IN THE KNOW - TRIVIA Actor Robert Carradine returned to similar cinematic territory playing another tormented weakling who gets even in 1984's Revenge of the Nerds, his most famous film role. Massacre at Central High marked his fourth major drive-in role in one of his busiest years, 1976, which also saw him starring in The Pom Pom Girls, Jackson County Jail, and Cannonball! (as well as a fleeting bit part in Revenge of the Cheerleaders). He is part of the venerable Carradine acting dynasty, which also includes brothers Keith, David, Bruce and Michael, as well as father John.

The cast includes another second-generation Hollywood actor, Andrew Stevens, the son of actress Stella Stevens. His first onscreen appearance was in one of his mother's films, 1963's The Courtship of Eddie's Father, at the age of eight. Massacre at Central High was his first major leading role and led to such other films as William Girdler's Day of the Animals (1977), Brian De Palma's The Fury (1978), and Sidney J. Furie's The Boys in Company C (1978). His exploitation days continued well into the next decade with such films as Death Hunt (1981), The Seduction (1982), and 10 to Midnight (1983), after which he largely pursued a career in television with recurring roles on Dallas and Emerald Point N.A.S. He now works primarily as a film producer and financier.

The film's composer, Tommy Leonetti, also penned and sang the theme song, "Crossroads." A regular crooner from the early TV music program, Your Hit Parade, he made papers by testifying against the Mafia and passed away from cancer three years after working on Massacre at Central High.

Leonetti's stepdaughter, Kimberly Beck, appears as the female lead Theresa; also a singer, Beck recorded a duet with Leonetti of his song "Let's Take a Walk" which was released as a 45 single. Beck primarily worked in television, but her best-remembered feature film role is the lead "final girl" Trish in 1984's Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, with subsequent, much smaller roles in Luc Besson's The Big Blue (1988), Nico Mastorakis' Nightmare at Noon (1988), Roger Avary's Killing Zoe (1994), and Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996).

Kimberly Beck also appeared in a memorable guest role as Nancy Bradford on the hit 1970s TV series Eight Is Enough, which also starred one of her Massacre at Central High co-stars, Lani O'Grady, who played Mary Bradford. One of the many tragic casualties of the '70s television era, O'Grady suffered from intense panic attacks which forced her to retire from acting in the early 1980s. Her increasing dependence on prescription medications and a series of disastrous medical experiences eventually culminated in her death on September 25, 2001 at the age of 47.

Another tragic figure, actress Cheryl "Rainbeaux" Smith, was unappreciated for much of her career. Nicknamed for her frequent presence at the rock hangout The Rainbow Club in L.A., she was once a drummer for Joan Jett and starred in a wide variety of cult films including Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973), Jonathan Demme's Caged Heat (1974), Drum (1976), Cinderella (1977), Robert Aldrich's The Choirboys (1977), and Up in Smoke (1978). Unfortunately she succumbed to heroin addiction which curtailed her career, sending her into a tailspin which ended in 2002 with her death from hepatitis. However, her reputation has escalated in recent years with an increasing fan following and the growing availability of her large body of film work to new generations.

Israeli-born Steve Bond also appeared with lead Derrel Maury in another 1976 drive-in film, Cat Murkil and the Silks, a teen gang movie also known as Cruisin' High. Bond went on to appear in the 1979 cable TV favorite H.O.T.S. and alternated his 1980s television acting career (including a regular role on General Hospital) with stints as a Chippendales dancer. His first film role was as the final "Boy" in a big screen Tarzan film, 1968's Tarzan and the Jungle Boy.

Actor Rex Sikes, who plays Rodney, is now a corporate psychic entertainer and the "world's first motivational mind reader."

by Nathaniel Thompson

Sources:
Cult Movies, Danny Peary
Internet Movie Database
Horror Yearbook, Interview with Rex Sikes