THEN:
When a movie is as special as John Landis’ seminal classic AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, it is impossible to forget what a great leading man he had in David Naughton. Yes, the naked American man who stole a young Londoners balloon perfectly captured the humor and the horror of playing a man about to turn wolf. However, this young talent had more to offer than the ability to make the human portion of a werewolf transformation work. Years before this charming dude found a little success with a disco tune called “Makin’ It” (theme song from the short lived series which he starred). He also convinced people to “be a pepper” in the late-Seventies, early-Eighties advertising campaign for Dr. Pepper.
Now let’s get back to what is arguably one of the best horror comedies ever made. 1981’s AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON inspired many a modern day filmmaker with its still great special effects and the wonderfully witty dialogue. Part of the appeal of this incredible film is the undeniable chemistry of leading man Naughton and his best pal Jack, played by the hilarious Griffin Dunne (with some seriously gruesome make-up). The two actors are so perfect here that it reminds you how important it can be to give a crap about your characters. Naughton is so damn good in the role that he makes his ultimate transformation painful for the audience because you fully believe this poor guy is suffering.
As much as I loved seeing Mr. Naughton in horror, comedy was his calling after the success of WEREWOLF. And while this column generally is horror-centric, I have to give a shout out to one of the coolest teen sex flicks from that period. I can’t remember when I fell under the spell of HOT DOG… THE MOVIE (1984) late night on video, but it entertained the hell out of me and made me want to go skiing badly – yeah, skiing… It’s been a long while since I’ve sat down with this flick, but being young and impressionable, I couldn’t resist the hottie snow bunnies. And yes, Mr. Naughton rocked it! At least I think he did… F*ck it… I know he did!
Throughout the Eighties, Naughton worked a ton. It was mostly B-movies, but it was work. Yet I most remember him from catching reruns of a sitcom called “My Sister Sam,” which aired from 1986 to 1988. There is a very sad story regarding this adorable little series and its wonderful star Rebecca Schaeffer, but suffice it to say I was a fan. As a side note, if you don’t know about how terrific the young and beautiful Schaeffer was, you should check out everything you can on her. Most importantly, look for her on-screen performances. If you can find it, this show is worth checking out, and this includes David Naughton as the friendly – and funny – neighbor ‘Jack Kincaid.’ But enough with the comedy and sad stories, let’s move on to horror.
With a ton of B-movies under his belt, Naughton returned to horror comedy in 1990 with THE SLEEPING CAR which co-starred genre legend Kevin McCarthy. This groovy little flick featured David in the leading role and it was a welcome return for this fan. While this may not be held up as a classic, it was one of those guilty pleasures that may be pretty bad, but in a good way. And come on, it’s Naughton with Jeff Conaway! How can you do any better than that? Well, the actor continued working in oddball horror flicks like AMITYVILLE: A NEW GENERATION in 1993, ICE CREAM MAN and MIRROR, MIRROR III: THE VOYEUR, both in 1995. Unfortunately I missed these sure to be awesome works of cinema, but the idea of Clint Howard as a psycho ice cream man is too good to pass up. Netflix here I come!
Let’s go back a bit as I’d like to talk about BODY BAGS, the 1993 John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper collaboration horror flick. David appeared in one of the three segments called “The Gas Station” – directed by Carpenter. Before writing this up I decided to revisit this scary story, and it holds up pretty great. Sad to say that Naughton has only a cameo, but what the hell, it was worth watching. And damn is that Lucy Boryer super adorable here? It’s also a blast to see so many other familiar faces in bit roles. This is an underrated little trilogy, and one that makes for a fun re-watch.
When it came to low budget fare, this dude kept coming back. The actor appeared in flicks like BIG BAD WOLF in 2006 as well as BRUTAL MASSACRE: A COMEDY and HALLOWS POINT in 2007. That doesn’t include work on television and film that certainly kept him busy. And you know what? This guy here still offered that mix of humor and talent that made him so damn charismatic. David Naughton helped make so many decades of low budget movie watching better. So what is this fella up to lately?
NOW:
Well good news for fans! Mr. Naughton is still busy. The actor continually makes appearances at conventions to meet up with the fans. In 2013, he appeared in the “Holliston” episode entitled ‘Joe’s Soda.’ And most recently he found himself starring in the series “Granite Flats” as Dr. Millard Whittison. This original series airs on BYUtv, and unfortunately I’ve yet to see it or his work on the show – I actually didn’t know there was a BYUtv… who knew? Either way, good for him!
It’s great to see the actor working again. Aside from the series, IMDB lists that David will soon be starring AS H.P. Lovecraft in THE GATHERING plus a little something called GUARDIANS OF LUNA. This is IMDB however so this may or may not be correct. Hopefully it is, and we continue to see Mr. Naughton grace our presence any way he’d like to… although another cool horror flick would be super cool! Thank you David Naughton for so many years of just being so damn cool!