# Hollywood's Six Degrees of Separation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548 "2003-08-30T01:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/1 "2003-08-30T01:36:34Z")
The objective: Connect two disparate actors in six steps through film credits. ``` Examples: CLARK GABLE------>BARBRA STREISAND CLARK GABLE appeared in The Misfits with THELMA RITTER, who appeared in All About Eve with MARILYN MONROE, who appeared in Some LIke It Hot with JACK LEMMON, who appeared in The Odd Couple with WALTER MATTHAU, who appeared in Hello, Dolly! with BARBRA STREISAND Next up: BING CROSBY------>MERYL STREEP ``` ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/2 "2003-08-30T03:03:52Z")
Bing Crosby was in The Road to Hong Kong with Robert Morley. Robert Morley was in The Loved One with John Gielgud. John Gielgud was in Plenty with Meryl Streep. (And just to complete it: Meryl Streep was in The River Wild with Kevin Bacon.) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/3 "2003-08-30T03:26:52Z")
Are you familiar with [The Oracle at Bacon](http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/star_links.html) ? In three links it can connect Rudolph Valentino to Anna Nicole Smith, Biograph girl or Josephine Crowell (who was born in 1849) to Rory Culkin (born in 1989), or Evelyn Nesbit (the “Girl on the Swing” famous for the 1906 murder of her lover by her husband) to Elizabeth McGovern (who portrayed her 75 years later in RAGTIME). ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/4 "2003-08-30T03:34:54Z")
Are you familiar with [The Oracle at Bacon](http://www.cs.virginia.edu/oracle/star_links.html) ? In three links it can connect Rudolph Valentino to Anna Nicole Smith, Biograph girl or Josephine Crowell (who was born in 1849) to Rory Culkin (born in 1989), or Evelyn Nesbit (the “Girl on the Swing” famous for the 1906 murder of her lover by her husband) to Elizabeth McGovern (who portrayed her 75 years later in RAGTIME). ---
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/5 "2003-08-30T04:17:04Z")
Great, Wumpus. My particular “lineage” for Bing Crosby----\>Meryl Steep was: ``` BING CROSBY starred in Going My Way with BARRY FITZGERALD, who starred in The Catered Affair with BETTE DAVIS, who starred in Death on the Nile with MIA FARROW, who starred in any number of films with WOODY ALLEN, who starred in Manhattan with... MERYL STREEP Technically, for difficulty's sake, it should take 6 steps. Next up: Greta Garbo---->Adam Sandler ``` ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/6 "2003-08-30T05:41:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nanook \* > \*\*Great, Wumpus. My particular “lineage” for > Bing Crosby----\>Meryl Steep was: > > ``` > BING CROSBY starred in Going My Way with > BARRY FITZGERALD, who starred in The Catered Affair with > BETTE DAVIS, who starred in Death on the Nile with > MIA FARROW, who starred in any number of films with > WOODY ALLEN, who starred in Manhattan with... > MERYL STREEP > > Technically, for difficulty's sake, it should take 6 steps. > > Next up: > > Greta Garbo---->Adam Sandler ** > > ``` Greta Garbo was in “Ninotchka” with Bela Lugosi Bela Lugosi was in “The Invisible Ray” with Boris Karloff Boris Karloff was in “The Raven” (1963) with Jack Nicholson Jack Nicholson was in “Anger Management” with Adam Sandler \*\* How about connecting: MR. T --------\> BUSTER KEATON ---
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/7 "2003-08-30T14:02:40Z")
MR. T appeared in Inspector Gadget with MATTHEW BRODERICK, who appeared in The Freshman with MARLON BRANDO, who appeared in Don Juan DeMarco with FAYE DUNAWAY, who appeared in Network with WILLIAM HOLDEN who appeared in Sunset Boulevard with BUSTER KEATON ``` Next: SHIRLEY TEMPLE-------> LOTTE LENYA ``` ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/8 "2003-08-30T15:24:40Z")
> [@](#): > > CLARK GABLE------\>BARBRA STREISAND > > CLARK GABLE appeared in The Misfits with > THELMA RITTER, who appeared in All About Eve with > MARILYN MONROE, who appeared in Some LIke It Hot with > JACK LEMMON, who appeared in The Odd Couple with > WALTER MATTHAU, who appeared in Hello, Dolly! with > BARBRA STREISAND So, does it have to be exactly six steps, and no less? Because Marilyn Monroe was also in _The Misfits_, so Thelma Ritter could have been left out of this sequence. Now… SHIRLEY TEMPLE was in _Fort Apache_ with JOHN WAYNE who was in _The Longest Day_ with SEAN CONNERY who was in _From Russia With Love_ with LOTTE LENYA How about… ERROL FLYNN ----------\> CHRIS ROCK ---
**Author:** ![Nanook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nanook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2003, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollywoods-six-degrees-of-separation/198548/9 "2003-08-30T15:41:43Z")
Good for you, baldwin. ``` Yes, I did fudge a bit with Thelma, Marilyn and Clark. I think 6 steps makes it trickier and more challenging. But, hey, it's only a game...... ```