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I have the key to One-Eyed Willy.

–Chester Copperpot

Chester Copperpot was a reclusive scavenger hunter from Astoria, Oregon who went missing in the 1930s while looking for One-Eyed Willy's treasure. He was later found by the Goonies, crushed to death under a booby-trapped boulder.

Involvement[]

Chester Copperpot was reported as missing in the November 30, 1935 issue of The Astoria Legend. A copy of this was stored in the Walsh's attic, as meant to be a part of the local museum. When Chunk read the story aloud, Mikey was inspired to lead the same treasure hunt, in one last grand hurrah before the Goon Docks were to be signed away to be demolished.

The Goonies later discovered his skeleton in the tunnels where he evidently triggered a booby-trap that crushed him under a boulder. They identify his corpse from information in his wallet, which also contained a Lou Gehrig baseball card. They take his candles, dynamite sticks, and a skull-shaped key which the map reffered to as "Copper Bones". Moments later Mikey triggered the same trap that Copperpot did, but the Goonies manage to escape unharmed.

When the Goonies arrived at the wishing well, they were considering aborting their mission by using Troy's bucket to pull them up. Some Goonies were considering the quest too dangerous, but Mikey remembers Chester Copperpot, and rallies the Goonies into soldiering on by saying that Chester Copperpot was "supposed to be an expert; a pro", but that he never made it as far as they have.

Behind the scenes[]

The man pictured in the newspaper is uncredited in the film. A number of people have been speculated as to who he is:[1]

  • Keenan Wynn. Supposedly the Wynn family has said it is not Keenan.
  • Sigmund Freud. He looks similar, however people connected to the Freud estate have supposedly said it is not him.
  • Bob Scaife, the construction coordinator on The Goonies. He supposedly had the look Steven Spielberg wanted for Copperpot.
  • Patrick Troughton.
  • Joel Wayne Warner. A school teacher living in Astoria at the time.
  • Prop photo. A similar photo appeared in the 1981 movie Shock Treatment, but appears not to be the same man.

Trivia[]

  • When Jake Fratelli shows that Chester Copperpot's wallet has no money, he says niente, the Italian word for "nothing".
  • Chester Copperpot has been references a number of times in pop culture, including World of Warcraft,the name of a La Oreja de Van Gogh album, and a song by the band Lifehouse, titled "Chester Copperpot".

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. trips (2008-11-05). Who is this actor?. Retrieved on 2018-10-07.
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