GREAT BARRINGTON — It was 1977. Director John Landis assembled a cast of relative newcomers in Eugene, Ore., to shoot a quirky little movie about frat house life in a small New England college in the '60s. It was just about everyone's first feature-length movie.

Except for Peter Riegert, who was to be cast as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in the movie, which would eventually be called "Animal House."

"The year before," he recalled, "I was in 'Coma' with Michael Douglas. I played a doctor in the operating room. Of course, I wore a mask, so I had to do a lot of eye acting, if you know what I'm saying.

"So yeah," he laughed, "'Animal House' was the first movie where people saw my face."

None of the cast expected the movie to be a monster hit. Universal Pictures made the movie for $2.8 million. It would eventually gross more than $141 million, not counting the endless merchandise revenue.

On Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m., Riegert, Landis, local actress Karen Allen, who played Boon's girlfriend Katy in the movie, Stephen Furst, who played Kent "Flounder" Dorfman, and a host of other characters in the flick, will reunite for a film screening of the classic at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center as part of a presentation hosted by the Berkshire International Film Festival.

Other cast members expected to be at the event include Mark Metcalf (Neidermeier), Jamie Widdoes (Hoover) and Judy Belushi, widow of the late John Belushi.

Following the movie, there will be a panel discussion and Q&A session. And following that, Otis Day and the Knights will play a brief concert. Yes, the original Otis Day, who performed in the film. Don't it make you wanna shout?

"We were all, for the most part, young actors who were making their first film," said Allen, who was working in theater at the time and studying at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York City. "I had never had any experience with films in my life. Never read a film script before 'Animal House,' never met an actor who had been in a film or met a director who had directed one."

"A lot of us hadn't been in a film before," Furst said. "It was my first job, and I was just like Flounder. I was very excited. You know, 'Oh man, this is really great!' I remember Peter [Riegert] was pretty cool about it, and Bruce McGill [who played Daniel 'D-Day' Simpson in the movie] was pretty cool about it. But a lot of us were really excited."

Furst recalled going on vacation and taking a trip to New York City a few years before the movie was shot.

"One of the things we did was go to the theater and see 'Equus,'" he recalled. "Tom Hulce [who would play Lawrence 'Pinto' Kroger in the movie] just blew me way. So when I got up to Eugene, I saw a van pull up and Tommy got out. I realized I would be acting opposite him. That was pretty neat."

The script was written by National Lampoon writers Chris Miller, Douglas Kenney and Harold Ramis. It reflected the experiences all three men had in college. Miller, in an interview, explained that Dartmouth College, which he attended, was the setting for the mythical Faber College.

"I can't tell you how many times people come up to me and say, 'Animal House' was based on my college," said Furst.

Shooting took six weeks in Eugene, at the University of Oregon.

"It was a period piece," Riegert said. "It took you back to a simpler time, a more innocent time. This was the early days of Vietnam, the civil rights movement had just begun and John F. Kennedy hadn't been assassinated yet. I think a lot of people picked up on that."

If there was a star in the film, it was Belushi, who was still working in New York City on Saturday Night Live. He and Landis worked out a deal whereby Belushi would shoot the movie from Monday to Wednesday and then fly back to New York to SNL the rest of the week.

"I knew who John Belushi was," said Furst. "But I never watched the show. I remember someone telling me, 'He's the guy that does those Samauri skits and those bee skits.' I thought he was incredible in the movie. After we finished shooting, I started watching the show."

The movie has earned countless accolades, and is considered by many to be one of the best comedies ever made.

"I don't think I had a concept, much less an expectation, of a film becoming a cult classic," admitted Allen. "Or even being successful. My only aspiration was being successful in theater. I think I was just very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. I don't think too many actors have such a huge success with their first film."

"I give Landis a lot of credit," said Riegert. "If for nothing else, how well he understood the story. The casting was so good. Everyone was perfect for the role they played. It was certainly the best-cast film I was ever in."

All three actors are looking forward to the reunion.

"It's always fun to see the old crew," said Riegert.

"It should be a great night," said Allen.

"Oh God, I'm so sick of those people," said Furst. "Wait! I'm kidding. It will be terrific."

Contact Derek Gentile at 413-496-6251.

Toga! Toga!

What: The Berkshire International Film Festival presents a special cast reunion and screening of National Lampoon's 'Animal House.'

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington

Cost: $25

To purchase tickets: Call 413-528-0100 or visit mahaiwe.org