Julia Jacobs

And so after All in the Family ended, he became a prolific film director, and his first major feature film was This Is Spinal Tap in 1984.

Yes, it's this satire about a hapless British metal band that really helped define the form of mockumentary.

Right.

He's in it as kind of the straight man.

And this release really started the spectacular eight years of cinema for Reiner where he leapfrogged from genre to genre and really became a force in Hollywood.

You had the coming-of-age drama Stand By Me.

You had the fantasy adventure film The Princess Bride.

You had the psychological thriller, Misery.

The courtroom drama, A Few Good Men.

And of course, the rom-com, probably his most famous movie of all, When Harry Met Sally.

Or from A Few Good Men, you can't handle the truth.

And what's fascinating about this string of movies is that Reiner would often tap into his own personal experiences in making them.

I think he said that's what kept him honest as a filmmaker.

And one example of that is Stand By Me, which is based on a novella by Stephen King.

And it's about four preteen boys who have this adventure.

So what are you pissing and moaning about, Vernal?

Trying to find this dead body.

And along the way, they're revealing the story of who each of them are.

And when it comes to the protagonist, this 12-year-old aspiring writer, he has this devastating scene where he breaks down in front of his friend.

His brother, his beloved older brother, had just died, and he was expressing how he felt like his father wishes that he was the one who died.