I had a unique experience recently. I was asked if I would like to interview the star of an upcoming installment in a series of horror-comedy films, to be released May 1. The actor also portrayed the father in one of the most popular television sitcoms of the 1980s. The movie is “Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell,” the sitcom was “Family Ties” and the actor is Michael Gross.
I said yes almost before I thought it.
Gross is best known for those two roles: Steven Keaton, the mild mannered politically liberal father to Michael J. Fox’s ultra conservative Alex P. Keaton in “Family Ties,” and Burt Gummer, the gun-toting “bigger is better” gung-ho hero of the now-six installments of the “Tremors” movies series. A throw-back to the movies of yesteryear, the films blend horror and comedy in a way few others have.
The original “Tremors” was a success in the theater when it was released in 1990 and introduced the Graboid monsters to the world, but its real success came from the thousands of fans who have watched it over and over again and demanded more.
Though Burt is not the main character in the first film, he was certainly a viewer favorite. General consensus is in line with my son Devon’s comments: “Was he the guy with the guns in the first one? He’s the best part of the movie.” Because so many audiences concur, the other entries in the series have featured Gummer.
I was given just 10 minutes to speak to Gross amidst the mountain of interviews he had scheduled. When his agent said, “OK, Brett, you’re connected to Michael,” I tried to adjust my thoughts to asking a few questions in our short time slot, trying not to keep thinking “This is surreal” repeatedly as we spoke.
We spoke about the actor’s continued involvement in the “Tremors” series, his passionate obsession with all things railroading, and a little-known recent film project.
Regarding the Burt Gummer series, Gross said, “The character of Burt is a comedy gold mine. His comic paranoia, his obsessive compulsive disorder — I just adore it. You know, comedy is about excess and he is excessive to the extreme. The amount of overkill, worry … it’s so much fun.”
After affirming Burt would opt for a Sherman tank and surface-to-air missiles if he could get his hands on them, I asked how long Gross thought Steven Keaton would last in the town of Perfection, the setting of the original film and one of its sequels.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! That’s a good one,” Gross told me. “Not very long. I think he would feel very out of place. He would probably be trying to save the creature — save the animal. What’s that group? PETA. He’d … you know, he’s so far left-learning. He’d be arguing for their rights so they wouldn’t go extinct.”
We spoke briefly of his habit of taking model railroading tools with him whenever he travels, turning his hotel desks into hobby workbenches because it “keeps me out of trouble.” He said he wants to visit Mississippi to “go where Casey Jones rode to his demise.”
With time to squeeze in just one more question, I asked permission to talk about “Power of the Air,” a 2018 limited release. The film’s premise is that a missionary to Africa shares with another believer his fear that the church in America is in great danger. The other believer then sets out with an urgent plan to reach his city with the gospel.
Brett: What drew you and made you want to be a part of this project?
Gross: “It wasn’t too terribly heavy-handed. It was a faith-based thing (and) it wasn’t too heavy-handed in proselytizing. It was a combination of things — it was the right time. There were some things there I needed to hear. I was asked to be a part of it … I love variety. I love doing things no one expects me to do.”
Like answer some questions from a big kid who remembers watching you on TV every week in my Chunky living room as a teen. I certainly never thought I’d have that opportunity. It was out of nowhere, fun, unique and (again) surreal.
I thanked him, and said it was a pleasure talking with him.
“Thank you, Brett. The pleasure was all mine,” he answered.
I disagree.
Brett Campbell can be reached 610-934-0901 or brettcampbell@bellsouth.net.
