Today's Blind Items - They Tried
A couple of decades ago, a few producers tried to blackball two actors they thought should never work in Hollywood again. For the most part, their efforts as far as television goes, worked. The producers created a middling network show that probably should have kept running for a few more seasons. Instead, the show was abruptly halted and everyone sent on their way. The reason was the network was told by the producers that two of the actors, including the lead were raping a teen boy almost every day of the filming. The producers found out about it ten days before the show was shut down. One of the actors involved had a pretty decent career going and to the outside world, it was a shock that he basically never worked again until the raped actor couldn't speak up about what happened. I always found that interesting. No work and then the raped teen couldn't speak any longer and it was almost as if the blackball lifted.
Because of his connections, the other blackball worked for television for the most part, but he just moved over to movies to continue his career which was based almost primarily upon others in his family putting forth good words and just constantly mentioning him to try and get work. All of you know him, and it probably isn't for his acting resume.
Because of his connections, the other blackball worked for television for the most part, but he just moved over to movies to continue his career which was based almost primarily upon others in his family putting forth good words and just constantly mentioning him to try and get work. All of you know him, and it probably isn't for his acting resume.
71 comments:
Seventh Heaven?
Charles in Charge? Maybe there was more going on...
My So Called Life
Nevermind, it appears the teen boy is dead now.
I really wish I understood the last 2 sentences of the first paragraph. WTH?
But I’m guessing Charles in Charge as well.
Ok I get it now. He can’t speak because he’s dead and so the raper could go on working. Lovely.
Las Vegas? Cancelled very suddenly and so was a reboot of Knight Rider that cast was supposed to show up on.
Scott has never been in movies. Pretty dismal career for some other reason. Fred Savage perhaps?
Last time I checked, "a couple decades" is twenty years, so about 1998. Charles in Charge was canceled by the network in 1985, then picked up in syndication and canceled there in 1990.
Yeah, I backed away. The wording is also lending itself to the kid being dead.
Possibly Flash Forward ended really quick starred Joseph Fiennes? Fits the timing barely.
I forgot about Las Vegas and I love that show. Especially when Lara Flynn Boyle's character died by being blown of the roof by a gust of wind. That was so unexpected, and funny. 2nd place for wtf tv moment was the Dr from ER who got his arm off by a chopper blade. That was just shocking, and cool. Later he died by falling helicopter.
I think the last paragraph is the key to unlock it.
This is more than a couple of decades ago, but The Young Riders for the show and Christopher Pettie for the victim. He died in 2000. Stephen Baldwin's career sort of matches the timeline described here and he has family connections. A sort of match, but missing a lot.
Teen: Christopher Pettiet , died at age 24 in 2000
Show: The Young Riders, 1989-92 ABC
Actor that moved to movies with family recs: Stephen Baldwin
Actor that didnt work much until after death of teen: Josh Brolin
Catsup you beat me by a few seconds! :)
Hey @gauloise - I think we had our Eureka moment at the same time.
I was trying to make Daniel Baldwin fit
So what we’re looking for is a show that ran for a few seasons around 20 years ago that was cancelled abruptly starring 2 actors who’ve only done movies since and one is from a Hollywood family?
+1 Catsup and gauloise, now I need to go vomit in my hat :(
corey haim
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Pettiet
I agree with the Young Guns guess but Brolin now has a rep as a hothead other actors don't like. Could his Dd really have made the difference? He wasn't exactly Hollywood royalty and I'm not sure how Babs feels about all this since she supposedly introduced him to Diane Lane (her good friend) and he in turn was supposedly abusive. Stephen Baldwin totes all that Christian crap, so is it a cover or repentance on his part? Or is he trying to stay on the conservative side to be relevant for SOMETHING at least?
So Brolin raped underage boys?
One victim, two perps
So this is a rare case of the producers being good guys and not raping kids?
Brolin looks like he had pretty steady work from 1992 to 2000, so it doesn't look like him for #1. Maybe Ty Miller?
Las Vegas was killed by the writers’ strike.
Was just about to say both of those things. I didn't watch much, but when I did, Ty Miller definitely seemed to be the star of the show. And no lull for Brolin.
Ty Miller, not Brolin
I read it as the blackballing (and thus the end of the series) started 20 years ago, but maybe 26 years for The Young Riders is close enough. A lot of the rest does seem to fit. Brolin had several movies between the end of The Young Riders and 2000, though, so that doesn't match with "basically never worked again until".
@Sara, I guess so, if quickly shutting down a show before a crime can be exposed and get everyone involved in big trouble counts as "good guys." Maybe it does, since these days we're grading on a scale where some producers might have had the kid suicided.
You beat me to it on Brolin/Miller. Miller does have a pretty complete gap from 1992-2002 except for a couple of guest spots. I didn't watch the show, so I don't know if he was a big enough deal then for people to be surprised he disappeared.
Yeah, I didn't think Brolin really fit. Ty Miller is probably better. Like I said before, Young Riders is a good, sort of guess. Regardless of the real answer, I am happy to hear producers trying to do the right thing.
I agree Miller is much better! I never heard of him, that is why I guessed Brolin, whose career skyrocketed in the 2000s
I kind of think the show was Freaks and Geeks, but I don't know how the rest of the clues fit.
But it seems we're pretty much all in agreement about Baldwin.
If that's his thing though, I'm surprised there aren't rumors about him being at the Bryan Singer parties (SB was in The Usual Suspects, you'd think they might bond over shared interests.)
Or are there rumors and I just never heard them?
Ok, great, I can go ahead and watch Deadpool 2 with a clear conscience.
I kept thinking Seaquest DSV and Jonathon Brandis, but can't make the clues fit.
I don't think I've seen Baldwin in anything since Posse (kinda cheesy, but good movie). He fits the shifting from TV to movies part, and it doesn't look like most of the movies were too great. The exception being The Usual Suspects, since that was a starring role right in the middle of what would have been this blackballing attempt.
The Young Riders was a good show.
well I think the show is young riders and christopher
Just to add a bit more kindling to the fire, I was looking it up, and it appears that TYR had a rough start, ratings wise. BUT by the time it was cancelled, the ratings had gone way up, and critics were coming around. So it definitely could have gone on a few more years, and the cancellation would have seemed abrupt at that time.
I thought so, too, re: Baldwin's blackballing and Usual Suspects. Then I remembered who directed Usual Suspects. Bryan Singer.
Still could be Josh Brolin. Dudes worked a lot the past few years, IIRC his career was spotty before. And He's not even that good of an actor.
The name of the series was "Complete Savages". It ran from 2004 to 2005 and was a part of TGIF. It got great reviews and the rating was great so everyone was shook when it was pulled. Rumor circulate about a problem with one of the kids. But that it. People thought it was substance abuse, or alcohol abuse. I wonder which one.
Don't see how Complete Savages fits. Keith Carradine worked a lot after, particularly on television with roles on Criminal Minds and Numbers, then regular roles on Dexter and Damages shortly after Complete Savages was canceled.
none of the savage kids died.
maybe there aren't more rumors about Baldwin cause he turned to be a born again christian in 2001 and maybe stopped those ways? and the stuff he did was pre social media and gossip sites.
The actors from Freaks and Geeks have pretty much worked nonstop since the show ended. But good guess...Franco.
@catsup And Stephen Baldwin went from playing an openly bisexual character to hysterically homophobic.
I remember that show. I was working for one of their filming locations at the time.
@gauloise
The timing of his conversion to foaming born again Christianity speaks either of a guilty conscience or a desperate attempt to seem like someone who would never ever do anything like he did. (Since the victim died in 2000).
Surprised that no one has mentioned Charlie Sheen yet....oh wait!
+1 Han!
I always thought Stephen Baldwin was gay, for some reason!
Charlie Sheen was my first thought but I need to re-read the blind.
I’m having a hard time believing all these teen rape blinds. They seem to be a dime a dozen.
Seems too good to be true.
For some reason Doug Hutchison comes to mind. Party of 5 was cancelled abruptly and apparently Doug was in the show for 4 episodes
That the victim "couldn't speak" is an odd turn of phrase. Are we sure the victim died rather than is in a coma or something?
Jonathan Brandis for the victim?
Maybe Aladdin for the show, which is the reason for curious focus on "voice"?
The BI says the show could have kept running a few more years, not that it only lasted a few years so we could be talking about a fairly long running show that could have lasted longer.
Dang it! I watched all the episodes last year. Can't remember if on INSP or the Western Channel. Another show ruined for me.
Exactly. Maybe a stroke, vent/trach or something that made communication impossible.
Woo hoo!
I know one of the folks on that show!
Bob Villard was Christopher Pettit's manager, too. Poor kid, even if this blind isn't about him. He does fit, though. There were apparently rumors of sexual abuse related to CP, but I have yet to find an actual source.
From his IMBD:
Was very good friends with Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0678645/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
I think this is the answer.
Right. The fact that his only major role during that stretch involved two people with similar skeletons to hide seems like a pretty big coincidence.
Nah, that's the kind of thing Enty does. Says someone died without saying they died. "Silenced permanently" is one of many ways he's put it.
@atd8vii
Teen rape is “a dime a dozen” if you’re talking frequency of occurrence.
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