Dundee club boss recalls when Oor Wullie was denied US entry – but won hearts of Hollywood stars
Dundee club boss recalls when Oor Wullie was denied US entry – but won hearts of Hollywood stars.
It was hardly the Hollywood reception that Oor Wullie had envisioned. Scotland’s cheeky gambler was turned away at the US border and never made it to the glamorous awards ceremony, dashed his hopes of mixing with A-listers and sharing fashion advice on the red carpet.
Tony Cochrane, the owner of Dundee Nightclub, arranged the meet-and-greet with the spiky-haired rascal at the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles in 2014.
And he believed Wullie was denied admittance because he carried a ‘weapon’ in his pocket: his beloved catapult.
However, all was not lost.
Oor Wullie DID meet the stars
Tony, the forward-thinking one, had brought a pop-up banner of Oor Wullie to the awards ceremony, as well as a collection of cartoon character paintings done by DC Thomson artists.
Stars such as Michael Sheen, Warren Brown, and Billy Bob Thornton were thrilled to meet the pop-up version of Wullie and jumped at the opportunity to be photographed with him.
Meanwhile, Tony, who runs a number of nightclubs, including Fat Sam’s in Dundee, gave a group of celebrities a “history” lecture on who Oor Wullie is.
One famous director was so fascinated that she suggested making a TV series about him.
A bit of a joke
Tony picked up the narrative, saying, “I spoke with the Sunday Post and arranged for Oor Wullie to be one of the sponsors for the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles in 2014. “It was sort of a joke at the time.”
“I asked Martin Lindsay, the licensing manager for consumer products at DC Thomson at the time, to obtain me a full-sized Oor Wullie suit.
“The plan was that he would deliver it to me in LA, and a young kid about 5 feet tall would wear it on the red carpet to meet all the stars.
“I also got artists who drew the Oor Wullie cartoons to create a series of drawings to give out to the award nominees.”
Oor Wullie denied entry
Unfortunately, even the best made intentions sometimes go awry. So, on the day before the awards, Tony learnt that customs had refused to allow the Oor Wullie outfit into the United States.
The reason for this was unknown, but Tony assumed it was because the character was equipped with a ‘weapon’ – his trusty catapult.
“Oor Wullie was one of the first victims of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement!” Tony burst out laughing.
“But we had to make the best of it.
Pop-up Wullie saved the day
“I had brought along a pop-up banner of the character, which was what saved the day!” “I was able to persuade celebrities to pose for photos with it, so Oor Wullie could finally meet and greet all of the stars!
“A few British performers, such as Michael Sheen and Warren Brown, were aware of who he was and were enthusiastic about the notion.
“But several of the American performers wanted to know who and what Oor Wullie was, and when we recounted the history, they were all charmed.
“There were several actors from The Big Bang Theory, as well as Billy Bob Thornton, Beau Bridges, Freddie Highmore, Walton Goggins, and many others.
“My friend, Martha De Laurentiis, recommended making a TV series out of the character because everyone was talking about him. “She was a well-known director and producer of the Hannibal television series and films, among others.
Sadly, she died in 2021. “But Oor Wullie was the talk of Tinseltown for a day!”
DC Thomson drawings drew attention
The players adored looking at the Oor Wullie drawings, which included scenarios from Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, and Hannibal.
Tony mentioned that they were really impressed by the Breaking Bad sketch.
“It showed the characters making porridge instead of drugs!” he informed me.
“They thought it was so funny.”
What about the young actor who had planned to wear the Wullie outfit on the red carpet?
Tony stated that he was “disappointed” – but significantly less so after being paid.
Meanwhile, the outfit was returned to DC Thomson’s offices in Dundee.
“It was bizarre that it was denied entry!” Tony added. “But we had a great chuckle over it.
“This was a weekend to remember. And Oor Wullie was a huge success in Hollywood!”
Tony Cochrane – a legend
In addition to introducing American superstars to the wonder of Oor Wullie, Tony was instrumental in bringing a slew of top stars to Dundee in the 1980s and 1990s, including Bananarama and The Prodigy.
He frequently rubs shoulders with the biggest talents in the music, television, and film sectors, and he is a partner at AFM, a US entertainment sector publisher.
He owns several clubs in Scotland, including Aura, Duck Slattery’s, Venga, and Fat Sam’s in Dundee.
The others are located in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Paisley, and Inverness.
Who is Oor Wullie?
For those who do not know who Oor Wullie is, where have you been?! He’s essentially Scotland’s beloved cartoon laddie, best recognised for his spiky hair, dungarees, and distinctive upturned pail.
Dudley D Watkins invented the popular comic strip character, which first appeared in the Sunday Post newspaper in 1936.
Mischievous but good-natured, Oor Wullie is a staple of Scottish culture, often coming out with the famous phrase, ‘Jings! Crivvens! Help ma Boab!’.
The comic strip featured Wullie and his mates getting into scrapes in the fictional town of Auchenschoogle.
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