# Hey Wait A Minute, Jennifer Garner! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844 "2017-07-21T22:55:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/21 "2017-07-22T15:43:02Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > James Garner had a brother, Jack, who was also an actor and appeared in a couple of episodes of _The Rockford Files_. A couple? Hell, he was like six different bartenders over the course of the series, and had a semi-regular role as police captain in the last season. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/22 "2017-07-22T16:25:11Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > That would, however, had made a great/terrible sitcom. My favorite episode was the one where they had to try to get to the Christmas Dinner and Hanukkah Feast on the same day! Oh the hi-jinks! (The dog getting in the garbage was classic!) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/23 "2017-07-22T17:13:36Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Well hell, how many different Garners are there? One less than you would think since his real name was James Bumgarner. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/24 "2017-07-22T17:27:09Z")
I can see why he may have dropped the Bum part for Hollywood purposes. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/25 "2017-07-22T18:10:51Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A couple? Hell, he was like six different bartenders over the course of the series, and had a semi-regular role as police captain in the last season. Heh. Coming at this other way around, just imagine if the OP had been _right_: his little girl gets a hit TV series, and the likable guy who racked up Golden Globe wins in the 1990s after earning nominations in the 1980s and the 1970s and the 1960s all the way back to his first win in the 1950s _never once shows up_ to play a blackmailed senator or a retired jewel thief or whatever, because, uh, he had other priorities. ---
**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 22, 2017, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/26 "2017-07-22T18:23:07Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A couple? Hell, he was like six different bartenders over the course of the series, and had a semi-regular role as police captain in the last season. Meh. I didn’t spot all of his appearances. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/27 "2017-07-22T18:24:22Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Is it just me, or did you think her dad was James Garner, too? Just you ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/28 "2017-07-22T18:36:23Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > One less than you would think since his real name was James Bumgarner. Oh, so then he’s probably related to Madison Bumgarner. How many of _those_ can there be? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/29 "2017-07-22T18:44:09Z")
They have a common ancestor born back in [1754](http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/bumgarner/710/). That’s about it. As for “How many?” - as of the 2010 census, about 6200. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/30 "2017-07-22T21:18:53Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Heh. Coming at this other way around, just imagine if the OP had been _right_: his little girl gets a hit TV series, and the likable guy who racked up Golden Globe wins in the 1990s after earning nominations in the 1980s and the 1970s and the 1960s all the way back to his first win in the 1950s _never once shows up_ to play a blackmailed senator or a retired jewel thief or whatever, because, uh, he had other priorities. I never watched _Alias_, but I get the impression it tended to be rather serious. Even if James had been Jennifer Garner’s father, they may have felt that sort of stunt casting would distract from the show. Mickey Hargitay was on an episode of _Law & Order: SVU_. It was his last role. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/31 "2017-07-22T21:47:45Z")
This all reminds me of Walter Scott’s Personality Parade in _Parade Magazine_ from back when. People asking all the time if Barbara Eden and Anthony Eden are related and such. Even worse were the ones where the _first_ names were in common. Are James Garner and James Arness related? How did these get in there? Some weird running gag? ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/32 "2017-07-22T22:38:31Z")
I did always sort of assume they were related without thinking about it any further. Usually when I think about Jennifer Garner I’m thinking of…other things. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/33 "2017-07-23T03:33:36Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Even worse were the ones where the _first_ names were in common. Are James Garner and James Arness related? That’s just silly. Everyone knows James Arness isn’t related to James Garner. He’s related to Peter Graves. Seriously, they’re brothers. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/34 "2017-07-23T04:58:29Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Until I read your post, so did I. Then I checked Wikipedia for both of them, and by golly, you’re right! > > The uncanny physical resemblance comes from them being fourth cousins. I really doubt that (and I don’t think there’s very much resemblance\* either). Do you know how little DNA is shared between 4th cousins? Their shared ancestor would be a great-great-great-grandparent, and shared DNA would be well under 1%. \*Maureen Stapleton had a sweet and rather pretty face, not something you could say about Jean Stapleton. The only real resemblance is that they both became well-known in later life and that they were about the same age. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/35 "2017-07-23T12:24:30Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Do you know how little DNA is shared between 4th cousins? Their shared ancestor would be a great-great-great-grandparent, and shared DNA would be well under 1%. Given we share 99% of our dna with chimps, I think 1% is a _wee_ bit of an underestimate. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/36 "2017-07-23T14:38:17Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Given we share 99% of our dna with chimps, I think 1% is a _wee_ bit of an underestimate. Are you saying the Stapletons are apes? 😉 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/37 "2017-07-23T17:45:05Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Given we share 99% of our dna with chimps, I think 1% is a _wee_ bit of an underestimate. Good point, so to clarify, the 1% that I referred to covers that which is tracked by 23andme. The other points (lack of actual resemblance, and their closest shared ancestor) stand. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/38 "2017-07-24T04:36:52Z")
It would seem the OP isn’t going to garner much support. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/39 "2017-07-24T05:25:48Z")
^ How many balls of paper should we pelt you with? 🙂 ---
**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, 2017, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844/40 "2017-07-24T06:13:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > That’s just silly. Everyone knows James Arness isn’t related to James Garner. He’s related to Peter Graves. > > Seriously, they’re brothers. Hate to nitpick, but this _is_ the Straight Dope. 🙂 They _were_ brothers. Peter Graves died in 2010 and James Arness died in 2011. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-wait-a-minute-jennifer-garner/791844.md?page=3)