Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Today's Blind Items - The Horror

This actor was not A list at his peak but he was in a number of starring roles in studio films often appearing with A+ stars.  One day this run suddenly ended and the actor seemingly overnight went from roles like in a film featuring a number of elderly actors from Hollywood’s golden age and a film by an A director which copied a certain film by this permanent A+ director to straight to video films and TV shows. In the following decade, he had a role on a soap opera. Currently, he mostly does voice work.  He has also tried his hand at music.

The reason why the actor dropped down a notch or several was due to an incident and its aftermath which occurred during his last over the marquee cinematic release. This was part of a franchise that has a lot of installments.  The deceased director/creator of the franchise was not directing this installment but was on set as he was the co-screenwriter of the film.  This director had a bad reputation with young girls although he was largely free from criticism during his lifetime.  The actor caught the director on set in a compromising position with an 11 year old girl and did what would be natural - punched the director and called the police. However, the Hollywood machine quickly jumped into action telling police the actor was delusional and making sure the 11 year old girl was nowhere to be found.

The studio called a meeting with the actor and told him if he completed the film which was almost finished, they would come clean to authorities about the director and make sure he was prosecuted.  The actor agreed but once the film was finished he discovered the studio took no action against the director who would go on to make many more films and in fact have another successful franchise. At the same time, the actor’s own career dried up and he received no offers for similar level films to the ones he’d been making.

At this point, the actor decided to go to the press. He went to a reporter he knew. However, the reporter was on the take from the studio and reported what they they’d been told by the actor. What followed was a clumsy “accident” that failed to harm the actor at all.  The actor then had another meeting with the studio and advised them that he knew the name of the 11 year old girl and a few other victims of the director and had written them down in a manuscript which was hidden away under lock and key only to appear if anything further was to happen him. The studio backed off and even ended up paying the actor a monthly stipend which continues to this day. 

52 comments:

MyDogSmiles said...

Steve Guttenberg?

Someone Said said...

Getting a Guttenberg vibe here.

HeffalumpsAndWoozles said...

I couldn't find a soap opera he was in, but Cocoon fits the movie packed with golden age stars.

Brayson87 said...

Holy sh!t, is Steve Guttenberg a hero?

sandybrook said...

Ricky Paul Golden?

AbbyRock said...

Steve Guttenberg was also in The Boys from Brazil which had Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason.

Was wondering where Guttenberg had gone. He was an excellent well-rounded actor. Hollywood sure could use him cause most of the actors are shit and/or shits.

Dana5570 said...

I don't think this is Guttenberg. He's got like 8 things in post-production, I don't see a lot of voice work or a soap opera on his list of credits.

HeffalumpsAndWoozles said...

If it's Guttenberg then the franchise would have to be Police Academy.

MDAnderson said...

Think it’s Guttenberg. Short circuit copying ET maybe

Spider Rico said...

Not Guttenberg. Don't know who but I know for a fact it is not Guttenberg. Not in his character AT ALL.

IndieRaga said...

Ok so Police Academy the film franchise?

MeliticusBee said...

His "recent" stuff is all garbage barely making it to video.

He had Cocoon 2 and the 3 men thing going too...
incidentally - Bad Medicine was hilarious....almost made me want to go to the Caribbean to go to medical school. No lie.

Not sure this is him ...it mostly fits but the soap...

IndieRaga said...

Anyways whoever this is....
Sir, love and respect!
You punched the Bastardo/Called the police,managed to stay alive and got money from them!
You're a real HERO !
Bigger than any so called A++ coward

Tricia13 said...

Bronson Pinchot?
Beverly Hills Cop franchise/Young and the Restless Soap/True Romance by Tarantino mimicked ..?
Think he did music

Brayson87 said...

Guttenberg fits for a lot, but he has had roles in lots of things and a bunch stuff in production. Also his last Police Academy movie was years before 3 Men and a Baby, Cocoon: The Return and 3 Men and a Little Lady.

There's probably someone who fits better unless Enty is intentionally changing details.

pegd said...

I don't think it's Steve either. He was definitely A list in the late 80's early 90's.

Unknown said...

Maybe Craig Wasson?

Film with elderly actors: Ghost Story
Film copying A+ director: Body Double
Franchise: Nightmare on Elm Street

Can't find the soap opera though.

Canuck Lurker said...

Craig Wasson, Ghost Story for elderly golden age actors and Brian De Palma copying Hitchcock in Body Double

Unknown said...

And the director is Wes Craven - franchises are Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream.

Unknown said...

Soap opera is One Life to Live. It's Wasson.

Alf Landon said...

Wasson's music video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g4GB58wpaA

Someone Said said...

Damn, Wasson it is.

17Steps said...

Whomever it was...Thank You.

Mark Andy said...

What was the " Accident " that failed totally?

Spider Rico said...

Think Unknown nailed it. Wasson, Craven, Nightmare franchise for sure.

MeliticusBee said...

and amusingly....
no one that I can see used the title "The horror" to tie the whole thing together...
To Craig Wasson, Nightmare on Elmstreet 3 and Wes Craven...

E said...

Excellent work, Unknown. This was a tough one

But now I have that instrumental tune from "Body Double" running thru my head on an endless loop

Brayson87 said...

And here is the voice work:

"Wasson is also a prolific reader for audio books, having narrated Stephen King's 2011 novel 11/22/63, and other books by Stephen King, as well as books by James Ellroy and John Grisham. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Wasson

Flashy Vic said...

The Stonecutters would have had something to do say about any Guttenberg stuff.

Max Power said...

For those of y'all calling him a hero.... did you miss the fact where ultimately he backed off in exchange for a monthly stipend? Fuck that asshole, he's part of the problem.

Brayson87 said...

I'd be pissed at him for accepting a monthly stipend, but damn, dude punched the pedo, called the police and went to the press. And nothing. What else could he do? Even today you have news organizations like ABC sitting on pedo stories.

HushHush said...

@Flashy nice Simpsons reference. I had that song in my head. We do, we do!

Puddy said...

"Largely free from criticisms during his lifetime".

So if it is Wes Craven, does that mean that there were some bread crumbs leading to him when he was alive? Enty's "The Real List" blind implies Craven a little bit.

mallomar said...

Well here's a different view of Craig Wasson:

http://bitchyactress.blogspot.com/2007/04/little-story-about-craig-wasson.html

And does anyone know the identity of "bitchy actress"?

kiki71 said...

@ Max Power as I understood it he backed off under the pretext 'nothing would happen to him' - and the payment was probably compensation for a career he LOST as a result of this blackmail. He seemed to go several steps above and beyond to report this and was thwarted at every attempt. Not just in getting the girl recourse but in his OWN livelihood so what would you do? He took the money. He shouldn't starve and wind up DEAD in an alley as a result of the conspiracies.

Anonymous said...

I believe this is meant to be Wasson/Craven, but there is one little problem: every horror fan knows Craven was never on set of ANOES 3. He wrote the first draft of the script, but it was heavily rewritten by director Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont, which caused a rift between him and the studio.

Marisa said...

So, go to a different reporter??

Brayson87 said...

@Marissa, Which reporter would have run that story? And who could he have trusted? The one reporter he trusted sold him out and apparently almost got him killed. The police were useless, journalists were untrustworthy, the victims silent, and the studio had connections everywhere. He did everything he was supposed to do, and the system punished him for it.

Mystique99 said...

Hell I looked him up name didn't ring a bell. Face did! I recognize him as that character actor who looks just like Bill Maher!

Puddy said...

@Melvin The Reanimated

Therefore, this is total BS.

Burke said...

Not Wasson, the soap was around 10 years after the incident. Going with Pinchot.

ameliazc said...

I love Craig Wasson, good on him! His performance in "Body Double" was brilliant. Hopefully he'll get more bookings after this :))

Unknown said...

My guess too.

JL said...

Not Wasson. Read Bitchy Actress link above. Wasson is a perv. It’s someone else.

Anonymous said...

People like to virtue signal and wonder why none of them ever talked. This is why. Say something and it's virtually the end of your career. Wasson for the win. Great guessers here to figure that out! I had never even heard of him. He's lucky he came out alive.

MattDaddy said...

Craig Wasson was amazing, what a horrible story.

Aaron Tiensivu said...

Rick Moranis?

Magnolia Melee said...

John Carpenter??

Unknown said...

Stephen Baldwin.

Redcaz said...

Steve Guttenberg, our hero!

Maggie T said...

First thought. What a dude. Time to come out with it soon, Steve.

Cantara said...

@mallomar It's Wynn Van Dusen.

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