Debunking a myth about Kirk Cameron - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

grundoontv · 08-07-2010, 09:23 PM

In which year did the following events occur -- Neil Armstrong's Walk on the Moon, July 20; Woodstock, August 15; and the birth of Kirk Cameron -- October 12?

The answer, my friends, is 1969.

That's right, folks, Kirk Cameron was born on October 12, 1969.

Here's how I KNOW this to be true: in previous generations, if you were born in a given calendar year, whether it be January 1 or December 31, you graduated high school with everyone born in 1954, for example, with some parts of the country different.

Here's a long-forgotten historical fact: not long after the 11-22-1963 Kennedy assassination, one of the first things Lyndon Baines Johnson did after becoming President of the United States was, effective the Fall 1965 American Public School Curriculum, if you were born after September 1 of a given calendar year, you'd cut off into the next grade.

Case in point: I have a teenage cousin who shares a birthday with Kirk, and he'll be graduating high school in Spring 2011, meaning he'll be 18 when he graduates, after starting Kindergarten in Fall 1998 at a private school.

Speaking of private schools: they and/or other schools may have their own agendas, but not public, and according to reputable Kirkographies, when he wasn't being tutored on the "GP" set, he attended a public school, Chatsworth High School.

I'm gonna share with you readers something: according to a 1986 People magazine article published in the December 3, 1986 issue with Archie Leach (better known as movie star Cary Grant) on the cover, detailing Archie's recent death at age 82, Kirk's parents, Rob and Barbara, met when Rob Cameron, c. 1968, was a rising 25-year-old high school gym coach and Barbara was a rising high school graduate, aged 17.

Within a year after their first meeting, Rob and Barbara, all the information I'm describing about courtesy of People (except correct information courtesy of reputable biographies), were expecting their first child.

The following summer, June 22, 1969, Rob Cameron and Barbara Bausmith were married. 3 1/2 months later, on October 12, 1969 in Panorama, California, near Los Angeles, Rob and Barbara became 1st-timers in parenthood when Kirk Thomas Cameron was born.

5 years into the marriage, Rob and Barbara gave parenthood another try. The following spring, April 6, 1975, a girl, Candace Helaine Cameron, was born.

Flash forward to Winter 1984: a rising 26-year-old writer named Neal Marlens conceived an idea for a situation comedy pilot based on a true story.

The pilot, "Growing Pains," was based on Neal's own life as a teenager growing up in Long Island, New York, where his mom was a psychiatrist and dad was the managing editor for New York Newsday, the local newspaper.

The following I described, of course, was courtesy of "Growing Pains: The E! True Hollywood Story"; all other information I've described and will describe in the future courtesy of a now-defunct Kirk Cameron biography I read on E! Online and saw on the now-defunct series "Celebrity Profile."

That fall, in 1984, just before his 15th birthday, Kirk Cameron auditioned for, and eventually walked away, with the role of the eldest teenage son Mike Seaver, whom Neal directly based on himself.

At the auditions, I'm theorizing that Kirk shaved a year off his true age to make himself younger for the part than his true age of 15.

In March 1985, the original "Growing Pains" pilot was filmed--with Elizabeth Ward playing the role assumed by Tracey Gold on the show, that of Carol Seaver, even though Tracey is slightly older than Kirk in real life, having graduated high school in Spring 1987, not long after her 18th B-day that May 16.

The pilot was eventually reshot with Tracey assuming the role played by Elizabeth in the original pilot, and the show made its debut September 24, 1985 on ABC.

Although ratings struggled throughout its 1st season, and creator Neal Marlens left the show, eventually replaced by the trio of Dan Guntzelman, Mike Sullivan, and Steve Marshall, in January 1986, halfway through Season One, by the following fall, Kirk Cameron was a bonafide teen idol, earning 10,000 letters every week.

Not long after celebrating his sweet 16 B-day in 1986 (OK, so he actually turned 17 that year) in a publicity-filled event where even Michael J. Fox (whom Kirk had a friendly rivalry in the teen-idol department with at the time) attended, Kirk's parents sat him and then 11-year-old Candace down (the following information courtesy of Kirk's 2008 memoir "Still Growing") and told them they were getting divorced.

The following summer, not long after making the film "Like Father, Like Son" with the late British comic actor Dudley Moore, by his own admission, Kirk parked his sports car in Van Nuys, California and said to himself, "God, if you're there, I want to know."

Within 6 months after saying that bumbling prayer, Kirk turned his whole life to God and Jesus Christ; simultaneously, his parents reconciled and eventually remarried each other.

In Spring 1988, not long after Mike Seaver graduated from Thomas E. Dewey High School on the Season 3 finale of "Growing Pains," Kirk Cameron, in real life, graduated from Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, where he attended every 4th week when not being tutored on the set.

Soon after, according to "Still Growing," Kirk, then aged 18, bought his first house in Simi Valley, California--not to be wild with women, contrary to National Enquirer, but rather to have a sense of freedom; not too long after he moved out and sold the house, however, the house burned down.

Within a year, not long before his 20th B-day in 1989, Kirk met and fell in love with an aspiring actress/model named Nancy Mueller (better known by her stage name Chelsea Noble to "Growing Pains" fans).

Flash forward to April 24, 1991: according to "The E! True Hollywood Story," Kirk called the President of ABC, saying that his 3 employers were "pornographers" (in Steve Marshall's case, sadly true, as earlier this year, Steve pled guilty to child porn possession and earned 7 years in prison).

3 months later, on July 20, 1991, Kirk Cameron and Nancy Mueller were married in Nancy's hometown of Buffalo, New York, in a private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance. Kirk was 21; Nancy was 26.

Meanwhile, the 3 employers quit, and new writers and producers were hired, all of whom deemed Kirk "too old" to be a teen idol, thus earning a 16-year-old kid named Leonardo DiCaprio, a high-school dropout, cast as Luke Brower, a 15-year-old homeless teenage boy taken in by Kirk's character Mike Seaver.

Alas, by this time, it was too late to save the show, as the following Spring, though #27 out of 102 prime-time network shows in the Nielsens (courtesy of Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh's "The Encyclopedia of Prime Time Network and Cable Shows: 1946-present), Kirk's religious beliefs caused ABC to cancel the show, with the swan song of "Growing Pains" broadcast April 25, 1992 on ABC.

Less than 3 years later, in 1995, Kirk, aged 25, was given his own WB sitcom, called "Kirk," created by fellow teen idol Scott Baio; low ratings, however, prompted WB to give "Kirk" the boot in November 1996, not even halfway through its 2nd season.

Flash forward 7 years later, to 2003: Kirk Cameron, aged 33, begins doing evangelical sermons through the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a job he still does today, aged 40, through traveling in real churches across the U.S.

Kirk, still married to Nancy, is the proud father of 6 kids--4 adopted, 2 biological--between ages 7 and 15; Candace, now aged 35, is the proud mother of 3 children--all biological--between ages 8 and 12.

On a related note: according to "The E! THS," Jeremy Miller, youngest son Ben on "Growing Pains," his IMDB entry lists his birthdate as October 21, 1976. WRONG! Actually, Jeremy was born October 21, 1975--a fact attributed by E! Entertainment when they mentioned Jeremy graduated high school in 1994.

Oh, and before I forget, another Kirk myth to debunk: some say his eye color is Hazel; actually, it's Blue. How I know this? Through a baby picture of Kirk used in the "Growing Pains" opening montage in Seasons 2 and 3.

Anyway, back to the story: I'm the kind who truly DID his homework when it came to Kirk Cameron and his immediate family background.

Oh, and something else I forgot: my older cousin, Danny Hooley, actually saw Kirk live and in person at my uncle Steve's job on Georgia Southern University campus in Statesboro, an hour from the Georgia coast.

When it comes to debunking myths, I'm your man.

Until next time,
Grundoon

Zoneboy · 08-07-2010, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grundoontv

Oh, and before I forget, another Kirk myth to debunk: some say his eye color is Hazel; actually, it's Blue. How I know this? Through a baby picture of Kirk used in the "Growing Pains" opening montage in Seasons 2 and 3.

When it comes to debunking myths, I'm your man.

Until next time,
Grundoon

Unless Kirk's wearing contacts then his eyes are hazel, most all babies are born with blue eyes.

blkplaguelmc · 01-21-2011, 04:10 PM

I have to say, I'm just as big of a Growing Pains fan as the next guy, but who the hell cares what year Kirk Cameron was "really" born?? I'm curious to see what other "myths" you "debunk" because I don't really think of Kirk Cameron's date of birth as a myth.

Lastdaysofrain · 01-24-2011, 10:45 AM

I thought this would debunk the myth that Kirk Cameron was ever actually born, he has always existed.

08-07-2010, 09:23 PM	#1
grundoontv Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 12, 2007 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 83	Debunking a myth about Kirk Cameron In which year did the following events occur -- Neil Armstrong's Walk on the Moon, July 20; Woodstock, August 15; and the birth of Kirk Cameron -- October 12? The answer, my friends, is 1969. That's right, folks, Kirk Cameron was born on October 12, 1969. Here's how I KNOW this to be true: in previous generations, if you were born in a given calendar year, whether it be January 1 or December 31, you graduated high school with everyone born in 1954, for example, with some parts of the country different. Here's a long-forgotten historical fact: not long after the 11-22-1963 Kennedy assassination, one of the first things Lyndon Baines Johnson did after becoming President of the United States was, effective the Fall 1965 American Public School Curriculum, if you were born after September 1 of a given calendar year, you'd cut off into the next grade. Case in point: I have a teenage cousin who shares a birthday with Kirk, and he'll be graduating high school in Spring 2011, meaning he'll be 18 when he graduates, after starting Kindergarten in Fall 1998 at a private school. Speaking of private schools: they and/or other schools may have their own agendas, but not public, and according to reputable Kirkographies, when he wasn't being tutored on the "GP" set, he attended a public school, Chatsworth High School. I'm gonna share with you readers something: according to a 1986 People magazine article published in the December 3, 1986 issue with Archie Leach (better known as movie star Cary Grant) on the cover, detailing Archie's recent death at age 82, Kirk's parents, Rob and Barbara, met when Rob Cameron, c. 1968, was a rising 25-year-old high school gym coach and Barbara was a rising high school graduate, aged 17. Within a year after their first meeting, Rob and Barbara, all the information I'm describing about courtesy of People (except correct information courtesy of reputable biographies), were expecting their first child. The following summer, June 22, 1969, Rob Cameron and Barbara Bausmith were married. 3 1/2 months later, on October 12, 1969 in Panorama, California, near Los Angeles, Rob and Barbara became 1st-timers in parenthood when Kirk Thomas Cameron was born. 5 years into the marriage, Rob and Barbara gave parenthood another try. The following spring, April 6, 1975, a girl, Candace Helaine Cameron, was born. Flash forward to Winter 1984: a rising 26-year-old writer named Neal Marlens conceived an idea for a situation comedy pilot based on a true story. The pilot, "Growing Pains," was based on Neal's own life as a teenager growing up in Long Island, New York, where his mom was a psychiatrist and dad was the managing editor for New York Newsday, the local newspaper. The following I described, of course, was courtesy of "Growing Pains: The E! True Hollywood Story"; all other information I've described and will describe in the future courtesy of a now-defunct Kirk Cameron biography I read on E! Online and saw on the now-defunct series "Celebrity Profile." That fall, in 1984, just before his 15th birthday, Kirk Cameron auditioned for, and eventually walked away, with the role of the eldest teenage son Mike Seaver, whom Neal directly based on himself. At the auditions, I'm theorizing that Kirk shaved a year off his true age to make himself younger for the part than his true age of 15. In March 1985, the original "Growing Pains" pilot was filmed--with Elizabeth Ward playing the role assumed by Tracey Gold on the show, that of Carol Seaver, even though Tracey is slightly older than Kirk in real life, having graduated high school in Spring 1987, not long after her 18th B-day that May 16. The pilot was eventually reshot with Tracey assuming the role played by Elizabeth in the original pilot, and the show made its debut September 24, 1985 on ABC. Although ratings struggled throughout its 1st season, and creator Neal Marlens left the show, eventually replaced by the trio of Dan Guntzelman, Mike Sullivan, and Steve Marshall, in January 1986, halfway through Season One, by the following fall, Kirk Cameron was a bonafide teen idol, earning 10,000 letters every week. Not long after celebrating his sweet 16 B-day in 1986 (OK, so he actually turned 17 that year) in a publicity-filled event where even Michael J. Fox (whom Kirk had a friendly rivalry in the teen-idol department with at the time) attended, Kirk's parents sat him and then 11-year-old Candace down (the following information courtesy of Kirk's 2008 memoir "Still Growing") and told them they were getting divorced. The following summer, not long after making the film "Like Father, Like Son" with the late British comic actor Dudley Moore, by his own admission, Kirk parked his sports car in Van Nuys, California and said to himself, "God, if you're there, I want to know." Within 6 months after saying that bumbling prayer, Kirk turned his whole life to God and Jesus Christ; simultaneously, his parents reconciled and eventually remarried each other. In Spring 1988, not long after Mike Seaver graduated from Thomas E. Dewey High School on the Season 3 finale of "Growing Pains," Kirk Cameron, in real life, graduated from Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, where he attended every 4th week when not being tutored on the set. Soon after, according to "Still Growing," Kirk, then aged 18, bought his first house in Simi Valley, California--not to be wild with women, contrary to National Enquirer, but rather to have a sense of freedom; not too long after he moved out and sold the house, however, the house burned down. Within a year, not long before his 20th B-day in 1989, Kirk met and fell in love with an aspiring actress/model named Nancy Mueller (better known by her stage name Chelsea Noble to "Growing Pains" fans). Flash forward to April 24, 1991: according to "The E! True Hollywood Story," Kirk called the President of ABC, saying that his 3 employers were "pornographers" (in Steve Marshall's case, sadly true, as earlier this year, Steve pled guilty to child porn possession and earned 7 years in prison). 3 months later, on July 20, 1991, Kirk Cameron and Nancy Mueller were married in Nancy's hometown of Buffalo, New York, in a private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance. Kirk was 21; Nancy was 26. Meanwhile, the 3 employers quit, and new writers and producers were hired, all of whom deemed Kirk "too old" to be a teen idol, thus earning a 16-year-old kid named Leonardo DiCaprio, a high-school dropout, cast as Luke Brower, a 15-year-old homeless teenage boy taken in by Kirk's character Mike Seaver. Alas, by this time, it was too late to save the show, as the following Spring, though #27 out of 102 prime-time network shows in the Nielsens (courtesy of Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh's "The Encyclopedia of Prime Time Network and Cable Shows: 1946-present), Kirk's religious beliefs caused ABC to cancel the show, with the swan song of "Growing Pains" broadcast April 25, 1992 on ABC. Less than 3 years later, in 1995, Kirk, aged 25, was given his own WB sitcom, called "Kirk," created by fellow teen idol Scott Baio; low ratings, however, prompted WB to give "Kirk" the boot in November 1996, not even halfway through its 2nd season. Flash forward 7 years later, to 2003: Kirk Cameron, aged 33, begins doing evangelical sermons through the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), a job he still does today, aged 40, through traveling in real churches across the U.S. Kirk, still married to Nancy, is the proud father of 6 kids--4 adopted, 2 biological--between ages 7 and 15; Candace, now aged 35, is the proud mother of 3 children--all biological--between ages 8 and 12. On a related note: according to "The E! THS," Jeremy Miller, youngest son Ben on "Growing Pains," his IMDB entry lists his birthdate as October 21, 1976. WRONG! Actually, Jeremy was born October 21, 1975--a fact attributed by E! Entertainment when they mentioned Jeremy graduated high school in 1994. Oh, and before I forget, another Kirk myth to debunk: some say his eye color is Hazel; actually, it's Blue. How I know this? Through a baby picture of Kirk used in the "Growing Pains" opening montage in Seasons 2 and 3. Anyway, back to the story: I'm the kind who truly DID his homework when it came to Kirk Cameron and his immediate family background. Oh, and something else I forgot: my older cousin, Danny Hooley, actually saw Kirk live and in person at my uncle Steve's job on Georgia Southern University campus in Statesboro, an hour from the Georgia coast. When it comes to debunking myths, I'm your man. Until next time, Grundoon

01-21-2011, 04:10 PM	#3
blkplaguelmc Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 16, 2010 Location: Lowell,ma Posts: 12	I have to say, I'm just as big of a Growing Pains fan as the next guy, but who the hell cares what year Kirk Cameron was "really" born?? I'm curious to see what other "myths" you "debunk" because I don't really think of Kirk Cameron's date of birth as a myth.

01-24-2011, 10:45 AM	#4
Lastdaysofrain Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 13, 2005 Posts: 204	I thought this would debunk the myth that Kirk Cameron was ever actually born, he has always existed.