It was in the early part of the 2000’s decade that I asked my friend Bob to pick me up a signed photo Dee Wallace when she made an appearance at one of the Hollywood Collector Shows. My knowledge of her at the time was that she had played the Mom (Mary, with last name intentionally never disclosed) in E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial, which was one of the most touching and popular films during my adolescent childhood. By the time she starred in E.T. in 1982, she had already had a rather lucrative career, having starred in The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, 10, and The Howling.
She would go on to more fame with a total tally of roles in over 85 films, among them such horror classics as Cujo, The Frighteners, and Rob Zombie’s re-tooled version of Halloween. With as busy as she seems, it’s amazing that she even has time for public appearances.
But as my friends Bob, David, and I were getting ready to enjoy the S.T.A.G.E. (Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event) production of Original Cast II on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex, David pointed out a very attractive lady standing near us and asked me if that wasn’t in fact Dee Wallace. Not quite sure myself, I didn’t get up to ask her. But after the show as I was waiting to greet some of the cast members, I noticed her again standing nearby. This time I was pretty sure that it was in fact her, so I passed my camera off to David and approached her.
She greeted me with one of the warmest smiles that one could hope for in this situation and verified that yes in fact, she was Dee Wallace. She gladly posed for a picture with me – which brought me full circle with a prized photograph to go along with the autograph I had obtained some ten years earlier.
Up next: celebrities of the Original Cast production…
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