'Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!' Actress to appear at Longmont Museum 'Willy Wonka' screening

Attendees of the Longmont Museum's Cult Classics and Cocktails event Thursday will have the chance to watch a beloved movie with one of the stars of the film.

Denise Nickerson — who played Violet Beauregarde (think of the "Violet! You're turning violet, Violet!" scene) in the 1971 film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" — will be on hand to answer questions after a screening of the beloved movie.

Nickerson was 13 when she filmed the movie in 1970 in Bavaria, Germany. She continued to do film, stage and television work until she was 21 years old, then decided to work in a different field.

"The average life of an actress's career at the time was about 10 years and I just had this vision of myself at 31 pushing a shopping cart down the sidewalk with no job and I figured I had a better shot at getting in on the ground floor of some other job at 21 rather than 31," she said in a phone interview from her home in Aurora.

Nickerson worked in medical billing for 35 years, then in aerospace accounting until she became disabled in 2012 and retired. She has never been to Longmont, but a friend told her about the museum screening on Facebook.

She still does regular appearances with the remaining "Wonka" cast such as the child actors who played Mike Teevee or Veruca Salt.

"We're all very, very friendly and close. There was no inside fighting or anything. We got along well and we still continue to get along and see each other for reunions that Warner Brothers holds for the big year anniversaries," Nickerson said. "We just go right back to being a big family."

Nickerson said that she loved doing the movie, especially the first time the cast got to see the chocolate room. The director, Mel Stuart, wanted genuine reactions from the child actors, so he kept it hidden until the first take of the scene.

"I was lucky enough to be chosen to do it. I was the one who got the golden ticket," she said. "The chocolate room was one entire sound stage, fully contained, with rocks and a waterfall and the river and those stairs ... I looked down and it looked to me like 'The Wizard of Oz' land with the colors and everything that was going on. Even when you see it on the big screen, it doesn't really capture it."

Nickerson did have one adverse effect from playing gum-loving Violet Beauregarde — several cavities. At one point, she told TMZ she had 13 cavities and the story was picked up by The Daily Mail. Nickerson said she was exaggerating at the time and wanted to put the story to rest — it wasn't quite 13 cavities, but definitely more than one.

"The only sugarless gum at that time that was available was Trident and ... you can't make very good bubbles with Trident," she said. "So I spent eight weeks chewing gum in Germany and it was all Bazooka with a high sugar content. That did some damage, but it was worth it."

Nickerson said that she gets a kick out of the timeless appeal of the movie to all ages. She said it warms her heart to see the movie bring smiles to kids as young as 2 years old as well as people in their 60s. She often gets asked to repeat some of lines, especially her lines from right before she turns into a blueberry like "roast beef and baked potato. Crispy skin and butter! ... Blueberry pie and ice cream!"

Doors open at 6 p.m. for people to try their hand at trivia, peruse the galleries or get drinks from the bar. Beer, wine and a signature "Scrumdiddlyumptious" cocktail will be on sale. The film starts at 7:15 and Nickerson will answer questions and sign books afterward. Tickets are $8 for the general public or $5 for museum members.

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci