Stir Crazy (1980)

Harry Monroe: Yea, that's right! That's right! We bad!

Framed for a bank robbery, friends Skip and Harry find themselves sentenced to serve 125 years in prison.  The city boys find adjusting to the new life very difficult.  It becomes even more difficult when Skip is ordered to ride a bull in the upcoming prison rodeo.  To back down would mean having to face the notorious mass murderer, Grossberger.  No prisoner ever wants face Grossberger!  They'd be out of their minds!

"Stir Crazy" wasn't the first film Sidney Poitier directed.  It was, however, the first film directed by an African American to have grossed over $100 million in the U.S. alone ($101.5 million, actually) after making its premiere on December 12, 1980.  With the exception of being filmed at Stage 15 of the Warner Brothers Burbank Studio, the film was also shot on location in cities of Florence and Tuscon, Arizona.

Starring Gene Wilder (Skip), Richard Pryor (Harry), and Georg Stanford Brown (Rory), "Stir Crazy" also co-starred JoBeth Williams (Meredith), Miguel Angel Suarez (Jesus Ramirez), Craig T. Nelson (Deputy Ward Wilson), and Barry Corbin (Warden Walter Beatty).  This was only the second feature film for actors JoBeth Williams and Barry Corbin.

The second and most successful of four films Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor starred in together, here are some more tidbits of trivia for you...

1.  This movie was the sixth film that Sidney Poitier directed but it was the first one in which he also did not star.

2. The character of Warden Walter Beatty played by Barry Corbin was frequently referred to in the movie as "Warden Beatty" as this spoofed the name of actor Warren Beatty.

3.  First of three movies that actors JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson both appeared in. The two would take the leads in both "Poltergeist" and "Poltergeist II: The Other Side."

4.  Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder improvised many of their scenes together.

5.  Richard Pryor refused to wear the woodpecker costume in the bank scene, so a double was used in the film.  He did, however, wear it for the poster and promotional pictures.

6.  350 Arizona State Prison inmates worked as extras in the film.

7.  The cast and crew had to leave the prison walking in single file every night so the prison guards could ensure that no prisoners escaped. One night, Charles Weldon (Blade) was mistaken for a prisoner by the guards, pulled out of the line and sent to the cell block. A production coordinator noticed he was missing and rushed back to the prison to vouch for Weldon.

8.  According to Gene Wilder's autobiography, Richard Pryor once quit the film. One day during filming, the craft service department was serving watermelon and some of the crew members began playfully throwing pieces of it at each other. A piece of watermelon landed at Pryor's feet. Pryor accused the crew of racism as the eating of watermelon is considered a stereotype of African-Americans. Pryor returned to the film after the crew member that threw the piece was fired.  But... There's more to the story than that...

9.  According to Greg Ferrara at the Turner Classic Movies, "Pryor was constantly late to the set, sometimes showing up at noon, as much as four hours late. His bodyguard later admitted to Pryor's agent, David Franklin, that Pryor was freebasing cocaine every night during the shoot. This made the star's behavior erratic and paranoid. One infamous incident almost shut down the whole film although the views of what actually happened are different for each witness. According to the biography, "If I Stop, I'll Die: The Comedy and Tragedy of Richard Pryor', by Dennis A. Williams and John A. Williams, Pryor 'claimed that members of the crew were driving out to the house where he was staying, two hours away from the film's Arizona prison location, and shooting at him. One day, he said, a crew member dropped a watermelon from a ladder near him, and that was the last straw'. He walked off the set and vowed not to go back". 

10.  One of two 1980 movies featuring a mechanical bull (aka a rodeo bull and bucking bronco). The other was "Urban Cowboy" (which, coincidentally, was Barry Corbin's first feature film).  Gene Wilder is even labeled an "Urban Cowboy" in one scene.

11.  As an MIT graduate, Erland van Lidth (Grossberger) was apparently allowed to wear the famous "brass rat" graduation ring during filming. You can see it most clearly in his scene in the metal shop when he bends the metal bar.

12.  Erland van Lidth (born in the Netherlands) did his own singing in this film as he was, in fact, an accomplished opera singer (though he lip-synced to his own singing for film's sake).  "Stir Crazy" was the second of four films he acted in before he died in Manhattan at the age of 34.

13.  Arizona State Prison officials used the money given to rent out their facilities to construct a rodeo arena of their own. 

14.  Richard Pryor's first million dollar paycheck movie. Moreover, Pryor received points to the value of 10% of the gross. However, Gene Wilder received top first billing, Pryor got second billing. In their two final movies together ("Another You" and "See No Evil, Hear No Evil"), Pryor would get first billing over Wilder. 

15.  Publicity for this picture at the time of release stated that it was the studio's third biggest hit in its history running behind only "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." 

16.  The picture grossed $101,500,000 at the box-office in the USA making it the third highest grossing movie of 1980, behind only to "Nine to Five" and "Star Wars: Episode V -- The Empire Strikes Back.

17.  fter the box-office success of this picture, the film's principals, director Sidney Poitier and actors Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were meant to re-team for "Hanky Panky." That movie re-teamed star Wilder and Poitier for their second and final collaboration. It was suppose to be another Wilder/Pryor teaming, but Pryor didn't do the film. According to 'DVD Verdict', "For some reason, Pryor backed out and his part was rewritten into a female lead, for... Gilda Radner."
When you pair Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor together for a film, you're guaranteed to laugh.  If not, you're either very sad (aww...), or you just don't get their humor.  Or you might want to check your pulse.  Your heart is still beating... isn't it?  If not, umm... how are you reading this?!?

Enjoy these picture stills from the film...

Warden Walter Beatty: You're gonna represent Glenboro prison in the annual Top Hand-competition. Congratulations!

Skip Donahue: Oh! Oh my god! Warden! I can't do that!

Warden Walter Beatty: What in the hell are you talking about...?

Skip Donahue: Well, I should have told you in your office! My mother was a veterinarian! I can't have anything to do with the exploitation of animals, she'd turn over in her grave!

Warden Walter Beatty: I don't believe you heard me correctly. This is very important to me!

Skip Donahue: Important to you? My mother is watching over every step I make! Do you know that my soul is on the line here...? So let's just drop...

[looks up]

Skip Donahue: What? I said no. Whoa, I told him no! Ma, are you crazy, I have witnesses... All right, we'll talk about it in my cell!

[looks at the warden]

Skip Donahue: Uhm... I have to go to the bathroom. Would you excuse me, warden?

[looks up at the sky again, and walks off]

Caddyshack (1980)

Carl: Cinderella story.  Outta nowhere.  A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion.  It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole!  It's in the hole!  It's in the hole!

There are a lot of laughs and pranks at an exclusive golf club.  Many of the members are wealthy, eccentric, and, well... snobs.  Tho un-snobbish members  and staff know they're snobs and they know how to deal with them in their own way.  When they do, all bets are off!  Hmm... But what about that gopher?!?

Having already been the genius behind the story and screenplay writing of such comedic hits as "Animal House" and "Meatballs," "Caddyshack" was the first Harold Ramis directred.  Harold Ramis co-wrote the screenplay of this film with Douglas Kenney and Brian Doyle-Murray who also co-stars in the movie and just happens to be... wait for it, wait for it... Bill Murray's brother.  (YES!  That was worth the wait, right?!?)

Costing an estimated $6 million to make, "Caddyshack" made its broad premiere on July 25, 1980 and ultimately earned $39.8 million in the U.S.  It wasn't nominated for any awards, but it's still considered a cult classic of the 80s and is a favorite of fans who appreciate works by Harold Ramis and films starring Chevy Chase and Bill Murray who gave us memorable performances.

"Caddyshack" starred Chevy Chase (Ty), Rodney Dangerfield (Al), Ted Knight (Judge Elihu Smails), Michael O'Keefe (Danny), and Bill Murray (Carl).  It also co-starred Sarah Holcomb (Maggie), Cindy Morgan (Lacey), Brian Doyle-Murray (Lou Loomis), and Scott Colomby (Tony) in his first feature film (after "Caddyshack" he went on to appear in all three "Porky's" movies as well as other films and television programs).

Here are some other bits of trivia on "Caddyshack" to add to your ever-increasing list of useful information...

1.  "Caddyshack" was filmed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and at the Boca Raton Resort & Club and the Rolling Hills Golf & Tennis Club.  However, because the story was to take place in Nebraska, many days were spent spraypainting the grass blue for certain scenes around the clubhouse.

2.  The second story of the clubhouse was fake. It was only added for the movie and was empty inside.

3.  The movie was inspired by writer and co-star Brian Doyle-Murray's memories working as a caddy at a golf club.  His brother Bill Murray and director Harold Ramis also worked as caddies when they were teenagers. 

4.  Most of the cast and crew lived in a motel located near the actual country club used in the film which made it easy for everyone to show up to work.

5.  According to Harold Ramis on the DVD Commentary, he claims that he wanted to score the movie to Pink Floyd music.  Unfortunately, the studio wouldn't allow him to do that.  After an audition, Kenny Loggins came up with the famous theme song for the film, "I'm All Right" and played it for the producers and got the job.  Johnny Mandel, who wrote the film's musical score, was also hired immediately afterward.

6.  Harold Ramis based the character of Carl Spackler on a slightly deranged police officer who was a shell-shocked war veteran.

7.  Rodney Dangerfield hired singer and golfer Don Cherry to teach him to golf for this film. Don was a regular headliner in Las Vegas and lived near Dangerfield. In addition to his singing, Don was a very well known-professional golfer.  On that same note...

8.  Bill Murray was and is and avid golfer, having played in the Pebble Beach Classic on a few occasions. 

9.  Chevy Chase's character Ty, makes several references to owning or working in a "lumber yard." Co-writer Brian Doyle-Murray's father worked in a lumber yard.

10.  The rowdy, improvisational atmosphere around the filming, created by Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Rodney Dangerfield, didn't sit well with all the members of the cast. Ted Knight, widely regarded as a very nice man, got fed up with the constant shenanigans. Initially, Murray's, Chase's, and Dangerfield's roles were to be cameo appearances. But their deft improvising caused their roles to be expanded much to the chagrin of Scott Colomby and some of the other cast members whose roles were reduced as a result.

11.  According to Scott Colomby on the DVD extras, he only took up smoking after playing the part of cigarette-puffing Tony. 

12.  Cindy Morgan (Lacey Underall) has said that the oil massage scene with Chevy Chase was also completely improvised. When Lacy exclaims "You're crazy!" that was Morgan's genuine reaction to Chase dousing her with oil.

13.  Cindy Morgan did not want to appear topless in the movie. While Harold Ramis was amenable to changing the scene, producer John Peters asked to talk to her while Ramis had her on the phone. When the call ended, Peters informed Ramis that Morgan would do the topless scene - because Peters had told her she would never work again in Hollywood if she didn't. Morgan recounted in July 2010 that this incident contributed to her not working again (voluntarily) for a long time afterward.

14.  The scene where Cindy Morgan walks by Scott Colomby and Michael O'Keefe at the swimming pool made Morgan very nervous at first, but when she completed it, she felt relieved. Colomby was supposed to say a line while she walked past him but couldn't so he wet his lips and that's what ended up on screen.

15.  In the lovemaking scene, Cindy Morgan was so uncomfortable that Harold Ramis ordered a closed set for it. Michael O'Keefe asked all the cast and crew to take off their shirts for the scene to make her feel more comfortable. 

16.  Cindy Morgan was furious at Chevy Chase during their scene in his cabana. Morgan was upset at the fact that Chase was improvising more than she had anticipated because he didn't tell her ahead of time. This made her uncomfortable, which can be seen clearly when she's having the tequila shots with him and the massage where all the oil accidentally spilled out on her back. Harold Ramis had to settle them down and the scenes then went very smoothly.

17.  The famous scene that begins when Ty Webb's golf ball crashes into Carl Spackler's ramshackle house was not in the original script. It was added by Harold Ramis after realizing that two of his biggest stars, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray (who did not get along due to a feud dating back to their days on Saturday Night Live), did not have a scene together. The three met for lunch and wrote the scene together. Although it has nothing to do with the plot, it is widely regarded as the funniest scene in the movie. This is the only time that Chase and Murray have appeared in a movie together.

18.  Bill Murray filmed all of his scenes, including the famous scene with Chevy Chase, in six days. 

19.  The noises that the Gopher makes are actually vocalized by a dolphin, and the dolphin sound effects used are the same ones that were used for "Flipper."

20.  Bill Murray improvised the "Cinderella story" sequence from two lines of stage direction. Director Harold Ramis simply asked Murray to emulate a kid announcing his own fantasy sports moment. Murray simply asked for four rows of 'mums and did the scene in one take.  Also...

21.  The movie's line "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!" was voted as the #92 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

22.  The scene where Carl and Ty are talking in Carl's "house" was almost entirely improvised between Bill Murray and Chevy Chase.

23.  In the scene where the Bishop (played by veteran actor Henry Wilcoxon) is having his best round of golf ever during a thunderstorm, he misses an easy putt, looks skyward and yells "rat farts!", and is immediately struck down by a bolt of lightning. The background music in this scene was from Cecil B. DeMille's classic "The Ten Commandments" in which Wilcoxon played the part of Pentaur. 

24.  While filming, there were a lot of planes flying overhead, which interfered with shooting the golf scenes and caused continuity errors in the dialog tracks that would require looping. John Murray, Bill's younger brother was the one on set everyday to alert Harold Ramis and the shooting crew to stop filming while the planes flew by.

25.  A big hill was built from scratch for the climactic 18th hole scene because the country club did not want their course blown up. They used too many explosives, which completely destroyed the hill and caused planes flying by to report the explosion as if a plane had crashed there.

26.  The gopher sequences were written and filmed after most of the movie was shot. Originally, Harold Ramis wanted to cast a live animal to play the gopher. When that did not work out, the animatronic gopher and its tunnels were built by John Dykstra.

27.  Editor William C. Carruth's original assembled length was about four and a half hours. Bill Murray's ball mashing speech scene lasted a good thirty minutes. Everyone hated the way the film was being put together so they brought in another editor to cut it down to more reasonable length and pace. Orion Pictures and the producers still were not happy with this cut as the shortened version cut out much of the story with the caddies due to both pace and the fact that Bill Murray's, Chevy Chase's and Rodney Dangerfield's parts set the pace for the film's strong comedic elements. The gopher was added at the last minute to ensure that the movie had structure rather than being a series of vignettes.

28.  After filming wrapped each day, most of the cast and crew spent the nights partying, which eventually took its toll before the end of filming as cast and crew began to show up late for morning calls, holding up filming for hours at a time.

29.  After the film started shooting, a hurricane hit Florida and delayed production for several days. The production also experienced delays due to problems with earthworms. 

30.  Sarah Holcomb's (Maggie) film career consisted of only four films within a two year period, "Caddyshack" being her final film.  Afterward, she disappeared from the industry altogether.

31.  This was Ted Knight's final movie. 

32.  After the film's release, writer and producer Douglas Kenney had accidentally fallen off a cliff while on vacation in Hawaii and passed away passed away.  He had been in a deep depression after the film was in post-production as much of the original story had been butchered in the editing room and he was adamantly against the final addition of the gopher to the film. 

33.  Unsurprisingly, the movie is a huge favorite among golfers and golf fans. Tiger Woods so adores the movie, he played Carl Spackler in an American Express commercial that included references to many of the movie's most famous scenes.

34.  Ranked #7 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "Sports" in June 2008. 

35.  In 2006, Premiere voted this movie as one of "The 50 Greatest Comedies Of All Time."

There are many characters in this screwball comedy that have been remembered for a long time.  Refresh your memory and see "Caddyshack" very, very soon!  Meanwhile, enjoy these picture stills from the film...

Sandy: I want you to kill every gopher on the course!

Carl Spackler: Check me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers, they're gonna lock me up and throw away the key...

Sandy: Gophers, ya great git! The gophers! The little brown furry rodents!

Carl Spackler: We can do that; we don't even have to have a reason.

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Stan: Those nerds are a threat to our way of life.

Nerds Gilbert and Lewis enter their freshman year at college.  Pretty cool, right?  High school is behind them, as well as the bullying, teasing, and pranks against them.  Right?  Wrong!  Jocks, who hate nerds, are still around.  And they plan to make their presence known in a cruel sort of way... by accidentally burning down their house.  Problems don't end there, though, when Lewis develops a crush on Betty.  Betty just happens to be the girlfriend of the football quarterback.  Backed by their new friends including "Booger" and Pointdexter, they vow to take a stand.  Soon, the tables are turned.  But in whose favor?

"Revenge of the Nerds" made its broad U.S. release on July 20, 1984.  Costing an estimated $8 million to make, it grossed over $40.9 million in just the U.S. alone.  The fourth film directed by Jeff Kanew, the story came from Tim Metcalfe, Miguel Tejada-Flores, and Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai who wrote the screenplay.

One would think the story Tim, Miguel, Steve and Jeff brought to us were from personal accounts, whether they themselves were nerds or jocks or simply bystanders.  Incredibly enough, the story in "Revenge of the Nerds" rings true to some degree or another, even almost thirty years later.

The film starred Robert Carradine (Lewis), Anthony Edwards (Gilbert), Timothy Busfield (Pointdexter), and Curtis Armstrong (Booger).  It also co-starred Ted McGinley (Stan), Julia Montgomery (Betty), Michelle Meyrink (Judy), Larry B. Scott (Lamar), Brian Tochi (Toshiro), and Andrew Cassese (Wormser).

Here are some bits of trivia you might not have known regarding the film...

1.  When Jeff Kanew was interviewed by the producers, they asked what kind of movie he thought he could make given the material. He responded, "One I would be embarrassed to have my name on." They hired him immediately.

2.  Director Jeff Kanew can be heard sneering the word "nerds" in the opening credits theme song. 

3.  On the documentary for the Special Edition DVD, it was revealed that many of the actors (including Robert Carradine, Curtis Armstrong, and Timothy Busfield) initially did not want to do the film but gave in because the movie either paid well or it was a chance for some of them, who were struggling actors, to get into a movie. 

4.  Robert Carradine moved to the University of Arizona two weeks before shooting to get into character as Lewis Skolnick. He brought only his "nerd" clothes to wear. He couldn't bring himself to leave his hotel room for three days.

5.  Because the script didn't have much of a plot (as the interviewed actors and filmmakers have stated), many of the actors were allowed to ad-lib scenes. Timothy Busfield recalls that he ad-libbed Poindexter's painful yell when watching the video of the girls dorm.  Robert Carradine remembered that in the scene where he "serviced" Betty in the fun house, his line was originally "All jocks think about is sports. Ever since we're ten, all we nerds ever think about is sex." He didn't like the line and dropped the "Ever since we're ten" part.  Curtis Armstrong recalls that it was by pure chance that Booger and Takashi ended up bunked next to each other in the gym and they improvised the running gag of them playing cards and Armstrong's line "What the fruck is a frush?" 

6.  These things were ad-libbed: The Coach's "S**t, we forgot to practice"; Takashi's "salad" comment in the locker room scene; Gable's "Do you know karate?"; The Dean saying he has allergies; Poindexter's painful scream during the Pi-watching scene; Poindexter's date grabbing his crotch during the party; Lewis' "We love you when you're mad!"

7.  Although Booger is arguably Curtis Armstrong's most famous character, he initially didn't want the part. According to his comments on the Panty Raid DVD edition, he originally read for the part of Gilbert, but was later asked to read for Booger. He recalls telling fellow actor Bronson Pinchot that if he was offered the role of Booger, "They could just fucking forget it. I'm not picking my nose on camera for anyone." 

8.  Jami Gertz, Joan Cusack, and Sarah Jessica Parker all auditioned for the role of Judy.

9.  Larry B. Scott showed up for his audition in character as Lamar, with glitter in his hair. According to him, the casting directors "couldn't stop laughing."  He also claimed he had to over-compensate for his masculinity because people really thought he was gay.

10.  Lewis' name is a play on the name of the famous American physical chemist, Gilbert N. Lewis; who studied acids, bases and photo-phosphorescence. He is credited with coining the term "photon" and was the first to produce pure deuterium oxide, otherwise known as "heavy water".

11.  The University of Arizona agreed to let the filmmakers shoot at the campus, then revoked permission after reading the script. Eventually they changed their minds and let them shoot. Many students were used as extras. 

12.  The exterior shots of the Pi sorority house were actually the Phi Delta Theta fraternity house at the University of Arizona. Donald Gibb is a brother of Phi Delta Theta from the University of New Mexico, which helped securing permission from the chapter. 

13.  Robert Carradine says that when he read the script, Lewis' laugh was described as a "goose honk" he wasn't sure how to do it. But by chance, the first scenes shot were of his father dropping Lewis and Gilbert off at college. When actor James Cromwell (credited as "Jamie Cromwell in the film) did the laugh, Carradine mimicked it.

14.  Although many of the actors had reservations about appearing in a movie called "Revenge of the Nerds," they had a terrific time filming it. The actors described the filming as a "fraternity atmosphere," and frequently partied with the University of Arizona students, many of whom appear in the film as extras. 

15.  While standing in the gym in a queue for food Gilbert, Lewis and Booger have a conversation about Judy. This conversation is quoted in a song called "Computer Camp Love" by the Norwegian band Datarock. The quoted conversation is the following: "Her name is Judy/That's a nice name/Yeah she's a nice girl/Big deal/Did you get in her pants/She's not that kind of a girl booger/Why? Does she have a penis?" 

16.  The video game Wormser plays during Dean Ulich's roll call is Space Master X-7.

17.  To test the effectiveness of their "nerd" makeup and wardrobes, Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards attended a college rush-week, when real fraternities were reviewing prospective pledges (wanna-be members). The fraternity leader of the first house took one look at them both and said, "No way!"

18.  Donald Gibb shaved his beard to get the part of Ogre. The casting directors thought it made him look too old to be a college student.

19.  Poindexter's glasses are so thick that Timothy Busfield couldn't see through them. In scenes where he moves, he is usually guided by a companion.

20.  Booger's bizarre interaction with a reclusive homeowner through a mail slot was improvised. The scene had originally called for Booger to smear snot on a rude housewife's front door. 

21.  As mentioned, Timothy Busfield ad-libbed Poindexter's painful yelp during the Pi-watching sequence. It was inspired by the sound of a former neighbor having sex. Many crew members had to run away to keep from breaking out in laughter and ruining the take, but the director can be heard snickering just before the camera cuts away to the next scene. 

22.  Lamar accidentally kicks Wormser in the face when he climbs the rope to the Pi house roof.

23.  According to an interview with Curtis Armstrong (Booger) on the Special Edition DVD, the sound that comes out of his mouth to win the belching contest is actually the sound of two camels mating.  However, it was actually the combination of a person's belch with that of a camel (added for resonance and longevity.) The man who donated his belch to the film was a studio craftsman by the name of Bill Livengood (uncredited).

24.  The drug Takashi ingests during the tricycle race is fictitious. So is Lamar's drill silencer.

25.  Lambda Lambda Lambda - the fraternity depicted in the film, would end up becoming the name of a fraternity in real life. It was founded at the University of Connecticut in 2006.

26.  The Alpha Beta party was filmed at a funeral home.

27.  Lamar's date at the party was a member of the crew. So was the burly homeowner he approaches when house hunting.

28..John Goodman's character is never referred to by name verbally by any character in the film. His name, Coach Harris, can only be seen on a door in the locker room and in the end credits.

29.  Curtis Armstrong, Michelle Meyrink and Timothy Busfield all play their own musical instruments. Timothy Busfield is not a violin player, and he was told his inept practicing would be overdubbed by a proper violinist. He was dismayed when his discordant screechings made it into the film.

30.  Robert Carradine says that he and Anthony Edwards largely improvised their speeches during the homecoming scene.

31.  A display in the background of Tri-Lambda's performance at the end is provided by a Tandy Color Computer using the Audio Spectrum Analyzer cartridge. One of the nerds carries a board with shoulder straps that has a CoCo attached to it.

32.  In Spain, the film was translated into "La revancha de los novatos" (Revenge of the Freshmans), because in that time there wasn't an official translation for the word "Nerd", until several years later.

33.  Having spawned two sequels, the only characters to appear in every film in the series are Lewis, Mr. Skolnick, Lamar, and Booger.

This was the second feature film for Timothy Busfield, Curtis Armstrong, and Ted McGinley.  Both Timothy Busfield and Donald Gibb had parts in the 1981 film, "Stripes."  Donald Gibb went on to act in several films and TV shows, also commercials -- you might remember him as one of the vikings in the Capital One credit card commercials.  Almost all of the actors and actresses in the film pursued their acting careers and are still acting today.  The only ones that decided on other careers were Michelle Meyrink and Andrew Cassese, both having acted in 10 or less productions.

Here are some picture still from the film...

Gilbert: I just wanted to say that I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds. I mean uh, all our lives we've been laughed at and made to feel inferior. And tonight, those bastards, they trashed our house. Why? Cause we're smart? Cause we look different? Well, we're not. I'm a nerd, and uh, I'm pretty proud of it.

Lewis: Hi, Gilbert. I'm a nerd too. I just found that out tonight. We have news for the beautiful people. There's a lot more of us than there are of you. I know there's alumni here tonight. When you went to Adams you might've been called a spazz, or a dork, or a geek. Any of you that have ever felt stepped on, left out, picked on, put down, whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you just come down here and join us. Okay? Come on.

Gilbert: Just join us cos uh, no-one's gonna really be free until nerd persecution ends.