# Has a Television Characters Ever Appeared in a Movie..... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 23, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738 "2006-07-23T19:42:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/1 "2006-07-23T19:42:37Z")
…that was not based on the character’s TV show? For example, Jason Lee briefly appears in _Clerks II_. While he doesn’t appear as his _My Name is Earl_ character, it sure would have been cool if he did 🆒 . Nevertheless, has anything like this ever happened? ---
**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:** [July 23, 2006, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/2 "2006-07-23T19:57:52Z")
A bit of a stretch, but Miss Marple, who did appear in various TV movies, also shows up in **The Alphabet Murders** , which is not a Miss Marple movie (its main character was Poirot). However, the TV shows came after the movie. I can think of a couple of examples where characters from older movies appeared in films playing the same character, even when the movie wasn’t a sequel: McGinty and Boss in **Miracle of Morgan’s Creek** , George M. Cohan in **The Seven Little Foys** , and the Duke Brothers in **Coming to America**. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/3 "2006-07-23T19:59:41Z")
Jay and Silent Bob from the Kevin Smith movies appeared in Scream 2 (or was it Scream 3) – not just the actors, but the actual characters. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/4 "2006-07-23T20:03:08Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > …that was not based on the character’s TV show? > > For example, Jason Lee briefly appears in _Clerks II_. While he doesn’t appear as his _My Name is Earl_ character, it sure would have been cool if he did 🆒 . > > Nevertheless, has anything like this ever happened? In Back to the Beach (1987) > **[Back to the Beach (1987) ⭐ 5.9 | Comedy, Musical](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092608/)** > > 1h 32m | PG The final and better beach movie of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon, the Skipper and Gilligan (Hale and Denver) officially appeared as bartenders, but they were obviously the characters of Gilligan Isle. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/5 "2006-07-23T20:08:00Z")
Jack Benny Cameoed in character in [It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057193/) Jim Nabors pretty much played Gomer in [Cannonball Run II (1984)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087032/) as Pvt. Homer Lyle Jim ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/6 "2006-07-23T20:16:30Z")
> [@What Exit?](#): > > Jack Benny Cameoed in character in [It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057193/) A better example: You reminded me that _The Three Stooges_ got credit as “The Three Stooges” on the same movie. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/7 "2006-07-23T20:19:35Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > A better example: You reminded me that _The Three Stooges_ got credit as “The Three Stooges” on the same movie. Yep as the firemen at the airport, I did not realize they were credited as the Stooges. They had no lines. > [@](#): > > Joe DeRita … Fireman (as The Three Stooges) > Larry Fine … Fireman (as The Three Stooges) > Moe Howard … Fireman (as The Three Stooges) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/8 "2006-07-23T20:29:29Z")
Buddy Ebsen appeared as Barnaby Jones in the Beverly Hillbillies movie that starred Jim Varney as Jed Clampett. Ebsen of course, starred on TV as Uncle Jed, but Barnaby Jones was totally unrelated to the Beverly Hillbillies. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/9 "2006-07-23T21:04:48Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > …that was not based on the character’s TV show? > > For example, Jason Lee briefly appears in _Clerks II_. While he doesn’t appear as his _My Name is Earl_ character, it sure would have been cool if he did 🆒 . > > Nevertheless, has anything like this ever happened? There’s a moment in another Kevin Smith movie that comes close. (To Shannon Dougherty): “_Brenda?!_” “Dick!” ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/10 "2006-07-23T22:03:36Z")
I understand that the Bond movie _The World is Not Enough_ features an “in-character” cameo by one of the guys from a BBC reality series “Clampers,” (about London traffic officers), but I’m not sure that counts. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/11 "2006-07-23T22:37:06Z")
James Doohan played a character named “Scotty” for a five-second cameo in _Loaded Weapon 1_. Interestingly, it’s the only non-_Trek_ movie that features both him and William Shatner. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/12 "2006-07-24T04:23:48Z")
Does it have to be a strictly fictional character? Because in the forgettable _Forget Paris_, with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger, Rush Limbaugh comments on his TV show about a controversial call that NBA referee Billy crystal made. And in _Dave_, Oliver Stone goes on TV to reveal to a not-very-caring nation that there is something screwy going on in the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/13 "2006-07-24T04:34:01Z")
I’m not sure if this counts as “based on”, but many of the 'toons in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ were TV characters. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck come to mind, and I think all of the Loony Toons had at least cameos (I’m not counting the Disney characters, because I think they were more movie characters than TV). ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/14 "2006-07-24T05:17:43Z")
Jacklyn Smith appeared as Kelly Garrett in the Charlies Angels Movies… Barbra Eden appeared as Jeanie in the Very Brady sequel… ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/15 "2006-07-24T05:19:26Z")
OOps, I guess Jacklyn Smith wouldn’t work as the character was based on the TV show. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/16 "2006-07-24T05:45:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m not sure if this counts as “based on”, but many of the 'toons in _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_ were TV characters. Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck come to mind, and I think all of the Loony Toons had at least cameos (I’m not counting the Disney characters, because I think they were more movie characters than TV). Umm…Roger Rabbit takes place in 1947 when TV broadcasting was being resumed after World war II and was still not in everybody’s homes like it is today. Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the rest of the Looneys started out in theatrical cartoons shown before the featured movie. It wasn’t until the 60’s that they began showing Looney Tunes on TV. So they were all movie characters in Roger Rabbit’s frame of reference. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-a-television-characters-ever-appeared-in-a-movie/365738/17 "2006-07-24T11:15:00Z")
kaylasdad99 writes: \> Because in the forgettable Forget Paris, with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger, \> Rush Limbaugh comments on his TV show about a controversial call that NBA \> referee Billy crystal made. If you want to count that, you should also count all the movies in which Larry King played himself interviewing a character in the movie.