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DERELICTION OF DUTY

By Pete Vonder Haar | March 2, 2006

I’m working on a project that required – among other things – my looking up some stuff about the original Terminator. Specifically, the scene where Reese appears in the alley and swipes a bum’s trousers, resulting in what is still one of my favorite lines in movie history: “That son of a bitch took my pants!”

Procrastinating further, I checked the IMDb listing for the actor listed as “Derelict in alley.” Talk about typecasting…the guy’s name is Stan Yale, and here are some highlights from his 25 movie and television appearances:

2. "Nikki"
- Through Thick and Thin (2002) TV Episode .... Homeless Man
3. "Black Scorpion"
... aka Roger Corman Presents Black Scorpion (Canada: English title)
- Love Burns (2001) TV Episode .... Homeless Man
- Home Sweet Homeless (2001) TV Episode .... Squeegee Guy
4. "The Pretender"
- Risque Business (1999) TV Episode .... Homeless Guy
5. "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch"
... aka Sabrina (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Sabrina Goes to College (USA: promotional title)
- Sabrina the Sandman (1999) TV Episode .... Stinky's Friend
7. Persons Unknown (1996) .... Homeless Man
9. The Force (1994) .... Homeless Man
10. Monolith (1993) .... Bum
... aka Monolith (Germany)
11. Save Me (1993) .... Homeless Man
12. Trancers III (1992) (V) .... Alley Bum
... aka Death Lives
... aka Future Cop III
13. Watchers II (1990) .... Wino #1
14. "L.A. Law"
- America the Beautiful (1989) TV Episode .... First Homeless Man
17. "Moonlighting"
- Tale in Two Cities (1987) TV Episode .... Bum
18. Terminal Exposure (1987) .... White Wino
... aka Double Exposure
19. P.I. Private Investigations (1987) .... Bum
... aka Private Investigations (USA: short title)
22. The Terminator (1984) .... Derelict in Alley
23. Rhinestone (1984) .... Street Player

He had other, named roles, but it’s impossible to tell from those if he was also playing a bum, so I had to go strictly with the ones referencing his severe lack of income.

If I’m reading that right, he played two different homeless characters in the series Black Scorpion. And I’m assuming the character of “Stinky’s friend” from Sabrina was also in some way associated with the street life.

You gotta admire a man with that much dedication to his craft.

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  1. Blaine Fidler says:

    What are the chances are Mr.Yale has a following amongst the homeless community?

    Then again, lacking televisions I imagine he can move amongst his chosen people in relative anonymity. Brilliant.

    Stan Yale, we salute thee!

  2. Furious D says:

    Don’t knock it. Playing homeless probably paid for his house.

  3. Michael Neel says:

    I find it hard not to root for a guy who plays background, (presumably) one- or no-line homeless guys for his career. Rock on Mr. Yale, rock on! I am, and will always be, a fan.

  4. Michael Ferraro says:

    Damn dude, that’s both hilarious and utterly sad at the same time. I always wondered about that dude. He should have punch Kyle Reese in the face for taking his motherfuckin’ pants…

  5. Mark Bell says:

    You’ve got to wonder how the audition process went. Did he always show up dirty with an unkempt beard and ripped clothes? Was he specifically repped for those roles, keeping track of every casting call that needed a bum?

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