Two for flinchin’.
If I had a penny for every time I heard that phrase in junior high school, I’d have a fortune buried someplace under my front porch.
And if you get both of those references, you likely have seen the 1986 Rob Reiner-directed classic “Stand By Me.”
Set in 1959 and based on Stephen King’s novella “The Body,” “Stand By Me” is the story of how four prepubescent boys — each dealing with his own grown-up-level trauma — spend Labor Day weekend wandering 30 miles down the railroad tracks from their homes in Castle Rock, Oregon, to see the body of a kid who’s been missing for days.
I saw this flick at least 20 times when it came out. It was pretty popular among schoolmates and friends, too. In fact, mention “Stand By Me” to any Gen Xer — someone born between 1965 and 1980 — and you’ll likely be met with a response that reflects how the story resonated with them on some level. I mean, it’s a movie about unsupervised misfit kids with abandonment issues who are driven by a goal of questionable taste. The movie pretty much defines the stereotypical Gen-X childhood.
But a recent social media post brought me to a couple of other realizations about the movie. The first is that this movie resonated deeply with many members of the generations that followed Gen-X, as well. (I’ll take that as a sign of hope for the future.) The second is a much more amusing realization about how you can peg a person into their respective generation by what they know about the cast.
“You mean Wil Wheaton was THAT kid?” That’s the question a friend recently asked on social media that sparked a discussion about the careers cast members of “Stand By Me” have had.
Yes. The Wil Wheaton who played “Stand By Me” main character Gordie Lachance is the same Wil Wheaton whose role as Wesley Crusher on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” tied him forever to socially awkward theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory.”
Believe it or not, Wil Wheaton is not the only “Stand By Me” actor whose career led him to the now-retired CBS sitcom. Jerry O’Connell — who plays Vern Tessio, the boy looking for his penny jar in “Stand By Me” — has 126 acting credits to his résumé, according to IMDB.com. Among them is George Cooper Jr., the older brother of Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory.”
While other “Stand By Me” actors might never have had a run-in with Sheldon Cooper, they have had roles to their credit that might be somewhat surprising.
Corey Feldman — who plays Teddy Duchamp, the boy living with the stigma of his father’s war-induced post traumatic stress — has 133 acting credits to his name.
Feldman was prolific as a child actor, starring in hits like “The Lost Boys,” “License to Drive” and “The Goonies.” But if you’re an older Gen-X horror aficionado, you also might know Feldman also got the best of baddie Jason Voorhies in an installment of the “Friday the 13th” franchise.
River Phoenix — like his “Stand By Me” character, Chris Chambers — suffered an untimely death. He died of a drug overdose on Oct. 31, 1993, after partying at a club then owned by actor Johnny Depp. That evening, he was reported to be in the company of musicians Flea and John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and his siblings, Rain and Joaquin Phoenix, and girlfriend Samantha Mathis.
Before his death, Phoenix starred in two flicks with Hollywood legend Harrison Ford, “The Mosquito Coast” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Had he survived, Phoenix was to play the role in “Interview with a Vampire” that ultimately went to Christian Slater. He also was reported to be a lead contender for the role in “The Basketball Diaries” eventually played by Leonardo DiCaprio. (Maybe there’s a reason I always have thought DiCaprio and Phoenix somehow were connected.)
Even many of the supporting characters in “Stand By Me” were in the midst of or would go on to have incredible careers. Casey Siemaszko, who played Billy Tessio, went on to play Charlie Bowdry in the star-studded 1980s western “Young Guns” and was one of Biff Tannen’s cronies in the “Back to the Future” trilogy. Richard Dreyfuss, the writer in “Stand By Me,” likely is most remembered for playing a character who narrowly escaped a giant, man-eating shark in the 1975 classic “Jaws;” and John Cusack, who plays Denny Lachance, has credits that include “16 Candles,” “Say Anything,” “Con Air” and “2012.”
And then there’s Kiefer Sutherland, who played bad boy Ace in “Stand By Me.” Sutherland has a seemingly milelong list of movie credits to his name, including “The Lost Boys,” “A Time To Kill,” “Flatliners” and “Young Guns.” But many know him best for his role as Jack Bauer in the TV series “24.” And did you know he’s the son of prolific Hollywood legend Donald Sutherland, who also had a supporting role in “A Time to Kill”? If you look closely, you can see the family resemblance.
When it comes to “Stand By Me,” it’s difficult to say if it was a movie that helped make the actors as popular as they are or if the actors helped make the movie the classic it remains to be.
The movie has held up well over time, especially considering it’s 35 years old. But be aware if you choose to watch it: Even though it is a story about four young boys, it’s not meant for children. It carries an “R” rating due to extremely coarse language, as well as some frightening and intense scenes ... that might make you flinch.
