Fans of the hilarious '80s sitcom Family Ties were in for a treat during the cast reunion. On Stars in the House, Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Tina Yothers, Marc Price, Scott Valentine, and Brian Bonsall all spilled fun behind the scenes stories!
Family Ties Reunion
The "Keatons" came together in support of The Actors Fund which is helping many in the artistic community who cannot afford groceries, rent, or doctor's bills at the moment. During the reunion, we learned a lot about the cast and filming of the series!
It turns out that when the show first began taking off, major cast members were not commuting to work in luxury as one might think Hollywood stars would!
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Michael Gross who played "Steven Keaton" rode his bike to work and "honest to God, they wouldn't let me on the lot with a bike. They said, 'You can't bring that bike.' I said, 'You've given me a parking place.'" Eventually, production lamented, "I finally had to get permission to bring a bicycle on the Paramount lot."
Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox a.k.a. "Alex Keaton" actually "took the bus" for the first several episodes! Until he began carpooling with Meredith Baxter who played "Elyse Keaton".
Michael explained, "Meredith would kindly give me rides to work. And she would show up, and of course, if we were supposed to leave at 8:30, she would pick me up at 8:30, I woke up at 8:29. She would honk the horn and I'd get in the shower. I wouldn't have my script, I wouldn't have whatever I need, I was just a mess."
He reminisced that when he would leave his house "this beautiful Mercedes" would be outside waiting for him and "this beautiful movie star, television star, actress, driving me to work every day!"
Meredith also enjoyed commuting with Michael but did admit, "I thought it was cool, except, you know, I am punctual. I pulled in and I could hear the shower turn on and it's like, 'Really, that's what you're doing now?'"
Tina Yothers who portrayed "Jennifer Keaton," said the cast had far too much fun, "I mean seriously, the water gun fights, Michael. The wrestling matches. We got in a lot of trouble. We weren't the most well-disciplined cast because we would have so much fun together!"
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She said she was frequently stopped by fans saying, "Oh my God, you touched Michael J. Fox. Can I just touch you?' And I'd say, 'Gross! He just pinned me down and farted on my head! He's my brother, he's gross!'"
What the Family Ties Cast Stole
Apparently, many of the cast members felt a twang of cleptomania when the show ended. "I'll tell you what I do have, check this out!" Michael Gross said as he showed a clapperboard from "show No. 83." The hosts asked him if it was given to him or if he took it, Yothers shouted, "We stole this s***!"
She admitted, "I stole this lamp. I stole this thing behind me that hung in the kitchen."
The cast spilled so much about behind the scenes like how they landed their roles, which guest stars they loved the most, and the pranks they pulled on each other!
Remembering the legendary host!
