Danny Bonaduce, one of the stars of 1970s TV sitcom “The Partridge Family” and now a Seattle DJ, premiered his Syfy network movie about Bigfoot Wednesday night at the Liberty Theater in Puyallup.
Why Puyallup? “Because I’m the mayor. That’s actually semi-factual,” Bonaduce said as he was about to climb the stage. The crowd began to chant, “Danny! Danny! Danny!”
Bonaduce occasionally refers to himself as the mayor of the Pierce County city on his KZOK 102.5 radio show. So he was a little surprised when the real mayor of Puyallup, Rick Hansen, walked on stage.
But Hansen wasn’t there to pick a fight. He had a proclamation to read naming June 27 “Danny Bonaduce Day” in Puyallup.
The real mayor must have missed Bonaduce’s portrayal of Danny Patridge in that iconic show. Hansen kept referring to Bonaduce as “Donny” throughout his presentation. The audience finally switched its chant from “Danny! Danny! Danny!” to “Donny! Donny! Donny!”
Hansen then presented Bonaduce with a key to the city. “Which, by the way, can be used as a bottle opener,” Hansen added.
As if things weren’t surreal enough, Hansen revealed that he is an actual Bigfoot hunter. “I’m probably the only mayor on the West Coast that’s been on an official Bigfoot hunt,” Hansen told the crowd.
Bonaduce arrived at the Liberty Theater in a black stretch limo. A red carpet, complete with Bigfoot footprints, was waiting for him, as was a person dressed in a Bigfoot costume. Bonaduce spent an hour greeting and posing for photos with fans, including a pair of Puyallup police officers.
“I pull up to anything with my picture on it and cops and I get scared,” Bonaduce said.
“Bigfoot” the movie airs Saturday on the Syfy network. It co-stars “Brady Bunch” star Barry Williams, Sherilyn Fenn (“Twin Peaks”), Howard Hesseman (“WKRP in Cincinnati”), Andre Royo (“The Wire”) and rock star Alice Cooper.
The movie, filmed in Carnation in January, is a horror film – and some might say horrifically bad. And that’s why the audience had so much fun watching it.
Bonaduce plays a radio DJ in Deadwood, S.D., who wants to put on a retro music festival. But first, he needs a forest cut down. That’s where Williams comes in, playing the leader of a cult-like group of tree-huggers.
Bigfoot makes an appearance within the first 60 seconds of the movie, and begins picking off the loggers one by one and eating them.
Williams’ and Bonaduce’s characters hate each other and make many references to a common past which included Bonaduce having sexual relations with Williams’ mother. (Actor Williams, who played Greg Brady in the 1970s sitcom, said in his 1992 book “Growing up Brady” that he dated his on-screen mom Florence Henderson.)
“I’ve known him since eight track tapes, vinyl and VCRs,” Williams’ character says of Bonaduce.
When it’s finally revealed that Bigfoot is on the loose, Bonaduce’s character wants to hunt him down while Williams wants to give him a food co-op membership. Bigfoot, it should be noted, is about 50 feet tall and more resembles King Kong than any Sasquatch.
The movie has plot holes big enough for Godzilla to slip through, continuity problems so numerous you might as well make it a drinking game (Note Williams’ on-again, off-again gloves in the cave scene) and CGI special effects that look like they were created by a kindergarten class.
It’s a laugh riot.
“I would like to thank you for sharing 93 minutes of your life you’ll never get back,” Bonaduce told the crowd at the theater after the movie was over.
“And remember,” Bonaduce added. “Every year on this date it’s Danny Bonaduce Day!”
And Donny Bonaduce Day.
craig.sailor@thenewstribune.com
253-597-8541
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