Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns.

May 29, 2006 6:03 AM

Veteran actor Paul Gleason, who played Principal Richard "Dick" Vernon of The Breakfast Club and who acted in over 120 films television shows, died Saturday of lung cancer at age 67.
posted by QuestionableSwami (46 comments total)

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posted by slimepuppy at 6:09 AM on May 29, 2006

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The next time I have to come in here I'm crackin' skulls.
posted by WhipSmart at 6:10 AM on May 29, 2006 [1 favorite]

He was the go-to guy of the 1980s when you needed a real bastard in your movie.
posted by Lord Kinbote at 6:12 AM on May 29, 2006

smoking kills.
posted by crunchland at 6:45 AM on May 29, 2006

Here is a (the only one I could find) review of his book "Uleta Blues & Haikus" :

"This volume of his writings collected for the first time includes poetry, drawings, and humorous prose tales. A variety of trenchant profiles deal with subjects such as movies, baseball, Jack Kerouac, and Ted Williams.
Also; biting satires on Hollywood and time travel, as well as song lyrics
and reflections on growing up in America."

I didn't know he wrote a book until I heard it on the radio this morning.
posted by Cedric at 6:58 AM on May 29, 2006

Eat my shorts in peace.
posted by Atreides at 6:59 AM on May 29, 2006

Haga daga

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posted by glycolized at 7:21 AM on May 29, 2006

Was it really smoking that killed him? He went from mesothelioma, which I think is typically associated with asbestos.
posted by NortonDC at 7:28 AM on May 29, 2006

war kills, but only younger.
posted by brandz at 7:36 AM on May 29, 2006

Whatever.

I love character actors.

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posted by Cyrano at 7:46 AM on May 29, 2006

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posted by bouncebounce at 7:52 AM on May 29, 2006

He went from mesothelioma, which I think is typically associated with asbestos.

that's right -- Gleason removed asbestos as a teen in the 50s*
that sucks.


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*Although the cancer was diagnosed only a month ago, Gleason's exposure to asbestos occurred while working on construction jobs with his father as a teenager in the 1950s, his daughter said.
posted by PenguinBukkake at 7:59 AM on May 29, 2006

Where's Beeks? Where in the hell is Beeks?
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posted by nj_subgenius at 8:15 AM on May 29, 2006

No more cockamamie cigar smoke.

No more Swedish meatballs there, tootsie.

And no more phoney Irish whisky.

No more goddamn jerky beef.

The party's over.

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posted by tetsuo at 8:29 AM on May 29, 2006

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YouTube link to Brandon Hardesty's awesome re-enactment of the scene between Gleason and Judd Nelson.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:40 AM on May 29, 2006

I was surprised to learn that a fifty-year latency period for mesothelioma is not all that unusual. This illustrates a lot of the problems with trying to recover from absestos manufacturers.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 8:42 AM on May 29, 2006

You mess with a bull, young man ...

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posted by dobbs at 8:45 AM on May 29, 2006

Who's going to describe the ruckus?

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posted by WolfDaddy at 8:59 AM on May 29, 2006

I thought we had stopped the endless death threads. Can we at least put this one in with the Toth thread? That way, we can all display our socially-mandated perfunctory grief in the most efficient and expeditious way and then just as quickly resume forgetting these people were ever alive.

(Sorry, I never got my t-shirt)

This FPP could be rewritten (and already is written, if you read between):

That guy from the Breakfast Club? You know, the prinicpal? Yeah... he's dead now. Please post your favorite Breakfast Club quote(s) in order to show just how little you knew about him as a complete fucking person.

If anyone out there knew him personally, I welcome your stories and remembrance. The rest of you can choke on your own self-importance.
posted by Eideteker at 9:30 AM on May 29, 2006

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posted by pax digita at 9:35 AM on May 29, 2006

eideteker: I've never felt the need to say this to anyone here before, but you are an ass. Metafilter isn't what you want it to be and you don't get to decide what posts are valid or not. If you don't want to read the obit threads stay the hell out.
posted by ?! at 9:42 AM on May 29, 2006

I was surprised to learn that a fifty-year latency period for mesothelioma is not all that unusual. This illustrates a lot of the problems with trying to recover from absestos manufacturers.

The strategy on the part of many of the manufacturers is to "wait it out"--meaning most mesothelioma/asbestosis patients and their families will eventually lose their resolve or motivation to pursue litigation. The disease spreads quickly, and the temptation for a smaller, quicker settlement is strong when you're having to deal with copays and prescription costs. I've gotten to see a lot of the tactics first hand over the past year. California and Pennsylvania have laws to speed up the process, since so many of these patients die so quickly. Most doctors treat it like a death sentence and don't even try curative measures, since many patients don't respond much to the traditional therapies anyhow. But I digress.

Seems like it would be a blast to play all of those authority figures with such zeal. He did it so well because he knew why they were such jerks. School's out, the principal's on permanent vacation.
posted by whatnot at 9:52 AM on May 29, 2006

display our socially-mandated perfunctory grief

The first time I glanced at this I thought it was socially-mandated punctuary grief.
posted by srboisvert at 9:55 AM on May 29, 2006

It speaks to my taste in movies that I associate him more with Die Hard. "They're gonna need some more FBI guys, I guess."

Eideteker, he was a fun actor, and I'm sorry to see him go. Sorry if that's not authentic enough for you.
posted by brundlefly at 10:05 AM on May 29, 2006

While some may not think it's a valid reason to mention in this hallowed hall, his work was a touchstone to many people. His writing touched on some of the characters of his life and his aborted career in baseball.

His acting was more widely known and started long before "The Breakfast Club." After years in television, Gleason's first movie role was in 1975's "Doc Savage: Man of Bronze." For pulp fans he was "Long Tom" much more than the principal in Breakfast Club. He was friendly to fans. He'd take time to mingle with autograph seekers and others who just wanted to share a memory.

Gleason started acting at Florida State and did much work before finding his niche as a movie character actor. Like many such actors he seemed to find himself often cast in similar roles -- the authority figure who would be brought down a notch or two by the hero. Gleason's work was followed by many fans who delighted in his comic timing even when playing the heavy.
posted by ?! at 10:13 AM on May 29, 2006

What's with the leaving a dot as a comment? Maybe it only irritates me because I don't know what it means. Maye not.
posted by chrissyboy at 10:18 AM on May 29, 2006

Vernon: What did you wanna be when you grew up?
Carl: When I was a kid, I wanted to be John Lennon.
Vernon: Carl, don't be a goof.



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posted by NationalKato at 10:31 AM on May 29, 2006

I like memorial threads. Often commenters will feel more comfortable posting links to supplement the post than in a regular FPP, so you'll see a lot of cool stuff that may not have merited a link on its own.

Regardless, what's the harm?

FAQ link for chrissyboy.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:33 AM on May 29, 2006

In the weird celebrity family trivia category...

Paul Gleason was married for a number of years to Joanna Gleason, who kept his name. (Joanna Gleason is Monty Hall's daughter). Joanna Gleason later went on to marry Chris Sarandon, who used to be Susan Sarandon's husband (and Susan, like Joanna, kept her first married name).
posted by solid-one-love at 10:35 AM on May 29, 2006

For me, this is a milestone event, one of many to come. I'm in my 40's now, and remember seeing "The Breakfast Club" with my then girlfriend, over twenty years ago. Gleason played an excellent heavy. For me, there was something affirming about that movie that was unique among the "teen flicks" of the era. And, of course, the song "Don't You Forget About Me" is one of the greatest.

Fare thee well, Paul. You are missed.
posted by rougy at 11:07 AM on May 29, 2006

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Who pissed into your EVIL cap this morning, Eideteker?
posted by Smart Dalek at 11:12 AM on May 29, 2006

Often commenters will feel more comfortable posting links to supplement the post than in a regular FPP, so you'll see a lot of cool stuff that may not have merited a link on its own.

That's not so bad, but I find it upsetting to see someone's life reduced to a few quotes from one film they did. I like content. I know it's blasphemy, but I find the periods to be asinine and inane.

?!, this is a good comment. Thanks.
posted by Eideteker at 11:17 AM on May 29, 2006

Show Dick some respect!< ?b>
posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:45 AM on May 29, 2006

FAQ link for chrissyboy

Thanks for that bud, just assumed it was one of those 'in metafilter' things instead of checking that like I should have done. Having said that, in the context it's been used in this thread I do kind of agree it's a bit... insubstantial, I guess.
posted by chrissyboy at 12:07 PM on May 29, 2006

What bothered him was the idea that, when he got old and gray, we would be taking care of him.
posted by bingo at 12:44 PM on May 29, 2006

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(Seconding Alvy Ampersand's YouTube link to Brandon Hardesty's awesome re-enactment of the scene between Gleason and Judd Nelson.)
posted by sfslim at 1:10 PM on May 29, 2006

Eideteker writes "I thought we had stopped the endless death threads"

You thought wrong.
posted by Mitheral at 2:16 PM on May 29, 2006

I don't give two shits what Eideteker says, I mean it when I post my death dots. And as a fan of Gleason's work in films, I hereby give him his rightly earned due:

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RIP, Paul.
posted by ktoad at 2:51 PM on May 29, 2006

Hmm, can someone explain the dots? I' m not complaining--and I like the memories, even if they're just one-sentence bits from movies. But what's with the dots?
posted by etaoin at 3:39 PM on May 29, 2006

etaoin - the FAQ link about the dots has already been posted as an answer to a previous question
posted by WhipSmart at 4:03 PM on May 29, 2006

etaoin is the new ascullion.
posted by Smart Dalek at 4:03 PM on May 29, 2006

posted by Mr. Six at 9:08 PM on May 29, 2006

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posted by cass at 7:57 AM on May 30, 2006

This is some pad Wilder... Decorated in early fuck.

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posted by ninjew at 8:17 AM on May 30, 2006

I should add that Mr. Gleason was like J.T. Walsh. One of those great character actors you always liked to see in a movie.
posted by ninjew at 8:24 AM on May 30, 2006

Don't, don't, don't you ... forget about him.
posted by Sinner at 10:34 AM on May 30, 2006