Did you know they played that role?

[Casey Amber Twitchings]

I’ve wanted to start this thread since yesterday but after looking at Weird Science on IMDB a few minutes ago I HAVE to start this. All actors start out somewhere. Very few land a major role for their first part. So you’ve probably seen some big name stars in their early roles and don’t even know it. I’ll name a few I can think of. Who can you think of?

Weird Science (1985): Remember Chet, the older, marine or marine-esque brother who was a real PITA? He was played by none other than — Bill Paxton.

Remember the PBS kids’ show The Electric Company? Remember Easy Reader? Believe it or not that was an early role for — Morgan Freeman.

Rita Moreno was also one of the stars of that show.

Lawrence Fishburn was in an episode of M*A*S*H. You can tell it was a fairly early role for him because he’s credited as — Larry Fishburn.

[Anonymous]

I am not good at trivia or rembering these kind of things..but love the idea

[RebeccaMay Fullerton]

Jack Black was on An episode of my favorite show of all time-Northern Exposure.He asked Maggie O’Connel if she would go to his High School Prom with him.Great episode and Jack was so babyface back then lol.

[TJ Liberty]

Thanks for sharing, I love these kind of random facts. I have always called Laurence Fishburn, Larry 🤣

[DeeAnn Hopings]

• George Clooney on Roseanne
• Clint Eastwood on Rawhide
• Cicely Tyson on East Side/West Side

[DeeAnn Hopings]

• Olivia Cole on Szysznyk
• John Travolta on Welcome Back Kotter!
• Billy Crystal on Soap
• Mayim Bialik on Blossom

[Casey Amber Twitchings]

I forgot about them. Great memory DeeAnn. I remember George Clooney (can you believe he’s Rosemary’s nephew?) from The Facts Of Life before Roseanne. Patty Duke’s younger son Mackenzie was also on the show for a while.

[DeeAnn Hopings]

Casey:

I’ll admit to having a very odd mind. For some reason there are things that resonate with me and they seem to pack a lunch and come to say. Would you believe that I know the words to the themes for Welcome Back Kotter and Szysznyk?

How sick is that?!?!

 

[DeeAnn Hopings]

• Michael Douglas on Streets of San Francisco
• Robert Conrad on Hawaiian Eye
• Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive
• Kurt Russell on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters

[Casey Amber Twitchings]

DeeAnn, when the president of the company I used to work for was trying to get me to join the Odd Fellows he had no idea just how odd a fellow I am.

“Welcome back, your dreams were you’re ticket out. Welcome back to the same old place that you laughed about.” “Horshack means ‘the cattle are dying’.”

And I won’t mention (too late) that Thursday I suddenly remembered “mekka lekka hi, mekka hiney ho”. It drove me nuts trying to remember where I heard that incantation before. Thank god for Bing. (Pee Wee’s Playhouse for those who remember the phrase.)

Like I told more than one of the girls, my mind is always throwing a party and sometimes I’m invited. I was serious about the first time I heard “bb cream”. For the gun or the shot?

[DeeAnn Hopings]

Similarly, I have no idea why some things stick, but they do. I mentioned a sitcom called Szysznyk. In spit of how it looks, it was pronounced like scissors. Scis – nick.

Ned Beatty was Szysznyk, who worked at a neighborhood youth center after retirement from the Marines. Olivia Cole was one of his co-workers. The theme was:

Where was I when the world went funny,
Lovin’ got loose and the dollar ain’t no money,
Guess you know it scares me some,
And that’s the truth…

Funny how life works in circles. Many years later my daughter met Ned Beatty’s daughter when they were students at Amherst College. You just can’t make this stuff up!

[Author]

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