# People Whose Reputations Changed the Most From a Single Act or Event **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518 "2005-11-04T18:50:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/41 "2005-11-05T16:56:23Z")
Continuing the “Screwing the Pooch” hijack, I, too, have always heard it as a synonymous with “shooting oneself in the foot,” or simply screwing up. ---
**Author:** ![suezeekay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@suezeekay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suezeekay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/42 "2005-11-05T17:51:40Z")
Pat O’brien from the Insider. I never watch the show anymore because whenever I see him, I hear the phone recording with him ordering cocaine and some whores so they can party. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/43 "2005-11-05T18:07:40Z")
The most obvious examples: Susan Smith, Diane Downs, Charles Stuart, Scott Paterson and probably some others were seen very sympathically when they portrayed themselves as the victim of a crime, and were rightfully cast as horrible people when it turned out they had committed the very crime. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2005, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/44 "2005-11-05T20:01:15Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > I think we should make it a rule that these people needed to have an established reputation before it was changed - OJ Simpson yes; Scott Norwood no. Otherwise we’re mostly asking for people who became famous for doing something bad. Norwood was a Pro-Bowl kicker and helped get his team to the Superbowl. Twice. He _had_ an established reputation. I think what you mean to say is that they have to be a celebrity outside of a limited scope, like a sport or local branch of government. But that’s a completely subjective rule… there were people who’d never heard of OJ before Nicole was found dead, or of Marion Barry before he was caught and made into a punchline. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/45 "2005-11-06T04:36:59Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > Sorry, but every web site definition I can find for Screwed the Pooch says the same as this [one.](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&hs=AIW&lr=&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:Screwed+the+Pooch) > Do you have a cite? Hmm, maybe it’s a geographical difference. It is not uncommon around here to hear someone say (for example), “So, what did you do at work today?” “Not much. Boss was out so we just screwed the pooch all afternoon.” Anyway, if that’s how you guys use it, I rescind my annoyance. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/46 "2005-11-06T18:48:26Z")
Mike Tyson…one minute he’s the best boxer in the statesm the next he’s a rapist and goingto jail. Sure, he was a little off all the time, but he was high on the hog, livin the life, so to speak, and then suddenly a national joke. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/47 "2005-11-06T22:01:21Z")
Milli Vanilli. One of them ended up committing suicide because of the lip syncing scandal. I can’t think of any ‘bad to good’ stories. Bono wasn’t exactly bad but he became a major player in international charities. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/48 "2005-11-06T23:03:07Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > I’ve always heard “screwing the pooch” used to describe inattention to work related actvities, whether willful or accidental. I was in the military for 23 years and it was a popular euphemism for a period of time, I think during the 70’s. Well the Urban Dictionary has this: 1. screw the pooch to fuck things up royally; originally used by U.S. naval aviators to mean “crash one’s plane into the water” > **[Urban Dictionary: screw the pooch](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=screw%2Bthe%2Bpooch)** > > to fuck things up royally; originally used by U.S. naval aviators to mean "crash one's plane into the water" Which does suggest it comes out of the military and may be related to “fucking the dog” (doing nothing at work) but has the further connotation of one’s lack of attention causing a major fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/49 "2005-11-07T00:23:07Z")
**BeeGees** - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. Goodbye ubiquity; hello obscurity. \*\*Tom Cruise \*\* - One minute he’s a leading man. Then he accepts an invitation to sit on Oprah’s couch. \*\*Nancy Kerrigan \*\* - Lovely and graceful, she had taken the podium as America’s sweetheart until she mouthed “This is so gay.” during her post-Olympic Disney parade celebration. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![HeelB4Zod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e19adc/32.png) [@HeelB4Zod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeelB4Zod)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/50 "2005-11-07T00:39:03Z")
Two examples close to my heart - see my handle for a clue as to why: - Fred Brown, March 29, 1982 - Chris Webber, April 5, 1993 Thanks, fellas!! 😉 ---
**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:** [November 7, 2005, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/51 "2005-11-07T03:21:06Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > \*\*Nancy Kerrigan \*\* - Lovely and graceful, she had taken the podium as America’s sweetheart until she mouthed “This is so gay.” during her post-Olympic Disney parade celebration. Oops. What she said was, “This is so corny.” But it did wreck her endorsement career. **Marv Albert** was NBC’s voice of the NBA and voice of the NY Knicks and Rangers. Until he was acused of biting his girlfriend during sex. I seem to recall crossdressing was also brought up. He lost his jobs as soon as he pleaded guilty to the charges, but has made a comeback since then. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/52 "2005-11-07T04:32:59Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Richard Nixon Nah. Nixon had a sleazy reputation from the very start of his career. Everything just finally caught up with him with Watergate. Definitely not a single act. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/53 "2005-11-07T04:57:32Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > **Marv Albert** was NBC’s voice of the NBA and voice of the NY Knicks and Rangers. Until he was acused of biting his girlfriend during sex. I seem to recall crossdressing was also brought up. He lost his jobs as soon as he pleaded guilty to the charges, but has made a comeback since then. It was a little more serious than that - he was charged with assault. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/54 "2005-11-07T05:17:45Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > **BeeGees** - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band. Goodbye ubiquity; hello obscurity. Was that the album with “Stayin’ Alive” on it? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/55 "2005-11-07T05:21:04Z")
And, on a more serious note, i completely disagree that the **Sgt. Peppers** album sent the **Beatles** into obscurity. It was a successful album, and still a favourite among many of the band’s fans. It didn’t chang their reputations as excellent musicians. I’m not sure what the album did for the **Bee Gees**. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/56 "2005-11-07T05:50:03Z")
There was a movie called “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was put on by Robert Stigwood. He owned The Bee Gees. They were in it. So were Peter Frampton. And George Burns. And some more people who would probably be glad if we’d just forget that they were in it. I haven’t seen this movie based entirely upon its reputation - it seems to have come to be regarded as the nadir of filmmaking, as well as a whole bunch of other (deserved) epithets. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/57 "2005-11-07T13:24:51Z")
Michael Crawford was the greatest stage actor that ever lived until he did Dance of the Vampire. Ooops! And playing Count Fosco in the London production of Woman in White didn’t redeem him–he was replaced with Michael Ball, who made it to Broadway. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/58 "2005-11-07T14:04:24Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > There was a movie called “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was put on by Robert Stigwood. He owned The Bee Gees. They were in it. So were Peter Frampton. And George Burns. And some more people who would probably be glad if we’d just forget that they were in it. I haven’t seen this movie based entirely upon its reputation - it seems to have come to be regarded as the nadir of filmmaking, as well as a whole bunch of other (deserved) epithets. Well, you learn something every day. Despite being something of a movie buff, i’d never heard of this travesty. Apologies to **PunditLisa** ; i thought she must simply have typed in the wrong B-band accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/59 "2005-11-07T15:08:06Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > There was a movie called “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” It was put on by Robert Stigwood. He owned The Bee Gees. They were in it. So were Peter Frampton. And George Burns. And some more people who would probably be glad if we’d just forget that they were in it. I haven’t seen this movie based entirely upon its reputation - it seems to have come to be regarded as the nadir of filmmaking, as well as a whole bunch of other (deserved) epithets. I saw it… twice (ducks head in shame), also have the double album & once had the novelization. Years later when I realized how lame it all was, I did buy the video as a joke gift for a friend. I regret not having the novelization & not buying myself a video. Maybe the culprits involved will someday get over the shame & come out with a DVD with commentaries. Hope so, 'cause I’d love to know what the hell they were thinking! I’d like to know what the hell I was thinking! ---
**Author:** ![CartesianDaemon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@CartesianDaemon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CartesianDaemon)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518/60 "2005-11-07T15:17:41Z")
> [@jimmmy](#): > > Napoleon and Waterloo What was his reputation before? I mean now, his reputation seems to be “brilliant general and ok but ruthless dictator who lost at the last minute.” Why didn’t that apply equaly much before? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-whose-reputations-changed-the-most-from-a-single-act-or-event/329518.md?page=4)