# Sam Loomis On Screen

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-loomis-on-screen/992712>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [November 6, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-loomis-on-screen/992712 "2023-11-06T20:56:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-loomis-on-screen/992712/1 "2023-11-06T20:56:12Z")

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Watching an episode of ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’ recently (‘Craig’s Will’ S5 E6), I couldn’t help but notice that one of the characters was named Sam Loomis (played by Harry Tyler).

‘Craig’s Will’ first appeared on TV screens in March 1960 whereas ‘Psycho’, featuring its own Sam Loomis (John Gavin), came to cinema 3 months later (but may have been shot earlier or at the same time as ‘Craig’s Will’).

Furthermore, most will know of John Carpenter’s Sam Loomis character (Donald Pleasence) in the ‘Halloween’ franchise.

Is the case wherein three different actors play three identically named but totally different characters an outlier, or does this happen all the time without me noticing.

Furthermore, are there other notable characters on film named Sam Loomis.

Anyway, perhaps we need to consider only those characters with memorable names, such as not John Smith or Jane Jones.

Many thanks.

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**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sam-loomis-on-screen/992712/2 "2023-11-06T21:15:21Z")

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“A number of Fuller’s films, including _The Naked Kiss_, _[The Baron of Arizona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baron_of_Arizona)_, _[Shockproof](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shockproof)_, _[House of Bamboo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Bamboo)_, _[Forty Guns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Guns)_, and _The Big Red One_, feature a leading character with the same name, Griff.” - [Samuel Fuller - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Fuller)

Coincidentally, the name of the kid in _Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom_ (1984), “Short Round,” was taken from Fuller’s _The Steel Helme_t (1951).