The Ultimate "Career Launching" Movie

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by RayS, Jul 16, 2017.

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  1. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower Thread Starter

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    I'm thinking about movies that "launched" (and/or "relaunched" as adults) numerous acting careers in one shot. They were not necessarily the first movie for the future stars, but they were the first place where the actors got widespread attention.

    My recent watching of "The Last Picture Show" brought this thread to mind.

    Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges (transitioning into adult roles), Randy Quaid, Eileen Brennan.

    I believe "American Graffiti" and "The Breakfast Club" are two commonly cited examples as well (be that right or wrong).
     
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  2. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Probably The Godfather.
     
  3. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Does "Fast Times" count? Tons of future stars in that one.
     
  4. Instant Dharma

    Instant Dharma Dude/man

    Location:
    CoCoCo, Ca
    Though its not a favorite, Dazed and Confused.
     
  5. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Agree on "Graffiti" but not "Club". Of the lead actors, all but Judd Nelson were already at least moderately well-known.

    I was a teen in 1985 and knew all the actors in advance except for Nelson, so their careers had already launched...
     
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  6. George Co-Stanza

    George Co-Stanza Forum Resident

    Location:
    America
    Good Will Hunting launched both Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a big way.
     
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  7. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    THE LORDS OF FLATBUSH was a big launching pad. Its ensemble of relative unknowns included Henry Winkler, the biggest TV star for a couple years, and Sylvester Stallone, the biggest box office draw.

    From the 80s, I'd add THE OUTSIDERS: Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Esteves. I think Diane Lane and certainly Leif Garret were already known when they appeared in this movie.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
  8. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    You mean "Lords of Flatbush"...
     
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  9. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    Fake news! Quote me accurately!

    (I did beat the edit deadline . . . .)
     
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  10. Same deal with The Outsiders - that launched Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, and future Brat Packers Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. Could also mention Matt Dillon, but I think he was already established as an up-and-comer at the time.

    The Outsiders (film) - Wikipedia

    EDIT: Oops, I see this was already mentioned. Well, I included a link! :)
     
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  11. RayS

    RayS A Little Bit Older and a Little Bit Slower Thread Starter

    Location:
    Out of My Element
    Although many of the stars had long and/or well-established careers in stand-up, TV, and some lesser-known movies, "Caddyshack" was a weird kind of career-launcher, movie-wise. Rodney Dangerfield became a movie star at 58!
     
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  12. Commander Lucius Emery

    Commander Lucius Emery Forum Resident

    "Citizen Kane" launched a lot of careers: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloan, Paul Stewart, Ruth Warwick. But others than Welles, they tended to remain as supporting actors except for one guy seen briefly as a reporter: Alan Ladd
     
  13. Commander Lucius Emery

    Commander Lucius Emery Forum Resident

    "Blackboard Jungle" launched the careers of people like Sidney Poitier, Vic Morrow and (fame long time coming) Jamie Farr and arguably Bill Haley and rock n roll
     
  14. Daily Nightly

    Daily Nightly Well-Known Member

    Location:
    New Jersey, USA
    Michael Caine in 1965's THE IPCRESS FILE (though he'd been an actor since 1954 and had *only* made it to second-billing in 10 years time; the year before Ipcress, in ZULU).
     
  15. JerolW

    JerolW Senior Member

    Star Wars - A New Hope launched some careers.

    jerol
     
  16. Splungeworthy

    Splungeworthy Forum Rezidentura

    Diner
    Guttenburg, Rourke, Riser, Barkin, Daly, Stern, Bacon
     
  17. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    although she had already done well in a couple films before it, 'lost in translation" skyrocketed scarlett johannson's career.

    and it didn't hurt bill murray much either.
     
  18. driverdrummer

    driverdrummer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Irmo, SC
    Something Wild
     
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  19. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    especially pacino, who coppolla did not want for the role at first.
     
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  20. Solitaire1

    Solitaire1 Carpenters Fan

    That's not unusual. Often the second (or third) choice turns out to be the right one. Examples:

    - The Wizard Of Oz
    -- Shirley Temple as Dorothy
    -- Buddy Ebsen as The Tin Man
    -- W. C. Fields as The Wizard

    - Back To The Future
    -- Marty McFly: Eric Stoltz (in this case they filmed a significant portion of the movie with him, then decided to replace him with Michael J. Fox)

    - Columbo (on television): Bing Crosby

    - Star Trek - The Next Generation
    -- Dr. Noonian Soong (Data's Creator): Key Luke

    - Die Hard
    -- John McClain: Frank Sinatra (however this might not qualify since Sinatra was in a previous movie featuring the same character)

    - The Terminator
    -- T-800: Lance Hendricksen
     
  21. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I think the OP wants movies that launched multiple careers, not just one...
     
  22. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Strange to think how many oscar nominies are in that film:
    Jennifer Jason Leigh
    Sean Penn (2 Oscars), Forest Whitaker and Nicolas Cage.
     
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  23. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    That is wholly incorrect.

    Incidentally, I watched an episode of Inside The Actor's Studio with Al Pacino yesterday so this is very fresh. Coppola saw Pacino in a production of "Does A Tiger Wear A Necktie?" which he adored. They became fast friends and Coppola at first wanted Pacino for another project for which they spent 4 days together writing and throwing ideas back and forth.

    When The Godfather came around, Pacino was Coppola's first choice but the studio didn't want him. They were dead-set against him, in fact. They didn't want his type although Dustin Hoffman's performances had pioneered his type being "out there" so to speak. Nevertheless, the studio rejected him and told Coppola to find somebody else. Since Coppola wanted to do things his own way, the studio was thinking of replacing him as well so to save both their butts, Coppola decided to move ahead the scene at the restaurant where Pacino takes the gun and shoots it. Since the initial scenes that had been shot had a subdued Michael Corleone, the studio didn't believe Pacino had the chops to turn the guy 180 degrees into a full-fledged mobster.

    After seeing the rushes, the studio reluctantly agreed to continue as planned and we ended up with the movie we know today.

    They also didn't want Brando but that's another story.
     
  24. neo123

    neo123 Senior Member

    Location:
    Northern Kentucky
    Pulp Fiction relaunched the careers of some big actors who, prior, fell out of the limelight:


    John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and a few others. Even Harvey Keitel got a relaunch from it.
     
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  25. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    interesting, i heard it exactly the other way, studio wanted him coppola did not, but since you heard it from the horses mouth i must have heard the wrong story, and believed it for a long time.

    thanks.
     
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