"Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" reunites multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee David Spade with longtime "Saturday Night Live" head writer Fred Wolf. In addition to executive producing and co-writing this film, Spade and Wolf have teamed up on several hit movies, including "Joe Dirt," along with the popular comedies "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep" in which Spade costarred with his friend, the late Chris Farley. Today, the films have achieved a considerable cult status among teens and young adults, who will also revel in "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star."
"When Fred suggested the idea to me, I could immediately see myself in the role," remembers Spade. "I thought it was a great hook — someone on the skids, his career burned out, who used to be riding high, being adorable and loved by everyone.
A classic "higher they climb, the harder they fall" tale with the comic genius of Spade thrown in, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" may be a full-blown comedy, but the story also lends itself to the universal theme of what is true happiness.
Executive producer and co-writer Fred Wolf explains: "Dickie eventually learns that what he thought he needed to make him happy —fame and the trappings that come with it — is less important than having real friends and people who love him. Of course, Dickie learns all of this by accident."
Director Sam Weisman says that Spade embodies the role perfectly. "The minute I read the script I could just see David as Dickie," recalls the Emmy-nominated director of "L.A. Law" and "Brooklyn Bridge," the latter of which garnered him a Golden Globe award as the show’s executive producer. "I think David’s a lot like Dickie — not a burnout, but a grownup with a kid-like attitude. He certainly has a devilish quality, which I think lets him get away with a lot of funny stuff."
Spade describes his character as a composite of the funniest aspects of all the former child stars who were once household names, but who now live as grownups virtually unknown to today’s generation of television viewers.
"There’s a little of all your favorite seventies sitcom stars in this film," Spade says. "And it’s all done with good intentions and fun."
In fact, Spade convinced many of the industry’s former child stars to drop in for an occasional cameo and poke fun at themselves, and in the end, a regular Who’s Who of actors once seen regularly on televisions across the country — and some still seen in syndication —showed up. Among them were Barry Williams (Greg Brady of "The Brady Bunch"), Leif Garrett (70s Teen Idol and lead singer of rock band F8), Corey Feldman (star of "The Lost Boys" and "Stand By Me"), Dustin Diamond (Screech of "Saved by the Bell") and Danny Bonaduce (Danny Partridge of "The Partridge Family"), just to name a few.
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