An hour before showtime, costume-clad students stormed the Baker Center Ballroom in hopes of gaining an early glimpse of America's favorite principal. With Dennis Haskins in town, Ohio University was itching to be Saved by the Bell.
Adjusting the blonde Zack Morris wig atop her head, OU junior Ashley Kent anticipated being reunited with the revered Mr. Belding. Every child of the 80s knows what 'Saved by the Bell' is and if they don't
I don't know where they were Kent said.
When the side doors of the hall opened, the sold-out crowd jumped to its feet at the first sight of a distant Haskins. I want Belding in the flesh! freshman Ryan Novak screamed above deafening chants.
After a boisterous theme-song sing-along, Haskins hopped onto the stage, exultant in the thundering applause. Upon gaining partial control of the crowd, he began a halting oration of his early days in acting, interrupted sporadically by desperate cries of adoration and impatient demands for Saved by the Bell set gossip.
Weaving his way through random bits of trivia and anecdotes along the way, Haskins reminisced about his days as the first badass on The Dukes of Hazzard and various other momentary stops on the road to sitcom glory in the hallways of Bayside High.
The last stop along Mr. Belding's Campus Tour the Athens venue reinforced Haskin's affinity for the cherished role.
Hands down
Mr. Belding has been my favorite role. It's just an amazing thing to do a show in a studio and then have it go out to the entire world and touch a lot of lives
Haskins said. In the original graduation episode
I was fortunate enough to be able to say goodbye to the cast for the entire world.
Caving to the demands of gossip-hungry fans, Haskins grudgingly denied teasing remarks that he had been involved with any of his younger co-stars. It's a wonderful thing that you all love this show so much
but I never got with any of the kids
he said with a broad grin.
Haskins, in conjunction with the boisterous crowd, proceeded to judge cast look-alikes wearing jet-black jerry curl wigs and toting Zack Morris-esque cell phones. A Saved by the Bell trivia showdown separated the true Bayside-High fanatics from the posers.
Amid the onslaught of fans rushing for Haskin's autograph at the event's conclusion, Kent said she was not a bit surprised with the overwhelming reaction.
'Saved by the Bell' has been a part of our everyday lives since we were kids. Now it's in syndication four times every day. To have a live part of it here at OU is just great
overwhelmingly great
Kent said.
Ducking to avoid being trampled by the crowd, Natalie Pariano, UPC special events co-chair, said she was thrilled to end the organization's year on such a positive note. I think that Mr. Belding is everyone's principal. When I first met him
I wanted to call him Mr. B right away. This show is such a cult classic. I'm really thrilled we were able to bring him here.
