Exclusive: Six Interviews with Friday the 13th Alumni at Monster Mania

Offering some reprise for the scores of fans let down by the postponement of Camp Blood, Guest contributor, Jeff Cramer, recently got the chance to interview 6 Friday the 13th alumni from 3 of the franchises installments at Monster Mania in Cherry Hill, NJ.

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A lot of Friday the 13^th fans were excited this year. Texas Fear Fest had been planning on holding CampBlood, a 30^th anniversary dedicated to the Friday the 13^th series. Many people from all of the film series (including the remake and TV series) would be guests at the event. The event would be held on August 13, 2010. However, excitement turned to disappointment and frustration when the show was postponed till May 2011. In addition, there were Friday the 13^th fans from all over the world who lost money on their plane tickets.

Monstermania, a convention held in Cherry Hill, NJ, mitigated some of the disappointment by inviting several of the guests who were supposed to appear at CampBlood to their show. They were Amy Steel and Bill Randolph of Friday the 13^th Part II, Tiffany Helm from Friday V, and David Kagen and Tom Fridley from Friday VI. As I spoke with the guests, it seemed the guests were as confused as the fans about why CampBlood was postponed and were disappointed as well.

I didn’t pay money for CampBlood, but I felt for the fans. To ease some of the disappointment, I decided I would interview the Friday the 13^th guests. Each one of those guests (with the exception of Marta Kober) had been scheduled to appear at CampBlood. Though these interviews aren’t the same as meeting the guests in the flesh and getting autographs, I feel this is the next best thing I can offer to the fans. I deeply thank all of the guests for agreeing to the interviews. These interviews are dedicated to the fans, especially those who had lost money on plane tickets.

FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART II

AMY STEEL

Amy Steel played Ginny, the final surviving girl of Friday the 13^th Part II. Amy was available only for 1 minute, so I tried to cover as much ground as I could in 1 minute. This is the shortest interview I ever did.

Jeff Cramer: What have you been up to since Friday the 13^th?

Amy Steel: Well, it’s been a lot of years. I’ve been a mom and I’m a therapist. I’m a psychotherapist -- counseling -- not a camp counselor.

JC: [Laughter] How does it feel many years -- after almost 30 years to be here at Monstermania meeting up with fans of Friday the 13^th?

AS: It feels amazing. The people are awesome, and the fans are incredible. The whole thing is really, really incredible.

BILL RANDOLPH

Bill Randolph played Jeff from Friday the 13^th Part II. He died in a way most male campers would prefer. He is in the middle of making love to Sandra (Marta Kober), when Jason sticks a pitchfork into the couple. Jeff is so caught in the moment, he doesn’t notice that he got killed. I briefly talk to Bill here about his Friday days and what he has been up to since.

Jeff Cramer: Okay, how do you get started in the industry?

Bill Randolph: In my high school, we had a great theater department, and it was either on Friday nights you got drunk and stupid, or you could be in the theater and meet a lot of great girls. So, it was terrific. We had a good department, and in it, we had a lot of fun, so it kept me out of trouble. That’s how I got started, and then I went to SUNY Purchase and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Acting, which was worth next to nothing, but I was lucky. I moved into New York City after that and started working almost immediately. And auditioned for Friday the 13^th and got asked.

JC: What did you do before Friday the 13^th?

BR: I was actually in a Broadway show at the time called Gemini. The show ran on Broadway for about five years, but I was with it for about a year and a half. And so I met Meg Simon -- was the casting director -- and I met her through that. When they had auditions for Friday the 13^th Part II, she pulled me in.

JC: What was it like being on Friday the 13^th Part II?

BR: It was fun. We had a great time. We were staying in a -- I think it was a boys camp. A couple of miles on the other side of the lake was another camp that was there and we shot the whole thing there, they didn’t build any sets. They used the camp as it was. And we would shoot all night and sleep all day. It’s a lot of fun.

JC: How did it feel to be filming your death scene?

BR: Well, certainly, the scene prior to it when we’re making love was a lot of fun. But actually, they took two takes of it, four hours for each take, and that was a little difficult, but it was fun to watch Carl Fullerton, basically the special effects guy, you know, to build this whole thing and create this whole illusion. That was a lot of fun to be a part of and watch.

JC: So what did you do after Friday the 13^th Part II?

BR: I did a movie with Kathleen Turner, Chris Reeve, and Burt Reynolds, called Switching Channels. I did a couple of low-budget films. I did Guilty as Charged with Rod Steiger. Basically, I did larger roles in small films and small roles in big films. I also was in Dressed to Kill with Angie Dickinson and Nancy Allen. Because I was raised in New York, I did a lot of theater and that pretty much was my main stand. I also did a couple television series, one called Trauma Center, you know, that came and went; it was on for about half a season. And I did Comedy Zone for CBS that was a half a season and guest spots for different shows, and things like that.

JC: What are you doing now?

BR: Right now, I’m a special sections senior designer at The New York Daily News in New York City. So, I do computer graphics now.

JC: How does it feel to be meeting fans nearly 30 years after Friday the 13^th Part II?

BR: It’s amazing. Who would’ve thought thirty years ago, that this would still matter? It’s terrific. It’s great meeting the fans. I enjoy it.

MARTA KOBER

Marta Kober was Sandra, the girl who dies with Jeff in Friday the 13^th Part II. Daniel Farrands had tried to find her for His Name Was Jason. There were rumors on the IMDB message board for her that she was missing. When Marta agreed to do an interview with me, I felt I would have some rare stuff to report to fans and untangle some of the rumors surrounding Marta. Well, I got some stuff, alright, but none of what I expected and I’m sure none of what the fans expect. In addition to doing my shortest interview earlier with Amy Steel, I had my strangest interview yet -- with Marta Kober. A lot of what you are about to read doesn’t make any sense. What can I say? I try with what I got. Can’t control what people will say.

Jeff Cramer: So how did you get started in the industry?

Marta Kober: I believe I was nominated for an Emmy on my very first job.

JC: Really? What was that?

MK: I believe I was fourteen. I was already in college, I think, and it was called Rodeo Red and the Runaway, it was an afterschool special. It was made in South Africa.

JC: Okay. So, did you do anything between that and Friday the 13^th Part II?

MK: I believe Friday was my second movie ever.

JC: That was your second movie?

MK: Yeah, in 1981. I thought it was ’83.

JC: How did that audition for Friday the 13^th Part II come up?

MK: I don’t even remember. I did a play in New York that was a really big hit. So, I was hired from that.

JC: What did it feel like with that scene with the pitchfork going through you and Bill?

MK: I don’t know. It seemed like a lot of hours to build that back and they would slide you in and out. And I believe people there on the film had to sit there for like a day while they made the back, yeah.

JC: Did you have any idea back then we’d be talking about Friday the 13^th Part II thirty years from now?

MK: No, I haven’t seen Bill or Amy Steel in many, many years. So, I think it’s really been fun. I definitely want to have fun.

JC: Okay. When you signed my copy of Crystal Lake Memories, you were joking that you were illegal back then. What do you mean by that you were illegal?

MK: Oh, I was really underage, I think, I turned emancipated minor. I believe that you make your money and that’s it, you sign your own checks at 14 years old.

JC: So you were 14 years old when you did Friday the 13^th Part II?

MK: Yes, I was. I believe I was 14, 15, and 16, and I know it’s called an emancipated minor.

JC: So you were a minor when this was –?

MK: It could’ve been, I’m not really sure. It’s a very long time ago.

JC: Daniel Farrands, the director of His Name Was Jason said he couldn’t find you. Why did he have a hard time finding you?

MK: I just didn’t put a number up for somebody to call.

JC: I read that you tried out for a part in a movie that ended up being Friday the 13^th Part VI: The New Blood.

MK: Yeah, they called me up to tell me that they’re gonna use the same scenes in another movie. I believe it’s a very long time ago, and that’s what they did.

JC: No, not they used your scenes again, did you try out for --

MK: No, they called me up; they used the same scenes too for another movie. I believe it is in the theater actually. I’m not really sure, maybe I should get an extra seat. Maybe it’s Part VII or Part X. It’s a very long time ago.

JC: Okay, I looked at the IMDB last night, you did a couple roles after Friday the 13^th Part II. It said you were even a bit of musician performing under the name of Marta Scorsese.

MK: Yeah, I believe Marta Scorsese was a joke, and it was never used. I used to live downtown in the same building as Martin Scorsese. So, perhaps I met him. But I worked for Bad Boy Records for 10 years.

JC: What did you do in the recording industry?

MK: I did a TV show called Better Days and it had -- I believe it said Tupac Shakur, and a basketball player, I’m not sure which one, and they started a label. I record for myself with that label. I don’t know -- me and Lindsay Lohan are going to rehab. [Laughter] I don’t know; I’m not really sure. Fergi and I recorded Fifty Cents for the Black Eyed Peas when we were both in rehab.

JC: Are you still in the music industry?

MK: I believe that’s the last update. I’m not really sure? Yeah, I still do music; I rarely do movies – every so often. The label will put you in a movie every so often, like Puff Daddy just did Get Him to the Greek. I might even be in it, I thought they did it five years ago, but they just did it.

JC: So what type of music do you exactly do with the label?

MK: I made music. I was with TLC, a really long time ago. I just made music for them all the time.

JC: What was it? Was it songwriting or producing?

MK: No, it was Tupac Shakur, for real. [Laughter] I really hate to say that’s what I think this is about. I believe we made this man a lot, a lot, a lot of money.

JC: Okay.

MK: I lay this on Fifty Cents. I thought I pronounce it Fi-tty cents. Amazing what they can do, huh?

JC: Right, right, right.

MK: I make music over so often. I mean, every so often, they’ll put you in a movie when you do a record. But I haven’t done a horror movie since Saw. We happen to be on a couple of lots and ended up in a small part. Have you seen Saw?

JC: Yes, I have seen –

MK: I didn’t see it yet.

JC: Right, right. So anything new going on?

MK: I don’t know what I’m gonna do next; I’m going down to South Carolina. And a friend of mine happens to direct very big movies, and I believe something came out real good a couple years ago. So, I’m gonna do that.

JC: Thank you.

FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART V: A NEW BEGINNING

TIFFANY HELM

Tiffany Helm played the troubled punk girl Violet in Friday the 13^th Part V: A New Beginning. Her character is memorable due to her punk hairstyle and the crazy robot dance she does shortly before she is killed. We talked about the role of Violet and what Tiffany was up to before and after that role.

Jeff Cramer: So how did you get started in the industry?

Tiffany Helm: Well, my whole family was in the industry, so my mother was an actress, and I started into modeling when I was about 15 or 16. And I kinda went into acting.

JC: What did you before Friday V?

TH: I did a film called The Zoo Gang.

JC: That film co-starred the current Freddy Krueger, Jackie Earle Haley.

TH: Oh, I didn’t know Jackie Earle Haley was the new Freddy. That’s awesome.

JC: Yeah, he is.

TH: How funny. Small world. I would later do Freddy’s Nightmares. I was about to give birth to a little Freddy baby, which was fun.

JC: So how did the part of Friday V land?

TH: Well, I just auditioned for it originally. I mean, at the time Hollywood was not doing punk very well. Their idea of punk rock was Pat Benatar, and the part was written for like a hard body Pat Benatar type. And there were very few roles that were right for me at the time, and my agent kept telling me to tone it down, but I went in, and I don’t know – I nailed it, you know? They let me have a lot of creative control over it after I got the part. Wardrobe lady called me and said, “We’re going shopping, well, where do you wanna go? What do you wanna buy?” So it was just kind of a dream job, you know? I got to totally decorate my bedroom with pictures, I got to choose the music that was the dance that I did. So, it was a very nice job that worked with me.

JC: Well, I understand your original death scene was more gory as Roy, the ambulance driver, attacks you in the privates.

TH:Yeah, it was. It was never shot though, but yeah, they had make-up people who spent a couple of hours on pretty gruesome make-up. They showed Danny [Steinmann, the director] what that looked like. We made a couple of comments about it not getting passed through the ratings board and we had to revise the scene. It was very nice working with somebody like Danny, who was able to kind of relinquish some of the director control and be open to a real different way of doing things.

JC: Okay. What did you after Friday V?

TH: I think after that was Reform School Girls. I did an episode of You Again? with John Stamos. I worked on a little TV movie of the week in Reno. I did little jobs here and there. I don’t remember what my last acting job was, I’ll have to look at my resume and freshen my memory. It’s been a long time. Recently, I helped with the DVD rerelease of Friday the 13^th Part V with Daniel Farrands in L.A. I met with him to do the interview. It was brought to my attention that people really loved this character of Violet, they’ve been imitating her on YouTube

JC: What did you do after acting?

TH:I’m a portrait photographer now.

JC: Is this your first convention?

TH: It is.

JC: How does it feel being here?

TH: I love it. I love it. I hope to do of more of these, and I hope that I get to see Danny Steinmann again. I was hoping that I’d see Tom Morga out here, who was wonderful to work with, and of course, Juliette Cummings, I talk to occasionally. So, I love it. The people here are wonderful. I’m an old goth so I like going out and checking out all the merchandise and stuff. So, it’s great. It’s been a really positive experience.

FRIDAY THE 13^TH PART VI: JASON LIVES

DAVID KAGEN

David Kagen played Sheriff Garris in Friday the 13^th Part VI: Jason Lives. Sheriff Garris disbelieves Tommy Jarvis’s story that Jason has come back to life and is responsible for the murders. He even thinks Jarvis is the murderer. He soon comes to his senses. He tries to stop Jason but is unsuccessful. I talked to David about his role as Sheriff Garris.

Jeff Cramer: So what started you into acting?

David Kagen: Well, actually, my Dad did a lot of acting when I was growing up. A lot of community theater, near here, where we are in Cherry Hill. And so, I used to watch him go and rehearse. When they did still photos, I would get up on stage with him and get in the publicity shots. Well, one thing led to another, you know, and I started acting in school. I went to college in Pittsburgh. I went to Carnegie Mellon.

JC: What did you before Friday the 13^th?

DK: Well, I was in New York, where I did a lead for Off-Broadway for a year. I did some Regional Theater. And I’ve been teaching also since I’ve graduated; I’ve gone to Paris and London to teach. And I went out to L.A., and I started in TV.

JC: How did the Friday the 13^th thing happen?

DK: Well, I had a manager at the time, I had just signed with this manager; it was the first he sent me out on. And I got the job, so, we were all pretty pleased.

JC: What’s been your reaction to this convention?

DK: It’s really unbelievable. It is amazing, you have no idea when you do this, the impact it’s gonna have, at least I didn’t. And then to get all the fan mail almost immediately. But to come to a show and see the fans --everybody is so nice, appreciative and all that. It’s wonderful, it’s nice to be appreciated, people thank me for being here, and you know, we had a great time. So, it’s fun to tell people stories.

JC: Are you doing anything else?

DK: Well, I’m still an actor, you know. I live in L.A., and I do TV and film. The last thing I did was a recurring role in General Hospital. I was playing a really nasty, hard boiled executive.

JC: Well, it looks like you had some experience playing mean roles before when you played Sheriff Garris.

DK: You play with what you got.

JC: Right. Thank you, David.

DK: Thank you, Jeff.

TOM FRIDLEY

Tom Fridley played Cort, a camp counselor in Friday the 13^th Part VI: Jason Lives. Cort tries to be cool with the kids, but doesn’t succeed. He is killed in his RV, along with Nikki(Darcy DeMoss)

Jeff Cramer: Okay, so how did you get started in the industry?

Tom Fridley: Here’s the deal, my godfather was an agent, and what happened was I went from a pilot from Fantasy Island in 1978, and I went in, and the casting agent asked me, “Why do you want to be an actor?” I was laughing, and I said, “I don’t want to be an actor, I want to buy a BMX Bicycle so I can race”. So he thought that was funny, and then he asked me to read, and I said, “I’m not gonna read.” Then he went around and says, “You got the part. We have an assistant part that’s gonna read with you.” So, basically, he tricked me into reading it. So, I read it, and I did it. And the next film I did was called Max Dugan Returns. I went into that one, and the casting agent asked, “Why do you want to be an actor?” And I said, “I don’t want to be an actor, I want to be a rock star. I’m waiting for a PA System.” So, basically, it was this wanting to do different things and finally getting into that, and then they all fell into place. And it was -- my own family’s been in this industry for my whole life. So that’s the bottom line. So, that’s kind of how I fell into it.

JC: How did the part of Friday VI come about?

TF: It was just your typical interview, read it to Tom McLaughlin (who is probably one of the funnest directors you’ll ever work with) and then, when it went to the producers, I think that was like a “done deal,” which -- it was interesting that nobody asked my history of my previous work. After this was done, I was asked to do Friday the 13^th TV series, the pilot for the series. Frank Mancuso Jr. gave it to me, and I went and did that, and then I never saw it. All I remember is a sound stage with -- it was all these green stones and smoke, and stuff, and that’s pretty much all I remember about it.

JC: So what have you been up to, I guess, after Friday VI?

TF: Oh, gosh. After that, let’s see I did a lot of stuff after that. I did Karate Kid, did Vietnam War Story, did Hard Vice -- I’ve done like 50-some films. I just did a new film -- it’s a comedy called Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay! I did that up in Spokane, Washington; I live up there now. So, I’ve been out of the business, but this movie is being shot up here, so I do whatever there. And I’m working on a new thing for the Travel Network called Dream Trips. A partner of mine and I are gonna host that. That should happen in about six months.

JC: What’s your reaction to now to the Friday the 13^th fans here at Monstermania?

TF: Oh my God, this is my reaction! These are the best fans anybody could ever dream of. These people are unbelievable. I’m having the nicest time. These people, they’re like the friends you never had -- just wonderful people. They are all great. That’s the truth.

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