Page 20 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • October 22, 2014 Tatum O’Neal headlines at Chiller Expo’s fall show by Dennis Seuling If it’s the witching season, it’s time for Chiller Expo to set up shop for its Halloween extravaganza. This edi- tion of the long-running semi-annual convention will run from Oct. 24 through 26 and will feature several stars from motion pictures and television. Begun modestly in 1990 at the Rutherford Arts Center as Horrorthon, the convention has grown through the years, necessitating bigger and more spacious venues. For the past few years, the home of Chiller Expo has been the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany. Twice a year, the show gathers celebrities from show business, sports, and music, who meet and greet visitors, sign autographs, pose for photos, and often share details of their careers in moder- ated panel discussions. Tatum O’Neal, who won an Academy Award for “Paper Moon” in 1973, will head the guest roster this month. O’Neal is the youngest Oscar recipient of all time. She won for her role as Addie, the precocious scam artist who accompanies her fast-talking Bible salesman father (Tatum’s real-life father Ryan O’Neal) through Depression-era America. Her other film roles included “The Bad News Bears,” “Interna- tional Velvet,” “Little Darlings,” and “Basquiat.” She has appeared on TV in “Sex and the City,” “Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” and as a celebrity contestant on Season 2 of “Dancing with the Stars.” Her autobiography, “A Paper Life,” alleged she was molested by her father’s drug dealer when she was 12. She also detailed her own heroin addic- tion and its effects on her relationships with her children. This will be her first appearance at Chiller Expo. The cast of the TV sitcom “Good Times” — Jimmie J.J. Walker, John Amos, Ja’net Du Bois, Bern Nadette Stanis, and Ralph Carter—will reunite at this fall’s Chiller. Cre- ated by Norman Lear, “Good Times” originally aired on CBS from 1974 to 1979. It was a spinoff from “Maude,” which was a spinoff from “All in the Family.” Florida (Esther Rolle) and James Evans (John Amos) were lower- middle class blacks living with their three children in a high-rise apartment building on the South Side of Chicago. J.J. was an amateur painter who attended trade school, but was always looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. His often- uttered “Dy-No-Mite” became J.J.’s trademark and the show’s signature catch phrase. Cast members of another vintage sitcom, “Happy Days” — Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, and Cindy Wil- liams — will also be on hand. Winkler’s character, “The Fonz,” became hugely popular and the writers responded by expanding his role and having several episodes revolve around him. “Happy Days” ran on ABC from 1974 to 1984. Cast member Ron Howard, who played Richie Cun- ningham, went on to a successful career as motion picture director. Joyce Randolph will pay a visit to Chiller Expo to share her memories of working in early television. The last sur- viving original cast member of “The Honeymooners,” Randolph co-starred as Trixie, the wife of Ed Norton (Art Carney). Before it was made into a series of its own, “Hon- eymooners” sketches appeared on “The Jackie Gleason Show,” a longtime staple of 1950s Saturday night TV. The 39 episodes of “The Honeymooners” are among the best remembered of TV’s Golden Age. Other guests at Chiller will include Teri Garr (“Young Frankenstein,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”), wrestling icon Hulk Hogan, Ryan Hurst and Mark Boone Jr. of TV’s “Sons of Anarchy,” model/actress Cheryl Tiegs, singing group The Cowsills, Butch Patrick (“The Mun- sters”), and Chiller Expo regular Zacherley. Chiller Expo consistently inspires the enthusiasm of visitors who enjoy meeting actors they have admired in movies or on TV. Sometimes the lines to get autographs are long, but visitors are patient and often strike up conversa- tions with fellow visitors. A not-to-be-missed attraction is the massive dealers’ area, where hundreds of dealers sell all kinds of memora- bilia. Rare books, monster magazines, autographed photos, models, vintage toys, masks, jewelry, novelty items, post- ers, lobby cards, and one-of-a-kind collectibles form a treasure trove of goodies. The range of items available is incredible and the displays are worthy of being exhibits in a museum. Rounding out the attractions are a five-category Hal- loween costume contest; a competition of models featuring horror, science-fiction, and literary subjects; and an auc- tion of fantasy collectibles. Academy Award-winner Tatum O’Neal will be one of many celebrity guests at this weekend’s Chiller Expo. Chiller Expo will be held Oct. 24 from 6 to 11 p.m., Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Oct. 26 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $30 per day. Children age 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. For direc- tions to the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, visit chillertheatre. com or call (973) 515-2000.