In 1996 20th Century Fox released a musical comedy-drama depicting the rise and fall of a pop band in Erie, Pennsylvania of 1964 all thanks to a one-hit wonder song, the Beatles-esque number “That Thing You Do”, which was also the film title. The featured song, written in real life by Allan Schlesinger and sung by Mike Viola was a runaway hit in the movie’s narrative and a modest Billboard success in the real world.

But ultimately while the film did quite well for itself at the time it was soon left behind in the turn of the new millennium as the actors involved went on to other things.

But they haven’t forgotten the film and the song entirely, as proven when they held an impromptu reunion and even sang the song their characters made great.

‘Goddamn Comedy Jam’ appearance

While the entire main cast of “That Thing You Do” couldn’t quite make it – Tom Hanks, who played record company rep Mr. White, had other commitments – three of the ensemble cast was present at the Goddamn Comedy Jam at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday April 25. They were in character as members of the fictional band The Oneders/Wonders.

There was Johnathon Schaech as guitarist/singer Jimmy Mattingly (who wrote the song in the film), Tom Everett Scott as drummer Guy Patterson, and Ethan Embry as the bass player of the band who went (comically) unnamed in the film.

Dressed in shirt and tie to mimic their characters’ performing duds, they went on and jammed (with sit-in performers to fill out The Wonders) a cover of “That Thing You Do” to a very receptive audience.

Reunion hard

The monthly Goddamn Comedy Jam event at the Roxy involved comedians performing stand-up routines and then performing with a live band.

The Wonders “reunion” was so rapturously applauded that comedian Josh Adam Meyers, who was hosting, went on Instagram to call the evening the best Comedy Jam they’ve ever done.

Meyers also praised Scott, Schaech and Embry for making the show “magical” by performing their signature song, especially when the trio “managed” to get a hold of their (absentee) co-star Steve Zahn to “reprise” his role of second guitarist Lenny.

That’s quite the praise given to the stars of “That Thing You Do”, especially given that Embry admitted on an interview regarding the film’s 20th anniversary, that there once came a time that he grew to hate the titular song from having it endlessly played to a worn-out welcome. Regardless, the three Wonders actors enjoyed their performance at Roxy, with Embry tweeting, “When we reunion, we reunion hard.”
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