Salute Your Shorts 35th Anniversary Cast Reunion | Splat Attack Podcast
The shorts are on the pole. The bunks are decorated and ready. The pies are set and it's time for Camp Anawanna! This childhood staple of kids who grew up with Nickelodeon in the early 90s will remember this show, and it's legendary theme song, fondly. Now turning 35 we have some of the cast members joining us in the studio to share memories and stories. Joining us are Venus DeMilo Thomas (Telly Radford), Michael Ray Bower (Eddie 'Donkeylips' Gelfen), Heidi Lukacsik (Dina Alexander), Danny Cooksey (Robert 'Bobby' Budnick) and Megan Mahdavi (Z.Z. Ziff). Along with friends of the podcast Joe Gilpatrick and Clay Prindle, we travel back to the time of Zeke the Plumber, Sara Madre, and the icon that is Kevin 'Ug' Lee. Join us as we talk the 35th anniversary of Salute Your Shorts.
Check out Venus' audition for Salute Your Shorts: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6ohsfpxgxo/?hl=en
Want to see the original pilot? Look no further: • Salute Your Shorts (Unaired Pilot) 1990
Looking to get into the acting industry? Check out Venus and book a one on one session with her: https://www.venusdemilothomas.com/
Be sure to check out Michael's YouTube page: @heybower
0:00 Intro
1:54 Guest Intro
3:19 Special Guest Intro
4:22 Auditions
7:32 Filming the Pilot
9:11 Joe's Experience
10:44 Knowledge of Success
11:39 The Dreaded Theme Song
12:37 Heidi's Audition
13:48 Character Influences
15:13 Clay's Experience
16:50 What Did the Character's Name Mean?
18:24 Did You Save Props From the Show?
22:25 Heather's Experience
25:19 Memories of Kirk Bailey
30:38 What Is An Awful Waffle?
32:01 Cat's Experience
33:53 Filming on Location
35:57 Camp Activities
38:21 What Would Your Characters Be Doing Now?
39:53 Favorite Episodes
43:25 What Stories Would Have Liked To Do?
47:13 Correcting Wiki
47:56 Commercial Break
50:52 Hidden Secrets
53:54 Maintain Integrity
55:22 Gameshow Participation
57:01 Fan Experiences
1:01:42 Dressing Room Shenanigans
1:02:35 A Head Slappin' Start
1:03:36 Changes for the Potential Third Season
1:04:59 What Makes the Show Last?
1:15:09 Segment: This or That
1:23:31 Closing Question and Ending
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From People:
Salute Your Shorts Cast Remembers Kirk Bailey as a ‘Consummate Actor’ and ‘Big Brother’ Figure as They Celebrate Show’s 35th Anniversary
Bailey died months after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022
NEED TO KNOW
- Salute Your Shorts aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1992
- Venus DeMilo Thomas, Megan Mahdavi, Michael Ray Bower, Heidi Lukacsik and Danny Cooksey participated in a virtual reunion as the show celebrates its 35th anniversary
- During their time on the Splat Attack podcast, they shared memories of their late castmate, Kirk Bailey, who played Kevin ‘Ug’ Lee
The cast of Salute Your Shorts is looking back at 35 years of Camp Anawanna memories.
Venus DeMilo Thomas, Megan Mahdavi, Michael Ray Bower, Heidi Lukacsik and Danny Cooksey appeared in a virtual reunion on the Splat Attack podcast, where they took time to remember late castmate Kirk Bailey, who played Kevin ‘Ug’ Lee.
Cooksey, 50, shared his favorite memory of Bailey, who died in March 2022 at the age of 59, six months after he was first diagnosed with lung cancer. Recalling an episode where the two decide to be each other for a day, Cooksey said, “He was so much fun.”
“He was so quick. He was so, so funny, and especially, he was just a good, good dude. He was great to work with,” he continued.
Mahdavi recalled Bailey as someone who “really took care of us”, using night shoots as an example.
“One of the cameramen was telling us that there was a prison on the other side of the hill, where they had some escapees, just to amp things up. And Kirk just made everything okay. He always made sure. That was who he was,” she added.
Lukacsik, 49, remembers Bailey as a true role model for her as a child actor, especially because she didn’t have the same background in the craft as some of her castmates.
“One of the things that I think he exemplified for me, and I don’t know if you guys agree, being a young actor, I looked up to him so much. Because I would struggle with my lines and memorizing things.... There was this scene where I had to dress up like Madonna. And I just couldn’t get that line and just struggled over and over and over again,” she recalled.
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From People:
Michael Ray Bower Reveals the Heartfelt Reason Why the Last Episode of Salute Your Shorts is His Favorite
Bower played Eddie ‘Donkeylips’ Gelfin throughout the show’s run
NEED TO KNOW
- Salute Your Shorts aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1992
- Venus DeMilo Thomas, Megan Mahdavi, Michael Ray Bower, Heidi Lukacsik and Danny Cooksey participated in a virtual reunion on the Splat Attack podcast as the show celebrates its 35th anniversary
- Bower shared his favorite episode of the series and explained his unexpected pick
Michael Ray Bower finds the end of Salute Your Shorts to be bittersweet.
The actor, 51, played Eddie ‘Donkeylips’ Gelfin on the Nickelodeon series, which aired from 1991 to 1992. While he has many fond memories of his character’s adventures, during a reunion with his castmates on the Splat Attack podcast, he shared that, “The best episode, unfortunately, feels like it’s the last episode.
“It’s the last episode. Not because it ended, but because my character, throughout the series, started out as a bully and then became somewhat part of the heart of the show,” he explained.
Bower continued, “Then I ended up taking over the company as the CEO and kind of providing substance for the camp to make money through all the hijinks. And again, just for the big ugly doof... it’s a whole arc, like a villain-to-hero-arc, and I really, really enjoyed it. But I’m sad that was the last episode.”
Bower made another surprising admission during the episode, revealing that he’s not a fan of the show’s iconic theme song.
“I hate to be honest, I absolutely hate the f--king theme song,” he proclaimed.
“I’m sorry, excuse my language. But I’m on Cameo, trying to make a living off of my past. And every opportunity through Cameo or podcasts is, ‘Can you sing the theme song? Can you sing the theme song?’ And I even tell people my name is Michael Ray Bower, not Donkey Lips,” Bower explained.
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From People:
Salute Your Shorts Actress Megan Mahdavi Praises Showrunners for Keeping the Series ‘Wholesome’ and ‘Rosy’ for Young Actors
The cast noted their Nickelodeon experience was different than that of shows that aired in the 2000s on the network
NEED TO KNOW
- Salute Your Shorts aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1992, but was syndicated on the network for a decade
- The camp-based series was beloved by viewers and the young cast, who praised the safe work environment that many take for granted
- Venus DeMilo Thomas, Megan Mahdavi, Michael Ray Bower, Heidi Lukacsik and Danny Cooksey participated in a virtual reunion on the Splat Attack podcast as the show celebrates its 35th anniversary
Megan Mahdavi has the fondest memories of her time on Salute Your Shorts.
The former actress appeared alongside castmates Venus DeMilo Thomas, Michael Ray Bower, Heidi Lukacsik, and Danny Cooksey in a virtual reunion on the Splat Attack podcast as the show celebrates its 35th anniversary.
Acknowledging that child actors don’t always have a positive experience on the sets of their projects, Mahdavi praised the crew behind Salute Your Shorts for providing an appropriate and positive environment for the show’s young talent.
“We had such a love affair with our crew. We had a young, cool crew and they took care,” she began.
“We had an amazing, amazing crew. Like these scandals coming out now that I read, I feel like, ‘Wow, we were the luckiest cast in the world because not only were our writers these wholesome guys who, their thought was like ‘Food is funny,’ “ Mahdavi acknowledged.
“I mean, they never did things to embarrass us or... I just feel like how lucky. If you’re going to be a child actor, how lucky to be a child actor with the nicest crew on earth,” she continued.
The star later added, “For me, it was just a really rosy experience. I think they took care of us as kids. So my memories of Salute Your Shorts are like, the best time of my life. I mean, I have kids now so nothing can ever be better than that, but yeah, it was just an awesome experience. It’s the summer camp I always wish I’d gone to.”
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Originally published: July 03, 2026.
