Chiller Theatre October 2023: Johnny Caps Recaps

Hello, dear readers. It’s Johnny Caps here. Because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, which is still happening as I write these words, I haven’t published any interviews for Pop Geeks these past few months on the advice of several previous interview subjects who are SAG-AFTRA members. As my interviews cover the whole of a talent’s career, past, present and future, and as the present and the future can’t be discussed right now according to SAG rules, the interviews I was working on polishing before the strike went into effect are still in draft format, and I haven’t sent out any interview requests since the strike started.

However, I have kept a foot in the world of show business both by talking to the friends I’ve made because of my interviews, and by once again attending my favorite convention. On the last weekend of October 2023, I made my latest trip to New Jersey’s Chiller Theatre convention, and I had a lot of fun attending the show as I do every April and October. I got the chance to meet some friends I’ve met at Chiller before, and make some new ones as well. The weekend was a little more quiet than October Chillers usually are, but I liked that as it allowed me the chance to interact more with the stars I met. With that, let’s recap the October 2023 Chiller Theatre convention.

I started my playing among the stars by meeting Darlene Vogel, whom my fellow 80s fans will recognize from her role as Spike, the girl in Griff’s gang in Back To The Future, Part 2. Ms. Vogel was very friendly to meet. I told her of how I enjoyed her work in BTTF 2, and I knew I had to get a variation on a frequent inscription I choose for 80s photos. Instead of having her sign the BTTF 2 photo, “Johnny, come back to the 80s with me”, I had her sign it, “Johnny, come back to The 80s Cafe with me”. She got a kick out of that inscription idea, and she was very kind.

From there, I went across the room to meet Stephen Geoffreys of Fright Night and 976-EVIL fame. Stephen was quiet but friendly, and he and his handler found it interesting when I mentioned that I count two of his fellow 976-EVIL stars, JJ Cohen and Lezlie Deane, among my friends and former interview subjects. Speaking of 976-EVIL, I got two autographs from Stephen on material related to that movie. For me, it was an 8X10. For my friend and fellow Pop Geeks writer Adam, it was his 976-EVIL VHS cover. Stephen was nice to meet.

Next to Stephen was his fellow Fright Night star Amanda Bearse, whom you will also recognize from her role as Marcy on Married…With Children. Marcy was also friendly to meet, extending her hand to introduce herself by her first name, which I thought was a nice thing to do. We talked briefly about the misaimed fandom of Married…With Children, and I also complimented her on her directing work for MAD TV. She liked heaing that. As for what I had Amanda sign, I went for a composite photograph of images from both Fright Night and Married…With Children, which I thought provided a look at the yin and yang of her work as an actress.

Before I exited the ballroom, I stopped by Catherine Hickland’s table. You may recognize Catherine from guest appearances on Knight Rider and a recurring role on One Life To Live, from her work on Broadway as Fantine in Les Miserables, or from her work in movies like The Last Married Couple In America and Ghost Town, as well as several popular 80s posters. We talked about her work in The Last Married Couple In America, as well as the composite bikini photo I had her sign with my customary inscription for such photos, “Johnny, let’s go for a swim!”. Catherine is very friendly to meet, and she gives great hugs.

Speaking of great hugs, the next star I met was Liane Curtis, my dear friend and a former Pop Geeks interview subject of mine. I first met her at Chiller in April of 2019, and it was an important meeting for me. Not only was she friendly to me on Saturday of the April 2019 Chiller, but also offered me comfort the way a mother would after some sadness on Sunday of that convention. It was great to see Liane again and get another hug, this time under happier circumstances. I also got her autograph on a photo of her in Girlfriend From Hell, a wonderful 1989 comedy with a combination of edge and whimsy.

After Liane, I went across the hallway to the room where a company called RK Sports Promotions, whose owner, Rob, I’m friends with, brought in several 50s and 60s child stars as guests. The talent I was most interested in meeting was original Mouseketeer Sharon Baird. I told her of the impact that the character of Mickey Mouse had on me as a child, as well as how, because of my autism spectrum disorder, there was a period of time when I had trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality, and so I would think things like Mickey Mouse actually existed.

Many years later, I’m now able to differentiate fantasy from reality, and I can now say what Mickey Mouse meant to my reality while knowing for sure that he’s a fictional character. I thanked Sharon for keeping what I admire about the character going as a real thing, and she liked hearing that. I also kneeled down for the photo with Sharon as she’s small, which helped her to a second career as a performer for shows like the New Zoo Revue and various Sid and Marty Krofft productions. If I ever am able to interview Sharon, I’ll have a lot to discuss with her.

Going back across the hallway, I met Dedee Pfeiffer, sister of Michelle and a fabulously talented actress and activist in her own right. I had the chance to tell Dedee that my brief experience in college in 2001 was not something I was prepared for as a result of my autism spectrum disorder, and I also told her that I purchased a DVD of The Allnighter near the end of my brief time in college. I told Dedee that viewing the movie years later was a cathartic experience for me, allowing me the chance to have the ideal college experience without the heartache of what the reality of it was for me. I also got Dedee’s Playboy issue signed as well, and I gave her my contact information, again with the proviso that I won’t be doing interviews until the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled.

Down at the other end of the room was Oscar-nominated actress Patty McCormack, whose nomination was for Best Supporting Actress for the movie The Bad Seed, where she played the diabolical Rhoda Penmark. Contrary to the character of Rhoda, Patty McCormack is very friendly and kind to talk to. It was a little loud in the room, but I was able to tell her that I loved her work in The Bad Seed, and I also put in a good word for her movie The Young Runaways, mentioning that I interviewed her co-star in that movie, Brooke Bundy, who had good things to say about Patty. I also gave her my contact information for a hopeful future interview as well…Once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled, hopefully to the favor of the actors, that is.

I then went to the bar to order dinner, and after that, I paid for a soda and a sweet snack from the small convenience store. All of a sudden, I heard a sound I’d been hoping to never hear again at Chiller. The alarm went off once more, and we were all sent outside again while authorities figured out what the situation was. Thankfully, the situation was resolved rapidly. Some trouser stain had pulled a fire alarm, and that’s what sent us all out. Thankfully, we were back in after 15 minutes or so, and after a little more waiting, I got my dinner and took it up to my room, getting into bed after that for day 2 of Chiller.

I was still tired from the evening before when day 2 of Chiller started, but I had fun anyway. While I was waiting on line to meet Danny Glover, my friend Rick, a frequent Chiller attendee, asked me if I wanted to meet Brett Butler, whom my friend Stuart had booked for the show in what would be her convention debut. My place was held in line, so I took the opportunity to meet Ms. Butler.

Brett was very friendly to talk to. I complimented her on her 90s book Knee Deep In Paradise, and I told her that she should write another book, a compliment she liked hearing. Seriously, if you can track down a copy of Knee Deep In Paradise, you’ll find Brett to have a gift for the written word. I also had her sign a picture with the personalization, “Johnny, we both have lovely eyes”, which I always get on pictures that showcase a talent’s eyes. Finally, I gave Brett my contact information as I hope to do an interview with her once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled.

Nexr to Brett was another client of my friend Stuart. Mark Linn-Baker was very friendly to meet also. I’d missed his previous Chiller appearance as I didn’t attend the April 2017 show, so I knew I had to meet him this time. I talked about watching Perfect Strangers reruns on WWOR Channel 9 (now the New York/New Jersey area’s MyNetwork affiliate), and enjoying My Favorite Year as an adult. I also mentioned that he has a David Crosby look going, and he said it’s his SAG-AFTRA strike look. I also gave Mark my contact information for an interview once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled.

I got back on line for Danny Glover, and while it took a while for him to show up, it was worth it. He’s a little hard-of-hearing, but that’s understandable, considering his age and how loud the Chiller Theatre convention can get. I had the chance to tell him how important Lethal Weapon has been to me, and how the movie taught me that no matter how rough life gets, friends make it worth living, a message he agreed with. He signed a Lethal Weapon photo I’d previously purchased from Lycia Naff as a reward for supporting her charity, and speaking of charity, I complimented Danny on his Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award win a few years ago, telling him it was well-deserved.

After Danny Glover, I went back to the Ballroom to meet Annabeth Gish. She had been scheduled to attend the April 2023 Chiller, but had to cancel her appearance. Thankfully, she rescheduled for the October 2023 Chiller, so I finally had the chance to meet Ms. Gish. I told her of how I loved her work in the movie Shag, a picture from which she autographed for me, and we talked about the movie’s unusual history on home entertainment formats. We both hope that whoever issues Shag on Blu-Ray next will finally give the movie the treatment it deserves.

After saying hello again to my friend Liane, I met the actress sitting next to her, Barbara Carrera. I told her of how I loved her work in the movie Love At Stake, relating to her the same story about my first exposure to that movie that I told her co-star Stuart Pankin when I interviewed him in 2020, and she found that interesting. I had her sign a swimsuit photo of her I purchased on eBay, but I found it a little sad that she said she thought she didn’t look good in that swimsuit photo. I tried telling her I thought she looked lovely, but then again, we’re all our own worst critics, aren’t we? Barbara was still very friendly to meet, and I’m glad I did meet her.

The next star I met was Harrison Page, whom 70s film audiences will remember from Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls and 80s TV audiences will remember from Sledge Hammer. I got Harrison’s autograph on a Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls picture, and I complimented him on his work in that movie. When we took the pictures together, I noticed that they came out very well on my iPhone, and Harrison agreed. If you look at my first Chiller recap article for Pop Geeks, you’ll see that my handheld camera didn’t work that well, but my iPhone has worked better.

Another example of better lighting on my iPhone pictures being noticed came when I once again met another Facebook friend, Michele Michaels of The Slumber Party Massacre fame. She remembered me from our previous meeting at Chiller in October of 2021, and I got a hug from her, which I appreciated. We got some new pictures together, and these were again better-lit than our 2021 photos. Michele is fantastic to her fans.

Seated next to Michele was her Slumber Party Massacre co-star Debra De Liso, whom I was meeting for the first time. She asked me about the appeal of 80s horror movies, and I told her that I feel 80s movies in general, and 80s pop culture altogether, tend to get less respect than they deserve. I told Debra I thought she did fantastic work in the 80s, but I say that to every 80s talent I have the pleasure of talking to. It’s what I genuinely feel about a decade whose pop culture helped me through some very dark and turbulent times. I also gave Debra my contact information in anticipation of doing an interview with her once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled.

I then went back up to my room to catch up on the rest I lost when I got up early that morning, also ordering lunch at one point as well. After that, I decided to meet another Facebook friend, Didi Conn, again for the first time since the April 2018 Chiller. I showed Didi a picture of our previous meeting, and she remembered me and our discussions of autism from that previous show.

She asked me about what I do for a living, and when I told her of my paying job as a cashier at a major retailer, she cheered me on as though I were her own son, who is also on the autism spectrum. We took several photos, and I asked Didi how often she checks PMs on Facebook. She said not often, but she’ll start checking more. I look forward to hopefully interviewing Didi once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled.

I milled around for a while, and then ordered dinner. I caught up on my sleep that evening, and got up a little later than on Saturday for the final day of the October 2023 Chiller. I started the day by once again meeting Catherine Hickland. On her table on Friday, there was a picture of her in black lingerie that I was thinking of getting signed, but didn’t go for at the time.

When Sunday rolled around, I knew I wanted to get that picture, so I paid for another autograph/photo combo with Catherine, and she was just as friendly as she was on Friday. When I first met her that weekend, she told me that she was a hugger, and I got one from her that day, so in our photos on Sunday, we hugged again. Catherine is a fantastic and friendly talent to meet, and I hope that if she comes back to Chiller, she’ll bring her hypnosis show with her.

I was hoping to meet Liane one more time that weekend, but weather precluded her commute to the show, so she wasn’t able to make it. Instead, I met two other talents in that room, starting with Erika Anderson of A Nightmare On Elm Street 5 and Twin Peaks fame. I complimented Erika on her death scene in ANOES 5, but the picture I got signed was one from her modeling days. Erika was also very friendly to meet, and I also gave her my contact information for a possible interview once the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled. I know I’ve ended quite a few paragraphs in this article that way, but with any luck, all these talents will agree to interviews once the situation is resolved.

The last star I met at Chiller that weekend was Tiffany Shepis, an actress and scream queen who had been a very frequent presence at the Chiller Theatre convention in the 90s and 00s, but took an extended break that started in the late 00s and ended with her October 2023 return. I asked Tiffany about what those 90s and 00s Chillers were like as I only started attending Chiller in October of 2014, and she had fond memories of them. I’m glad I had a chance to meet a guest who was such an integral part of the first two decades or so of Chiller Theatre.

I took pictures with my Chiller friends, both attendee and staffer, throughout the rest of the day while waiting for my ride to pick me up. A few days after the show, I got some very good news about future Chillers. That’s all I can say, except that I’m even more eager for future Chillers than before, and I’ve already been very eager about those future Chillers from jump street. All in all, it was another fantastic Chiller, and I always look forward to the next show.

Speaking of the future, as I mentioned at the beginning of the article, development on my yet-to-be-published interviews with Oscar-winning makeup artist Kevin Haney, Oscar-winning hairstylist Anne Morgan, actress/singer Tricia Leigh Fisher, and model/actress Kim Alexis is currently on hiatus until the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled, hopefully to the favor of the actors. The resolution could happen shortly after I publish this piece, or it could happen next year, but I hope for many reasons that the actors will get the respectful treatment they deserve.

Until then, thank you as always for taking the time to read my articles, and thank you also to my friend and fellow Pop Geeks writer, Adam Pope, for cropping this article’s cover photo of me and Liane Curtis at Chiller. I hope you all have a wonderful day.