A few weeks back my granddaughter, the Lady Bug was watching Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland’ with her mommy. They arrived at the part of the film where the Mad Hatter is pouring tea at his permanent tea party and reciting the “Walrus and the Carpenter” to Alice. During the visual when the Walrus is shown, the Lady Bug saw him and said “Yook Mommy, there’s Papaw!”
While this is the first time I have been compared to a cartoon character, I have, in the past, been compared to some other actors and media stars. Way back in 1972, I was in line at the White Castle at 38th street where Mass Avenue becomes Pendleton Pike and Shadeland converges. A guy standing in line behind told me I looked like “Meathead” on All in the Family. The lady in front of me turned, looked, and said ”He’s right you do look like that Mike guy.”
As I picked up my order, the counter lady laughed and said “Tell Archie we said hi!”
About eight years later I was watching the Dave Letterman daytime talk show (remember that?) and the author Stephen King was a guest. I remember thinking to myself, boy that guy is sinister looking, no wonder he writes such spooky stuff. Several weeks later I was at the IUPUI complex registering for class. As I was going through the process, one of the clerks ushering me along said “You know, you look like that Stephen King, the writer guy.”
A couple of weeks later, I was at work at the Central Branch of the Indianapolis Marion County Public Library helping a patron. She seemed to be studying me and finally said “I’ve got it! You really resemble Stephen King. The author of the Shining. Anyone ever tell you that?” I was speechless!
Then as I entered my fifties, it became Orson Welles. I am a really great admirer of Orson Welles. I love his film work. While Citizen Kane isn’t my favorite Welles film. (Its “MacBethl”). I’ve always admired and appreciated his body of work. However, I have to admit he ain’t my first choice as the actor that I would most like to look like. There has to be something to it however. It’s just happened too many times. I was even told of my Orson Welles likeness, while I was on a vacation cruise ship in the Caribbean. So it is now that I will tell you that I have even portrayed Orson Welles in a movie
The film is called “Creeporia’. It is currently available for viewing on the Creeporia web site. It will be serialized and is the creation of noted Hollywood filmmaker John Semper Jr. I play Orson Wellse as a zombie. My bit is about 14 and half minutes into the film. I actually filmed my scenes two years ago in November in the Asylum Productions studio on the south side of Indianapolis. Of my performance, one California critic said “ there’s this really cool old dude dragging a sled full of severed heads around and saying “Rosebud”. I imagine that if Rex Reed saw it he would say that I looked like a walrus.
This gives me my second film credit on the Internet Movie Database. The first credit I have is for a film made in 2000 called “Reconciliation”. I portrayed a character named Mr. Whitle. I have actually appeared in seven independently made films. The two I’ve mentioned are the two that got a general release hince the IMDB credit. I am listed right behind Jack Nicholson, honest!
I’m now thinking that if I ever do a live action filming of “The Walrus and the Carpenter” I’ve got the part of the Walrus nailed!
P.S. The Boss reminded me that one Halloween, we dressed as the “Walrus & The Carpenter”!
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