# Strangely failed film careers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 13, 2000, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332 "2000-12-13T08:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/21 "2000-12-14T17:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Eve_ > Which reviewer was it who said, “Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow?” I believe that would be none other than Noel Coward (though I don’t recall the context). ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/22 "2000-12-14T20:17:49Z")
A good rule of thumb: anyone who wins an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress will pretty much never be heard from again. -Marisa Tomei -Juliette Binoche -Mira Sorvino -Dianne Wiest -Mercedes Ruehl -Whoopi Goldberg (real name, incidentally: Caryn Johnson) -Brenda Fricker (“My Left Foot”) -Geena Davis (Actually HAD a decent career for awhile) -Olympia Dukakis ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/23 "2000-12-14T20:26:33Z")
I always thought Karen Allen could have been a big star after _Raiders of the Lost Ark._ She did a movie version of _The Glass Menagerie_ with Joanne Woodward and John Malkovich, and I liked her in _Scrooged._ Then she did that schlocky computer movie. Now she’s too old. _ouch_ When Bill Campbell did _The Rocketeer_ I thought he would be the next big romantic/action hero type, but no: back to doing low-budget junk and Shakespeare festivals until “Once and Again” came along. With Mark Hamill, of course, _ahem_, there’s the acting issue…but I think he mostly got typecast as Luke Skywalker forever. Though he played Mozart in “Amadeus” on the stage to good reviews, IIRC. The cute guy who played Tony in _West Side Story_ went off to Europe to do theater or something immediately after shooting ended; by the time the movie was released and interest in him was peaking, he was unavailable…and then they just forgot about him. Hel-_lo!_ _Weird_ how this stuff works, that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/24 "2000-12-15T09:40:31Z")
Whatever happened to Elliot Gould? At the risk of sounding like Joe Queenan: Did both he and Ryan O’Neal get on Barbara Streisand’s bad side? ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/25 "2000-12-15T15:39:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spritle \* > \*\*Blair from “Facts of Life”. Anyone seen her? > (Dropped out of limelight to raise family and homeschool her children.) \*\* She does have a[book](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1561799017/qid%3D976894536/107-0121784-2189351) out right now. I also saw her on VH1’s “The List” recently. But yeah, she’s mostly retired. Not that she had any talent to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/26 "2000-12-15T17:00:27Z")
Actually, Mark Hamill does a LOT of little productions, character work, like playing villains in cheesy sci-fi productions, he writes his own comic book series, and does TONS of voiceovers. He really is enjoying it, and I like him. He makes a KICKASS villain, btw! ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/27 "2000-12-15T18:52:16Z")
Bad Career Advice: Molly Ringwald (from what I understand) was offered both the female lead in Ghost and Pretty Woman. Her (now fired) agent/manager advised her not to do them. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/28 "2000-12-15T18:53:22Z")
A couple I’ve wondered about: Sandy Farina. Did the film _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_ in the 70s, but didn’t seem to do anything else. It couldn’t have been the badness of the movie; the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton managed to survive. Jessica Harper. We saw her in _Phantom of the Paradise_ in about 1974, then not again until the early 1980s, when she appeared in _Shock Treatment_. Then nothing since. What happened to Farina and Harper? Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Revedge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecae2f/32.png) [@Revedge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revedge)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/29 "2000-12-15T22:21:45Z")
I think that a lot of the one hit wonder phenomenom is due to the limited acting range of the people involved. THey were perfect for one specific role, but their limitations showed when they were asked to play different characters. Mark Hamill and Keir Dullea being perfect examples. They didn’t have the range for other projects. However sometimes actors overcome this in time and finnally do learn to act. John Travolta being the great example. He looked like a one hit wonder with Sat. Night Fever, dropped out sight after a string of duds, then ressurected his career with Pulp Fiction. He obviously spent time learning his craft. I never like him much in his early career, but I think he has become a fine actor in the later years. From what I gather, Mark Hamill is in the process of doing the some thing. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/30 "2000-12-15T23:50:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spoons \* > \*\*A couple I’ve wondered about: > > Sandy Farina. Did the film _Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band_ in the 70s, but didn’t seem to do anything else. It couldn’t have been the badness of the movie; the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton managed to survive. > > What happened to Farina and Harper? Anybody know? > \*\* Bee Gees and Peter Frampton had careers before the movie (well, Frampton had an album, if not a career). So they had some recognition to fall back on, after making an incredibly bad move. _Sgt. Pepper_, in retrospect, wasn’t the sort of thing one could build a new career on, so the new kid took the fall. cf. Elizabeth Berkeley, _Showgirls_ ---
**Author:** ![Danimal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Danimal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danimal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/31 "2000-12-16T01:11:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > \*\*Actually, Mark Hamill does a LOT of little productions, character work, like playing villains in cheesy sci-fi productions, he writes his own comic book series, and does TONS of voiceovers. He really is enjoying it, and I like him. > He makes a KICKASS villain, btw! > \*\* He also does the lead character in the computer game “Wing Commander.” And he’s not too shabby; way better than anybody in the godawful movie of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/32 "2000-12-16T01:24:04Z")
Oh yeah, I forgot about Wing Commander. I find Mark Hamill DAMN sexy. ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/33 "2000-12-16T07:53:21Z")
You sometimes hear British performers talking about how they’d like to “break into America” and how hard that can be. Two actors who are well-known in England but who are one hit wonders in the U.S. are Rik Mayall, who was “Drop Dead Fred” (with Phoebe Cates) and Linus Roache who played an extremely attractive gay priest in “Priest” the movie. This is a slightly different take on the one hit wonder thing because it suggests there are other reasons for it than limited range or just bad luck. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/34 "2000-12-16T14:39:45Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by a35362_ > The cute guy who played Tony in West Side Story went off to Europe to do theater or something immediately after shooting ended; by the time the movie was released and interest in him was peaking, he was unavailable…and then they just forgot about him. Hel-lo! This is, of course, absolutely ridiculous. Richard Beymer was a well-known quantity before _WSS_ (why else hire a guy who couldn’t sing for the part?) and continued to make several high-profile films afterwards (most notably _The Longest Day, The Stripper,_ and the title role in _Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man_). However, it soon became exceedingly clear that he was a rather flavorless screen personality and the parts stopped coming his way. _That_’s when he decided to go back to the stage (in NY, not Europe), as well as pursue other interests. As for Elliott Gould, he still makes tons of movie and TV appearances (most notably on _Friends_), but he was never known as a “dramatic” actor; though much of his comedy did have a bit of an edge, even his best dramatic work (_The Long Goodbye_) relied on his affability and sardonic nature. This may explain why the more heavyweight dramatic roles for actors his age seem to have gone elsewhere (though I think he did a fine turn in _American History X_) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/35 "2000-12-16T18:45:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stephe96 \* > \*\* > > A good rule of thumb: anyone who wins an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress will pretty much never be heard from again. > > -Marisa Tomei > -Juliette Binoche > -Mira Sorvino > -Dianne Wiest > -Mercedes Ruehl > -Whoopi Goldberg (real name, incidentally: Caryn Johnson) > -Brenda Fricker (“My Left Foot”) > -Geena Davis (Actually HAD a decent career for awhile) > -Olympia Dukakis > \*\* I might agree with this list with the exception of Juliette Binoche who is a big film star in France and doesn’t choose to make many English-language films. However, if you check the adds of “Chocolat” she is listed as the co-star along with Johnny Depp. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/36 "2000-12-16T19:02:36Z")
**BobT** is right - Juliette Binoche is a very big star in France, and has made 6 or 7 movies since The English Patient, and has won or been nominated for many (at least 10) major film awards in her career. She is definitely not a one-hit wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/37 "2000-12-16T20:06:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by a35362 \* > \*\*With Mark Hamill, of course, _ahem_, there’s the acting issue…but I think he mostly got typecast as Luke Skywalker forever. Though he played Mozart in “Amadeus” on the stage to good reviews, IIRC. > \*\* Wasn’t Mark Hamill on the shelf for a while after getting into some hideous wreck? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2000, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/38 "2000-12-16T20:34:00Z")
NO! He was in accident while filming the first Star Wars, and so for the next one, they created the Wampa scene to explain the scars on his face. It wasn’t a horrible one-he broke his nose, and had some scarring, but it wasn’t as major as some make it out to be. ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/39 "2000-12-17T06:52:59Z")
ArchiveGuy: Elliot Gould is on Friends, that’s true, but Al Pacino isn’t and neither is Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood. Whereas these 70s stars have maintained their high profiles for 30 years Elliot Gould’s fame faded rather quickly in comparison, don’t you think? While it’s true that the musical movie genre of the sixties and early 70s is way out of fashion comedy-with-an-edge never has been as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2000, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332/40 "2000-12-17T09:08:12Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by G.Nome_ > Elliot Gould is on Friends, that’s true, but Al Pacino isn’t and neither is Robert Redford or Clint Eastwood. Whereas these 70s stars have maintained their high profiles for 30 years Elliot Gould’s fame faded rather quickly in comparison, don’t you think? Of course, but AP/RR/CE were (are) all charismatic leading men; even at his peak, Gould still worked on the margins of quirky comedic/character roles. (Even then, Redford’s visibility has had little to do with acting in the past ten years) Apples & Oranges. I think George Segal and Alan Arkin are better comparisons. Unlike more traditional dramatic roles, the parts just aren’t there for Gould’s “type” the way they were in his youth. > [@](#): > > While it’s true that the musical movie genre of the sixties and early 70s is way out of fashion comedy-with-an-edge never has been as far as I know. Yeah, but you usually don’t associate 62-year olds with “edgy” humor (at least not on film); comedy that pushes the boundaries traditionally is the province of a younger set. No doubt Gould may still be open to edgier material, but you _do_ have to make a living in the meantime. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangely-failed-film-careers/45332.md?page=3)