#138 The Mighty Eric Allan Kramer Says Good Luck Charlie to Men In Tights

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Jeff Dwoskin 0:32

All right, Amy, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. And you got the show go on each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody, to Episode 138 of classic conversations. As always, I am your classic host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to be back for another week of classic gnus and conversations coming right at ya. Got an amazing guest for you today. Eric Allen Kramer. That's right. Eric Allen Kramer. You loved him as Bob Duncan on good luck, Charlie, Dave Rogers on the Hughlies, Little John in the Mel Brooks classic Men in Tights. And of course, the one role that's near and dear to my heart. The one thing I always think of when I think of Eric Allen Kramer, the original live action, Mighty Thor from the Incredible Hulk returns movie. That's right and 1988 way before Chris Hemsworth grab that hammer. Eric Allen Kramer was the Mighty Thor, alongside Lou Ferrigno and Bill Bixby and the Incredible Hulk. We got a lot of goodness coming up in just a few minutes.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:48

So a couple weeks ago, went to pod Fest in Orlando spoke at that podcast conference with my friend Brian Greene from the commercial break. That was fun. My wife Robyn came with me she ended up getting COVID and then I ended up getting COVID. So the last few episodes and this one included. A voice is not 100% it's not a hundy. I don't know is that really is that proper slang? I don't know. Anyway, so if I see that I know last week I joked my voice hitting a high note and just leaving it in. That's why doing pretty good just guzzling hot water and lemon. I love hot water and lemon. By the way, I don't even know why they invented tea, they must not have realized they could just put lemon in hot water because it is delish. It is delicious. So when I was prepping for the episodes of the week, I was going to be in Orlando and the week after to get them all kind of in the can. I didn't even realize I've been doing this for two years, a Facebook memory came up and I was like, oh my god, it's been two years. So happy two years to me and the podcast. And of course, happy tears to all of you. I appreciate all my fans that have been with me along the way and those that have joined at any point during the journey and those that will join in the future. So kudos to all of us glad you're enjoying the show. And here's to another 200 years.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:04

As you sit there preparing for the upcoming amazing interview with Eric Allen Kramer, make sure right now grab a pen, make it to do list and that to do list includes making sure you're caught up on classic conversations last week Monday Sue Kolinsky was here talking about her career. She's been on The Tonight Show. She was a producer of the Osborne's tons of amazing great stories. And last Thursday's episode I shared a collection of interviews that I did on the floor of the Motor City Comic Con with many of the legacy actors from the original Superman movies from the Christopher Reeve movies. And also in that episode, I included what I'm calling a last interview with Jeffrey East young Clark Kent from Superman, so it was a perfect addition to that episode. Tons of great stories, tons of great perspective. Check those out.

Jeff Dwoskin 3:57

In the meantime, I do want to thank everyone for their support of the sponsors. When you support the sponsors. You're supporting us here at Classic conversations. And that's why we keep the lights on today's interview sponsor Bob's bugby got you got bass well, you need Bob's bugs big gone. That's right. Only Bob's bugs began specializes and not only insects, acronym IDs, I believe that's code for spiders, rats, possums, small garden snakes, and skunks but also get rid of those pesky gnomes statues that seemed to just pop up. Have you got pass and you need them to be gone? You get Bob's bugs big on a call today.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:39

All right. Well, I think it's time that we pivot over to the interview with Eric Allen Kramer. You Good Luck Charlie fans out there. All you Hughley fans out there. We got some True Romance fans out there. You will not be disappointed. There's so many great stories. I can't wait to share. I'm just I'm just I'm done waiting. Here you go. Oh, enjoy. All right. I'm excited to introduce everyone to my next guest actor exterminator Viking warrior, ladies and gentlemen, Eric Allen Kramer.

Eric Allan Kramer 5:12

Ladies and gentlemen,

Jeff Dwoskin 5:14

Eric, I very excited to speak to. And it's it's rare that when I interview someone that my kids are equally as excited for me to talk this. But for completely different reasons. And well, we'll cover all the reasons. One is, of course, good luck, Charlie, and I'm enamored with of every time we were watching. Good luck, Charlie. I'm like, you know, that guy right there. He was the original Thor.

Eric Allan Kramer 5:36

Yeah. Yeah. Different kinds of exterminator.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:39

Right? Right, right. Yeah, I, my kids were so excited. They're like, Bob Duncan, you're talking to Bob dunk? I was just watching a 20th anniversary zoom show that you did. Oh, yeah. And it was cool to see Charlie grown up. It's,

Eric Allan Kramer 5:57

I mean, we had when we first I mean, we went from swaddling her in season one, to having full on scenes with her in season four. Yeah. So it was we went from getting what we could get from her, which was always great. Like she was always animated and was always sort of present on set. But it was a real kick. I directed a few good luck, Charlie. So it was a real kick to actually get to a point where you could not only have full on conversations with her but director in scenes and have her have her sort of do her thing. It was really fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 6:36

It's gotta be interesting. And one way or another with all of them even even Bridgette know that they kind of grow up on the show. I mean, four years is a it's a long time.

Eric Allan Kramer 6:45

It's a long time. But man that show I mean, we shot so much in such a condensed amount of time that the one Jason and Brigitte always felt like they were always sort of grown up. Although I got to treat Jason to his 21st birthday party. Well, not actually not a party, but I actually I got him like a cigar humidifier. Like it was just it was just sort of rite of passage, like into legal adulthood because he was always the kids on that show were amazing. They were always so grown up and so responsible and such. I got I got so lucky with those kids. They were awesome. The greatest part of growing up on that show actually was Bradley. I mean, me, I certainly grew up the most but you know, we watched Bradley go from a preteen to a teenager, which was just really fun to watch. I love that kid. And I'm still actually me and the boys still hanging out on occasion. As your career goes on, you start to collect television, children and television wives and and this sort of extended television family. I'm glad I never much lost touch with those two.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:03

Yeah, it's funny, like kids would always be like, Dad loves watching the show. And I'm like, I realized that you get to a certain age where you're like, you have a crush on the mom.

Eric Allan Kramer 8:14

Well, the thing is, we were always meant what I loved about that show was we were always meant to be a family show. We were always meant to be more family ties than we ever were. That's So Raven, the show wasn't aimed at as specific. You know, like Teenage Demographic, it was it was one of the first shows they put on that they wanted the whole family to watch together. So it's so funny when I get especially parents say, oh my goodness, you know what, and I loved it too. And I was like, Well, yeah, you were supposed to it was all about family stories and not just not just humor aimed at kids.

Jeff Dwoskin 8:53

It was a really well done show for a Disney show. What I mean by that is like everyone rewatch a couple episodes just to get them fresh in my head before we talked and I'm like, this is a legit funny show. You know, it's not like some of those Disney shows. I feel like like the laugh track maybe pushes the joke a little bit. I was I've really enjoyed good luck, Charlie. And I have to say also the good luck, Charlie. It's Christmas Special. Like this was like a staple in our house. And that's I say that is a big deal because we're Jewish. So to have a Christmas tradition, that's that was a little outside our norm but it was like something like it just could not get an awful lot and now it's on Disney plus everything's on Disney plus so you're gonna Are you seeing like a new generation a new group? Yeah,

Eric Allan Kramer 9:36

it's really funny the generations that you touch because now I'll go out to restaurants and all the you know, all the young 20 somethings that are working in the restaurant and serving all grew up with the show. So there's that and then there's the whole other generation now that seen it on Disney plus, so it's really the base now is huge. That's

Jeff Dwoskin 10:01

got to be really cool.

Eric Allan Kramer 10:02

It's great when it happens with something that you were really proud to be a part of like, I think that show could have been on any network at any time. And it it absolutely would have worked. We certainly had our share of I call them banana peel episodes where things are just Disney crazy. But we but the majority of our shows were all very much family driven all had plots that I think you know, everybody, regardless of where they come from, can sort of identify, you know, see that in their own growing up. I always thought that was great.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:37

Yeah, that was awesome. I don't have to do this. But my kids asked me to ask if he would say Bob's bug be gone.

Eric Allan Kramer 10:44

Obvious bugs be gone. It's tough to get out on the first take. I'll tell you that.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:49

I'm reading it to Bob's bugs be gone. There we go. I got it. What did I say? Because I'm sitting here reading.

Eric Allan Kramer 10:56

No, it No, me.

Jeff Dwoskin 10:58

Oh, you you Yeah. Okay. Sometimes

Eric Allan Kramer 11:00

I flubbed that line. Because it's all alliteration and my my tongue winds up, winds up getting stuck between my two front teeth.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:08

So did you find yourself? Do you become a pseudo father while on set and like to have to give advice to the kids acting advice or the do?

Eric Allan Kramer 11:16

Yeah. Yeah, I mean, when they would take it. Yeah, yeah. I mean, yes, or no, I mean, my I always used to say that I would leave my own family in the morning. And then I would go to my family on set. So and you can't work those kinds of hours and do that many shows without, without it really sort of becoming another family. We used to I used to cook lunch for everybody. We always used to hang out and still do I golf with Jason and Bradley. I play poker with Jason now. Like, we're always we're always still in touch, which is, which is really nice.

Jeff Dwoskin 11:55

That's really cool. And then I heard on the 20th anniversary, I think it was number one in the world at one point.

Eric Allan Kramer 12:01

Yeah. In our category. Yeah.

Eric Allan Kramer 12:06

Yeah. But I mean, we were certainly I, you know, we were certainly the biggest thing Disney had put out to that point, I think in regards to viewership and the kind of audience that it attracted.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:19

Eric, what got you into acting like what kind of set you off on that path?

Eric Allan Kramer 12:23

Man, I don't know. It really, I never going into high school. I always enjoyed drama in school, but I never it never, I never looked at movies and went oh, I you know, I want to be that guy, I was actually going to be when I went into high school, I was actually going to be a graphic artist. That's where I wanted to go. So when I was loading up on my, my options, a lot of it were art classes. And then I wound up taking a drama class in my junior year and that I met this drama teacher, Bill chin was his name, who literally changed my life and my direction and just opened my eyes to what acting really was and that there was a place for me in it that I had something that was sort of worth contributing. So you never know where the doors are gonna open in your life. But that was I remember my whole year and how everything changed around I played a lot of sports, I actually quit the senior basketball team in my graduating year so that I could do well, not my graduating year, but two years into it so that I could do the school play because I thought that's where I was headed. A lot of big changes in a very short amount of time.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:44

I don't know if this was on your website, maybe it was your Twitter, you call yourself that big guy in that thing you saw.

Eric Allan Kramer 13:49

That's pretty much it. There's a group of us that all sort of fall into that category. And we all are all constantly getting mistaken for each other.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:00

Who do you get mistaken for? Well, back when

Eric Allan Kramer 14:03

Coach was running the tall blonde the assistant is why have I suddenly forgotten his name? Build fog figure backing.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:12

Hi, Bill. Oh, yeah, Bell.

Eric Allan Kramer 14:15

So I was constantly everywhere I went, I constantly got your the guy from coach now. I'm, you know, I'm, you know, I'm the other guy. So I was at at an audition one time. And I'm in the room waiting for my turn. So I'm called up next. And the room that we were auditioning in was way down the hallway. I had never met Bill before in my life. So the door opens and bill comes out who was just auditioning ahead of me, and he comes out the door and he looks up and I look up and we see each other coming down the hallway and both at the same time we point and go everybody thinks I'm you So, yeah, there's uh, it's, you know, it's, it's It's big. It's big character guy syndrome. I actually I signed up. I signed an autograph in New Orleans, Brian Bosworth one night. Because this guy kept buying me and my friends drinks throughout the whole thing. And he was he was super, super nice guy. And he would come up and he was he was, he was just great, super nice guy. He was like, Look, I don't want to bug it. You know, I, you know, I know who you are, whatever. Let me buy you some drinks. And so this sort of went over the course of the night, we chat a little bit, and he'd go off and we go off. And so and so after this entire night of this, I'm getting ready to head back to the hotel and he goes, Listen, it's okay, if I could just get an autograph. And I went a Sure absolutely. And he handed me the piece of paper and I put the pen tip to the paper and I just started the E. And he goes I can't wait to tell everybody that I hung out with Brian Bosworth all night. And, and I just I didn't have the heart and I just went be are i

Jeff Dwoskin 16:18

i bet many people out there you think have autographs from famous people? That same situation where they just signed a different name.

Eric Allan Kramer 16:25

I don't you know what I mean? He was such a great guy. And I just didn't want he didn't want to break his heart. Cuz though because the the horrible ending to that story is then he goes, who are you? There was another time and to I was at LAX getting ready to pick up a friend of mine. This was back when you could actually go to the gate and meet them. And there was a bunch of there was a bunch of people waiting to fly out. buddy of mine was flying in from Canada, they were getting to, they were getting ready to fly out. And it was a ton of people and they just sort of come back from the ski trip. And they were getting ready to head out and the one person comes over and says Listen, would you mind? Could you come and like, take a picture with us? And I went yeah, sure. Okay. So we go in, it's a huge ordeal like trying to set everybody up. So everybody's in the picture. And in the back, I'm in the back by now, you know, a bunch of people in the airport are looking and going who? Who, what, what is this? Who's going on? Finally everybody gets lined up, they're getting ready to take the picture. And the guy who called me over was standing next to me and he leans in and he goes, Okay, I just got to make sure you are that guy, right? And I thought, okay, there's two ways this can go. One, one, I can risk not being the guy. And then, you know, having to walk away from all of this. And I just went, Oh, yeah, no, I'm the guy. So I have this. I had this vision in my head of everybody. Everybody showing this picture to their friends going hey, look, we met Brian Bosworth at LAX.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:08

It's so funny. You don't know who they thought you were.

Eric Allan Kramer 18:12

I'd it could have been me. But it just wasn't worth it. The setup to get everybody lined up and been so elaborate. Maybe I could have missed it. But it just didn't seem like it was worth taking the chance in that moment.

Jeff Dwoskin 18:28

Man, that is funny. That is so funny. So flipside of good luck, Charlie. True. Oh, mad, mad you. I rewatched that one scene you kill and B are killed is one of the most violent scenes I think of any movie ever.

Eric Allan Kramer 18:45

Oh my God, it was unbelievable. When the shooting starts. They literally pointed all the cameras at 12 o'clock. And just slowly started working their way around the room over the course of two weeks. All these poor sons of guns that got shot on day one had to come back and get re bloodied up and, and all the rest of it. But I had, I had so many squibs built into this suit that I was wearing it I literally I felt like I had an old telephone line trunk coming out of my trousers, the whole that my suit was so heavy, and from all the squibs I just thought, God don't screw this up. Don't screw this up. Because there's so much setup, there's so much and I'm really nervous because I don't really know what to expect. I mean, I've been swept up for single shots before but nothing like this. Stunt Guy sort of walks me out and I and I just looked at him and I said look, I said I don't want to mess this up. I said what's going to happen? And he looks at me and he just he very calmly just goes, Just take your shots. I said what? He's just just take your shots, you'll know what I mean. And so they yell action and the first one goes on off and you don't I mean, it's not like getting punched, but you feel them go you feel the pressure as they start to go. So as all of these things started to go off, I knew exactly what he meant. It was just like you at that point you can't mess it up because you just have no choice but to stand there and be rattled by all these bullets. So what started off as you know, something I was really nervous about. It turned out to be like one of the most fun little sort of snippets out of being on a movie set was just getting was getting blasted like that.

Jeff Dwoskin 20:33

Yeah, it is one of the most violent scenes ever, but it is one of the most entertaining violent scenes ever as well. I mean, it's all out. Yeah, I

Eric Allan Kramer 20:42

just I love Yeah, that was written

Jeff Dwoskin 20:45

by Quentin Tarantino. That was directed by Tony Skye. Right? Yeah, so that was

Eric Allan Kramer 20:52

probably the best part about that was having to go in and overdub all the swear words for TV. Oh really? Like it was like how many different ways can you think of using a saying the F word without saying it was literally every line having to go through and cover up all the swear words on TV.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:15

I can even show that on TV.

Eric Allan Kramer 21:18

Oh they must have because we put a ton of time in trying to get it so they good how fun was the Heelys Dupleix was a blast. I love to hear uglies Marietta. The Primo who was who played my wife was just wonderful. DL was great. That was another one where it was all everything just sort of clicked and worked and it was it was a really fun time.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:44

Did you work at all with Billy Van Zandt? Was he is he was it was it would have been. I've had Billy on the show a few times. Yeah, he's friends.

Eric Allan Kramer 21:52

I love that guy.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:53

That's really cool. You've made appearances in like so many sitcoms, Seinfeld chairs Growing Pains Roseanne wings, empty nest Allen, Murphy, brown Arliss, Two and a Half Men just to name some real quick Seinfeld, you're wearing a mask? How

Eric Allan Kramer 22:09

about wearing a mask the whole time? Getting pulled on one of those motorcycle racks through through Griffith Park.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:17

It's so fine. It was funny because I looked on Reddit. I was trying to find the scene and I was like that's Eric Allen Kramer as I sell funny and

Eric Allan Kramer 22:27

slow. It was actually so funny how much I got recognized for that, that I because I guess everybody just recognize the voice. It was I actually got a ton of notice for that from people realizing that was me.

Jeff Dwoskin 22:43

That's so funny. And then chairs you had a great scene with with Norm.

Eric Allan Kramer 22:48

Oh, yeah, they had. Yeah, that was that was one of those moments where I very much, I quickly realized I was somewhere else. I guess that was a you know, that was the set that I grew up watching when I was going through theater school and all the rest of it. So to actually step on that set was eye opening. It really, you know, you just you just try and be a very good guest when you're in somebody else's house. Try not to get in the way of that of that machine. But I did get one of the best laughs I ever delivered on the show where I think it was the paint fume line where I and I can't remember exactly how it went the line was something along the lines of You know, we just can't sit around sniffing paint fumes all day because and then I hold it. And then I go hmm, I forgot what I was gonna say. Which was funny on its own. And then on shoot night, shoot night, I got to that line. And I said it and I held it and I held it for ever. And so I got I got a bit of a giggle on the paint fumes. I got a big laugh on the hold. And then when I said, Oh, I forgot what I was going to say. I got this weird laugh from the audience because they thought I went up because they thought I'd actually forgotten my line. And then and then I go up well, doesn't matter anyway, see the norm and then once they realized that it actually was the line then I got this I got this huge laugh that came way late once they realized that it was all that it was all that I actually meant to do it

Jeff Dwoskin 24:40

so fine. What's it like being a guest on one of these iconic shows when you kind of come in for a short period of time? What is it do you get to meet like you had a scene with Michael Richards for you know, on the motorcycle, you know,

Eric Allan Kramer 24:53

it's sometimes it's like, you know, it's like it's like going to different people's houses like a Each each, each set is different than sort of has its own life and everybody has their own ways of doing things. I mean, I literally I just try and stay the hell out of everybody's way, I don't come in like I own the place or that they should know who I am or that I'm really just there to service that show and just sort of pay respect to everything that they've built. And most of the shows are completely gracious and friendly and very welcoming. And it's, and it's always a good week, but you always know that you always know you're going to be gone in four days. And you're gonna be you're gonna be back out looking for work.

Jeff Dwoskin 25:44

What was it like working with Mel Brooks being in a Mel Brooks movie? Robin Hood Men in Tights?

Eric Allan Kramer 25:50

Oh, my God was? It was great. We actually Oh my god. We shot out in the Antelope Valley. We were actually just on the other side of the hill from where Vic Morrow where they had that

Jeff Dwoskin 26:04

accident. The Twilight Zone movie.

Eric Allan Kramer 26:06

Yeah. So so we were out that way. And it was just we actually we call the camp Brooks. Because we would go out on set, we would ride horses. We're hanging around, you know, all these castles sets. We're shooting arrows. We're telling jokes. Best part of that whole experience was just sort of sitting at Basecamp. And just listening to Mel tell stories. Like just fantastic stories of just a Hollywood that we will never see again and everybody came down to visit on that show. From sixth season, Kevin Costner even came down to visit. Even with the jokes that we had in it. It was just it was really just one of the greatest shoots that that I'd ever been a

Jeff Dwoskin 26:57

part of. It's a spoof of Robin Hood, but specifically they called it a spoof of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves. But Mel Brooks had actually done that concept as a TV show my way back. Yeah, do gram for him. But it was definitely a good opportunity to kind of bring it so that's why so Kevin Costner was there. What was it like working with Kerry Elway's.

Eric Allan Kramer 27:18

He was great again, that was one of those that was one of those shows where everything just seemed to work, you know, and Dave Chappelle, who, you know, we would go and watch him do I mean, he's, Chappelle just blows me away. We'd go see him do stand up at night, and all he would be doing is just sort of reworking the day in his act. I mean, he was just, it was just it was, it was amazing. Watching him work,

Jeff Dwoskin 27:48

the dancing and the choreographed dancing. Yeah, I know, we joked about earlier about being the big guy, you move.

Eric Allan Kramer 27:57

Well, they like to make big guys dance. But you you're a

Jeff Dwoskin 28:01

really good physical comedian. It looks like it comes really like it looks like you move away more natural, you'd expect

Eric Allan Kramer 28:08

well enough that I can, I can get away with it. It was just a ton of fun. We choreographed that in like half a day and then shot it. It was really just, I was just, it was so much fun. There was always fun stuff to do on that set.

Jeff Dwoskin 28:24

How much of the script literally translated 100%? Or was it always, I would feel like it would be either very specifically now this would do it as written or with people, you know, just adapting.

Eric Allan Kramer 28:35

I always on that set. I did everything as written. And if I had other thoughts, I always presented them and always got them cleared. I wasn't going to it was a Mel Brooks movie. I wasn't I certainly didn't think I was funnier than anything he was trying to put on film at that point. So

Jeff Dwoskin 28:57

what's he changing it though? Yeah, sometimes when you see things play.

Eric Allan Kramer 29:01

I mean, we had Yeah, I mean, it wasn't, you know, everything wasn't everything wasn't exactly on the page. But it was one of those situations where, you know, you just sort of let Mel Lee if he let you play then you you took that opportunity. How would you describe him as a director, what I love about him is that he knows exactly what he wants. And he, like I say he's got he knows he hears and he sees everything he does in his head. Like he just he has a very clear idea of what he wants to do and at the same time comes to set to play. I loved it. I loved working for him.

Jeff Dwoskin 29:41

You're hilarious and American Wedding also. I know their dance, dance and dance off with Stiffler.

Eric Allan Kramer 29:49

That was so much fun doing that the woman who choreographed it and actually choreographed me before on the humilis going back to the uglies. We had done some use A couple numbers for this sort of Jack in the beanstalk thing that we had done again it was just that the dance was like all input was welcome and accepted and it just sort of grew into it just sort of grew into what it was

Jeff Dwoskin 30:14

and then the scene you had with Fred Willard you're wearing like the Seinfeld puffy shirt I those called as chaps is there

Eric Allan Kramer 30:23

they're called last jets which if you ever go for one of those fittings I remember that they had to get the okay for those. So one of my finest Hollywood moments, I remember was being in a room at the far end, just sort of leaning on a table with my backside with my backside to a row producers costumer opening and closing the the chats sort of going more or less. Okay, right there. Perfect.

Jeff Dwoskin 30:57

Yeah, I rewatched that scene last night. It was a perfect amount of ass. So you're much to be proud of. I happen to be talking to Lloyd Schwartz recently. Sherwood Schwartz, his son, I know you were in like a surviving Gilligan's Island documentary with John Wells, your Alan Hale Jr. Which by the way, they're trying to he's still trying to make Gilligan's Island movie so you could still you could make a play for Skipper.

Eric Allan Kramer 31:25

I think maybe back in back in the day I could have I could have done that. I again, that's another shoot that I just love that. And the closest I will ever be to being a rock star was on that shoot. We had the one scene from rescue from Gilligan's Island where we're all dead. And we're done in Marina Del Rey, and it was you know, we get it's the scene where we all get pulled in by the by the Coast Guard there. And for the extras they had members of the Gilligan's Island fan club flew out from all around the country to be to be like a part of that of that scene. I remember they were all down on the dock. And we were just sort of getting out of makeup and stuff. They asked me to ask me in a couple of others to come down. And that was like, okay, but we're not I mean, when they let's get Don wells and everybody down there. I mean, we're not I'm not Alan Hale. And I said, No, no, it doesn't matter. It's like, come on down. And so we went down and it was just it was it was the warmest most welcoming reception I had gotten from from anybody like it was just it was incredible the impact that that show had.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:37

Oh yeah, how's it big Gilligan's Island fan loved Gilligan's Island.

Eric Allan Kramer 32:42

The end of that movie actually made me cry when we first saw it because I didn't realize that they were tagging it with all the home movies I had heard doing during the shoot that dawn had taken these movies and they were going to try and incorporate them into the film. So we went and we saw the we went we saw the the premiere when those home movies came on at the end I actually started crying I couldn't help myself it was just so it was just so incredible after having sort of played these people and talking about them and learning about them and talking with Don and hearing about all the stories and you know, Bob Denver and everything else if you felt sort of really attached to what that movie was trying to do to see those home movies especially with Alan Hale who had passed away and you know there were only three of them left at that point it was it really I yeah, I got I got very wet in the eye over that watching that.

Jeff Dwoskin 33:39

So I'm cutting onions stop Okay, so what are your very first roles now your very first but like one of your very first early on number three on the IMDB is Thor and The Incredible Hulk returns making you the first live acts in Thor

Eric Allan Kramer 34:00

back before CGI and asked by the way. Back before it wasn't standard issue to be completely ripped for

Jeff Dwoskin 34:11

a role you were pretty off for

Eric Allan Kramer 34:14

like it was I was fine. But by today's standards it I mean,

Jeff Dwoskin 34:19

well I let allow me to read this comment from Twitter. From a post that you posted on your Twitter you talking about a guy was original MCU it was a picture of you, I think in a towel, no shirt, drinking a beer. And the comment was I think I started puberty. The moment I saw you in that towel. You were magnificent. Doesn't get better than that. Right? I don't get those kinds of comments. So that's really fine. It's interesting now because like I was just talking to Nicholas Hammond he was 1977 Spider Man right and you know there was a big guy had a call where he was like, Oh, it would have been great to be in the new Spider Man movie, you know, as they brought in all the old spider man. And you know, so now there's a there's that possibility right? They could bring in Lou and they could bring in you maybe who knows where they go in 17 Maybe but i Hi, you were the first were you supposed to be in the first Thor movie and have a cameo? I know.

Eric Allan Kramer 35:23

They, everybody. I think the only people who didn't know that were my agents. But it was actually it was on my IMDb for like the longest time but nobody had ever nobody had ever like contacted for doing

Jeff Dwoskin 35:38

that. So what was it like? So the whole this is the return. This is like six years after the show goes off the air as a regular series are now bringing back movies with Bill Bixby and the original idea was to introduce new Marvel characters that they would ultimately spin off

Eric Allan Kramer 35:54

ultimately try and spin off. And we had when we did that, I think we I think we landed right in the writers strike, which went on forever back then. By the time we came out of that there was sort of a regime change at the network. And so we just any traction that we had we lost that movie was actually the first thing I ever did when I got to LA was actually the gig that kept me in Los Angeles.

Jeff Dwoskin 36:21

Were you a big fan of The Incredible Hulk TV

Eric Allan Kramer 36:23

show. I mean, it was it was great, Lou. Lou, when he did that he was as big as he'd ever been. He said he was about 200 and whatever. He was 270 280 pounds, I think, massive and really interject he was we did it. We were doing a photoshoot. I know. And he was I was drinking Gatorade, which he was like, Why do you drink and that stuff for it's about salt, blah, blah, blah. I remember when we first met he looked at me and when we were doing the shoot pieces, so do you do you work out? Way in this way that that implied that obviously I didn't look like I worked out so that that little comment got me back in the gym like right away.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:13

That's funny. Oh, I don't want to not mention that you do do a little country dancing in this movie. In this TV movie as well.

Eric Allan Kramer 37:20

Oh, yeah, a little bit and I'll tell you I've never drank so much near beer in my entire life. And I did during that shoot

Jeff Dwoskin 37:28

in that same tweet from earlier it said you said I think I still hold the record for the most Oh duels consumed during a movie shoot. Yeah,

Eric Allan Kramer 37:35

yeah, there was there was a lot especially during that bar scene. Holy cow. I was glad that I was wearing that top because I was several pounds heavier walking out than I was walking in.

Jeff Dwoskin 37:50

This version of Thor is a little different than the current version of Thor. This one was more of a kind of a Viking. Yeah, lost soul. Yeah, so how much have they gone? Since this was considered a backdoor pilot? Had they done anything? Like beyond this one to this one movie to start to prep that like were you like excited about it? Oh, I

Eric Allan Kramer 38:14

mean, I think he was just I think it was always the idea was the TV movie was always the pilot. And then decisions would be made off that and then they had I know I did a teaser to show the network execs you know give them some ideas where stories and stuff could go and and that sort of thing but it just never got any it just never got any legs.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:37

So you guys were Thor Ragnarok Ragnarok before that movie The Hulk Thor team up you are not only the first Thor you guys were the first Hulk Thor team up.

Eric Allan Kramer 38:48

This is yes, this is true.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:52

So by eight so it's likely then if it wasn't for the writers strike, there's probably a good chance.

Eric Allan Kramer 38:57

Yeah, maybe. I mean, I you know, I was

Jeff Dwoskin 39:00

a huge writing success.

Eric Allan Kramer 39:02

I think it would have been fun, but I was the guy doing it. So yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:06

Was it a fun character to play? It looked like you were having a blast. Oh, no,

Eric Allan Kramer 39:10

it was it was a blast. And I think it's one of those I it's you know, it's one of those characters that I think you know, would really develop into I think we would see a lot more of the of the humor and that sort of thing, like out of the bar scene much more of that interaction. Yeah, I mean, I think absolutely would have been fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 39:28

Yeah, it's, it's interesting you say that the funny parts of it were some of the most interesting things and even the current Thor that character got much better once they discovered oh my god,

Eric Allan Kramer 39:39

like that. Like Thor Ragnarok was fantastic. Just fantastic. Like a great what a great movie and sort of just the right amount of humor. You know what I mean? Right without without sending it sort of spinning off into another direction like everything was everything was still Hurry, you know all those all those characters were still really solid

Jeff Dwoskin 40:04

just once I like Chris Hemsworth he's

Eric Allan Kramer 40:07

so damn charming anyway, like, it's just he really is Thor like that that character the way they the way that he's portrayed him is really quite wonderful.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:18

Well you always be thorough to me. So what was it like working with Dell XP Bill

Eric Allan Kramer 40:25

Bixby was exactly who you hoped he would be really just one of the just one of the warmest, most caring souls I've ever met just absolutely a wonderful human being.

Jeff Dwoskin 40:39

I saw a picture with you and Stanley, did you get to speak with him? Or just meet him or?

Eric Allan Kramer 40:44

Yeah, a little bit. I mean, you know, I was a little tongue tied because of just you know, I grown up with Marvel so, so yeah, it was, you know, you get in like a little conversation, but, you know, most of the time, you know, you're just standing there after he leaves going holy crap with Stan Lee.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:04

That what was it like being a Marvel fan fan of the show? Fighting the Hulk and then going, you know, then teaming up with him? Of course, that must have been a hurt,

Eric Allan Kramer 41:12

ya know, I mean, it's it Look, you're Oh, my God, you're playing comic book heroes. It's an absolute blast walking around in armor throwing hammers and beating up bad guys and telling jokes and drinking near beer. It's an absolute, it's it's way too much fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:30

So when people bump into you know who actually you are? What do you hear the most of Bob Duncan?

Eric Allan Kramer 41:39

It depends on it depends on sort of what's you can always tell what's rerunning by what you get stopped for. A lot of the times, it's still, it's still good luck, Charlie, there's been this renewed sort of thorough thing that's come back around some stuff on the humilis that has sort of gained momentum online. Yeah. And then Men in Tights I think still plays. I think you can still find it playing somewhere almost any day on on cable somewhere. So it's just sort of how people sort of stumbled across you. And then when you're, you know, when you're this big and goofy looking anyway, it's kind of hard not to get kind of hard not to get nice for something.

Jeff Dwoskin 42:21

For anyone who wants to watch Incredible Hulk returns. It's on to be that's where I found it. Oh, there you go. I rewatched it I had to rewatch it. Totally, it's totally great. So this is fine. So like a lot of times when I'm doing research, you know, you find things and it's just so Joe blow.com has a drinking game or the Incredible Hulk returns. You can watch it's a take a shot every time David Banner transforms into the Hulk someone yells Odin. Someone says the word angry Donald Blake holds the hammer. The Hulk is called a troll that was so funny that you kept calling him a troll then double shot every time the sad music plays

Eric Allan Kramer 43:02

I don't know how anybody if that if those are the rules I don't know how anybody makes it through that whole movie but maybe die I don't know. I don't know how your last man standing if they if those are the rules, I think

Jeff Dwoskin 43:18

can you give me an ODIN? Oh and then the other funny thing that I stumbled upon which I'd never stumbled upon is there's a cinema org wiki it basically outlines every death you've had True Romance. Biography Eric Allah grammar is very alive but these are his cinematic deaths according to Cinemark wiki there's a wiki for True Romance we talked about that one in Murder She Wrote you died by shot in the chest with a crossbar

Eric Allan Kramer 43:52

wall on a ski slope nonetheless, yes.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:56

It then they list surviving Gilligan's Island but that's off screen at mentioned and then a video game death days gone as iron Mike. More delay shot off screen by Jason Spees. Zack, you die from wounds while talking to Sam wetware I have no idea what that means. But there it is.

Eric Allan Kramer 44:13

Oh, actually the one that they left out was Lois and Clark. I get killed in that one to my friend at the time so I shoot it whatever it is my my girlfriend at the time had her her niece and nephew watch the show because because I was on it. So it's a two parter. I die in the end of the second part. Soon after it aired. I get this phone call from her. And the first thing she leads with is why didn't you tell me you get killed in this thing? She's like my niece and nephew are like beside themselves right now. They think you're dead.

Jeff Dwoskin 44:55

Oh man, that is funny. So I had

Eric Allan Kramer 44:58

to get on the phone and assure them that I was still very much alive and that it's just Hollywood and, you know, filming I have

Jeff Dwoskin 45:05

they didn't say True Romance.

Eric Allan Kramer 45:08

Fortunately, I think they were spared that. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:12

Well, Eric, thank you so much for hanging out with me. This was so much fun. Oh, this was fun. Thank you for having where can people keep up with you on social medias? Oh, Lord,

Eric Allan Kramer 45:21

I think I'm just on Twitter and Instagram. I'm not really active online, but those are the two and it's Eric Allen Kramer on both at Erica and I'm checked on both so you know, it's me. Evidently there are a lot of people pretending to be me out there. So I don't know why. I don't know why anybody would want to try and be me. But I guess that's what's at

Jeff Dwoskin 45:48

Bob Duncan. Cosplay is very big. It's very very cool. Well, thank you so much. It was so much fun. All right. Thank you so much.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:59

All right. Oh, there's my voice. I warned you all right. I believe it it Ah, how amazing was Eric Allen Kramer, ladies and gentlemen. So fine. Great stories. Yes. From Mel Brooks men in tights, a bonus surviving Gilligan's Island in there. A lot of True Romance if you didn't know about squibs google it and understand what that is. Now that's just a lot of love. And of course for all you Thor fans out there. I hope you enjoyed that Odin bellow from Eric so fun.

Jeff Dwoskin 46:32

All right, well, with the interview over it can only mean one thing. That's right. It's time for another trending hashtag when the family of hashtags at hashtag round up. Follow hashtag round up on Twitter at hashtag round up download the free always free not about cost a penny app oh so called hashtag roundup from the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store, tweet along with us and one day one of your tweets may show up on a future episode of Classic conversations fame and fortune awaits you. Today's hashtag of course inspired by the interviewer in some way is hashtag insect pickup lines of course in honor of Bob Jenkins Bob's bug big gone insect removal service from Good Luck Charlie #InsectPickupLines was brought to us by tag assassin a weekly Game On hashtag round up the ultimate mashup game of insects and mating pickup lines. I know who knew those would even ever go together but here we are. Let's think whatever all the creativity it inspires with these #InsectPickupLines. My web are yours want to come back to my blades and molt want to fly out here? Oh, these are amazing. Grabs cheesy. It's going across the gamut #InsectPickupLines. You're like a bright light because I'm so darn attracted to you. Is that metamorphosis in your pants? are you just happy to see me? Who knew that insects and pickup lines with mashed together so well? You're sweeter than honey. Anyone ever done? Yeah, look a lot like Jeff Goldblum. I get that a lot. I want spent time and Kiana Reeves his belly button, so I'm kind of famous. Ooh, hard to resist and insect that's been there. Yes. Smell like poop. And it's intoxicating. These are some amazing #InsectPickupLines. You're ready for more? I bet you are up for some fun. Let's go watch a woman jump out of the shower and run naked through a screen door. Insert insect laugh lie here often, as I said you had a beautiful exoskeleton. Would you hold it against me? I think I'm going to start using seven days. How about a one life Stand and fight ashtag insect pick up lines to wait. Oh, beehive. Okay, all right. Well, #InsectPickupLines all retweeted at Jeff Dwoskin show on Twitter. Go show him some love. You think you can compete tweet your own #InsectPickupLines tag at Jeff Dwoskin show? I'll show you some Twitter love. Oh, yes, I will. All right.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:33

Well, with the hashtag game over and the interview over calling me one thing. That's right episode 138 has come to an end. I can't believe it. I want to thank my very special guest, Eric Allen Kramer. And of course I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 49:55

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Transcribed by https://otter.ai