ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Six stars from the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory reunited Thursday to celebrate the classic film's 44th anniversary.
Meeting with NBC in Orlando, Paris Themmen (Mike TeeVee), Rusty Goffe (an Oompa Loompa), Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde), Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloope) and Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket) reminisced about their memorable experience on set of the film for the Today Show.
"We think of ourselves as a family," Themmen, who played the screen-obsessed Mike in the 1971 film adaption of the book by Richard George and Roald Dahl. "Maybe a bit of a dysfunctional family," he added.
Goffe, an original Oompa Loompa older than the once-child stars surrounding him, noted the reunion is "scary" because of the amount of time that passed. "When we made the movie," he said, motioning to the others, "they were kids."
The truth about a longtime mystery about Willy Wonka's wonderland was revealed during the reunion: the famous chocolate river in which Bollner's character Agustus fell was not actually chocolate. "It was water," he said.
"It was disgusting," Goffe added.
The movie's lead character Charlie, played by Ostrum, grew up to be a veterinarian instead of an actor. "Everybody could be so lucky to have an experience like this and go in a completely different direction," he said during the interview.
Although Gene Wilder, who played the infamous Willy Wonka, was absent from the reunion, another of his movies, Young Frankenstein, made the top 10 list of the Writer Guild of America's Funniest Screenplays Wednesday. Among others were Dr. Strangelove by Stanley Kubrick and Monty Python and the Holy Grail by Graham Chapman.
The top spot for funniest screenplay went to Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman's Annie Hall.
