The other night I caught An American Werewolf in London on the BBC channel. I hadn't seen it since the early 80's, when it was on heavy cable rotation. I had always admired the film; but I'd forgotten just how good it truly was. An American classic (in London), I daresay, by now. For whatever reason they cut some of the brief nudity. Mostly shots of the star's butt. I mean, come on. Really? It's 2021. We've all seen butt-cracks. Couldn't they at least of blurred his crack like they do on Naked and Afraid? Or, wait...do they give full butt-crack on that show? I think they do. They only blur things when someone bends over and you might see BOBB (back of ball-bag); and who wants to see that? Am I right? No, I'm wrong! But I meander...
So anyway, I'm sure there's a pic out there of said intergluteal cleft. Let me see if I can find it...
So anyway, I'm sure there's a pic out there of said intergluteal cleft. Let me see if I can find it...
Well, maybe it was just side butt. That beautiful behind belonged to Mr. David Naughton; the star of An Ameican Werewolf in London. I think it was his first movie. And it was a massive hit as I recall. And then David went on to do...
not much, if anything. And that's what I want to explore in this blog. The why? Because he didn't deserve to just disappear. Some of you may recall how he got his start: the old fashioned way. In a commercial. But not just any commercial.
not much, if anything. And that's what I want to explore in this blog. The why? Because he didn't deserve to just disappear. Some of you may recall how he got his start: the old fashioned way. In a commercial. But not just any commercial.
He can sing! He can dance too! OMG, that's so freakin' adorable I have to play another one!
Now, this is back in the late '70s. Back then, an aspiring actor and/or star would start out in commercials, segue into a TV show, then make the leap into movies. If he/or she was able to do this, then they would hunker down in movies and proceed to try and become a Movie Star. If that worked, the next stop was Super-Star. Then he or she would do that until they got old. Age puts everyone into career decline; so then it's things like guest spots on TV shows and then perhaps, finally, back to commercials. This entire paradigm has been turned on it's head in 2021. Now, if an actor is able to break through to the TV/movie level, they also immediately begin appearing in television commercials for as many products as they possibly can. Actors pushing products used to be called "selling out." Nowadays, I would say they're "selling in." Back in the day, at least stars had the decency to slink off to Japan to do commercials; but now they're hitting each other over the heads with their Golden Globes to get as many endorsements as they can; and going for each other's throats with their SAG cards for voice-work.
But back to David.
After the Dr. Pepper ads, which went on for quite some time, David landed a sitcom in 1979. It was called Makin' It. Here's the opening credit sequence with it's uber-catchy theme song, sung by David:
But back to David.
After the Dr. Pepper ads, which went on for quite some time, David landed a sitcom in 1979. It was called Makin' It. Here's the opening credit sequence with it's uber-catchy theme song, sung by David:
In fact, the theme song was released as a single and made it to the top of the charts. Here it is, in full:
There is also an "extended version." As much as I like this song; I'll spare you that.
Makin' It (the TV show) was released in the spring of '79. It lasted nine episodes. Perhaps that it came out at the very end of the disco era (the show was a thinly veiled rip-off of Saturday Night Fever) spelled its immediate doom. That, and that it was not very good. That summer was the summer they killed disco officially at that "Disco Demolition Night" in Chicago. I guess ABC saw the writing on the wall and killed Makin' It before it could implode on its own. But that failure would free David up to make the werewolf movie.
Around this time ABC had two other sitcoms that launched two other actors who were in the same general ball-park as David Naughton. Around the same age. Same basic type. Dark hair, Roman noses and sparkling eyes. They were these two gentlemen:
Makin' It (the TV show) was released in the spring of '79. It lasted nine episodes. Perhaps that it came out at the very end of the disco era (the show was a thinly veiled rip-off of Saturday Night Fever) spelled its immediate doom. That, and that it was not very good. That summer was the summer they killed disco officially at that "Disco Demolition Night" in Chicago. I guess ABC saw the writing on the wall and killed Makin' It before it could implode on its own. But that failure would free David up to make the werewolf movie.
Around this time ABC had two other sitcoms that launched two other actors who were in the same general ball-park as David Naughton. Around the same age. Same basic type. Dark hair, Roman noses and sparkling eyes. They were these two gentlemen:
Of course, that's John Travolta from Welcome Back Kotter and Tom Hanks from Bosom Buddies.
John had left his sitcom pretty fast as Stardom was beckoning for him out of the gate. Within two years or so he'd made Saturday Night Fever which became a phenomenon and launched him into true Superstardom. John could do whatever he wanted.
Tom didn't leave his show. It was cancelled after two seasons. But he was able to move over into movies, starting with Splash, which was a big hit and established Tom as a viable leading man. But it wouldn't be until Big that Tom would become as big as John had been. I say "had been" because by 1988, John's career was officially pretty much over after several flops and questions about his personal life. But then he had a comeback in 1989 with Look Who's Talking, the first of many comebacks. In fact, he's had more ups and downs than Stormy Daniels. He's currently on a down-turn; but never count him out. Nobody puts John in a corner.
But back to David:
John had left his sitcom pretty fast as Stardom was beckoning for him out of the gate. Within two years or so he'd made Saturday Night Fever which became a phenomenon and launched him into true Superstardom. John could do whatever he wanted.
Tom didn't leave his show. It was cancelled after two seasons. But he was able to move over into movies, starting with Splash, which was a big hit and established Tom as a viable leading man. But it wouldn't be until Big that Tom would become as big as John had been. I say "had been" because by 1988, John's career was officially pretty much over after several flops and questions about his personal life. But then he had a comeback in 1989 with Look Who's Talking, the first of many comebacks. In fact, he's had more ups and downs than Stormy Daniels. He's currently on a down-turn; but never count him out. Nobody puts John in a corner.
But back to David:
Or the back of David's head. And the front of his leading lady from Werewolf: Jenny Agutter, another amazing actor who never really broke through, despite being in at least two smashes (I'll be writing about her in another entry).
So, American Werewolf comes out, it's a smash hit at the box-office; then, it becomes even more popular because it's on 'round the clock on HBO and everyone in America has just basically gotten cable TV; so it becomes an instant and instantaneously loved favorite. And then...nothing. Why was a sequel not rushed into production? The same cast, same writer, director (John Landis, btw), etc.? I mean, I know David gets shot at the end of the movie; but it ends so abruptly, we don't know if he's dead or still alive (I mean, he's a werewolf). Was it set up that way intentionally, so that if it was a success the sequel is set up? I mean, if he is "dead"--in the fantasy genre, there's a million ways to bring the character back. Dream sequences. He wasn't killed. He's now one of the walking dead. Whatever. And of course Jenny has to be pregnant with his werebaby. An infinity of story ideas. But nothing.
So, coming off this mega-smash phenom of a movie, why was David Naughton guest starring on The Love Boat a mere two years later?
So, American Werewolf comes out, it's a smash hit at the box-office; then, it becomes even more popular because it's on 'round the clock on HBO and everyone in America has just basically gotten cable TV; so it becomes an instant and instantaneously loved favorite. And then...nothing. Why was a sequel not rushed into production? The same cast, same writer, director (John Landis, btw), etc.? I mean, I know David gets shot at the end of the movie; but it ends so abruptly, we don't know if he's dead or still alive (I mean, he's a werewolf). Was it set up that way intentionally, so that if it was a success the sequel is set up? I mean, if he is "dead"--in the fantasy genre, there's a million ways to bring the character back. Dream sequences. He wasn't killed. He's now one of the walking dead. Whatever. And of course Jenny has to be pregnant with his werebaby. An infinity of story ideas. But nothing.
So, coming off this mega-smash phenom of a movie, why was David Naughton guest starring on The Love Boat a mere two years later?
Oops. Wrong actor.
That's Tommy back in 1980, guesting on The Love Boat. ABC must've had some clause in the contracts for their new hires: Employee herewith agrees to no less than one guest appearance on The Love Boat. Further; employee has zero input into which "vignette" they appear in. Failure to get on board may result in immediate termination.
Isn't he adorable! I have often been told that I look like him. Here's me at around that same time:
That's Tommy back in 1980, guesting on The Love Boat. ABC must've had some clause in the contracts for their new hires: Employee herewith agrees to no less than one guest appearance on The Love Boat. Further; employee has zero input into which "vignette" they appear in. Failure to get on board may result in immediate termination.
Isn't he adorable! I have often been told that I look like him. Here's me at around that same time:
Why, we coulda been bruddahs! This portrait (my high school yearbook, senior year, natch) used to hang in my parent's house. My niece once told me (she more or less lived with my parents) that a lot of people would comment on the picture and ask if I was a person of color. And that is NOT a perm. That is my actual hair.
But back to David, again.
So, why did he have such a precipitous plunge after An American Werewolf in London? It doesn't make any sense. His follow up to Werewolf was a TV movie called, I Desire, which aired on ABC. Right after that he appeared on The Love Boat. Did he have some contractual obligation to ABC that was somehow connected to Makin' It? That they forced him to fulfill; thus, killing any career momentum he might've had going? Or did he just have incredibly bad representation? An agent or manager who didn't know their ass from their elbow? Or was he a hot-head? Difficult to work with? Nah, you can tell he's a sweet-heart. But maybe he wasn't. People can fool you.
Or, was something more sinister at work? Something like a curse?
But back to David, again.
So, why did he have such a precipitous plunge after An American Werewolf in London? It doesn't make any sense. His follow up to Werewolf was a TV movie called, I Desire, which aired on ABC. Right after that he appeared on The Love Boat. Did he have some contractual obligation to ABC that was somehow connected to Makin' It? That they forced him to fulfill; thus, killing any career momentum he might've had going? Or did he just have incredibly bad representation? An agent or manager who didn't know their ass from their elbow? Or was he a hot-head? Difficult to work with? Nah, you can tell he's a sweet-heart. But maybe he wasn't. People can fool you.
Or, was something more sinister at work? Something like a curse?
Now, at the risk of sounding silly: I cannot say I do not believe in curses. Some things just seem to have bad ju-ju. I'm also an actor. Actors, although most won't admit it, are a thoroughly superstitious type of people. Just try going into a theater; any theater in any part of the world; and say "Macbeth" and see how many stink-eyes you get. Some projects, for whatever reason, seem to have; well, let's just say an inordinate amount of troubles that go on after the production wraps. Famously, Superman, in any of its incarnations. The Exorcist. King Tut's Tomb. Of course, you can examine the lives of people involved in any project of any type and find misery and tragedy. Still, some things seem to have more. An American Werewolf in London deals with the curse of the werewolf. The movie features a pentagram. You don't mess with pentagrams.
Or if not curses; how about plain old luck. David, Tom and John are all excellent entertainers. John and David can also sing and dance. I wonder if Tom can sing? As actors, I would say they were all of equal ability. But David disappeared, more or less. John's career has been wildly erratic. And Tom has steadily risen to the highest plateau of show business. In fact, he's gone beyond that. He's officially become "America's Dad." He plays legends like Mr. Roger's and Walt Disney. In fact, he's in jeopardy of becoming so iconic and irredeemably saintly that he won't be able to play anything but saints from here on out. Which is another way of saying he's in danger of becoming boring. My advice to Tom would be to immediately play a nice juicy villain. Or at least a cad. How about Trump: The Motion Picture? Hey, playing Bill Clinton worked for John; and wasn't that like his ninth come-back?
Or if not curses; how about plain old luck. David, Tom and John are all excellent entertainers. John and David can also sing and dance. I wonder if Tom can sing? As actors, I would say they were all of equal ability. But David disappeared, more or less. John's career has been wildly erratic. And Tom has steadily risen to the highest plateau of show business. In fact, he's gone beyond that. He's officially become "America's Dad." He plays legends like Mr. Roger's and Walt Disney. In fact, he's in jeopardy of becoming so iconic and irredeemably saintly that he won't be able to play anything but saints from here on out. Which is another way of saying he's in danger of becoming boring. My advice to Tom would be to immediately play a nice juicy villain. Or at least a cad. How about Trump: The Motion Picture? Hey, playing Bill Clinton worked for John; and wasn't that like his ninth come-back?
So, let's light a candle to the good ju-ju. And say a prayer for actors everywhere. And maybe, just maybe, we may get to see David's behind again, in all it's unblurred beauty.
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