# The Movie that had it All: Movies with big actors galore **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2001, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967 "2001-09-06T01:48:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [September 6, 2001, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/21 "2001-09-06T13:02:05Z")
**M_A_S\*H** – not only a great cast, but the actors all were relative newcomers and went to be stars: Elliot Gould Donald Sutherland Tom Skerret Robert Duvall Rene Auberjonois Bud Cort Sally Kellerman Michael Murphy John Schuck Roger Bowen Fred Williamson Jo Ann Pflug Gary Burghoff The same for **American Grafitti** , though most became TV stars rather than movie stars Harrison Ford Ron Howard Richard Dreyfus Suzanne Somers Cindy Williams Paul Le Mat Charles Martin Smith Mackenzie Phillips Kathleen Quinlan Joe Spano Debralee Scott Bo Hopkins ---
**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:** [September 6, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/22 "2001-09-06T13:07:21Z")
My choices have all been named already. (By the way, it’s “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. Only four “Mad’s” \> If you recall the theme music, please note that there is a _sung_ version, and you can count the “mads” from the music. Thank you for your patience.) Three others to suggest: **Around the World in 80 Days** is crammed with Cameos. So is **The Muppet Movie**. But undoubtedly the WORST star-studded movie is Irwwin Allen’s **The Swarm**. This movie is positively _painful_ to watch. (I showed it at my last Bad Film Festival). Yet it has: Michael Caine Fred MacMurray Henry Fonda (!!!) Ali McGraw and a host of others I can’t recall. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/23 "2001-09-06T13:37:33Z")
Tim Curry Michael McKean Martin Mull Christopher Lloyd Madeline Kahn Leslie Ann Warren Eileen Brennan Lee Ving Colleen Camp \ ---
**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:** [September 6, 2001, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/24 "2001-09-06T13:41:13Z")
Here’s the IMDB listing for The Swarm: [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0078350](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0078350) Allow me to suggest another all-star stinker: **The Story of Mankind** , ostensibly based on Hendrik Van Loon’s best-seller.(And also by Irwin Allen – the man never learned.) Ronald Colam as The Spirit of Mankind! Vincent Price as Mr. Scratch Peter Lorre as Nero Groucho Marx as Peter Minuit(!!!) Chico Marx as a monk talking to Columbus and Harpo Marx as Sir Isaac Newton!!! [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0051016](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0051016) ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/25 "2001-09-06T14:03:00Z")
How about **Silverado**? Kevin Kline Kevin Cosner Scott Glenn Danny Glover John Cleese Jeff Goldblum Linda Hunt Rosanna Arquette Brian Dennehy Jeff Fahey Amanda Wyss and Earl Hindman (Wilson on Home Improvement) ---
**Author:** ![lucie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed8c4c/32.png) [@lucie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucie)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/26 "2001-09-06T14:27:07Z")
The mention of “Clue” reminded me of “Murder By Death”: Alec Guinness Truman Capote Peter Falk David Niven Eileen Brennan Elsa Lanchester Maggie Smith Peter Sellers Also, “Hannah and her Sisters” Michael Caine Mia Farrow Dianne Wiest Barbara Hershey Max Von Sydow Woody Allen Carrie Fisher and others I can’t recall off the top of my head ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/27 "2001-09-06T19:53:36Z")
Ooh, I remembered one: **Johnny Dangerously**. A critical flop, but I thought it was a pretty fun movie. “Don’t touch me there, Johnny. My sister touched me there once. Once.” Michael Keaton Joe Piscapo Marilu Henner Maureen Stapleton Peter Boyle Dom DeLuise Danny DiVito Ray Walston ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/28 "2001-09-06T20:10:21Z")
Murder on the Orient Express Albert Finney, Richard Widmark, Anthony Perkins, Lauren Bacall, Jacquiline Bissett, Michael York, Sir John Gielgud, Martin Balsam, Lynn Redgrave, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery Pretty heavy hitters all. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/29 "2001-09-06T20:19:28Z")
What film featured Kirk Douglas, Yul Brenner, John Wayne, Angie Dickinson, Frank Sinatra, and an uncredited Michael Douglas? [Cast A Giant Shadow](http://us.imdb.com/Credits?0060218) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/30 "2001-09-06T20:27:41Z")
**12 Angry Men** Henry Fonda Ed Beglet E.G. Marshall Martin Balsam Jack Klugman Lee J. Cobb **Airport** Burt Lancaster Dean Martin George Kennedy Jackie Bisset Helen Hayes Lloyd Nolan Whit Bissell **The Towering Inferno** Paul Newman Steve McQueen William Holden Faye Dunaway Fred Astaire Richard Chamberlin Jennifer Jones Robert Vaughn Dabney Coleman Robert Wagner **It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World** Spencer Tracy Milton Berle Sid Caesar Buddy Hackett Ethel Merman Mickey Rooney Dick Shawn Phil Silvers Terry-Thomas Jonathan Winters Jack Benny Eddie ‘Rochester’ Anderson Jim Backus Andy Devine The Three Stooges Buster Keaton Jimmy Durante Carl Reiner Arnold Stang Jerry Lewis Norman Fell Peter Falk ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2001, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/31 "2001-09-06T20:39:53Z")
**Dune** (Bad movie, decent cast) Francesca Annis Brad Dourif José Ferrer Linda Hunt Kyle MacLachlan Virginia Madsen Jürgen Prochnow Patrick Stewart Sting Dean Stockwell Max von Sydow Alicia Witt Sean Young Also, for pointly trivia, which TV series featured the following actors: Paul Newman James Dean Veronica Lake Gene Raymond James Doohan Merle Oberon Dan O’Herlihy Joanne Woodward Rod Steiger Boris Karloff Lon Chaney, Jr. Darren McGavin and Leslie Neilsen ---
**Author:** ![Skijumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Skijumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skijumper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/32 "2001-09-07T17:00:38Z")
Sleepers: Kevin Bacon Brad Pitt Jason Patric Robert De Niro Dustin Hoffman Okay, maybe not that big a cast… ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/33 "2001-09-07T17:29:48Z")
In addition to his earlier mentioned M_A_S\*H and The Player, I’d point to Robert Altman’s Ready to Wear (aka Pret a Porter) which was also star-studded: Marcello Mastroianni Sophia Loren Kim Basinger Stephen Rea Anouk Aimée Rupert Everett Lili Taylor Ute Lemper Forest Whitaker Julia Roberts Tim Robbins Lauren Bacall Lyle Lovett Tracey Ullman Sally Kellerman Linda Hunt Teri Garr Danny Aiello Sam Robards Christy Turlington Harry Belafonte Claude Montana Thierry Mugler Cher Helena Christensen Sonia Rykiel Ève Salvail Elsa Klensch Jean-Paul Gaultier Christian Lacroix Issey Miyake Gianfranco Ferre Björk Naomi Campbell David Copperfield Linda Evangelista Claudia Schiffer That’s a lot of pretty, pretty people in what was unfortunately a stupid, stupid movie. ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/34 "2001-09-07T19:06:35Z")
To me it seems that\*\* The Greatest Story Ever Told\*\* has an impressive list of stars Max von Sydow … Jesus Michael Anderson Jr. … James the Younger Carroll Baker … Veronica Pat Boone … Young Man at the Tomb Victor Buono … Sorak Richard Conte … Barabbas Joanna Dunham … Mary Magdalene José Ferrer … Herod Antipas Van Heflin … Bar Amand Charlton Heston … John the Baptist Martin Landau … Caiaphas Angela Lansbury … Claudia Janet Margolin … Mary of Bethany David McCallum (I) … Judas Iscariot Roddy McDowall … Matthew Sal Mineo … Uriah Donald Pleasence … The Dark Hermit/Satan Sidney Poitier … Simon of Cyrene Claude Rains … King Herod Telly Savalas … Pontius Pilate John Wayne … The Centurion Shelley Winters … Woman of No Name Ed Wynn … Old Aram Robert Loggia … Joseph Robert Blake … Simon the Zealot John Considine … John Jamie Farr … Thaddaeus Peter Mann (I) … Nathanael Harold Stone … General Varus John Crawford (I) … Alexander Russell Johnson (I) … Scribe John Abbott (I) … Aben Frank DeKova … The Tormentor Mark Lenard … Bathazar ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/35 "2001-09-07T19:17:18Z")
Hmm Hit the submit button to soon I was going to add \*\*How The West Was Won \*\* Carroll Baker … Eve Prescott Lee J. Cobb … Marshal Lou Ramsey Henry Fonda … Jethro Stuart Carolyn Jones (I) … Julie Rawlings Karl Malden … Zebulon Prescott Gregory Peck … Cleve Van Valen George Peppard … Zeb Rawlings Robert Preston (I) … Roger Morgan Debbie Reynolds … Lillith Prescott James Stewart … Linus Rawlings Eli Wallach … Charlie Gant John Wayne … General William Tecumseh Sherman Richard Widmark … Mike King Walter Brennan … Col. Jeb Hawkins David Brian … Lilith’s attorney Andy Devine (I) … Corporal Peterson Raymond Massey (I) … Abraham Lincoln Agnes Moorehead … Rebecca Prescott Harry Morgan … General Ulysses S. Grant (as Henry Thelma Ritter … Agatha Clegg Russ Tamblyn … Confederate deserter Spencer Tracy … Narrator (voice) ---
**Author:** ![Oblong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c0e974/32.png) [@Oblong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oblong)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2001, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967/36 "2001-09-09T04:25:35Z")
I don’t think Altman’s movies can really qualify becaues many of them are cameos. It’s just the gimmick factor. Wargames is on right now. While not necessarily big stars, it did have some people who eventually became famous. Mathew Broderick Dabney Coleman Ally Sheedy Barry Corbin (guy from Northerm Exposure) John Spencer (Leo on West Wing) Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde) Eddie Deezen, that goofy nerdy, Devo type looking guy who was also in Grease. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-that-had-it-all-movies-with-big-actors-galore/79967.md?page=1)