Cory wrote up a some personal souvenirs from the filming his fb.
https://www.facebook.com/602049627/posts/10159045972249628/?app=fbl
Thursday morning memories…
On the anniversary of The Burbs release, February 17, 1989.
I learned yesterday, that it was the anniversary of The Burbs theatrical release. It’s been 32 years since it hit theaters, and I was overjoyed to see that people around the world remember the film and like it to this day. I had no idea it was the anniversary, but suddenly thanks to social media, I started getting notes sent my way from folks in different parts of the world, and it brightened my day in a wonderful way.
I’ve always said that making the film was the best summer of my life. I was eleven years old when we shot the picture. Getting to drive into the Universal lot each morning, parking in a dirt lot in front of the Jaws attraction and next to Tom Hanks’ Astrovan that he drove…it’s surreal when I think back upon it.
We would shoot a bit, and we’d wait around the set while the crew was working hard. We’d be studying lines, I’d be throwing a baseball with Tom each day in the middle of the cul-de-sac, or I’d be playing with the dogs on the set. We even had Bubbles the chimp around some of the time. He was being trained by the same animal trainer that was working with my dog in the movie. I had the opportunity to work with actors that were so wildly talented, and I knew it even at eleven. They were pros. Part of the time, I had to do school in a trailer, and then when summer hit, I was able to just spend time on the street having fun with everyone.
They often talk about sets having a personality. Was it a “happy” set or a “sad” set? The Burbs was a very happy set. This was very much due to our leader Joe Dante, the director. Joe has a special ability to make actors feel comfortable, and he gives them the space to try different things. He was magic. He is also loyal to his actors, and I was able to work with him again on Eerie Indiana, a show he directed and produced, years later. Other actors from The Burbs would work with him later on too. Again, he was loyal to the actors he liked.
Now, 32 years later, I sit at my desk in my home and remember that wonderful summer.
So much life has happened in the three decades.
I think about how fortunate I was to have a whole summer with my mom who has since passed. I think about my on-screen mom Carrie Fisher, who has since passed away. I think about Rick Ducommon, the wildly talented co-star of the film who everyone loved and passed. And Gail Gordon and Henry Gibson, and Brother Theordore, who have all passed. I think about the magic each of them brought to the picture, and how grateful I was to be a part of a cast like this. I think of the kindness of each of the people involved in the film. It was a GREAT group of people.
For me, these are wonderful memories that I will never forget. And it was a summer that nothing will ever compare too in my life.
It will always hold a special place in my heart and mind.