Who were the most famous people when you were growing up who have completely disappeared?

Cafe Society
81

The Lemonheads were one of those bands that the industry really, really tried to make famous (same thing with Urge Overkill), and it didn’t happen because they weren’t that good. Juliana Hatfield, and her band The Blake Babies, were best known because she dated him for a while (see footnote). As for Natalie Merchant, I’m pretty sure she still does some songwriting and recording, but she’s had at least one child so that no doubt keeps her busy.

Footnote: The comic strip “Frazz” used to have a peripheral off-panel celebrity character named Juliana Evandando. :stuck_out_tongue:

p.s. Before the Lemonheads got a major-label contract, my brother interviewed them when he was a college DJ. He described them as “wet noodles”.

Another one that comes to mind is Bruce Hornsby. I saw him when he was at his commercial peak, in the late 1980s, and it was a great show. I do know that he later toured with the Grateful Dead, and also put out an album of atonal “music” at one point, which was definitely a contrast with what he’d done in the past. :confused:

82

:confused: Alda was nominated for a Tony for his starring role in a Broadway play as recently as 2005, and won an Emmy for his West Wing role in 2006; that’s not exactly “complete disappearance”. He’s done more stage than film acting in recent years, but he’s still definitely active.

83

SpeakER, not speaking. :smack:

84

Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Judy Carne (who was pretty hot at the time). Joey Heatherton and Ann Margaret. Barbara Feldon, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, David McCallum (the original Illya Kuryakin).

85

Rufus Wainwright still performs; he’s always been better known for being gay than he has for any of this music IMNSHO. :rolleyes:

Duncan Sheik had that huge hit “Barely Breathing” and a lesser hit called “She Runs Away”. I purchased his album, and those were the only two listenable songs; the rest was filler.

Mary Tyler Moore has been a Type 1 diabetic for more than 40 years and has experienced other health problems; however, she has had acting jobs in recent years.

86

David McCallum? He’s played Dr. Mallard on NCIS for the past 14 years.

87

Australia Prime Minister Harold Holt

88

Ah, yes, Starsky and Hutch!

David Soul tanked his career because of drug addiction. PMG has concentrated more on AIDS activism, after losing his oldest child and first wife to the disease. :frowning:

I remember some of my friends seeing a picture of Elizabeth Glaser and saying, “Ewww, his wife’s UGLY!” First of all, she wasn’t, and I believe she was truly a beautiful person on the inside, where it really matters.

89

Henry Gibson was in great Robert Altman movies. Please no one say 'Who’s that?"

90

Sorry but I must interject; Blake Babies were a great band. I saw them half a dozen times. Julianna Hatfield is or at least was a great rock songwriter.

Natalie Merchant can go in the circular file.

91

I’ve seen him in a lot of movies and shows. And of course I remember him from Laugh-In. He was quite recognizable. One of his memorable roles was as Private “Wrongo” Starr in F Troop.

92

Altman directed most of the first season of Combat!, if I’m not mistaken. :cool:

Sgt Saunders and the men of King Co. were my heroes growing up!

93

Which only goes to show how far her star has fallen.

In her heyday, Grace Jones was a HUGE gay icon (She was a disco diva after all), right up there with Barbra, Cher, Liza, and Donna Summer.

More people I thought of: Irene Cara, the Pointer Sisters, comedian Stephen Wright, Brett Butler.

94

I was never into disco, either. I do recognize the last three names on this list, though.

One of the funniest things I’ve ever seen was Steve Allen doing a formal a capella reading (tuxedo, lectern, candelabras, the whole shmear) of the “Hot Stuff” lyrics on The Tonight Show. How he managed to keep a straight face while the audience was in hysterics, I don’t know.

Seems to me Grace was in one of Roger Moore’s Bond movies, but I honestly don’t remember her from anything else, other than some commercials she did with Adam Ant (don’t even remember what the product was, either).

95

It’s true that my parents were not especially enthusiastic moviegoers, but then it wasn’t something I was all that big on myself either. I was much more interested in sports, and reading, and other things, and the same was true of most of my friends.

Going to see a movie was something we did if it was supposed to be really good, or if we didn’t have anything better to do, or (when we were younger) if there was a kids’ film showing at the local auditorium and our parents wanted to get us out of the house.

Certainly I didn’t see lots of movies, and the ones I was most interested in seeing were new ones, not ones left over from the forties or the fifties or other Dark Ages :slight_smile: Cary Grant movies would not have come under the heading of “supposed to be really good,” at least not in the circles in which my younger self traveled.

Today, if you showed me pictures of Stewart, Peck, and Grant, along with a handful of other celebrities of the era, I might be able to pick out Stewart, when you come right down to it. I’ve seen several of his movies. (Rear Window, Harvey, Wonderful Life–those are all Stewart, right?) I’d certainly be able to identify his voice, which is very distinctive, if you played me a clip.

But I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything with Peck (never seen To Kill a Mockingbird, which is the only one I KNOW he’s been in) and while I’m sure I’ve seen Grant in at least a couple of things I don’t have any mental picture of him. So no, I don’t think I’d be able to ID either Grant or Peck even if I knew they were among those pictured. If I weren’t told they were in the mix, I’m sure there’s no possible way.

It’s also fair to say that I’m not good at faces, and indeed that’s one of the reasons I don’t see many movies to this day. Too confusing to keep the characters straight.

96

By “Barbra,” do you mean “Streisand”? :dubious: :confused:

Didn’t know she was into disco either. :frowning:

97

Wow! :eek: I grew up watching movies of the '30s, '40s, and '50s (and some from the '20s) on TV. I would go to the cinema (or thea-AY-tur, as some call it in Minnesota) only to see new movies like The Time Machine, The Great Escape, or The Great Race. It was always a real treat to see things in full color on the big screen.

I was a true movie buff by the time I was in high school. My idea of a great weekend was watching Errol Flynn movies on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

(Did no sports, but I did read a lot too.)

98

I know that, but I’ve never seen the movie.

99

You’re probably remembering “Head of the Class”, in which he played a teacher. He’s another who’s worked consistently, but hasn’t had a lead role in a long while (and he, too, is now 76).

100

I suspect that Don Draper was listing her among the women who’ve been icons for gays. (And she, too, had at least one disco-ish song, a duet with Donna Summer.)