# Plays (and movies) where an important character never appears **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [February 2, 2024, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022 "2024-02-02T12:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/81 "2024-02-03T14:51:53Z")
In **L.A. Story** , a character named Harry Zell is mentioned a few times but never seen. He was originally supposed to appear in the movie (played by John Lithgow), but all his scenes were cut. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/82 "2024-02-03T14:54:55Z")
The Thane of Cawdor does not appear in _Macbeth_, but his execution off-stage and Macbeth’s inheritance of his title is important to the early plot, as it confirms the prophesy of the Three Witches and makes Macbeth think the kingship is also within his grasp. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/83 "2024-02-03T15:07:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I think once Radar was less than six feet away from the broadcast area while an announcement was being read over the air. > > Ghosts. Has to be a ghost. If I remember correctly, either in the “bug out” episode, or the final episode, the ghost was making announcements even after everyone had left. For a supposed comedy, I’m surprised te producers never made fun of this. Did it just not occur to them that there was no one that could be making the announcements? Probably not, if they were added in post-produciton, no one ever noticed. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/84 "2024-02-03T15:13:53Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > By the way, there are several doctors with the last named “Godot”. I think I read somewhere that the name was borrowed from a Tour de France competitor who was always the Tail-end Charlie. > **[Sam Beckett & The Tour de France](https://josefoshea.blogspot.com/2015/07/sam-beckett-tour-de-france.html?m=1)** > > \* Watching the Tour de France cycle race at the moment - and it got me thinking about Irish writer Samuel Beckett, his love of cycling and s... > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > I have no idea if the legendary British sitcom Dad’s Army (1968 - 1977, but still regularly repeated on the BBC) was ever shown in the US, but similarly Captain Mainwaring’s wife is a significant, but never seen, character. That was my first thought too - and in the same authors’ Hi-de-Hi! there was Miss Cathcart the cleaning supervisor. And let’s not forget Sheridan Bucket and his friend Tarquin. Come to think of it, it was a trope in the ancient BBC radio show Take It From Here, and its sketches with the Glum family: we never got hear Mrs Glum. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/85 "2024-02-03T15:28:57Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > did they ever show the man that killed Bambi’s mother? There’s a Disney fan theory that it was Gaston. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/86 "2024-02-03T15:33:49Z")
🎵 I use antlers in all of my decorating 🎶 ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/87 "2024-02-03T15:33:53Z")
Two movies, _Oscar_ and _Garbo Speaks_ \*\*\*\*almost qualify. _Oscar_ stars Sylvester Stallone whose daughter tells him that she is pregnant with Oscar’s baby (she’s lying), who appears briefly at the end. In _Garbo Speaks_ , Greta Garbo appears near the end, but only from behind, and she never speaks on camera. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/88 "2024-02-03T15:36:11Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > IIRC, in the **Cheers** show, Norm’s wife, Vera, appears only once. And that’s at the end of the Thanksgiving dinner food fight, where she walks in the door just in time to receive a pie in the face. There was another episode where she got a job in the restaurant upstairs, and her voice is heard calling down to Norm from above. It’s up to the OP, but personally I think that voices from offscreen ought to count as an appearance. The voice on the tannoy at MASH appeared Charlie speaking over the intercom appeared Carlton the doorman speaking over the entry phone appeared In my opinion. And by the way, there was a _Carlton Your Doorman_ animated pilot which is a definite appearance. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uEdioxUKtCo/hqdefault.jpg "Carlton, Your Doorman (Animated Pilot)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEdioxUKtCo) ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/89 "2024-02-03T15:42:39Z")
Now that I think about it, there was an episode where a soldier’s ghost wanders around camp. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/90 "2024-02-03T15:43:38Z")
If were adding never heard radio characters, there’s the lovely scorekeeper Samantha from _Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue_. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/91 "2024-02-03T15:44:55Z")
If that counts, does The Banker from _Deal Or No Deal_ count? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/92 "2024-02-03T16:23:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > It’s a TV series, not a play or a movie, but while we certainly hear a lot about Mrs. Columbo, we never actually see her. A long tradition on classic TV shows: Norm had “Vera”, Niles Crane had “Maris”, and Buddy Sorrel had “Pickles”, though I think we got to see her a couple of times early in the Dick Van Dyke series. Oh, and _“This is Carlton your doorman…”_ (Ahh, I see Cal mentioned him) . > [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Another vote for **Harvey**. Still the most intelligently written funny movie ever, in my view. Agreed! If anyone hasn’t seen it… do so! ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/93 "2024-02-03T16:51:28Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > lovely scorekeeper Samantha from _Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue_. Don’t forget Sven… ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/94 "2024-02-03T16:56:41Z")
**Darth Plagueis The Wise** does NOT appear in The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy despite being responsible for the birth of Anakin Skywalke (Darth Vader) and being mentioned his apprentice Senator Palpatine (Darth Sidious). For that matter Jedi master **Sifo-Dyas** was also never SEEN and he was responsible for the creation of the clone army ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/95 "2024-02-03T16:59:23Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Real-life soul singer **Wilson Pickett** in _[The Commitments](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101605/)_ (1991), a film about a fictional Irish R&B group He does show up in the final scene - he just missed the performance. Or was that just a shadowy figure in a car? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/96 "2024-02-03T17:38:15Z")
To those saying Harvey doesn’t appear in the film, I counter with this bit of evidence. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/71sp8gm+PgL._AC_SX679_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/71sp8gm+PgL._AC_SX679_.jpg) Now, I happen to think letting the audience see this painting is one of the movie’s only missteps, since it makes concrete something that should only exist in each viewer’s imagination. And I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely _not_ how I imagine Harvey. But I think it clearly disqualifies the film _Harvey_ from the OP’s specifications. My contribution to the thread (and I’m surprised that I’m the first to mention him) is Floyd Thursby in _The Maltese Falcon_, both Dashiell Hammet’s book and John Huston’s 1941 film with Humphrey Bogart. Thursby was Brigid O’Shaughnessy’s partner before the story starts, and she sets Spade and Archer after him, claiming he has seduced her (non-existent) sister. Archer starts tailing him and is killed by Thursby. Shortly after that, Thursby is killed, off-camera, by Wilmer Cook. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/97 "2024-02-03T17:53:50Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Now, I happen to think letting the audience see this painting is one of the movie’s only missteps, since it makes concrete something that should only exist in each viewer’s imagination. And I don’t know about you, but that’s definitely _not_ how I imagine Harvey. But I think it clearly disqualifies the film _Harvey_ from the OP’s specifications. The OP’s go-to example allowed “a life sized painting of her.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/98 "2024-02-03T17:54:53Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > But I think it clearly disqualifies the film _Harvey_ from the OP’s specifications. It certainly does not. As I point out in the OP, a painting of the never-seen Marguerite appears in the 1972 film version of **Sleuth** , yet that film is part of my list. “appearing in a painting” isn’t the same as “appearing” Here she is: [![](https://highteadreams.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/sleuth2marguerite27sportrait.jpg) ](https://highteadreams.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/sleuth2marguerite27sportrait.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/99 "2024-02-03T17:57:44Z")
Rosemary’s Baby. The titular youngster looms large but is never seen (which increases the horror—Farrow’s reaction is brilliant). ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/100 "2024-02-03T18:15:59Z")
Frank Spencer’s much-mentioned mother never appeared in **Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022.md?page=6)