If you’ve seen the horror flick Christine, or read the original novel by Stephen King, you’d probably say that the antagonist of the story is the 1958 Plymouth Fury, who comes to life and make the world a living hell for anyone who gets in her path. However, I maintain that the real bad guys of the story were the bullies from Arnie’s school, who eventually become prey to Christine themselves. It was because of their ill treatment that Arnie went ballistic and turned to Christine to be his protector. That’s the way I see it anyway.
And that’s why those two bullies at the forefront of the gang, Buddy Repperton and Peter “Moochie” Welch, stand out so vividly in my mind. They were portrayed by William Ostrander and Malcolm Danare, and I was rather excited that they both appeared as guests at the Chiller Theatre show in Parsippany, New Jersey, on April 28, 2012.
I didn’t remember either one of these guys from anything other than Christine, so I was mildly surprised to check out their filmographies and see them listed in a few notable films – albeit in small roles. William Ostrander had had a recurring role in both North and South and Knots Landing, but most importantly, he had played an assistant director on the movie set in one of my all-time favorite films Mulholland Drive.
Malcolm Danare had just a few more appearances, starring in such works as Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Flashdance, and more recently CSI: Miami. One part that I could recall upon reflection was that he played the son Froeger on the Pig in a Poke game as seen in National Lampoon’s European Vacation.
My encounters with them were much more pleasant than poor Arnie Cunningham’s, each of them charging $20 for a signed photo and posing for a photo, both singles and a joint picture, for free. I simply had to have Danare sign the iconic image of him running from Christine, and I chose a scene still featuring both for Ostrander to sign. I offered a 2/$30 deal to have Danare sign this one as well, but strangely he made the rather silly mistake of refusing, so I did without.
When he went to give me change, he didn’t give me quite enough, possibly confused by my offer. Eventually I lightheartedly kidded him about it, emphasizing his character name Moochie, and he made good. I was half expecting him to say as I walked away… you ain’t mad are ya’?
UPDATE: When the Horrorhound in Cincinnati announced that they would likewise be having a reunion of the bad guys – but this time adding the third bad dude, Richie Trelawney, who had been played by Steven Tash – I decided to re-visit my autograph choice on this photo.
I took along with me to the event on March 22, 2013, and I told Malcolm Danare that I had picked this up at the Chiller Theatre Show but had had him sign something else. I wasn’t looking for a deal, but I was hoping that he’d be nice enough to pose for a photo with my girlfriend Carolyn.
Then I took it over to Steven Tash, who like the other two was a very friendly guy. Like his counterparts, he didn’t do a lot of acting after Christine, although he did appear in an episode of Diff’rent Strokes and had a small but funny part in the beginning of Ghostbusters. He added his signature to the photo, and posed for a picture with both Carolyn and me as well. He also told us that a fan had just old him that they liked his hair better in the movie. I told him, “Well, you can’t live in the past”…
As a postscript, I didn’t need an additional autograph from William Ostrander, but since Carolyn had gotten photos with the other two, I approached him and told him that I’d bought the photo at Chiller and was wondering if he would pose for a picture with her. He of course thought she was super-hot, so he willingly agreed, asking if he could put his arms around her. Once a bully, always a bully – although this time I think it was in jest. I hope. I wouldn’t want my Acura to get mad at him…
Celebrity encounters of the Spring 2012 Chiller Theatre Show will continue…
Celebrity encounters of the Spring 2013 Cincy HorrorHound will continue…
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