As hard as it may be to believe, Tom Hanks' cult classic musical comedy, That Thing You Do!, turns 20 years old today. The film has become one of the most beloved cult classics of the 1990s, and it has established a legacy that continues to thrive to this very day. However, after 20 years, it also seems that a major That Thing You Do! mystery has finally been solved. As it turns out, The Wonders' seemingly unnamed bass player actually went by the name "Tobias." Wait, what? Actor Ethan Embry explained:
I just said my name was Tobias, because he's such a Tobias. You just take the vowels out [and it's T.B.]. His nickname was Toby, but his mom calls him Tobias. And his last name actually was Player, because he was a player, dude! That carousel ride with the Chantrellines? Total player.
The cast of That Thing You Do! recently reassembled for an interview with EW to honor the 20-year reunion of the cult classic 1996 film. During the conversation, actor Ethan Embry opened up and finally admitted the name of his bass player -- simply referred to as T.B. Player in the end credits of the film. Although many fans had initially assumed that T.B Player was just a cute abbreviation for "The Bass Player," Embry continued to insist that his actual name was "Tobias Player," but he preferred to remove the vowels from his given name.
While that answers certain questions about the true identity of The Bass Player, we still have so many burning questions about his fate following the events of the movie. In the final moments of That Thing You Do! it was revealed that The Bass Player was awarded a Purple Heart during his military service in Vietnam at the battle of Khe Sanh. What happened when he got home? Did he continue to play bass? Did he have ever write another hit? We need answers to these questions, Mr. Embry. I would pay cold hard cash for a T.B Player spin-off film.
Of course, it's probably taken you the last 20 years just to get the incredibly catchy That Thing You Do! title song out of your head. Here it is again, for old times sake:
It may have taken a solid 20 years for us to finally get some answers to this mystery, but it was well worth the wait. We have to admit: Ethan Embry has a point; T.B. Player definitely seems like a Tobias. As for the film itself, we would just like to wish That Thing You Do! a happy 20th birthday; our world has been made so much better because of Tom Hanks' ridiculous, genre-defying film.
