# Good celebrity! Here, boy! GOOD celebrity! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2006, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333 "2006-08-04T15:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/81 "2006-08-05T20:28:04Z")
Bruce Springsteen ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/82 "2006-08-05T21:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Hmmm…let’s see, Jimmy Stewart? [/QUOTE] My husband is a fan of Jimmy Stewart, and he started reading some biographies. He says that Stewart comes off as being something of a son of a bitch in all of them, especially as regards racism. But I didn’t read the books, and I don’t know how accurate the books are, so find salt. Take grains. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/83 "2006-08-05T21:29:16Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] Well, you would smell pretty bad if you had been lovin’ sheep, too. [/QUOTE] Just like good 'ol Hal Briston. ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/84 "2006-08-05T22:30:32Z")
Fred Astaire. Bit of a perfectionist on the set – but a total gent on and off, from what I’ve heard. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/85 "2006-08-05T22:35:57Z")
[QUOTE=astorian] Years ago, “Stuttering John” Melendez from Howard Stern’s show crashed a book-signing event that Fred Rogers was doing for kids, and started asking the usual stupid/embarrassing questions. A usual, the whole idea was to get a celeb to blow up, get angry, act like a jerk, and expose his “true” ugly self. Rogers never took the bait. He remained totally calm and polite, to the point that Melendez himself seemed to be embarrassed and ashamed of himself for intruding. Obviously, we can’t know for sure that our favorite celebs have no skeletons in their closets, but Rogers certainly SEEMS to have been exactly the person he portrayed on TV. [/QUOTE] Fred Rogers was a major hero to my home town. When he died, and Fred Phelps came to picket his funeral, instead of people screaming at them, I heard they merely stood around the Phelps clan and sang Mister Rogers’s songs. How cool is that? Uh, local sports heros-how about Jerome Bettis? Here was a guy who had some major opportunities to go and party and get hookers and blow after every game. Yet instead he brings his parents to every football game, is kind, polite, and friendly to fans, and gives back his community, big time. I have to disagree with Michael Moore-remember that big stink he threw when a book store signing at a school went over time, and because their permit expired, he had to stop and the threw a big hissyfit? Never mind the employees who had to work over time to clean up and wanted to go home to their families. So much for caring about the little guy. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/86 "2006-08-05T22:57:34Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] I have to disagree with Michael Moore-remember that big stink he threw when a book store signing at a school went over time, and because their permit expired, he had to stop and the threw a big hissyfit? Never mind the employees who had to work over time to clean up and wanted to go home to their families. So much for caring about the little guy. [/QUOTE] No, I never heard that story, but it’s not so bad the way you tell it – remember, the “little guy” also includes the people who had been waiting in line for hours to get their books signed. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/87 "2006-08-06T10:08:51Z")
Victor Garber is very gracious and friendly to fans, a gentleman. **Robot Arm** , you may not want to [read about](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743244761/) what Danny Kaye was really like (but there’s the link anyway 😉 ). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/88 "2006-08-06T17:43:15Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] No, I never heard that story, but it’s not so bad the way you tell it – remember, the “little guy” also includes the people who had been waiting in line for hours to get their books signed. [/QUOTE] So it’s okay to make the people who organized the event have to pay fines for going over time, to make the janitor work extra, and miss seeing his family? The people in line can always go home if they get tired of waiting-the staff has no such option. Everything I’ve heard about Michael Moore is that he is rude and unfriendly. ---
**Author:** ![BluePitbull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@BluePitbull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePitbull)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/89 "2006-08-06T17:58:26Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Fred Rogers was a major hero to my home town. When he died, and Fred Phelps came to picket his funeral, instead of people screaming at them, I heard they merely stood around the Phelps clan and sang Mister Rogers’s songs. How cool is that? . [/QUOTE] Why did fred phelps want to picket Roger’s funeral? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/90 "2006-08-06T19:22:00Z")
[QUOTE=BluePitbull] Why did fred phelps want to picket Roger’s funeral? [/QUOTE] I’m gonna go with “because Fred Phelps is crazier than a shithouse rat.” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/91 "2006-08-06T19:41:59Z")
[QUOTE=BluePitbull] Why did fred phelps want to picket Roger’s funeral? [/QUOTE] Supposedly because Mister Rogers never warned kids about the evils of “Teh Gay!” Oh, and what **Eve** said. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/92 "2006-08-06T21:00:22Z")
Maybe Fred was picketing Fred because Mr. Roger’s puppets are so damn scary. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/93 "2006-08-06T21:24:17Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia] Supposedly because Mister Rogers never warned kids about the evils of “Teh Gay!” Oh, and what **Eve** said. [/QUOTE] Also, Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. Anything that conflicts with Westboro Baptist is automatically wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/94 "2006-08-06T21:29:00Z")
Janet Jackson. I met her once and she was a kind and gentle person. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/95 "2006-08-06T23:46:43Z")
Based on all the accounts I’ve read, Al Yankovic is a pretty darned decent human being. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/96 "2006-08-07T13:15:34Z")
Of course, when we say “I’ve never heard a bad word about so-and-so,” that doesn’t prove much. I mean, during his playing career, I never heard a single bad word about Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins. Indeed, the press fawned over him, treating him as a latter day saint. We now know Kirby was NOT the wonderful human being the media told us about. We also have the probelm of deciding what disqualifies us from the “good celebrity” list. If I’m a complete professional on the set, a fine actor, a supporter of good causes, but a cheating husband, am I off the list? Do multiple divorces disqualify me? It gets complicated. I mean, David Niven was, by all acounts, a major lush. He was also a hero who left Hollywood of his own accord to rejoin the British Army in 1939. So is Niven a “good” or “bad” celebrity? - ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/97 "2006-08-07T19:32:17Z")
[QUOTE=astorian] We also have the probelm of deciding what disqualifies us from the “good celebrity” list. If I’m a complete professional on the set, a fine actor, a supporter of good causes, but a cheating husband, am I off the list? Do multiple divorces disqualify me? It gets complicated. I mean, David Niven was, by all acounts, a major lush. He was also a hero who left Hollywood of his own accord to rejoin the British Army in 1939. So is Niven a “good” or “bad” celebrity? - [/QUOTE] [shrug] [Peter Lorre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lorre) was a noted prankster, married three times, and occasionally addicted to morphine, but everybody who knew him seems to have liked him. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/98 "2006-08-08T13:13:10Z")
[QUOTE=HelloKitty] Tom Hanks met Rita Wilson while they were filming **Volunteers** …Hanks was married at the time, albeit unhappily. He talked about it in a recent article in _Esquire_…I think it was the June 2006 issue. Having a marriage that didn’t work out? Certainly doesn’t make him a bad person–just human like the rest of us. [/QUOTE] Right, it depends how much you value faithfulness in marriage in whether someone is a nice person. He cheated on his first wife, take it for what you will. As did Paul Newman, who cheated openly with Joanne Woodward and now brags about being faithful to her. ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/99 "2006-08-08T13:59:59Z")
[QUOTE=Robot Arm] Danny Kaye always seemed like a nice guy on screen, and he did years of work for UNICEF. Tell me he wasn’t a raving tyrant behind the scenes, please. [/QUOTE] As **Walloon’s** link probably shows (I only glanced at it), Danny Kaye was a royal prick IRL. Or so I’ve heard. Sorry to burst your bubble, **RA**. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2006, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333/100 "2006-08-08T21:40:31Z")
Some of the reviews of that book claimed that the book was an unsubstantiated hatchet job, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-celebrity-here-boy-good-celebrity/367333.md?page=6)