Althouse: Movies with the name of a famous person in the title where the famous person is in the movie but isn't a main character.

April 23, 2011

Movies with the name of a famous person in the title where the famous person is in the movie but isn't a main character.

The famous person plays the role of himself/herself in the movie. It's not an actor playing the role (although if you can think of anything in that category, feel free to mention it).

Help me make a list.

158 comments:

Peter Hoh said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 6:22 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Being John Malkovich; 4/23/11, 6:24 PM
youngjim said...: Being John Malkovich comes to mind.

Didn't care for that flick at all.; 4/23/11, 6:26 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Roger and Me, Michael and Me.; 4/23/11, 6:26 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Bend it Like Beckham, in which David Beckham only appears in video clips.; 4/23/11, 6:28 PM
campy said...: To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar certainly merits mention.; 4/23/11, 6:30 PM
James Taranto said...: "My Dinner With Andre."; 4/23/11, 6:31 PM
Chris Althouse Cohen said...: Rebecca; 4/23/11, 6:34 PM
Chris Althouse Cohen said...: Oh wait, I misinterpreted the question. Nevermind.

How about Zodiac? About the Zodiac Killer but he's not the main character.; 4/23/11, 6:37 PM
Chris Althouse Cohen said...: I Shot Andy Warhol.; 4/23/11, 6:37 PM
Chris Althouse Cohen said...: Tea With Mussolini.; 4/23/11, 6:38 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Is Roger in Roger and Me?

Andre is definitely a main character! There are few movies where one man has so many lines, and clearly more than the next most important character.; 4/23/11, 6:39 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Being John Malkovich" defines the category.; 4/23/11, 6:39 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Chris, you're giving examples in the second thing, where an actor plays the role.; 4/23/11, 6:40 PM
David Croson said...: My Date with Drew

Searching for Bobby Fischer (Fischer appears only in clips)

You probably won't count the "Abbott and Costello meet XYZ" type of film, of which there are many.; 4/23/11, 6:41 PM
tim maguire said...: how about Summer of Sam?; 4/23/11, 6:41 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar certainly merits mention."

That would have to be a separate category, because Julie Newmar isn't in the movie (is she?). Not listed as in it in IMDB.; 4/23/11, 6:41 PM
James Taranto said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 6:41 PM
James Taranto said...: But Andre isn't a famous person, so it evens out.; 4/23/11, 6:42 PM
Ann Althouse said...: Another similar category would be movies in which there's a famous person as a secondary character, but his name isn't in the title (and then the related category where an actor plays the role, as in "Play It Again, Sam").; 4/23/11, 6:43 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar certainly merits mention."

He's as famous as Julie Newmar!; 4/23/11, 6:43 PM
Peter Hoh said...: I checked IMDB to see if Bobby Fischer made an appearance in Searching for Bobby Fischer. He didn't.

But I found this interesting bit of trifia: Bruce Pandolfini, who is a significant character in the real story on which the movie was based, is played by Ben Kingsley. That's not a surprise, of course. What I didn't know until browsing IMDB, however, is that Bruce Pandolfini plays a bit part, "Man in Washington Park."

Looking for similar instances would probably eat up too much time.; 4/23/11, 6:43 PM
James Taranto said...: "My Dinner With Andre" again. That short bald dude is kind of famous. At least I've seen him in other movies.; 4/23/11, 6:44 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Another similar category would be movies in which there's a famous person as a secondary character, but his name isn't in the title..."

But that's not an interesting list, because there are tons of movies where a famous person has a cameo role.; 4/23/11, 6:45 PM
harkin said...: I Love You, Alice B Toklas!; 4/23/11, 6:46 PM
Peter Hoh said...: According to IMDB, Roger Smith is in the movie.; 4/23/11, 6:46 PM
James Taranto said...: Another category is "movies in which famous actors play fictitious characters." It's the only category that excludes "My Dinner With Andre."; 4/23/11, 6:46 PM
campy said...: Julie Newmar has an uncredited cameo in To Wong Foo ...; 4/23/11, 6:47 PM
Peter Hoh said...: James, you aren't reading the question correctly. Wallace Shawn is a main character in My Dinner with Andre, and his name is not in the title.; 4/23/11, 6:48 PM
James Taranto said...: Yes, but he's not a FICTITIOUS character.; 4/23/11, 6:48 PM
James Taranto said...: Does anyone remember if Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit appears in "Fahrenheit 9/11"?; 4/23/11, 6:50 PM
Unknown said...: There's always Stanley and Livingstone. Which is halfway there since Stanley is Spencer Tracy, but Livingstone is barely in it.

PS Roger (Smith) isn't in Roger and Me, only because Michael Moore wanted to barge into his office for a little ambush journalism.

If the Big Fat Pig had asked for an appointment, however, he wouldn't have been able to have his phony little Lefty Truth To Power moment.; 4/23/11, 6:50 PM
James Taranto said...: Or if George Will had a cameo in "Triumph of the Will"?; 4/23/11, 6:50 PM
Peter Hoh said...: James, let me spell it out for you.

Althouse is looking for movies where

(1) the famous person's name is in the title

and (2) the famous person is in the movie, playing him or herself

and (3) the famous person is not a main character.; 4/23/11, 6:54 PM
James Taranto said...: That's counting, not spelling.; 4/23/11, 6:55 PM
Steve M. Galbraith said...: JFK

Ridiculous movie. Most twenty-somethings think it's accurate.; 4/23/11, 6:59 PM
Brian Hancock said...: Abbott & Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

Not in Ann's qualifiers, but American Splendor is Harvey Pekar and the actor playing him and Harvey break the 4th wall a few times.; 4/23/11, 7:01 PM
campy said...: Another similar category would be movies in which there's a famous person as a secondary character, but his name isn't in the title

Like Babe Ruth in Pride of the Yankees.; 4/23/11, 7:02 PM
James Taranto said...: What about a list of movies in which no famous people appear as either actors or characters?

What's interesting about this list is that as the list is propagated, the people in the movies will become famous. Thus the only way to stay on the list is to stay off the list.; 4/23/11, 7:09 PM
traditionalguy said...: Julie and Julia.; 4/23/11, 7:10 PM
Brian Hancock said...: To Hell and Back with Audie Murphy. A war hero plays himself.

Bill Murray was himself in Zombieland; 4/23/11, 7:11 PM
Chip S. said...: Althouse has taken what is claimed to be the
hardest movie title to guess in a game of charades, and turned it into the hardest scattergory.; 4/23/11, 7:13 PM
James Taranto said...: How hard could it be to guess "Being John Malkovich"? If your partner is pointing to John Malkovich, what other movie could it possibly be?; 4/23/11, 7:17 PM
Fred Drinkwater said...: peter hoh: I believe that Erin Brockovich appears (playing a waitress) in the movie "Erin Brokovich"; 4/23/11, 7:19 PM
Chip S. said...: Being There, I suppose.; 4/23/11, 7:20 PM
Fred Drinkwater said...: Per Wikipedia:
Erin Brockovich herself had a cameo role as a waitress named Julia R. The name Julia R. was selected to parody the fact that Julia Roberts was playing Brockovich.; 4/23/11, 7:21 PM
James Taranto said...: DRinkwater, that doesn't count. Julia Roberts is way more famous than Erin Brockovich.; 4/23/11, 7:21 PM
deborah said...: Is this an IQ test?; 4/23/11, 7:22 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Fred, that's even better than the Pandolfini example.; 4/23/11, 7:25 PM
Milwaukee said...: Well what about Harvey? His name is the title, he was in the movie, but he doesn't have a main part.

Clearly, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? does not qualify as Roger is the main character.; 4/23/11, 7:26 PM
Brian Hancock said...: I know Maria was in the background of The Sound of Music

The me in Howard and Me worked at a diner, but didn't play 'me'; 4/23/11, 7:27 PM
Peter Hoh said...: Chip, when playing charades, how'd you like to draw Koyaanisqatsi?; 4/23/11, 7:27 PM
AST said...: Did Roger ever appear in that film? Wasn't the point that he was ignoring the schlub making it, Michael Moor? I'm not even sure I'd call Roger Smith famous. How many people could identify him just by his name.

Was Andre famous? Or Rebecca? Weren't they both fictional? And does a photograph of Julie Newmar constitute being in the film?

Just wondering about the rules.; 4/23/11, 7:30 PM
Chip S. said...: peter, I'd rather draw it in charades than in a spelling bee.; 4/23/11, 7:31 PM
James Taranto said...: I know Alan Dershowitz, and I knew Ron Silver, the actor who played in in "Absence of Malice" or whatever that movie was called. So I propose a list of people who know (or knew) both an actor and the person the actor played in a major movie.

I can think of three:

1. James Taranto
2. Erin Brockovich
3. Julia Roberts; 4/23/11, 7:31 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Julie Newmar has an uncredited cameo in To Wong Foo ..."

Oh! Thanks. IMDB usually includes that... and now I see that they do. You have to click to get the full cast. So then this is a perfect example!

James Taranto said...
"Does anyone remember if Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit appears in "Fahrenheit 9/11"?"

LOL.

James Taranto said...
"Or if George Will had a cameo in "Triumph of the Will"?"

LOL

"Not in Ann's qualifiers, but American Splendor is Harvey Pekar and the actor playing him and Harvey break the 4th wall a few times."

Ah, yes, I think there is a good category here. Movies where an actor plays a famous person, and the famous person appears in the movie, but in a different role. There's some good comic potential in that.

Fred Drinkwater said...
"peter hoh: I believe that Erin Brockovich appears (playing a waitress) in the movie "Erin Brokovich""

Yes, that's the situation.; 4/23/11, 7:31 PM
Lincolntf said...: Wow, talk about being out of one's element. I thought of "Being John Malkovich' (which I've never seen) and then I totally blanked.

Tangentially related: Watching "National Velvet" with my wife last week and the credits indicated Arthur Treacher as one of the supporting players. To me, he has always and only been the provider of Fish and Chips on the Fridays of my youth. Imdb informed me that not only was he a real guy, he was an accomplished actor, frequent guest on The Merv Griffin Show and one tall limey.; 4/23/11, 7:32 PM
Chip S. said...: Movies where an actor plays a famous person, and the famous person appears in the movie, but in a different role. There's some good comic potential in that.

Well, that's a lot easier.

The Right Stuff (Chuck Yeager as the guy who sweeps the floor at Pancho's, alongside Sam Shepard playing Yeager); 4/23/11, 7:36 PM
AST said...: James Taranto is pretty famous. Ever been in a movie with your name in the title?; 4/23/11, 7:36 PM
Known Unknown said...: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.

Okay, White Castle isn't a person.; 4/23/11, 7:41 PM
Unknown said...: Melvin and Howard

I think the real Melvin Dumars appears as a short order cook or waiter behind a lunch counter in a bus station.

Altough it's also possible the real Melvin Dumars was run over by a bus years before the film was made.

Nonetheless I stand by my memory that he is in the film.; 4/23/11, 7:43 PM
AST said...: Toy Story III, if you will count the III as referring to the three little green aliens.

So far, the only legitimate answer is Being John Malkovich. I don't accept Roger And Me because it's a documentary, not a movie movie. Otherwise we can all go looking for obscure documentaries and that makes the game pretty boring.; 4/23/11, 7:44 PM
AST said...: 1. Famous Person.
2. Name in the title.
3. FP appears in the movie.
4. FP isn't a main character.

Define "main character."

erratum: I should have counted Bend It Like Beckham.; 4/23/11, 7:48 PM
Lincolntf said...: How about a movie in which a non-famous person is played by a non-famous actor, but the movie makes the actor famous and the name of the non-famous person is colloquially conferred onto the now-famous actor?

This is an easy one...; 4/23/11, 7:54 PM
Indigo Red said...: "Audie Murphy in Nuremberg"

1961 Short Film/Documentary; 4/23/11, 7:58 PM
coketown said...: Domino Harvey had a cameo in the movie "Domino."

And if effigies count, Lenin made an appearance in "Good Bye, Lenin!" as a statue being hoisted into the air.

This list is most tedious.; 4/23/11, 8:00 PM
Known Unknown said...: How about a movie in which a non-famous person is played by a non-famous actor, but the movie makes the actor famous and the name of the non-famous person is colloquially conferred onto the now-famous actor?

Napoleon Dynamite!; 4/23/11, 8:02 PM
Known Unknown said...: Slightly off-topic: Bigger turd: Thor or Green Lantern?; 4/23/11, 8:03 PM
Known Unknown said...: Domino Harvey had a cameo in the movie "Domino."

But Domino Harvey is STILL the main character.; 4/23/11, 8:04 PM
Known Unknown said...: Who Shot Liberty Valance?would qualify if Liberty Valance were real and famous.; 4/23/11, 8:05 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 8:06 PM
Bruce said...: Fear and Loathing almost works (Hunter S. Thompson was in the movie briefly and played himself... in a sense).; 4/23/11, 8:06 PM
khematite@aol.com said...: Sidney Lumet's Garbo Talks (1984); 4/23/11, 8:08 PM
coketown said...: But Domino Harvey is STILL the main character.

Damn it!

I'm guessing Ann's only goal here is to find movies like "Being John Malcovich," which I'm sure would piss off Charlie Kaufman if he knew about it. "Way to cramp my originality. As though making movies with the name of a famous person in the title where the famous person is in the movie but isn't a main character is such a tired old cliche." *spit*; 4/23/11, 8:09 PM
Known Unknown said...: I know Alan Dershowitz, and I knew Ron Silver, the actor who played in in "Absence of Malice" or whatever that movie was called. So I propose a list of people who know (or knew) both an actor and the person the actor played in a major movie.

Reversal of Fortune.; 4/23/11, 8:10 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 8:10 PM
Known Unknown said...: They are both characters in the movie, one major, one minor.

Yes, but Liberty Valance is not the main character.; 4/23/11, 8:11 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 8:12 PM
Lincolntf said...: E.M., Good enough. I mangled my already tongue-in-cheek postulation to the point that I inadvertently misled anyone who answered. I was thinking of Ronald Reagan, later called The Gipper after George Gipp. But the movie title is Knute Rockne: All American, so even my lame stretch isn't valid. All apologies to those who played.; 4/23/11, 8:12 PM
Saint Croix said...: The Devil Rides Out
Casanova's Big Night
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
Dick
My Date With Drew
Me & Orson Welles
JFK; 4/23/11, 8:13 PM
Known Unknown said...: 1. Name of famous person in title.
2. The famous person in title is in the movie as themselves.
3. The famous person is not a main character.

So far, all we have is

Being John Malkovich and (technically)
Bend it Like Beckham; 4/23/11, 8:13 PM
chickelit said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 8:18 PM
Known Unknown said...: The Devil Rides Out
Nope.

Casanova's Big Night
Nope.

32 Short Films About Glenn Gould
Gould does not appear as himself.

Dick
Dan Hedaya plays Richard Milhouse Nixon.

My Date With Drew
This qualifies, if we are only talking about one main character.

Me & Orson Welles
Welles is not credited by IMDB.

JFK
Kennedy is not credited by IMDB.

Bend it Like Beckham
Beckham's appearance is technically uncredited, but he is listed on the IMDB page.; 4/23/11, 8:20 PM
Lincolntf said...: If they ever make a movie out of "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", I'm sure Tom would show up for a cameo. (Though he doesn't in the book.)
Tom Gordon can't pitch anymore and Stephen King can't write anymore, it's a perfect match.; 4/23/11, 8:22 PM
Known Unknown said...: To Wong Foo ... qualifies as Newmar appears as herself in the film, according to IMDB.; 4/23/11, 8:23 PM
vbspurs said...: "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade".

Do I win?! Do I win!?

Cheers,
Victoria; 4/23/11, 8:29 PM
vbspurs said...: Professor, how about your "favourite" film, My Dinner with André? Wallace Shawn is the main character.; 4/23/11, 8:31 PM
Known Unknown said...: I know Alan Dershowitz, and I knew Ron Silver, the actor who played in in "Absence of Malice" or whatever that movie was called. So I propose a list of people who know (or knew) both an actor and the person the actor played in a major movie.

James Taranto is trying to impress all of us in flyover country.; 4/23/11, 8:32 PM
vbspurs said...: Speaking of Sidney Lumet being dead, how about his "Garbo Talks"?

Garbo actually appears in the movie, crossing the street. Real footage shot of the recluse actress, without her knowledge, consent or permission.; 4/23/11, 8:33 PM
Known Unknown said...: My DInner with André might qualify if the Professor bends the rules to say that the famous person isn't THE main character.; 4/23/11, 8:36 PM
Synova said...: There are a couple Jackie Chan movies that are something like "Jackie Chan's Police Force" or some such... one, two and three, IIRC. Jackie Chan has cameos in them and they don't suck. His name is in the real title but his cameo's aren't as himself, really.

And there is at least one movie with Bruce Lee in the title... something like "The Fists of Bruce Lee" but since he's not in the movie even as a cameo and the movie isn't even about him, I think it wouldn't count.; 4/23/11, 8:39 PM
jimbino said...: Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?; 4/23/11, 8:40 PM
Known Unknown said...: Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Virginia Woolf does not appear in the film.

This is a tough list to make.; 4/23/11, 8:45 PM
Saint Croix said...: oh I see.

JFK definitely has footage from the Zapruder film.

I think Dick has Nixon footage too but I might be wrong.; 4/23/11, 8:49 PM
Jon said...: Technically, "Being John
Althouse said: "Being John Malkovich" defines the category.

Although technically, "Being John Malkovich" may not actually count as an example of the category.

The character in the movie was named John Horatio Malkovich, but the real-life actor's name is John Gavin Malkovich. Is the actor really playing himself, if the character he is playing has only a similar, not identical name?; 4/23/11, 8:49 PM
vbspurs said...: Do animate objects count? "Manhattan", "Breakfast at Tiffany's". :P; 4/23/11, 8:50 PM
fivewheels said...: Think about Being John Malkovich a little harder, if you've seen it. Malkovich isn't the protagonist, but I think it's quite a stretch to say he's not a main character. He's on screen an awful lot, and of course the plot revolves around him completely.; 4/23/11, 8:50 PM
vbspurs said...: "Being John Malkovich" defines the category.

I guess "The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas" defines the book version of the premise. It was written by Gertrude Stein, and Alice is really secondary a character to Gertrude in the book, as she was in real life.; 4/23/11, 8:56 PM
Beta Rube said...: I just saw "Atlas Shrugged", but I'm not sure if Atlas had a cameo or not.; 4/23/11, 9:00 PM
vbspurs said...: This court ruling might be interesting to those in the legal profession (and to our Ron!). It's related, in a way, to our topic.

Ginger Rogers sued Federico Fellini's production company for his usage of her name in his movie, "Ginger e Fred".

Working from that Comment, the courts have fashioned the so-called "relatedness" test, which first appeared in the Second Circuit in Rogers v. Grimaldi, 875 F.2d 994 (2d Cir. 1989) In Rogers, the court had to determine whether the First Amendment barred a right-of-publicity claim by actress-dancer Ginger Rogers against the creators of the film “Ginger and Fred.” Despite the title, the film was not about Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire; instead, it was a Frederico Fellini film about two Italian cabaret performers who imitated the famous dancing duo and become known in Italy as “Ginger and Fred.” In applying the “relatedness” test, the court held that the title of the movie was protected by the First Amendment because it was not “wholly unrelated” to the movie and was not “simply a disguised commercial advertisement for the sale of goods and services.” Id. at 1005.

http://iplitigator.huschblackwell.com/2007/07/articles/beckham-beckons-using-real-peoples-names-in-movie-titles/; 4/23/11, 9:01 PM
vbspurs said...: Beta! I'd love to know you're opinion of it, Ann permitting.

wv: mullaphic (Sapphic mullahs); 4/23/11, 9:03 PM
Beta Rube said...: Although "Shrugged" had a vibrator made of Reardon Metal.

Cheers, Victoria.; 4/23/11, 9:05 PM
Tim Wright said...: Ann: If you first saw Julie Newmar when you were a 10-year-old boy, she is the most famous woman in the world. TW; 4/23/11, 9:06 PM
Beta Rube said...: I loved the movie. It could not be more timely. Now that President Jesus is in full campaign mode, I hear snippets on the news every day that could have come straight from the script.
When Dagny said she would call the new line "The John Galt Line" I got chills. I am so used to being sucker punched by liberal pap at the movies, I was thrilled to see this story told.; 4/23/11, 9:12 PM
elk said...: Larry Flynt was one of the lower court judges in "People v. Larry Flynt."; 4/23/11, 9:12 PM
vbspurs said...: Yes, but elk, Larry Flynt is the main character. Ann wants a famous person's name in the title, who appears in the movie, but who ISN'T the main character.

(When I first read the post, I was going to suggest Secretariat, as Penny Chennery has a cameo during the Belmont race -- but it just doesn't fit any of the criteria Ann wants)

Yes. This is hard.; 4/23/11, 9:15 PM
vbspurs said...: Beta Rube wrote:

I am so used to being sucker punched by liberal pap at the movies, I was thrilled to see this story told.

That's EXACTLY how I felt, and by the audience's reaction, how they felt too. There was actually jeering when the Barney Frank character (Wesley Mouch) is going on about unfair competition and "speculation" by businesses.

My God, it's so today it hurts.; 4/23/11, 9:17 PM
Lincolntf said...: If correct, elk has found a gem. (Cat on my lap, someone else check it please.); 4/23/11, 9:18 PM
vbspurs said...: James Taranto said...

"My Dinner With Andre."

Oh, drat. Not only did my suggestion get mentioned first, but by a legitimate famous person.; 4/23/11, 9:24 PM
vbspurs said...: I Love You, Alice B Toklas!

HELLO. Great minds and all that, I guess.

I'm off to watch Mildred Pierce.; 4/23/11, 9:25 PM
Harry said...: Ann Althouse said... "Being John Malkovich" defines the category.

It also seems to be the only item IN the category.; 4/23/11, 9:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Many moons ago, I found myself watching a rather strange family comedy called DEAR BRIGITTE (1965) in which Billy Mumy played a child prodigy with a crush on French actress Brigitte Bardot, who appears in one scene as herself.

Does that qualify for the list?

WV: tomin; 4/23/11, 9:53 PM
Doc said...: There is "Get Bruce" about Bruce Villanch. A friend from a friend that the movie was hilarious. I can only assume that friend was actually Bruce Villanch, because the movie was dreadful. (Imagine taking all the unused jokes on the new Hollywood Squares and making a movie out of it. Yes, it's that bad.)

Oh, and there's the cocaine movie with Johnny Depp, Blow, about George Jung, who makes a cameo in the film.; 4/23/11, 9:54 PM
Anonymous said...: By the by, GARBO TALKS (1984) does not qualify, since Greta Garbo is not played by Greta Garbo (she was played by Broadway librettist Betty Comden).

WV: travownp; 4/23/11, 9:56 PM
ark said...: I do not appear in "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Does that count? Or am I not famous enough? And how famous can one be, being lost?; 4/23/11, 10:05 PM
Lincolntf said...: It occurs to me that people from Mel Brooks to Stephen King to Wes Craven have included their names in at least the promotional titles of movies and then shown up in cameos. But that's kind of a jerk-off way of being in the category.
I bet there's a great one out there that nobody has thought of yet.; 4/23/11, 10:14 PM
ark said...: @Beta Rube: That'a ReardEn.; 4/23/11, 10:14 PM
bagoh20 said...: The Gods Must Be Crazy; 4/23/11, 10:17 PM
This said...: Looking for Eric.; 4/23/11, 10:44 PM
kurt mueller said...: Assassination of Richard Nixon; 4/23/11, 10:47 PM
PackerBronco said...: "Atlas Shrugged" would qualify.

Atlas only appears briefly and only within a logo at the start of the film.; 4/23/11, 11:07 PM
PackerBronco said...: "Mr. Smith goes to Washington"

At one point in the movie, Senator Smith talks about going up to Mount Vernon, so his meeting with Washington must be off-camera.; 4/23/11, 11:09 PM
Unknown said...: Executive Decision-Steven Segal. Filmed when he was the hot action hero, this film was all Kurt Russell and Halle Berry. The trailer was all Segal.; 4/23/11, 11:16 PM
MikeR said...: Everest; 4/23/11, 11:22 PM
Gedaliya said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/23/11, 11:27 PM
Bob Ellison said...: This may be the movie-nerdest Althouse post ever.; 4/23/11, 11:45 PM
Milwaukee said...: I tell you, Harvey is the movie you're looking for. Just because the title character is invisible, y'all are hating on him. Or maybe, on the day before Easter, y'all are hating on a rabbit. Unfreaking believable. What is it: do you hate him because he's a giant, a rabbit, or invisible? Do you know what a pooka can do? Of course he is in the movie, you just can't see him because that what it means to be invisible. Good grief. I would call y'all racist, but since Harvey is invisible, y'all can't see what color he is, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Now Ann can say, 'well, I might be vain and narcissistic, but look at all my vain and narcissistic commentators, who will waste time reading and responding to such a ridiculous blog post'. Yeah-up, you need a vain and narcissistic commenter, and I'm here for you.; 4/23/11, 11:55 PM
vbspurs said...: By the by, GARBO TALKS (1984) does not qualify, since Greta Garbo is not played by Greta Garbo (she was played by Broadway librettist Betty Comden).

Drat! Thanks for doing the fingerwork, though, Mr Buddwing.; 4/24/11, 12:30 AM
vbspurs said...: It occurs to me that people from Mel Brooks to Stephen King to Wes Craven have included their names in at least the promotional titles of movies and then shown up in cameos. But that's kind of a jerk-off way of being in the category.

I found this on Wikipedia. "Self-insertion" - author who appears as a character within that fiction.

The most famous example is Dante Alighieri who wrote himself into The Divine Comedy -- but also Martin Amis, Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Somerset Maugham, Hunter S Thompson all did so.

That's cool. If I write a novel, I'll include vbspurs as a character. Because my ego is as huge as Dante's.; 4/24/11, 12:37 AM
Blue Ox said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/24/11, 12:51 AM
Blue Ox said...: "Looking For Eric"

Eric Bishop (Steve Evets) is a soccer-loving Manchester postman on the brink of a nervous breakdown. With his work life and love life in shambles, Eric seeks advice from his hero, the famously philosophical Manchester United star Eric Cantona (playing himself). The sports comedy-drama -- in competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival -- comes courtesy of master British director Ken Loach.

Cantona appears as a figment of the main character's imagination.

4/24/11 12:51 AM; 4/24/11, 12:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Just thought of another one! JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS (1975), based on the stage revue of the same name. Admittedly, it's not a narrative film, just a series of vignettes highlighting songs by the Belgian balladeer, who appears briefly in places and sings one of his own songs ("Me me quitte pas").

WV: aphike; 4/24/11, 1:24 AM
Largo said...: This fails on several counts, but...

"Sammy's Visit"

Title of the episode of All in the Family that first aired on Feb 19, 1972. Sammy Davis Junior plays a major role as himself in the episode, but not in the series.

This is wicked hard!; 4/24/11, 1:30 AM
Largo said...: Searching for Angela Shelton

This would win the thread if the Angela Sheltons were famous.; 4/24/11, 1:35 AM
Largo said...: Is Elliot Smith famous? (And does archive footage count?); 4/24/11, 1:37 AM
Bill said...: "Movies where an actor plays a famous person, and the famous person appears in the movie, but in a different role."

Tom Hanks portrayed James Lovell in Apollo 13; the real Lovell had a cameo as a Navy captain.; 4/24/11, 2:16 AM
Sean Gleeson said...: If you're gonna include Bend it Like Beckham, you gotta include Searching for Bobby Fischer, which showed news footage of Mr. Fischer.; 4/24/11, 5:20 AM
tim maguire said...: For all the posts, as far as I can see, we have come up with just one movie that fits the requirements--Being John Malkovich.

A large majority of the posters seem to misunderstand the game; 4/24/11, 5:59 AM
Jon said...: For all the posts, as far as I can see, we have come up with just one movie that fits the requirements--Being John Malkovich.

And as I noted upthread, even that one technically may not count, since the character Malkovich was playing had a different middle name, and therefore he was arguably not actually playing himself, but rather an alternate world version of himself.

So there not may be any movies that fit the requirements.; 4/24/11, 6:19 AM
tim maguire said...: For the alternate list, how about 24 Hour Party People, where Steve Coogan plays Tony Wilson and Tony Wilson plays a bathroom attendant?; 4/24/11, 8:44 AM
Jeff Gee said...: Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory -- John Malkovich isn't exactly IN it, but a friend of mine once saw him hailing a cab.

wv: seted.
And then he seted himself in the back.; 4/24/11, 9:55 AM
bgates said...: "Star Wars", guest starring Jeff Star Wars as the insurance salesman.; 4/24/11, 10:46 AM
James Taranto said...: I thought of another one: "The Making of Being John Malkovich."

"The Making of My Dinner With Andre" doesn't count, because it takes place entirely in the kitchen and Andre does not appear.; 4/24/11, 10:58 AM
Saint Croix said...: JF frickin K. The main character is the prosecutor trying to solve his assassination.

Kennedy is in the movie because we see him get shot.

What do I win?; 4/24/11, 11:04 AM
Saint Croix said...: Glenn Gould is apparently not in 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould. I'll bet there's a frame of him in that movie, though. Been a while since I've seen it.

This is cool:

The structure of the film is based on the structure of the piece that Glenn Gould is most famous for playing, Johann Sebastian Bach's "Goldberg Variations", which are 32 short pieces of music that are usually played together.; 4/24/11, 11:10 AM
Saint Croix said...: Happy Easter, Althousia.; 4/24/11, 11:11 AM
Jake said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/24/11, 11:26 AM
Anonymous said...: For all the posts, as far as I can see, we have come up with just one movie that fits the requirements--Being John Malkovich.

I think I did all right with DEAR BRIGITTE and JACQUES BREL. I might have brought up BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA, but I haven't seen it, and I suspect that Lugosi plays a major part in it.

WV: serit.; 4/24/11, 12:04 PM
vbspurs said...: Dear Brigitte is great, Mr Buddwing! I was thinking, what is the name of that French film with Jimmy Stewart...obviously, I was on the right track, but you nailed it.; 4/24/11, 12:50 PM
holdfast said...: Hey James for what its worth, I used to work with your cousin Harri.

Since we're now playing 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon.; 4/24/11, 3:04 PM
Jose_K said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/24/11, 3:17 PM
OldManRick said...: In believe that some Bogart clips show up in "The man with Bogart's face".; 4/24/11, 3:43 PM
James Taranto said...: I stand corrected. Andre makes a cameo in "The Making of My Dinner With Andre" as "Guy Who Wanders Into Kitchen While Lost en Route to Men's Room."; 4/24/11, 7:19 PM
Craig said...: Come Back To The Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean?; 4/24/11, 10:16 PM
John said...: For all the posts, as far as I can see, we have come up with just one movie that fits the requirements--Being John Malkovich.

Read through again--"Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" also counts. Julie Newmar is/was famous, is not the main character in the movie, and makes a cameo appearance as herself at the end.; 4/25/11, 11:20 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/25/11, 4:17 PM
Unknown said...: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption

Do titles adapted from applicable titles count? ;-); 4/25/11, 4:26 PM
Jason said...: Frank Miller appears as a priest in Frank Miller's Sin City.

Depending on which venue you read it in you may also find similar versions of movie names for Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse, Rob Zombie's movies, or if Stan Lee attached his name to the title of any films made from his characters, since he always appears in cameos in such films.

Movies where the character creator's name is part of the title would be likely to qualify (M. Night Shyamalan's Signs for one)

Feels a bit like skirting the spirit of the rules to comply with the letter of them though.; 4/26/11, 11:28 AM