Ask 411 Movies for 6.16.08: This Column is an Incredible Happening!

Posted by Leonard Hayhurst on 06.16.2008

JFK, directors directing themselves, game show bloopers, the Monster Bash and Kelsey Grammar might be Frasier Crane, but he doesn’t pull in the dough of John Ratzenberger.


Get questions in early this week as I will be leaving Friday morning for the Monster Bash. Go to www.creepyclassics.com and click on the Monster Bash link to learn more. Friday at 1 a.m. I'll be hosting The Giant Gila Monster, possibly with star Don Sullivan. George Sirois, Will Helm and Chad Webb are coming in for the convention, so it's like a mini-411 con too. I'll be on vacation the following week, so I'm not sure what kind of column you'll have the week after, but I'll get something up.

Also be sure and go to www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/reeltoring to read my latest blogs and reviews and listen to my reviews at www.ligonierradio.com. New this week is The Incredible Hulk and The Happening.

For the movies zone podcast we took a cue from the forums and played hot or not with a bevy of foxy ladies…and some not so foxy. It was a fun show and is probably guaranteed to disgust and offend. That will make you listen.

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Please email Ashish if you experience any problems.

From a supermarket I picked up used copies of Thank You For Smoking and Spartan for just $2.50 a piece. It seems they were cleaning out their DVD rental business.

You know I love old game shows, so from YouTube this week we have the world falling apart on Bert Convy on "Super Password." This just in, Rip Taylor is bald. And the clip fits because the puzzle answer is a movie.



Q: "Mars Attacks" as an all-star list of actors? Perhaps, but lets try "JFK"?

Kevin Kostner
Tommy Lee Jones
Kevin Bacon
Gary Oldman
Michael Rooker
Jack Lemmon
Laurie Metcalfe
Sissy Spacek
Joe Pesci
John Candy
Pruit Taylor Vince
Walter Mathau
Donald Sutherland
Ed Asner
Brian Doyle Murray
Vince D'onofrio
Wayne Knight
-Chad



A: I usually don't associate "all-star" and Brian Doyle Murray together. You didn't mention Sally Kirkland and included on the director's cut is Lolita Davidovich and John Larroquette. Martin Sheen is the narrator and uncredited. The movie features one of my favorite basic television edits during the scene where Kevin Bacon is interviewed in prison every "motherfucker," "fuck" and its derivatives is changed to "fletcher." "Those mother fletching mother fletchers fletched me."

Q: I could have sworn that George Wendnt was on the simpsons too. I remember him breaking a bottle and threatening Woody after he tried to get him to stop drinking.
-Mensch

A: Thanks to Bookoo for running down a video in the comments section and the answer. Although imdb did not have it listed on Norm Peterson's character page it would appear that the character did appear on "The Simpsons" and was voiced by George Wendt. Oddly, it seemed that the only regular cast member shown that didn't speak was Frasier, who is played by Kelsey Grammar and voices Sideshow Bob on "The Simpsons."



Q: Richard Belzer's appearances as the character john Munch all occurred on regular weekly series Homicide Life on the Streets (where the character originated), X-Files, Beat, Law & Order, Law & Order:SVU (where he is still appearing -is he the longest running character on prime time?), Law & Order: trial by Jury, Arrested Development and The Wire
-Animaltalker

A: I would say that Belzer has the record if you throw out voice appearances and one-shot specials. He's been playing Munch non stop since 1993, so 15 years as of right now. Kelsey Grammar played Frasier Crane for twenty years from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and "Frasier." James Arness played Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" for twenty years from 1955 to 1975. Not playing one character, but Michael Landon was on prime time network television for thirty straight years across "Bonanza," "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven."

Q: What always impressed me about John Ratzenberger was how much money the movies he's been in (as supporting and bit characters)have made.

Superman II
Empire Strikes back.
All the Pixar movies.
-David Burcham

A: According to the-numbers.com John Ratzenberger is the tenth highest grossing actor of all time. Among his highest grossing films are Ratatouille, Cars, the Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Toy Story 2, Bug's Life, Toy Story, Gandhi, Firefox, Reds, Superman, Superman II, Empire Strikes Back, A Bridge Too Far and Protocol. His numbers will go up after WALL-E opens. Number one on the list is another voice actor in Frank Welker.

Q: Hey Leonard,

What director made the best use of themselves as an actor in their own film, no matter how brief the role?
-Andrew B

A: I think Clint Eastwood always uses himself well when he act and directs, because he doesn't show ego in letting the actors around him carry the story. Eastwood was always a self sufficient actor, so he doesn't need a lot of director input as an actor and knowing what he needs to do in a scene. Million Dollar Baby is one of his best efforts on both fronts because of his veteran polish. He knows what needs done and he knows how to convey that effectively without bells and whistles.

Martin Scorses has a very interesting cameo in Taxi Driver to mention as a man spying on his cheating wife. George Memmoli was slated for the role, but injured himself on The Farmer and couldn't do the part.

Alfred Hitchcock is famous for having a cameo in all of his movies. This sort of became an in-joke to fans that knew to keep an eye out for him. Sometimes he was easy to spot and other times not. In Lifeboat he appears in a newspaper ad as the before for a weight loss plan. Not effective story wise, but they were fun for fans and added that extra little personal touch.

"You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry."

Don't die.