# When did "behind the scenes" people become famous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739 "2015-08-24T16:55:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/21 "2015-08-24T23:44:07Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > There was that William Shakespeare guy. Shakespeare wasn’t an actor? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/22 "2015-08-25T00:28:06Z")
Rod Serling, as another not-too-recent example. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/23 "2015-08-25T00:51:53Z")
God 😉 ---
**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:** [August 25, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/24 "2015-08-25T01:08:09Z")
Here’s a poster for [the 1940 production of The Grapes of Wrath.](http://store.walterfilm.com/images/GrapesOfWrathThe-Oct2012HS.jpg) The largest name on the poster is the book author, John Steinbeck. The second largest is the producer, Dayl F. Zanuck. The name of the director, John Ford, is in type as large as Henry Fonda, the star. Of course, they didn’t get their pictures in the poster, like the actors, but those names are that size for a reason. Here’s a poster for the 1925 version of Ben Hur, where[the director gets billing above the star.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Ben-Hur-1925.jpg) And the 1959 version, where [the director STILL gets top billing](http://www.caseygraebner.com/assets/gd4.jpg), above Charlton Heston! ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/25 "2015-08-25T04:31:43Z")
TV - Norman Lear ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/26 "2015-08-25T06:32:37Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > Alfred Hitchcock was probably the first director who could be recognized on the street by average citizens. Kinda dangerous because after seeing Hitchcock go by on the street it was likely that then people would die left and right of the ones who saw him; and then they would had to be on the run and risk their lives to uncover a conspiracy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/27 "2015-08-25T06:46:07Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > The internet is when this really surged, at least to me. > > Joss Whedon, Chris Carter, Ronald Moore. These were show-runners and creators of shows and all the sudden, people discussed them online. Nah, I can name TV showrunners from the eighties off the top of my head. Stephen Bochco, Donald P Bellisario, Darren Star… ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/28 "2015-08-25T06:52:45Z")
Two words: Gene Roddenberry. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/29 "2015-08-25T09:00:20Z")
You may have heard of that Walt Disney guy. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2015, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/30 "2015-08-25T10:27:35Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > Nah, I can name TV showrunners from the eighties off the top of my head. Stephen Bochco, Donald P Bellisario, Darren Star… Stephen J. Cannell had his own theme music; you’d watch the end of an A-TEAM episode, or 21 JUMP STREET, or THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, or whatever, and suddenly _there he was,_ typing with gusto before throwing the latest page on the stack. (Oh, and while it’s a cheat, I gotta ask: can we count Jim Henson?) ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/31 "2015-08-25T11:25:37Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Stephen J. Cannell had his own theme music; you’d watch the end of an A-TEAM episode, or 21 JUMP STREET, or THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, or whatever, and suddenly _there he was,_ typing with gusto before throwing the latest page on the stack. > > (Oh, and while it’s a cheat, I gotta ask: can we count Jim Henson?) Crap, I can’t believe I forgot him. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/32 "2015-08-25T13:30:53Z")
I would suggest that perhaps the earliest celebrity film producer-director, arguably even earlier than Hal Roach, was Mack Sennett. He pioneered such slapstick comedy traditions as the pie fight and the wild car chase, and (as evidenced by his “Sennett Bathing Beauties”) recognized the cinematic appeal of women in skimpy outfits. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/33 "2015-08-25T16:20:01Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > These days, it seems name creative talent like Aaron Sorkin and Matthew Weiner are as famous as the actors on their shows. Who were the first writers/directors/producers to become famous among the general public, both in movies and on TV? Not the first, but we gotta mention George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/34 "2015-08-25T16:48:05Z")
David O. Selznick. David Belasco. Flo Ziegfeld. Max Reinhardt. F. W. Murnau. Darrel F. Zanuck. Louis B. Mayer. Harry Cohn (who had the whole world wired into his ass). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2015, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/35 "2015-08-25T17:39:18Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Shakespeare wasn’t an actor? Sure, he was an actor. But he wasn’t famous as an actor, he was famous as a writer/director/producer/dramatist/whatever-they-called-it-in-1599. People didn’t go to see his plays because he was starring in them, as far as we can tell he played small parts in his own plays. ---
**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:** [August 25, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/36 "2015-08-25T23:45:12Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Sure, he was an actor. But he wasn’t famous as an actor, he was famous as a writer/director/producer/dramatist/whatever-they-called-it-in-1599. People didn’t go to see his plays because he was starring in them, as far as we can tell he played small parts in his own plays. He’s like a live-action Quentin Tarantino! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/37 "2015-08-26T00:07:34Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Stephen J. Cannell had his own theme music; you’d watch the end of an A-TEAM episode, or 21 JUMP STREET, or THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, or whatever, and suddenly _there he was,_ typing with gusto before throwing the latest page on the stack. Fun fact: Stephen was dyslexic. Everything he typed in those trailers was gibberish. I nit you shot! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/38 "2015-08-26T00:08:37Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > You may have heard of that Walt Disney guy. Uhhhhh … yeah, somewhere along the way… :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/39 "2015-08-26T00:11:03Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Kinda dangerous because after seeing Hitchcock go by on the street it was likely that then people would die left and right. Kind of like inviting Jessica Fletcher to your reception. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739/40 "2015-08-26T03:42:42Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Kind of like inviting Jessica Fletcher to your reception. 😃 Or saying “Sammy Davis Jr” 3 times into a mirror. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-behind-the-scenes-people-become-famous/728739.md?page=3)