Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2013 October 17

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October 17

john landis

trying to locate an email for john landis may be you would know a studio I coyuld start with — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.3.114.43 (talk) 15:47, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

If you sign up for IMDB Pro you can get the information. See here and click the link at "contact information". If you don't wish to get a membership there, maybe you could ask at WP:REX if anyone at Wikipedia already has a membership. --Jayron32 17:01, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Actors appearing in different versions of the same film

It's quite well known that in the 1991 remake of Cape Fear (1962 film), there were cameos by Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam, who had all had major roles in the original film.

Another case that's come to my attention is Howard Da Silva, who appeared in The Great Gatsby (1949 film) and in a different role in The Great Gatsby (1974 film).

I'm sure I've heard of other cases, but can't seem to access those particular memory cells at the moment. Is there a list of reappearances anywhere? IMdB, perhaps? I've checked its Advanced Search feature but it doesn't seem to handle this sort of enquiry.

I'm not beyond going through List of film remakes A-M and List of film remakes N-Z, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel. Thanks. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:42, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

This is the best that I could find. Biggs Pliff (talk) 22:19, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Thanks, that's a good list. I know there are more. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:44, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

It also kind of depends on how you define things. Patty Duke played the student Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, and some years later played Keller's teacher, Annie Sullivan, in a remake. There is also the matter of playing the same role in unrelated or only vaguely related series. One that comes to mind is Jimmy Cagney playing George M. Cohan in his own vehicle, and then reprising his role in the film about Eddie Foy. And more recently, Richard Belzer retiring after having played Detective Munch in several TV series - some in the same fictional universe, some not. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:33, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Patty Duke would go on the list. The others, not so much. I'm focussing on remakes of movies, with substantially the same plot and characters, although the title, some dialogue etc may change. Hitler has appeared as a character in dozens of films, but someone playing him twice or more would not qualify, unless one movie was a direct remake of the other. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:44, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Here's another one. Michael Caine was in Sleuth (1972 film) and in the opposite role in Sleuth (2007 film). -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 22:47, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

And another one. I always found this interesting. The original Hannibal Lector movie was Manhunter (film) and had actor Frankie Faison appear as a cop. He then appears in Silence of the Lamb and the sequels, Hannibal (film) and the actual remake of the film he originally appeared in, Red Dragon (film) the remake of Manhunter.--Mark Miller (talk) 23:15, 17 October 2013 (UTC)

Faison's being in all the films is one of my faves Mark. Another would be Charleton Heston in Planet of the Apes (1968 film) and then being in Burton's remake Planet of the Apes (2001 film). MarnetteD | Talk 04:48, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Dooh! I should have remembered that one myself!--Mark Miller (talk) 20:15, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

I don't know if you'd count this one, but it's one I didn't see in the remakes list. The film Sally of the Sawdust was a silent production of a stage play called Poppy. Sally was in turn remade as a sound picture, ten years later, called Poppy (1936 film). W.C. Fields played the not-very-scrupulous character Eustice McGargle in all three versions. I suspect there would be a number of silent pictures remade as talkies, with at least some of the same leading players. I know Fields himself did that more than just the one time. I think Laurel and Hardy also remade several of their silent films as talkies. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 05:07, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Sounds like a goer. Thanks all; looks like I'm gonna have to start an article. One more for the To Do list. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 19:27, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

You also have the Thomas Crown Affair with Faye Dunaway in both. ^{Market St.⧏} _{⧐ Diamond Way} 20:24, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Burt Reynolds was in "The Longest Yard" in 1974, as well as the 2005 remake starring Adam Sandler.    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 22:28, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Not a cameo so I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but Gerard Depardieu was in Mon père, ce héros, then played the same role in the English remake My Father The Hero. Then the English version was dubbed into French and he did his own voiceover, so he sort of played the role three times in two movies. Adam Bishop (talk) 23:40, 18 October 2013 (UTC)

Adam Bishops post reminds me that Peter Dinklage plays the same character in the British film Death at a Funeral (2007 film) (2007) and its American remake Death at a Funeral (2010 film) so, as with Bugs silent and sound remakes, there might be more foreign and US remakes that fit within your criteria. MarnetteD | Talk 00:41, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

Again, I'm not so sure this fits your scenario, but I can think of some actors that played a character in a movie and then played the same character in a TV continuation of that movie (not a "remake" as such, but a totally different cast otherwise. I'm thinking particularly of John Houseman in The Paper Chase movie and subsequent TV series (the early episodes of which paralleled the movie to a fair extent). Another example is Gary Burghoff as Radar in the MASH film and subsequent TV series. Oh, and Christopher Reeve appearing in an occasional role as a mysterious scientist in Smallville after having played the grown-up version of Superman in four films. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 20:47, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

I fear I may have opened a can of octopuses. There's also Alfred Hitchcock, not an actor per se, but he was famous for his fleeting cameo appearances in all his films. He made two versions of The Man Who Knew Too Much, and so I guess he qualifies.

I'm still surprised that IMdB hasn't tackled this sort of query in a comprehensive way, unless I've missed it. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:10, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

Is there a place at IMDB where you can pose questions? Considering how much trivia they have there, it is surprising that they (or somebody) wouldn't have tried to compile a comprehensive list. But since you mentioned it, Maud Adams played a supporting character in The Man with the Golden Gun and a main character in Octopussy. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 21:53, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

There is a message board...yes. These types of questions can be posed to members of IMDB.--Mark Miller (talk) 22:15, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

Following Bugs's thinking (and also picking up from the Christopher Reeve mention), Noel Neill not only played Lois Lane in the 1948 film serial and more notably the 1950s TV series, but then played Lois Lane's mother in a cameo in the 1978 movie. Also, Kirk Alyn played Superman in the '48 serial and appeared as Lane's father in 1978.    → Michael J Ⓣ Ⓒ Ⓜ 21:48, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

There has been lots of crossover in the various Superman incarnations. Noel Neill and Jack Larson both had cameos in the 2006 Superman Returns film. Jack Larson appeared in Lois & Clark as an aged Jimmy Olsen. Phyllis Coates played the mother of Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher) in that series. Larson also appeared (without dialogue) in at least one of Jerry Seinfeld's Superman-related American Express TV ads. Robert Shayne may have had a cameo in L&C, though I'm not totally sure of that. A number of the actors in the 1950s TV series turned up several times in different roles, although that's nothing unusual. Pierre Watkin played Perry White in the serials and appeared as a different character in at least one of the 1950s episodes. He was set to play "Perry White's brother" in a revival of the series after John Hamilton had died. George Reeves' death of course brought an end to that plan. Annette O'Toole played Lana Lang in one of the Chris Reeve films, and then played Ma Kent in the Smallville series. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:19, 19 October 2013 (UTC)

An obscure one, but Frank McHugh in One Way Passage (1932) and the lesser remake, 'Til We Meet Again (1940), playing essentially the same character. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:02, 20 October 2013 (UTC)

Kevin McCarthy, played the lead character in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), and appears briefly in the 1978 remake as an old man frantically screaming "They're here!" to passing cars on the street. Astronaut (talk) 18:31, 22 October 2013 (UTC)