# Entertainers who "got out of their lane" and failed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, movies, music\ **Created:** [April 10, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621 "2022-04-10T16:18:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/81 "2022-04-12T00:11:37Z")
So this was an example of a poster getting out of their lane… ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/82 "2022-04-12T01:40:28Z")
James Dean. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/83 "2022-04-12T01:47:17Z")
Norman Mailer was a successful novelist who directed four films, all of which were critically savaged. The highest rated one on the IMDB is at 4.9. It did result in one of the great quotes from a legal deposition. Dennis Hopper sued Rip Torn, saying Torn attacked him when he was replaced in _Easy Rider_ by Jack Nicholson. Torn said in the deposition that “he could not have possibly killed Hopper as he was, at the time, on the set of _Maidstone_ trying to kill Norman Mailer.” ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/84 "2022-04-12T11:51:57Z")
On the other hand, Anton Yelchin stayed in his lane. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/85 "2022-04-12T12:11:32Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > James Dean. Jan of ‘Jan & Dean’. _Won’t come back from Dead Man’s Curve_ ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/86 "2022-04-12T12:54:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It did result in one of the great quotes from a legal deposition. Dennis Hopper sued Rip Torn, saying Torn attacked him when he was replaced in _Easy Rider_ by Jack Nicholson. Torn said in the deposition that “he could not have possibly killed Hopper as he was, at the time, on the set of _Maidstone_ trying to kill Norman Mailer.” You wouldn’t happen to have a cite for that? There are some barristers I would like to share it with… ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/87 "2022-04-12T13:14:16Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@dorvann](#): > > > > Pro wrestling promoter Vince McMahon(owner of WWF/WWE) tried to twice to launch a new football league (the XFL) and failed both times. > > To be fair, the primary cause of death of the second iteration of the XFL, in early 2020, was the COVID-19 pandemic. Dwayne Johnson led a group which bought the rights to the XFL last year, and plans to re-launch it next year. The primary cause of failure is the world doesn’t need two professional football leagues. Does no one remember when Michael Jordan tried to become the Bo Jackson of basketball? (unlike Jackson who was an All-Star in both baseball and football, Jordan’s second career in baseball was less than spectacular.) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/88 "2022-04-12T13:15:05Z")
I think that’s a joke (possibly a joke that Torn was making) - he did get into a big fight with Mailer on the set of Maidstone, but Torn never denied fighting with Hopper, either. Torn sued Hopper because Hopper claimed that Torn had come at Hopper with a knife - but in fact, Hopper had come at Torn with a knife. > **[Maidstone (film) | Legacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidstone_(film)#Legacy)** > > The film is now famous for the improvised fight between Mailer and Torn. As the camera rolled, Torn struck Mailer in the head with a hammer, intending to "kill his character." Mailer's scalp opened up, and a vicious fight ensued. With the camera still rolling, Torn energetically strangled Mailer until the fight was broken up by Mailer's wife Beverly and their wailing children. During the melee, Mailer bit off a small chunk of Torn's ear. The fight, in which the actors called each other by their r... > **[Rip Torn | Legal issues](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Torn#Legal_issues)** > > On January 29, 2010, Torn was arrested after breaking into a Litchfield Bancorp branch office in Lakeville, Connecticut. He was charged with carrying a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespassing, and third-degree criminal mischief. The Connecticut State Police said Torn, who lived in Lakeville, broke into the bank thinking it was his home. In court, his lawyer told the judge his client needed help with alcohol abus As ... And as far as I can tell, Easy Rider and Maidstone were made at different times. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/89 "2022-04-12T13:15:33Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Does no one remember when Michael Jordan tried to become the Bo Jackson of basketball? (unlike Jackson who was an All-Star in both baseball and football, Jordan’s second career in baseball was less than spectacular.) Jordan was mentioned a few posts ago. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/90 "2022-04-12T13:31:38Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Does no one remember when Michael Jordan tried to become the Bo Jackson of basketball? (unlike Jackson who was an All-Star in both baseball and football, Jordan’s second career in baseball was less than spectacular.) While it was nowhere in the same stratosphere as Bo Jackson’s accomplishments, it was still pretty impressive, IMHO. He had been out of playing any baseball for how many years by then? At least a decade? Did he play any post-high school baseball? Even though he barely hit above .200 in the minors with three homers, that he could even keep up at professional (albeit minor league) level is quite an accomplishment and a testament to his athleticism. No, he’s no Bo, but I find it still impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/91 "2022-04-12T13:41:23Z")
Isn’t Bill Murray and _The Razor’s Edge_ the standard for this topic? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/92 "2022-04-12T15:07:20Z")
Well, if Murray contributed to the early-90’s AC/DC album, he did OK for himself. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/93 "2022-04-12T15:15:00Z")
I still prefer the film to the book, despite Murray’s lumpen performance in it. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/94 "2022-04-12T15:18:34Z")
Roger Ebert was arguably the best known film critic ever but his attempts at writing [his own screenplays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Valley_of_the_Dolls) are poorly regarded. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/95 "2022-04-12T15:59:31Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Isn’t Bill Murray and _The Razor’s Edge_ the standard for this topic? The film was a failure, but Murray still went on to reasonable success in non-comedic roles, so I’d say it probably doesn’t count. Steve Martin’s _Pennies from Heaven_ is probably a closer fit, since I don’t believe Martin ever attempted another musical after that. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/96 "2022-04-12T16:09:31Z")
He left the NFL due to injuries after just 2 years, earning many millions in that short time. He has had something of career, no blockbuster hits but he didn’t fail either. He’s somewhere in that middle zone and a moderate success compared to Howie and many others mentioned in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/97 "2022-04-12T16:33:25Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > It did result in one of the great quotes from a legal deposition. Dennis Hopper sued Rip Torn, saying Torn attacked him when he was replaced in _Easy Rider_ by Jack Nicholson. Torn said in the deposition that “he could not have possibly killed Hopper as he was, at the time, on the set of _Maidstone_ trying to kill Norman Mailer.” > > You wouldn’t happen to have a cite for that? > > There are some barristers I would like to share it with… The Wikipedia cite is: \* Mailer, Michael (2011). “Overexposed: My First Taste of Film-Making”. _The Mailer Review_ . **5** : 167–169. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/98 "2022-04-12T17:30:27Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Steve Martin’s _Pennies from Heaven_ is probably a closer fit, since I don’t believe Martin ever attempted another musical after that. To be fair, all the songs in that were lip-synced anyway. And Martin (who got a Golden Globe nomination for “Pennies From Heaven”) has had a decent musical career playing his banjo (including winning a Grammy) and has written a musical (nominated for multiple Tonys). So while the film was a box office flop, he still seems to have done pretty well in that lane. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/99 "2022-04-12T17:37:47Z")
Oh, yeah, good point about the banjo career - I’d forgotten about that. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621/100 "2022-04-12T17:40:00Z")
I just checked - actually he’s won three Grammys for music, following his two for comedy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entertainers-who-got-out-of-their-lane-and-failed/962621.md?page=6)