As detailed in a recent documentary “Quiet On Set,” the Nickelodeon Network hosted a popular television show that was directed at children in the period from 1994 through 2020 that was titled “ All That” that often featured a character known as “Pickle Boy.” It was said about him on the show that “he likes to hurt and tease pickles,” and he was often in scenes where he was carrying enormous plates of pickles that he would offer to others. The character was played by actor Brian Peck, an Indiana native who would later serve as a dialogue coach on several of the other Nickelodeon productions that were made by Dan Schneider, who oversaw the creation of a variety of shows that became popular with adolescents in the US and other nations. One of the young actors on “All That” was Drake Bell, who would later star in the popular series “ Drake and Josh.” As reported in that documentary, which is currently being run on several different networks, Peck was popular with virtually everyone on the set, but gradually begin to shower Drake Bell with interest and lessened his attentions to other members of the cast. In time the degree of interest he expressed towards the 14 year old actor became a matter of concern to the senior Bell, who was often on set, and he saw fit to express his misgivings to the personnel department of the studio, but was advised that while Peck was openly gay and liked to touch those he worked with, he was not a danger to young people and that his concerns may be the result of the lingering homophobia that is found in society . But as it turns out, the elder Bell’s concern were well founded, and in time Peck wormed his way into Drake’s life and began to sexually molest him. In time the child actor revealed to the Los Angeles Police Department what he had been subject to at the hands of Peck, and the former Pickle Boy entered a plea of no contest to three counts of sexual abuse of a minor child and was sentenced to 16 months in prison as a result. As told in the documentary, the younger Bell’s identity was not revealed, and in an era before social media, the entire story received little attention, and after Peck’s release from prison he would serve as a dialogue coach on the Disney Television series “The Suite Life Of Zach And Cody” that also featured young people in starring roles. While the film is justifiably critical of Dan Schneider in numerous instances, the younger Bell tells of how Schneider was supportive of him and said that he would be willing to help him in any way after he became aware of Peck’s molestation. Another young person who was part of Schneider’s acting crew tells the audience of how the entire set attended a birthday party at Peck’s home where they saw many disquieting things, including letters that the Pickle Boy had received from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who murdered young men after he had sexually molested, that included a painting that Gacy had had made for him. The younger Bell tells of how he was unable to deal with the pain that he felt as a result of his molestation and for years struggled with substance abuse issues and other personal problems as a consequence. One would hope that after the “Me Too” movement that led to, among other things, of the revelations of the transgressions of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, that there are sufficient safeguards in place to protect the young and vulnerable people who are in the entertainment field.
Against the Grain 