# Huge successes then, completely forgotten now **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315 "2010-08-05T19:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/181 "2010-08-12T19:04:13Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Who remembers Solid Gold and Dance Fever? (with Danny Terio!) Deney Terrio. You’ve forgotten him already! ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/182 "2010-08-12T19:18:53Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Gothic romances were way big 30 or 40 years ago. Totally dead now. What’s **Twilight** if not a Gothic romance? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/183 "2010-08-12T20:31:44Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > > [@Superhal](#): > > > > Who remembers Solid Gold and Dance Fever? (with Danny Terio!) > > Deney Terrio. You’ve forgotten him already! The main thing I remember about him is he sued Merv Griffin for sexual harassment. (It was settled out of court.) [QUOTE=mack] Jonathan Livingston Seagull [/quote] I was so into Richard Bach’s books for a while but he just kept getting progressively loopier and contradictory. _Illusions: the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah_ for example started out as a novel- pure and simple- so the supernatural elements you could take in stride, but then he began referring to it as non-fiction in his later books. Then he began writing about how Leslie Parrish was his one true soulmate and he’d be with her for all time (ENNNCH! Wrong answer) and how they had lived together in many lives and flew with each other astrally and had all these weirdass visions and supernatural experiences that finally made me say “This guy is either crazy as hell or making shit up left right and center” and either way I stopped reading except as morbid curiosity in the bookstores. I think he and Shirley MacLaine together killed the New Age momentum that was building up in the late 80s and early 90s by their progressively loopier “revelations”. (Shirley’s culminated in the book she wrote in which she revealed her rat terrier was an avatar of Anubis and had lived with her in many lives and sometimes been her human companion when she was the dog- [Out on a Leash](http://www.amazon.com/Out-Leash-Exploring-Nature-Reality/dp/0743485068)). Later it was no surprise to learn Shirley MacLaine has a reputation as one of the most difficult to work with actresses in Hollywood (Anthony Hopkins said she’s the one actress he ever worked with he wouldn’t work with again regardless of the role or the money). More surprising was learning that Bach, while he did sometimes mention he’d been married before Parrish, was the father of 6 kids with his first wife that he essentially took absolutely no interest in, was sometimes a deadbeat dad financially but even when he wasn’t he spent no time with them and when his daughter was killed in a car wreck his condolence letter to the family was some New Age crap about her soul decided it was time to ascend to a higher narrative (paraphrasing but something like that). I suppose some penance is that when his son wrote a ['my famous daddy is a scumbucket’](http://www.amazon.com/Above-Clouds-Jonathan-Bach/dp/0517145960/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281645067&sr=1-1)book he wrote an afterword that didn’t contradict the claims of abandonment. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/184 "2010-08-12T21:55:07Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Harold Robbins. Sold more than 750,000,000 books in his heyday. Most of his work still seems to be in print, but when was the last time you saw anybody reading one or even heard his name? Heh - I read one from my parents’ bookcase the last time I was there, as I was bored and looking for something to read. I’d never heard of him, but it was certainly more…sexually explicit than I was expecting. When I got to a part where a Jamaican dude was covering his erection in cocaine before nailing the heroine in vivid detail, I put it down and had a humorous conversation with my Mother. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/185 "2010-08-13T14:36:07Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > On our second date, my now-girlfriend (who had been very reticent up to that point) pointedly asked me: “Do you like Johnny Carson”? When I responded in the affirmative, she went into an adoring spiel about her favorite Carson moments. > > She’s 24. > > Carson lives. I’m curious though, how did she know anything about him? From watching while she was a kid? YouTube? Buying DVDs or something? ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/186 "2010-08-14T00:51:45Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > Harold Robbins. Sold more than 750,000,000 books in his heyday. Most of his work still seems to be in print, but when was the last time you saw anybody reading one or even heard his name? Holy crap what a great choice! This might have been a regional thing, but Roots Athletics clothing (with the picture of the beaver) was more popular than breathing for a couple of years in the 80s. Also, Air Jordan shoes - I’m still sick of hearing about athletic shoes because of that fad. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/187 "2010-08-14T02:18:52Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > There’s a lot of fluffy pop culture I associate with the Bush Sr. presidency that got thrown by the wayside. Ya Kid K! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/188 "2010-08-14T02:29:18Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > _The Crying Game_ was the most talked about movie of 1992, won several awards, caused a major stink when Gene Siskel gave away the twist on his show, and was used as a joke in lots of other movies and TV shows. Today- nada. I wouldn’t say “nada.” Probably less than nada is right; I was taking a dump at work a while ago, and a poppy muzak version of Boy George’s Crying Game theme started playing. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/189 "2010-08-14T03:16:35Z")
I heard Boyz II Men are called Men to Geezers now- ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/190 "2010-08-14T20:56:58Z")
50 years ago Broadway shows were more on the cutting edge of introducing shows such as “Camelot”. “The Sound of Music”. “West Side Story”. "Hello Dolly"to the entertainment business and made into a movie. Now it seems that a successful Broadway show is adapted from a movie. Besides westerns, very few musicals are made as films. Having Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood sing in “Paint Your Wagon” damaged that art form. Wasn’t Nana Mouskouri known for her popularity overseas instead of the USA? Besides, I’m always suspicious of claims of massive overseas popularity from seeing too many late night Slim Whitman commercials in the 1970s (one Slim Whitman commercial is too many). ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/191 "2010-08-14T21:02:04Z")
Lycos: back in the search engine wars, Lycos was always #2, behind either yahoo or google. ---
**Author:** ![Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ee7513/32.png) [@Kim\_o\_the\_Concrete\_Jungle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_o_the_Concrete_Jungle)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/192 "2010-08-15T13:42:17Z")
You could save a lot of time in this thread by nominating all of popular culture before 1960, including people like the [Boswell Sisters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynwtYRDP124). I blame the baby boomers. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/193 "2010-08-15T14:10:31Z")
Magazines - **Life** , **Look** , or men’s adventure like **Saga**. **Ms** was a sensation but hasn’t been big lately either. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/194 "2010-08-15T15:41:47Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > > _Baker Street_ by Gerry Rafferty > > this will never be forgotten. Dave Grohl does a nice cover, but not as good as the original. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/195 "2010-08-15T15:44:53Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > Magazines - **Life** , **Look** , or men’s adventure like **Saga**. > **Ms** was a sensation but hasn’t been big lately either. Playboy was an cultural phenomenon. Now the company is struggling to survive on DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![Flip\_Pancake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f1d935/32.png) [@Flip\_Pancake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flip_Pancake)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/196 "2010-08-15T16:38:46Z")
I think a lot of new bands still use MySpace, but what about Friendster? Everyone I know has left it for Facebook. Certainly not completely forgotten, but I’d guess another X-Files movie would elicit a ‘Meh’ at best. What has Chris Carter done lately, by the way? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/197 "2010-08-16T08:06:50Z")
Is John (Cougar) Mellencamp still on anybody’s radar screens? I don’t even know if the dude is still with us on the mortal plane . . . ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/198 "2010-08-16T09:43:54Z")
National Lampoon was supposedly one of the top magazines in the country, by subscription. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/199 "2010-08-16T10:59:44Z")
_The Saint_, once a hugely popular series of books, all out of print today. These days people think \*The Saint \*began with Roger Moore, if they remember it at all. When the movie came out, people complained of “yet another film based on an old TV show,” and complained about how different it was to the show. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315/200 "2010-08-16T11:52:01Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Is John (Cougar) Mellencamp still on anybody’s radar screens? I don’t even know if the dude is still with us on the mortal plane . . . Yes, in fact he’s got a new album coming out in a few weeks. He may not sell like he did, but he’s now a critical darling and still puts up decent numbers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-successes-then-completely-forgotten-now/549315.md?page=11)