As far as 1980’s movie entertainment goes, there are certainly better comedies than Weekend at Bernie’s, but I sincerely can’t think of many that generate as many constant belly laughs. I had already gone out of my way to meet two of the main cast members and have them sign a photo from the film (you can see the first one here). In both cases, I also went out of my way to have them write what I would consider to be ‘classic’ lines of dialogue from the movie.
Understandably, I was excited to find out that Don Calfa, who had played the assassin Paulie in the film, would be attending the Knoxville Fanboy Expo. Calfa is best known for his role in Return of the Living Dead, but not to me. I even knew him better for his roles in films like New York, New York, and Foul Play, and TV show appearances like Night Court, Twin Peaks, Benson, and multiple episodes of Barney Miller, all as different characters.
I didn’t get to see him on the Friday that I attended the show, as his plane had been delayed. The people running the show were nice enough to give me a free pass to come back when I was passing through there again on Sunday, October 28, 2012. He was the only celebrity I got that day, and it was well worth going out of the way for.
He was a very friendly guy, and I mentioned having him sign the line, “He’s not dead, he’s alive!” – but he suggested a different quote, and I agreed. It came off even funnier.
There are still a few more key players from Weekend at Bernie’s I’d like to get, but I was very happy to be adding the assassin Paulie to my collection for a grand total of just $20.
This concludes the celebrity postings from the 2012 Knoxville Fanboy Expo. Return to the original posting here…
I would never have known the name, but I know the face from “Barney Miller” quite well.
Peter
January 3rd, 2014