"Essie Rerun Berry(widow)9663 Santa Monica Blvd Suite 121 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Email:spititout1@yahoo.com Photography Done By lajoywalker815@yahoo.com"
Female
38 years old
Beverly hills , California
United States
About me: Fred "Rerun" Berry (March 13, 1951 - October 21, 2003) was an American actor best known for the role of Fred "Rerun" Stubbs on the popular 1970s television show What's Happening!!.
He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Before starring on "What's Happening", he was a member of the Los Angeles based dance troupe The Lockers. "What's Happening" lasted from 1976 to 1979. He was a millionaire by age 29. After the show ended, Berry had trouble finding work and was permanently identified with the Rerun character. Eventually however, he came to embrace his being typecast, and made his peace with it as the best means to maintain his celebrity. In public, he was often seen wearing the red beret and red suspenders that are part of the "Rerun" character, and even went so far as to have his middle name legally changed to "Rerun". After the show was cancelled Berry struggled with personal problems and with the search for another star vehicle.
During the 1980s, Berry battled drug addiction and alcoholism. He revived the character of Rerun in the series What's Happening Now!!, but would only be on that show for 1 year.
During the 1990s he became a Baptist minister and lost 100 pounds (45 kg) after being diagnosed with diabetes. He made a living during this time mostly through making public appearances as Rerun. He was married six times to four different women.
Berry made a brief cameo appearance in Insane Clown Posse's film "Big Money Hustlas" as Bootleg Greg, a merchandise counterfeiter. In 1996, he also made an appearance in Less Than Jake's video "Dopeman," which was never aired on television. In the second season of the comedy television series "Scrubs", he appeared in his iconic "Rerun" suspenders and beret in an extended dance sequence fantasized by Dr. John "J.D." Dorian (which included a dozen others also wearing the same outfit)
He returned to the screen in 1998 in the action movie "In The Hood" and made a cameo in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), playing himself in a song at the end. His final role was another memorable cameo in the Maria Menounos produced, John Waters narrated, "In the Land of Merry Misfits" which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Berry was married to Essie Berry October 22,1999 on her birthday an died on October 21, 2003 at his Los Angeles home where he was recovering from a stroke. He was 52.
Who I'd like to meet: Who would have ever imagined that a summer only series would birth a successful television show? Who would have thought that after an abrupt cancellation that this show would do better in syndicated reruns than the original broadcast? 'What's Happening!!,' a short but notable series of the 1970's made one laugh.
The series, a comical contrast of the often series 'Good Times', made audiences in studio and at home laugh at the crazy antics that Raj, Rerun and Dwayne would get themselves into. Despite the generation of laughter; lies, deception and rumors would spread rampant about the series main character, Fred 'Rerun' Berry.
What role did Fred Berry really play in the cancellation of 'What's Happening'
Berry, accused of causing many problems behind the set of 'What's Happening', was labeled as troublemaker by many in the industry but his widow, Essie, asserts that he was standing up for what's right. "When he went back and asked for more money, they told him he could not be who is he is," she reports. "It would be hard to walk around knowing that you created a character and someone just took it away from you." Initially, the character of 'Rerun' on the series was developed for a white male. "Fred, gave you a character, [they] gave him a name," she adds.
TV Party reports that famed director Alan Rafkin mentioned in his book, 'Cue The Bunny On The Rainbow' that "Fred Berry was the one to look out for. He could be trouble. He received many of the show's big laughs." He goes on to say that Fred led Ernest Thomas and Haywood Nelson to strike with him for more money. The producers failed to comply and ended the series rather than providing salary increases. "They labeled him as a drug addict and that was another reason why he walked away," she explains. "When they paid him $5,000 per episode, they paid a Caucasian man, $8,000 per episode." According to Berry, 'What's Happening' did better than Star Trek in 1977.
In regards to the drug usage, the late Berry confessed in 1996 to using drugs. "He said he did a quite bit of drugs in his timeframe. He did not sellout but he could have made other choices," she analyzes. "It had to be a large entity for him to break down like that."
The show was reborn in 1985, as 'What's Happening Now', which brought back everyone with the exception of Mabel King. King, who quitted the original series in the second season, reportedly wanted more money than what producers were offering her. Berry, would only stay on the series until midseason before he left. "Fred wanted to go back and ask for more money but the whole crew back out and did not want to back him up," she states. "When he left, the series plunged." Despite focusing more on Shirley Hemphill's character and adding new characters in the third season, the series was cancelled in 1988. The series made television history as the first cancelled show that was revived in first run syndication. This endeavor paved the way for other series including 'Mama's Family.' There was even talks of reviving the short lived Clifton Davis' series, 'That's My Mama,' a pilot was filmed but the series never received approval for production.
The series disappears all together and comes out for home release without consent
After the cancellation of "What's Happening Now,' the reruns of both series were syndicated and aired up to the early 1990's. By this time, it would be rare to find either show being reran in syndication. In 2004, things changed for the series, as the first season of 'What's Happening' came on DVD. Ironically, this was nearly three months after Berry's death in Oct. 2003. Since the February 2004 release, the other two seasons of the series have hit shelves at stores. There has been industry spectulation about the potential DVD release of 'What's Happening Now.'
Essie Berry became outraged and appalled at this decision by Sony Entertainment. "I [am] tired of seeing of what they are doing with my husband's image and likeness and not compensating the family for it," she replies. "It's the principle of the entire issue, but more importantly it's about the lies and vicious exploitation that the industry does to our black actresses and actors." Two other stars, Shirley Hemphill and Mabel King passed away one month apart of each other in 1999, leaving Ernest Thomas, Haywood Nelson and Danielle Spencer the remaining living survivors of the series.
As she began to investigate the matter, she discovered that contracts were displayed forged signatures from the late Berry. In an attempt to get answers for this fraudulent behavior, Berry has sought legal action. "I got a world renowned hand specialist who I sent Fred's contract, signatures, and ID to. He told me that handwriting is like DNA, it doesn't change that much," she discusses.
The exploitation of her belated husband's name, likeness and image on releases of 'What's Happening' DVD's, family television games sold at Wal-Mart showcasing the late actor's picture. Also, the re-release of reruns of the series on TVLAND last November adds insult to injury. "[This] is not about the money, [this] is about that they would not bring 'What's Happening' back when Fred was living. He died wanting them to bring it back," she says. "Now you disrespect him by bringing it back when he is deceased. I am glad you brought it back but compensate, do right by the family. How many other African Americans have you kept in forfeited contracts."
The contention of the estate of Fred Berry is that the family should be compensated for the late actor's likeness and image. "Unfortunately, in the billion-dollar entertainment industry, our black actors and black actresses are always given the short end of the monetary stick, for example look at how many black people have stars on Hollywood. Fred should be on that 'Walk of Fame,'' she analyzes. "I'm not only fighting for the estate and family of Fred Berry, but I'm fighting for all of those other widows and children of famous actors and entertainers who are getting robbed everyday by the big entertainment companies."
Berry is also concerned about the estate of the late Hemphill and King. "A deceased person cannot talk. They have no contact through the Screen Actors Guild or American Foundation on who their estates are," she states. "Where is their money going?
When Fred passed away, they didn't know he had a widow." Sources at both Screen Actors Guild and American Federation have informed and confirmed that no network should have aired anything without her permission, as executor of Fred Berry's estate. "Who is a person to think that they could keep a person in a contract from 1977," she replies. "Now, you are capitalizing off his face, name and likeness."
She also wants to locate the series creator, Eric Monte, who according to TV Party was shortchanged out of what he was owed for his work on 'What's Happening', 'Good Times' and 'The Jeffersons.' The website, tv.com, reports that Monte's last know work is writing he did for a 2001 episode of 'Moesha.' "I want to locate him and he is a great part of this situation. He knows the legacy of it," she mentions.
Rerun spent his life fighting for his name, now Essie Berry steps up to the plate
'The money aint a thing' with Mrs. Berry. A Georgia peach from Columbus in California, one who isn't afraid to use her southern hospitality and smarts to stand up and be heard. She cites that she has declined offers of 10 and 20 million dollars from Sony to shut up and walk away. "It became 20 million dollars and [I] couldn't use his name, likeness or anything," she states. " I am going to have to make these people do right."
Berry reports that Dave Chappelle declined 50 million dollars from Comedy Central and states, 'so what's 10 or 20 million.' Like the late Berry, people wanted Chappelle to change who he was. "He saw a white man with a black face and others were laughing about it, " she recalls. "Watching them laugh struck him so deep, so much that he walked away. When they taught he was in a crazy house, he was making his block party movie."
Fred Berry made 'Rerun' who he was. He added the red beret, baggy pants and suspenders. "If he wasn't willing to sign it away, then who am I to sign it away," she adds. Berry believes that she is on the right track by standing for something rather than falling for anything. She hopes that this will shed light on the injustices going on in Hollywood to black actors and actresses. "I have two sons aged 18 and 20, [respectively]. I want them to remember what I stood for," she discusses. "Where are our black leaders? The NAACP? I am a member and I am going to change that. They are different from how they fought back in the day."
She considers herself the chosen one. Fred Berry was married a total of six times in his life, a remarried two of his wives twice. "All of them took him for his money. When I met him, it wasn't about what I could get, it was about a man whose heart was broken in Hollywood," she recalls. "When he came to Alabama and Georgia, he was revived, he could smell the air, he was relieved. Fred taught me that a relationship is more important than money."
While she indicated, the other former wives probably would have fought the battle, she thinks that she can tough it out the most. "I don't know if they would have went to the extent that I am getting ready to go fight for his legacy and not be scared or let somebody punk them out because they got a big name in Hollywood," she expresses.
In 2003, two weeks after Berry's death, Missy Elliot made a video that she labeled as tribute to his death. The song and video, Pass That Dutch, featured images of Berry in the background and dancers dressed like him. There were even lyrics that 'were' devoted to him. The following lyrics can be found in verse one, I'm a pain in your rectum, I am that bitch y'all slept on/Heavy hitter, rhyme spitter, call me Re-Run / Hey hey hey, I'm what's happ'nin / Hypnotic in my drink (that's right!) / Shake ya ass till it stink (that's right!) / Mr. Mos' on the beat (that's right!) / Put it down for the streets (that's right!).
"She upset me as a black woman. I am coming for you Missy because you are disrespectful," she promises. "I am going to let her know that I am not scared of Sony first." Berry initially simply wanted an apology from Missy in regards to the use of the image and words in the lyrics. "All I asked for was an apology. Her agent, Mona Scott told a guy that was working for me as an agent, said tell Mrs. Berry to do what she [has] to do, she doesn't have a leg to stand on." The song was considered on of the best singles of 2003. The video won numerous awards.
In 2002, the late Berry sued Universoul Circus for using his name and likeness with approval in advertisements for the circus. Berry was employed as general circus performer for company. "I understand what Fred went through now," she realizes. "This place [Hollywood] will chew you up and spit you out. Caucasian actors can go and do drugs, whatever they need to do and have a talk show tomorrow."
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