# "It should have been me!!" or former co-stars of the now rich & famous **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628 "2005-05-19T20:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/1 "2005-05-19T20:11:02Z")
A few weeks back, a cafe society thread (which I won’t bother to ressurect) reminisced about the early 80s sitcom “Square Pegs” starring a very young (and big-nosed) Sarah Jessica Parker as one of two geeky leads. The OP wondered what happened to the other star of that series, and a poster suggested she spends her days shredding photos of Mrs. Matthew Broderick (a.k.a. Sarah Jessica) and wailing “It should have been me!” That got me to thinking about other past “duos” in which one became a huge success, while the other went nowhere. Immediately, I thought about Alex Winter …a.k.a. “Bill” from [Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096928/). Remember him? I imagine that he spends his days hounding Keanu Reeve’s agent with proposals for another Bill & Ted sequel. I doubt very much that he & Keanu are doing lunch too often. I wonder does he watch “the Matrix” flicks with a tear in his eye? Poor guy. Anyway, who else is out there grousing about how they got left behind? Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/2 "2005-05-19T20:14:32Z")
I am not sure the guy’s name, but I think his first name is, “That black guy on _Miami Vice_” and his last name might be, “Whatever happened to him?” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/3 "2005-05-19T20:20:56Z")
Tom Hanks’s _Bosom Buddies_ costar, Peter Scolari, has worked since then, but he’s well this side of the Jimmy Stewart of his generation. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/4 "2005-05-19T20:21:00Z")
Peter Scolari co-starred with Tom Hanks in _Bosom Buddies_. Except for a stint on _Newhart_ and a guest star appearance on _The West Wing_, I haven’t seen much of him. In any event, his fame pales in comparison to Tom Hanks. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/5 "2005-05-19T20:22:05Z")
Damn you, **twickster**! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/6 "2005-05-19T20:23:05Z")
> [@Art Vandelay](#): > > That got me to thinking about other past “duos” in which one became a huge success, while the other went nowhere. Immediately, I thought about Alex Winter …a.k.a. “Bill” from [Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096928/). Remember him? I imagine that he spends his days hounding Keanu Reeve’s agent with proposals for another Bill & Ted sequel. I doubt very much that he & Keanu are doing lunch too often. I wonder does he watch “the Matrix” flicks with a tear in his eye? Poor guy. According to an interview I read a couple years ago, they do still hang out quite a bit, and Alex is a successful commercial director. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/7 "2005-05-19T20:23:19Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > I am not sure the guy’s name, but I think his first name is, “That black guy on _Miami Vice_” and his last name might be, “Whatever happened to him?” Philip Michael Thomas. Didn’t he release an album or something? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/8 "2005-05-19T20:24:17Z")
I was thinking the other girl in “Square Pegs” was on a sitcom now. Maybe just someone who looks like her. Can’t look it up because I don’t know which show! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/9 "2005-05-19T20:30:23Z")
Can I hear a vote for the rest of the Sweathogs from Welcome Back, Kotter vs. Vinnie Barbarino, a.k.a. John Travolta? How about Potsie and Ralph vs. Richie Cunningham, a.k.a. Ron Howard? We won’t even discuss Andrew Ridgely, George Michael’s Wham cohort in crime… ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/10 "2005-05-19T20:39:29Z")
Potsie (Anson Williams) is an extremely successful producer & director, actually. I imagine that James Doohan was occasionally kind of bitter about the amount of screen time that William Shatner’s gotten. ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/11 "2005-05-19T20:39:56Z")
DJ Jazzy Jeff, who had some actual talent. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/12 "2005-05-19T20:41:20Z")
Other than that cheesy made-for-TV movie of last year or the year before, has Burt Ward done anything in the acting business since Batman? For that matter, has Adam West? “This looks like a job for…actors!” ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/13 "2005-05-19T20:46:47Z")
Joyce DeWitt you know, the really pretty one ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/14 "2005-05-19T20:58:00Z")
I was going to say Peter Scolari! Back in their Bosom Buddies days, I thought he was much cuter and funnier than Tom Hanks. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/15 "2005-05-19T21:00:21Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Other than that cheesy made-for-TV movie of last year or the year before, has Burt Ward done anything in the acting business since Batman? For that matter, has Adam West? > > “This looks like a job for…actors!” Gilbert Gottfried was hosting a Burt Ward movie one night on USA. At one point he said (now imaging Gottfried saying this), “Burt Ward said he wan-ted to get as faaaar a-way from ac-ting as poss-i-ble af-ter Bat-man. And booooy, does he e-ver in this mo-vie.” ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/16 "2005-05-19T21:11:56Z")
Scolari showed up in the Hanks-written, directed, and produced “That Thing You Do” as well as sharing the role of Pete Conrad (third man on the moon) in the Hanks-produced “From The Earth To The Moon” miniseries. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/17 "2005-05-19T21:27:35Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Scolari showed up in the Hanks-written, directed, and produced “That Thing You Do” as well as sharing the role of Pete Conrad (third man on the moon) in the Hanks-produced “From The Earth To The Moon” miniseries. I remember noticing him in _That Thing You Do_, and thinking how nice it was that his old friend Hanks gave him a job. Also, did you notice that two of the boys in the band resembled a younger Scolari and Hanks?\* \*The one boy was actually the same actor who played the 12-year-old boy Tom Hanks grew up from in _Big_ ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/18 "2005-05-19T21:44:47Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Philip Michael Thomas. > > Didn’t he release an album or something? He actually [taught](http://www.hamptonu.edu/News_Publications/2001_02_Phillip_Michael_Thomas.html) a few classes at Hampton University while I was there. I saw him on campus once, but unfortunately, my white suit was being cleaned. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/19 "2005-05-19T22:10:19Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > I am not sure the guy’s name, but I think his first name is, “That black guy on _Miami Vice_” and his last name might be, “Whatever happened to him?” > [@ivylass](#): > > Philip Michael Thomas. > > Didn’t he release an album or something? I once was channel-surfing late at night and saw him whoring for the _Psychic Friends Network._ LMAO! 😛 Another time, saw William Katt from _The Greatest American Hero_ doing the same. _Sic transit gloria mundi!_ ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628/20 "2005-05-19T22:20:14Z")
Isn’t Adam West the mayor of Quahog on the Family Guy? (playing himself) The “other girl” from Square Pegs was Amy Linker [http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0512921/](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0512921/) She hasn’t been in anything since D.A.R.Y.L. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-should-have-been-me-or-former-co-stars-of-the-now-rich-famous/304628.md?page=2)