# Movies that made a big pop culture splash but are now disporportionately forgotten **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755 "2014-11-16T08:07:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/261 "2014-11-25T14:16:27Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Somebody’s going to point out that this has already been mentioned, but I’ve looked through the thread twice and haven’t seen it. > > **Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner** > > It was the archetypical Very Important Film. Stanley Kramer, Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, Sidney Poitier. Cutting edge topic. And it fell victim to everything that plagues a Very Important Film. Cardboard characters. Speechifying. Not just a product of its time, a product of a _moment_ of its time. > > What it’s mainly remembered for now is being Spencer Tracy’s final film (he died only a few weeks after completing it.) I don’t think it’s forgotten, not when Obama is the articulate, hard to object to fulfillment of Sidney Poitier in Guess who’s coming to the Presidency. Which would make Joe Biden the old white guy getting the ice-cream order screwed-up. And he is even found in Hawaii, which is oddly predictive. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/262 "2014-11-25T17:30:56Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > I don’t think it’s forgotten, not when Obama is the articulate, hard to object to fulfillment of Sidney Poitier in Guess who’s coming to the Presidency. > Which would make Joe Biden the old white guy getting the ice-cream order screwed-up. > And he is even found in Hawaii, which is oddly predictive. I’d argue the better comparison is _In the Heat of the Night_. “They call me MISTER President!” ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/263 "2014-11-25T18:11:27Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > Funny thing about those; I was just talking about them the other day with some friends. (I’m 41, they are all younger.) Consensus was the the first film would probably be considered an all-time classic 100 years from now, at least as a shining example of the era, and the sequels would probably be thought of as embarrassments on the level of the _Caddyshack_, _The Mask_, and _Dumb and Dumber_ sequels. Disagree. I think the first two hold up fine…the third has it’s moments, but in no way does the second equal Caddyshack II or Meatballs II. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/264 "2014-11-25T18:15:46Z")
I’d start a “Once extremely famous actors/actresses now all but forgotten” thread, but I fear for the crazy answers we’d see. “Tom Cruise!” ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/265 "2014-11-25T18:40:04Z")
Anyone besides me remember Edward Scissorhands? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/266 "2014-11-25T18:42:02Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Anyone besides me remember Edward Scissorhands? EVERYONE? That movie is still pretty popular. Shown regularly on cable and has merchandise available. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/267 "2014-11-25T19:55:31Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > EVERYONE? > > That movie is still pretty popular. Shown regularly on cable and has merchandise available. Yeah, I think it’s pretty much widely considered Tim Burton’s most…Tim Burtonish movie. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/268 "2014-11-25T21:32:25Z")
I am not sure if it is the book or the movie, but “Forever Amber” got a lot of mention in late 1940s early 1950s radio and television shows. > **[Forever Amber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forever_Amber)** > > Forever Amber may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/269 "2014-11-25T21:48:44Z")
I haven’t scrolled through every page, but has [the Crying Game](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crying_Game) been mentioned yet? That’s a movie that seems to have dropped into a black hole. It was a huge sensation just about 20 years ago, and given that transgender issues are such hot topic nowadays, you’d think that’d make some kind of comeback. (I know a lot of transgender folks were a bit miffed at the way Jaye Davison’s character was portrayed, but if younger gays can embrace “Cruising” as an ironic camp classic, you’d think the transgender community might do the same for this.) ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/270 "2014-11-25T22:01:07Z")
You should not include any sci-fi or fantasy films because nerds never forget. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/271 "2014-11-25T22:02:53Z")
3 from 1993, oddly enough: Philadelphia, The Firm, Boxing Helena. Haven’t heard a mention of these from anyone in forever. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/272 "2014-11-25T22:17:53Z")
> [@Elemenopy](#): > > from 1993 […] The Firm Not sure if this confirms or disputes it, but in 2012 there was a [primetime network show](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1949012/?ref_=nv_sr_2). It crashed and burned, making little noise and getting cancelled after one season. IMDb says that 22 episodes aired, so it’s not like a “two episodes and pulled” fiasco, but still. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it bombed because the book/movie had faded into obscurity. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/273 "2014-11-25T23:18:25Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I don’t think this one qualifies at all. When Mike Nichols died this week, this was the film he was still most known for. And look at how often it’s been [referenced](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061722/trivia?tab=mc&ref_=tt_trv_cnn) and mentioned–it’s just never stopped. I didn’t see the movie till I was about 19 or 20, but growing up in the 90s I saw the memorable scenes referenced in tons of places (Boy Meets World, Seinfeld, Simpsons, Daria, Wayne’s World). And the plot itself is still relevant–think of all the films about post-college 20somethings unsure what to do with their lives: Tiny Furniture, Girls, Frances Ha. This one would probably be my go to example for an older film that has never left the public consciousness. Interesting. I’m not a big movie fan, so my perspective may be skewed, but when I came upon this thread this was one of the movies I immediately thought of. I saw it about ten, fifteen years after it came out, and it was still very fresh in people’s minds…and I think I haven’t heard anything about it, other than the comments in this thread, in close to a decade. I’m not sure I’ve even heard anybody say “Plastics”…which it seems like I used to hear all the time. I’d also disagree that the plot being “still relevant” matters. This movie is one of many, many books and films that deals with the question of Life After College, and while it may have been among the earliest “modern” ones, I don’t get the sense that any of the more recent works on this theme are looking back to _The Graduate_ in any significant way. Your M obviously Vs, but “big pop culture splash” now “disproportionately forgotten” sums it up pretty well from where I sit. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/274 "2014-11-25T23:21:45Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > (I know a lot of transgender folks were a bit miffed at the way Jaye Davison’s character was portrayed, but if younger gays can embrace “Cruising” as an ironic camp classic, you’d think the transgender community might do the same for this.) What? You presume to think that we transgender people should embrace a specific role in a specific film from decades ago because “younger gays” can embrace some other film as a camp classic? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/275 "2014-11-26T05:15:17Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > What? > > You presume to think that we transgender people should embrace a specific role in a specific film from decades ago because “younger gays” can embrace some other film as a camp classic? Why not? You dont speak for all transgenders. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/276 "2014-11-26T19:33:21Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Why not? You dont speak for all transgenders. I’m didn’t claim to. Kindly let him respond. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/277 "2014-11-26T22:23:26Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > What? > > You presume to think that we transgender people should embrace a specific role in a specific film from decades ago because “younger gays” can embrace some other film as a camp classic? I think you should dial down the outrage . He said “you’d think” they “might”. He didn’t say they should. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/278 "2014-11-27T16:20:00Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I think you should dial down the outrage . He said “you’d think” they “might”. He didn’t say they should. No outrage, just sort of boggled my mind. Interesting that the only two replies have been personal criticisms, rather than addressing the real subtopic. I’ll give it another day then stop checking this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/279 "2014-11-27T17:35:08Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > What? > > You presume to think that we transgender people should embrace a specific role in a specific film from decades ago because “younger gays” can embrace some other film as a camp classic? Well, it’s not as though he proposed embracing Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs…(I know, nitpickers–he wasn’t really transgender). ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755/280 "2014-11-27T17:48:42Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, it’s not as though he proposed embracing Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs…(I know, nitpickers–he wasn’t really transgender). Ew. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-that-made-a-big-pop-culture-splash-but-are-now-disporportionately-forgotten/704755.md?page=15)