What You Never Knew About That Blueberry Pie Scene In 'Stand By Me'
If you have ever seen "Stand by Me," you likely found something in the movie to relate to, whether it was the childlike curiosity that drives the boys out on their adventure or the steadfast friendships that offered them a sense of belonging. But, when you think of the film, do any of CinemaBlend's greatest moments immediately come to mind? Possibly the infamous leech scene? The nail-biting train scene? Or perhaps it's the grossest scene of the whole movie, the blueberry pie scene?
"Stand by Me" was based on Stephen King's novella "The Body" and directed by Rob Reiner, according to Entertainment Weekly, and the blueberry pie scene was based on "The Revenge of Lardass Hogan," which was part of that novella. In the movie, Gordie (played by Wil Wheaton) tells the story to his friends Chris, Teddy, and Vern (played by River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell respectively) around the campfire.
To refresh your memory (as if you could forget even if you wanted to), the gross tale focuses on a kid nicknamed Lardass (played by Andy Lindberg), who plans barf-fueled revenge on his bullies during the town's pie-eating contest by ingesting an entire bottle of castor oil and a raw egg before competing. "A complete and total barf-o-rama" ensues, as Gordie tells it. And we have never been able to look at blueberry pie the same since. But did you know that this scene almost didn't make it into the classic film?
Rob Reiner wasn't sure he should include the blueberry pie scene
In "Stand by Me," Gordie grows up to be a great writer. This is exactly the reason why director Rob Reiner wasn't sure if he should include the pie scene in the movie, according to Entertainment Weekly. As Reiner told the outlet, "Would he really tell a story about vomiting? It's like a fart story. So I went back and forth, but I made peace and I said okay." And it turned out to be a good thing he did, especially for one town.
According to Oregon Confluence, every year, on July 23, Brownsville, Oregon celebrates "Stand by Me Day." The event celebrates the film that featured almost 100 Brownsville residents for the pie-eating scene and is marked by activities like walking tours, a fan forum, and a costume contest. Past years have even featured a blueberry pie-eating contest, according to EW. Brownsville residents really like to live on the edge, huh?