# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/101 "2024-02-03T18:16:39Z")
SNL has the oft-discussed but never seen Bill Brasky. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/102 "2024-02-03T19:10:12Z")
He’s seen from behind and voiced, so I wouldn’t count this. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/103 "2024-02-03T19:32:15Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > If we expand to tv shows, there’s Maris in _Frasier_. And Norm’s wife in the previous series, _Cheers_. (eta: ninja’ed by @digs) ---
**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, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/104 "2024-02-03T20:58:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Marguerite (Andrew Wyke’s wife) in **Sleuth** is the first one I think of in this context. She’s having sex with both Wyke and Milo Tindle, and is clearly one of the drivers of plot motivation. In the 1972 film they even felt they had to include a life sized painting of her. Yet she never appears onstage in play or either film. Also, Inspector Doppler, Sgt Tarrant and P.C. Higgs don’t appear. ---
**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, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/105 "2024-02-03T21:31:07Z")
Nor does Téa, whose cobalt eyes are the secret forest pools of Finlandia — but who she’s copulating with, and whether it’s worthy of an Olympic medal, sure does factor into the plot. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/106 "2024-02-03T22:04:25Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > If we’re accepting TV shows, an entire episode of **The Mary Tyler Moore Show** revolves around the death of Chuckles the Clown who AFAIK never appeared on the series. While Chuckles was seen, Dr. Lars Lindstrom, Phyllis’ husband, was never shown on MTM, and in a real commitment to the part, died offscreen, making Phyllis a widow in time for her own show. On _Leave It to Beaver_, Angela Valentine, who was usually referred to as doing or saying something that disrupted Beaver’s class, had only the back of her head shown once. _Mork and Mindy_ had Orson, whose voice appears in 83 out of 94 episodes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/107 "2024-02-03T22:07:27Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Yes he does (if you’re talking about the movie). The “thin man” description is applied to the character Clyde Wynant who has two or three scenes in the beginning of the movie, before he disappears. Yes, and they find the body. But he is not in any of the many sequels. > [@sciurophobic](#): > > There’s a Disney fan theory that it was Gaston. _Bambi_ is in North America, so- no. ---
**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, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/108 "2024-02-03T22:25:14Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > The OP’s go-to example allowed “a life sized painting of her.” > [@CalMeacham](#): > > 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” D’oh! That’s what I get for not reading the OP closely enough. I was too busy looking to see if someone had beat me to Floyd Thursby. ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/109 "2024-02-03T22:52:43Z")
In Robert Zemeckis’s first film, _I Want to Hold Your Hand,_ the Beatles are mentioned all the time. The plot involves going to the Beatles’ first US concert and the attempt to get close to them, but they are never shown. ---
**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, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/110 "2024-02-03T22:56:19Z")
I believe they were, and it was actually pretty ingenious. If I recall correctly, there was a long shot of them performing on stage from the production booth, with a monitor that showed them from the actual Sullivan Show. The “live” performers moved in sync with the video. Clever. ETA: Just checked on wiki, and the actual footage of the the lads was seen through a cameraman’s viewer, again with the faux Beatles in a long shot (faces too far to distinguish) moving in sync with the cameraman’s view. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/111 "2024-02-04T00:02:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, and they find the body. But he is not in any of the many sequels. There were no sequel books, only movies. The first movie was so wildly successful, and the characters of Nick and Nora Charles so entertaining, that the studio abandoned all pretense of who the Thin Man was and just let everyone assume it referred to William Powell. There was a TV series in the 50’s called The Thin Man, with Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk, which I loved watching, and I’m willing to bet that Clyde Wynant never appeared on that show, so there’s one for you. ---
**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 4, 2024, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/112 "2024-02-04T00:13:43Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Also, Inspector Doppler, Sgt Tarrant and P.C. Higgs don’t appear. Well, Doppler appears, really. You can debate it, but he appears as much as possible. One of the things I loved about the Broadway production of Sleuth is that the **Playbill** gave biographies of the actors playing Doppler, Higgs, and Tarrant, and even gave the guy who played Doppler a photo. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/113 "2024-02-04T00:27:46Z")
Since it seems like television shows are now included, along with characters you hear but never see, how about a double-whammy for Howard on _The Big Bang Theory_. You never saw his mother, but you certainly heard her, and his baby doesn’t appear (thank goodness), but is _really_ heard (thanks Pamela Adlon). His mother’s death was a major point when she died. ---
**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 4, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/114 "2024-02-04T01:47:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Well, Doppler appears, really. You can debate it, but he appears as much as possible. > > One of the things I loved about the Broadway production of Sleuth is that the **Playbill** gave biographies of the actors playing Doppler, Higgs, and Tarrant, and even gave the guy who played Doppler a photo. I was so excited when I saw this thread; I thought that I’d jump in here to mention **Harvey** (I loved the pookah, but even as a kid, I thought the painting was a bit of a cheat). And then I’d planned to detail the brilliant move of writing a full biography for the actor who played Doppler… including all the other plays he’d been in, and even an upcoming BBC drama (I saw it in the West End… glad to hear that Broadway did that as well). . Apparently, Cal and I have a similar appreciation of genius. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/115 "2024-02-04T02:06:06Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Rosemary’s Baby. The titular youngster looms large but is never seen (which increases the horror—Farrow’s reaction is brilliant). Good one. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/116 "2024-02-04T02:54:09Z")
Arthur Daley always referred to his wife (I presume it was his wife) as “Er indoors”, but she never appeared. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/117 "2024-02-04T05:37:08Z")
They’re thinking about making a joke that the doctors have tired of long ago. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/118 "2024-02-04T05:48:47Z")
An opera: _[The Consul](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Consul)_, by Gian Carlo Menotti. The title character doesn’t sing or speak, and we never see him. His single “appearance” is his shadow on a translucent window in his private office door as a visitor leaves his office. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/119 "2024-02-04T17:42:08Z")
Actually, we saw glimpses of Howard’s mom when Raj was visiting. She’d walk by an open doorway but only be visible for a couple frames. It definitely looked like a large woman in motion blur. Also, during Howard and Bernadette’s wedding, they did an overhead shot, and she was there for half a second before the camera backed into the stratosphere. It was basically a circle with a dot in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022/120 "2024-02-04T23:04:22Z")
If I recall correctly, his limo pulls over and you see the driver asking for directions, but you don’t see the Wicked Pickett. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plays-and-movies-where-an-important-character-never-appears/997022.md?page=7)