St. Petersburg to celebrate 25 years of 'Cocoon'

Director Ron Howard's sentimental tribute to senior citizens is aging itself. This year marks the 25th anniversary of "Cocoon," arguably the most critically acclaimed and financially successful movie ever made in the Tampa Bay area.

Filmed over a dozen weeks in 1984, the $17 million film was released in the summer of 1985. The romantic comedy about alien encounters in a retirement community brought bevy of aging stage and screen actors to the area.

It also involved hundreds of Tampa Bay area residents who were extras or worked on the film crew. The first ever local "Cocoon" reunion is planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in downtown St. Petersburg - and the public is invited.

"Unfortunately, many of the stars of the film and the extras have passed away and I don't think we're going to get any of the surviving stars here," says St. Petersburg resident Barbara Harrington, who helped cast the film and will be speaking at reunion.

The elder stars included Hume Cronyn and his wife Jessica Tandy, Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Maureen Stapleton, Gwen Verdon, Jack Gilford and Herta Ware. Brimley is the only one still living.

Also in the cast as a romantic lead was a young Steve Guttenberg who had a string of hits in the '80s ("Police Academy," "Short Circuit" and "Three Men and a Baby"). His character fell for a lovely humanoid alien played by Tahnee Welch (daughter of Raquel).

Veteran tough guy Brian Dennehy played the leader of the "Antarean" aliens. Also in the cast was Tyrone Power Jr.

"No other film made here before or after has had this much star power; it was St. Petersburg's shining moment on the screen," says St. Petersburg actress Nan Colton who was a production assistant on the film. Colton also will share her memories at the reunion.

St. Petersburg was picked as the setting because of its reputation as a retirement community. More than local 200 extras, many of them well over age 70, are in the film.

The story involves a group of spry old-timers who discover a fountain of youth when they sneak into a swimming pool that also holds alien pods. The pods have rejuvenating powers and eventually the seniors are given a choice of eternal life by leaving with the visiting aliens or living out their lives on Earth.

Ameche won an Oscar for best supporting actor and the film won another Academy Award for special effects.