# What were the worst FAILED comebacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 19, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885 "2003-06-19T07:55:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/1 "2003-06-19T07:55:17Z")
The recent thread on the Most Spectacular Comeback (sorry I can’t link it, my new setup doesn’t let me see the thread id long enough to trap it) made me wonder who tried, and failed, to come back after having a star career, dipping into obscurity, flickering a little and then dying out completely. One that comes to mind was Betty Hutton, who was a big Broadway musical and film star of the forties and fifties, leading such pictures as _Annie Get Your Gun_ and _The Greatest Show On Earth_ (that last with Charleton Heston and Jimmy Stewart). After she had been out of the public eye for quite a while she made one sad and desperate attempt at a comeback on _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_ singing a forties hit of hers _My Rocking Horse Ran Away_. I felt terrible for her because she was just awful. Who else can you think of that tried to come back only to fall flat? ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/2 "2003-06-19T08:04:48Z")
[Here’s that link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=191583) ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/3 "2003-06-19T09:59:43Z")
If sportsmen count, I’d like to nominate Mike Tyson. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/4 "2003-06-19T13:32:16Z")
Since when is Mike Tyson a sportsman? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/5 "2003-06-19T13:36:36Z")
Bob Denver. _Dusty’s Travels._ Yikes almighty. ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/6 "2003-06-19T13:37:24Z")
Kim Basinger - She had a run of stinkers, then won an Oscar for LA Confidential and looked poised to make a comeback. Which has fizzled away. Not even starring opposite Eminem in 8 Mile recently did much to raise her profile. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/7 "2003-06-19T13:49:40Z")
If punk rock counts, The Misfits “reunion” was a good idea that went horribly wrong. Jon ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/8 "2003-06-19T14:44:28Z")
Bill Dana. He had to stop his “Jose Jiminez” routines by 1970. Several years later he appeared on _The Mike Douglas Show_ trying to do a regular routine. It stank big time. Biggest flop sweat I’ve ever seen. Started apologizing to the audience and then did a little bit of “Jose Jiminez”. It was painful to watch. ---
**Author:** ![audit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@audit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audit1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/9 "2003-06-19T14:45:17Z")
Lucille Ball’s 1980’s comeback attempt LIFE WITH LUCY ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/10 "2003-06-19T15:14:23Z")
Travolta. Every now and then he does something to peep his head above the pack. Then he promptly throws himself into the mud again. He can do good work, its just his gigantic flops that make his combacks so bad. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/11 "2003-06-19T15:19:08Z")
“I know you are but what am I?” That one never seemed to work for me. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/12 "2003-06-19T15:21:13Z")
Mark Hamilton, in every single thing in which he has appeared since the first three _Star Wars_ movies. Poor schmuck. Barry ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/13 "2003-06-19T15:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by godzillatemple \* > \*\*Mark Hamilton… \*\* [Who](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Hamill,+Mark)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/14 "2003-06-19T15:43:56Z")
Michael Crawford. Scored huge in \*\* Phantom of the Opera \*\* in London, LA and Broadway, then stupidly returned to Broadway in \*\* Dance of the Vampires. \*\* I doubt he’ll ever be seen on Broadway (or even in a musical) again. ---
**Author:** ![WhiteyFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@WhiteyFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhiteyFoo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/15 "2003-06-19T16:36:32Z")
Vanilla Ice. Sad. Really really sad. All right, stop, collaborate, and listen… ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/16 "2003-06-19T16:41:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jeff Olsen \* > \*\*[Who](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Hamill,+Mark)? > 😃 \*\* Ooops. I think I got him confused with the ice skating guy, Scott Hamilton. Yes, it’s **Mark Hamill** and not Mark Hamilton. See – if he had a better comeback, I would remember his name better! Barry ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/17 "2003-06-19T16:44:42Z")
If we’d just put this off for 5-10 years, I predict Wil Wheaton will be the unanimous choice. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/18 "2003-06-19T17:02:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WhiteyFoo \* > \*\*Vanilla Ice. Sad. Really really sad. > > All right, stop, collaborate, and listen… \*\* Yea, that rap-metal cover of “Ice Ice Baby” was just PAINFUL. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/19 "2003-06-19T17:24:35Z")
Muhammed Ali vs. Larry Holmes. If I wanted to see an old man being beaten senseless, I would go to Central Park at 2:00am. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885/20 "2003-06-19T17:36:19Z")
Michael Jordan. Can’t we just remember him pushing off Bryon Russell to win his 6th title? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-the-worst-failed-comebacks/182885.md?page=2)