P.J. Soles was an attractive young actress who made her mark in several notable movies of the the mid-1970’s through the early-1980’s. Among the memorable films in which she appeared were Brian DePalma’s Carrie, the classic John Travolta TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble, Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, and Private Benjamin. The roles that I knew best though were her portrayal of Lynda, the doomed high schooler who had a penchant for saying “Totally!” in the classic horror flick Halloween – and her part as MP Stella Hansen in the Bill Murray comedy Stripes (above right), which I used to watch repeatedly in the early 80’s. Also noteworthy was that she had a part in one episode of one of my favorite sitcoms Cheers in 1984.
I had previously had Bob pick me up a signed photo of P.J. Soles at one of the Hollywood Collectors Shows in the mid-1990’s. The photo he chose was from Halloween and she inscribed her famous phrase on the photo.
It wasn’t until the Hollywood Collectors Show on October 4, 2008, that I actually had the opportunity to meet her. Due to the timing of this show in the Fall, she was there along with a few other actors who had appeared in some of the Halloween (and other horror) films. I brought along the photo that I had already had signed to show her that I was in fact a fan, but I didn’t wish to purchase anything further. She agreed to pose for a photo with me and then jovially said “you don’t have to buy anything from me to get a picture!”
P.J. Soles continues to act today, albeit in lesser-known and lower budget films. However, she remains a huge star to me, mostly for her extremely friendly attitude toward her fans. I made sure to tell her that she has something that many of the other celebrities at the shows have forgotten how to exhibit – true class!
I saw P.J. again at the Chiller Theatre autographs show in Parsippany, New Jersey, on April 30, 2011. True to form, she was as kind as ever and actually had her rate listed as FREE to take a photo with her. This is nearly unheard of in this day and age, as she actually didn’t even require a purchase to get a picture with her. Because this was such a generous offer, I decided to go ahead and purchase another photo of her, this one from Stripes. I asked her to write something memorable from the movie, so she opted for Bill Murray’s quote that he said as he popped her around the stove with a spatula. We talked for a bit about other shows that she had attended and she professed to recognize me.
After my friend Peter took our picture together, P.J. offered to pose for a picture with him as well. Yes, she truly was FREE! Such a great lady. Totally.
Celebrities of the 2008 Hollywood Collectors Show will continue…
Celebrities of the Spring 2011 Chiller Theatre Show will continue…
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