev
April 16th, 2010
Was it Kierkegaard or Dick Van Patten who said, “If you label me, you negate me?”
Chris
April 17th, 2010
I’m so upset to learn that Willie Aames was in Chicago last month and I missed it… I had no idea! 🙁 Love your photos! Thanks for sharing.
Deb
April 25th, 2010
He was funny as hell on Celebrity Fit Club!
Eric Hubble
May 2nd, 2010