TO GA ! TO GA ! TO GA !
JOHN BAUGUESS
LIFT OFF
JOHN BAUGUESS
LANDING
C
ottage Grove was home to an uncon-
ventional parade in November 1977,
as Universal Pictures wound down its
five-week filming of Animal House, much
of which was shot on and around the UO
campus in Eugene. UO classrooms stood
in for the movie’s Faber College, and the
Sigma Nu fraternity house on 11th
Avenue, since replaced by office build-
ings, became the temporary frat house for
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actor John Belushi and his brothers.
The parade day’s mad glory will be cel-
ebrated this Saturday, Aug. 30, in down-
town Cottage Grove. Tourists and locals
are invited to take part in the Animal
House Look-a-Like and Toga contests in
the morning; a parade with floats and the
Get-A-Life Marching Band at high noon;
reserve seat showings of the movie mid-
afternoon; and a Toga Party and musical
EUGENE WEEKLY AUGUST 28, 2003 11
UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Animal House Redux
Grove signing autographs, wearing a light
entertainment that afternoon and night.
brown, fringed dress; moccasins; a head-
For details, visit www.animalhousecele-
band; darker makeup and braided hair. She
bration.com/
was out there the next day, too, “standing
Shooting for Animal House took place
around in regular 1964 clothes,” Belove
Oct. 24 through Nov. 30, 1977. The studio
said. “Landis told me I was too recogniza-
hired more than 4,000 extras from the area
ble as a Delta girl, so I wore a different
for two days work, although some extras
costume every day. I tried to get a speak-
also wangled stints on crew and stretched
ing part every day,” she said.
out the work. Besides college students,
Although she had a non-speaking part,
especially fraternity or sorority types,
Belove still enjoys having been in the very
ordinary residents of Cottage Grove took
first shot of the movie. “When Flounder
part in the movie’s raucous parade
(Stephen Furst) and Pinto (Tom Hulce) go
sequences.
in the fraternity house for the first time, I
Local photographer John Bauguess was
run up to Flounder and take his hat off his
on hand to capture the excitement when
head,” she said. “Later Flounder gave me
the locals were told to run for their lives as
his beanie, autographed with ‘I hope to co-
a berserk deathmobile from the parade
star with you again soon.’” Like others
roared up the sidewalk after them. He
who went Animal House-crazy that fall,
remembers that Cottage Grove’s down-
Belove went to the movie’s premiere in
town was so perfect that the movie people
L.A. “Landis recognized me and had me
hung overhead parade banners but didn’t
stand up as a Eugene person,” she said.
need to change main street storefronts and
signs to reflect the ambience of small-
ew
town 1962.
Bauguess also had a
EXTRA MAIDA BELOVE IN A
memorable encounter
‘60S OUTFIT FROM GOODWILL
with John Belushi.
“He’d had a bad day
with stunts,” Bauguess
said. “He’d jumped off
the platform onto the
cushioned pad several
times, and he had been
kicked in the lip acci-
dentally by an extra in
another scene. Shooting
was done for the day,
and people had left the
set. Belushi was sitting
by himself in a chair. I
was across the street
from him, with my cam-
era, and as I started to
cross the street he
yelled, ‘Lighten up’ to
me. I took my camera
and left.”
On Saturday, about
15 of Bauguess’s photo-
graphs will be on dis-
play in a storefront win-
dow. Like the photo-
graphs shown here,
BLUTO (JOHN BELUSHI).
these pictures have never been published.
Oregon magazine (now defunct) had
asked him to take pictures, but when he
called the staff he was told, “We got
some already.” Bauguess said he was so
mad he hit a wall and broke his hand.
Ouch!
Extra Maida Belove was present for
the food fight scene in the EMU
Fishbowl in November 1977, where she
and others were told to go to Cottage
Animal House Cottage Grove
Grove the next day for the parade. She
skimmed through the script and saw that
Indians were to be in the parade.
“I decided I wanted to be in the 7 AM - 10:30 AM: Breakfast Coiner Park, $4.
10:30 AM: A.H. Look-a-Like and Toga
parade,” Belove said, “so I went to a cos-
Contest, Community Center
tume shop in Creswell the next morning. I
HIGH NOON: Parade
thought I would just drop by the set in my
2 PM AND 5 PM: Movie showing
2 PM: Power Pep Band
Indian costume and be available. But
2:30 PM: Toga Party begins
when director John Landis and assistant
3 PM: Patty McCulla & Dave Clark Band
director Cliff Coleman spied me in cos-
5 PM: Blue Light Special
tume, they asked, ‘Maida, what are you
6:30 PM: The Blues Brothers
doing? It’s East Indian, not American
8 PM: Otis Day & the Knights
Indian,’” she said. She laughed.
10 PM: The Kingsmen (“Louie Louie”)
Belove spent that first day in Cottage
JIM STIAK
BY LOIS WADSWORTH