Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2016 January 3

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January 3

Orphan Black: Sarah and Mark

In Orphan Black season 3 episode 2, Sarah remarks "[spoiler] that Prolethean freak Mark". As far as I can recall, Sarah has seen Mark just once: early in season 2 (ep1, i think) when he tried to grab her at the diner. Through Art she knows that he's a Prolethean, but how does she know his name? All I can think of is that he's in Art's photographs at the farm and Helena named him; but in that case Art should have known [spoiler] before talking to Sarah. —Tamfang (talk) 00:33, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Can someone identify an actor in a photograph from the Herbie the Love Bug films?

Can someone identify an actor in a photograph? Here is the photograph, at the following link: [1]. There is a magazine with Herbie the Love Bug on the cover. There is an actor inside the car. I am trying to learn the identity of that actor. It seems to me (just as a gut feeling) that that is a stock photo of the first Herbie movie (The Love Bug), which was the most "famous" of the series. In which case the driver of the car (in the film) would be Dean Jones. However, that magazine is covering the second Herbie movie (Herbie Rides Again) and Dean Jones was not in the cast of that second installment. It seems to me -- although I am not sure -- that Ken Berry was the star (and, hence, the driver of the car) in the film. Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 02:05, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Yes, Ken Berry, the star of Herbie Rides Again. The date given, of 1974, is the date that sequel was released. The resolution of the pic is way too low to make out the face, but I see no reason to suppose it would be anyone else. StuRat (talk) 04:20, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. But I just gave the reason. It seems to me (just as a gut feeling) that that is a stock photo of the first Herbie movie (The Love Bug), which was the most "famous" of the series. In which case the driver of the car (in the film) would be Dean Jones. This is a kid's magazine. Not some high-caliber publication. And I would not doubt that the photo was some stock photo from the first film, which was the popular film. The one that "put Herbie on the map". Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 04:43, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

It would be normal to use pics from the sequel, when advertising the sequel, not pics form the original movie. And, at that time, nobody would have known which movie would be more successful. Now, I suppose it's possible that pics from the sequel weren't available, and they used stock pics from the original in that case, but they might run into legal issues of having to pay the original cast members, so I'd expect them to avoid that, if possible. StuRat (talk) 07:45, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Yes, I agree with all of that. Hence, I was uncertain about the identity. I wanted to see if anyone knew for sure. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:26, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

If the shot is a still from one of the two movies, then I suggest the easiest way to answer this is to watch both of them and look for a scene that resembles it. However, I certainly will not be doing this myself! Googling for images of the car, I see that its color was not identical in all of its appearances; the color of the car in the cover photo might distinguish the two movies in question, or not. --76.69.45.64 (talk) 06:21, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. Yes, I had thought of that. Problem is: it's a pretty "generic" shot. Practically any scene from either film will have many, many, many shots that resemble this very generic shot. Another problem: doubtful that this is a still shot from either film; more likely, it's just a publicity photograph. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 07:24, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

I suggest the possibilities that:

(a) the driver is neither of the actors, but merely some staffer from one of the productions – if the magazine had wanted a shot including either actor, they would likely have requested one in which the driver was more clearly seen. Instead, it looks almost as if the driver has been intentionally blurred;

(b) there was no driver in the original photo, but the magazine has doctored it to give the impression of one being there, well enough for magazine-cover purposes but not for a forensic examination. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.123.25.88 (talk) 12:56, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks. Yes, I also thought of that. That perhaps it was some "stunt driver" or stand-in double. Thanks. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 16:28, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, all. Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 04:38, 5 January 2016 (UTC)

Help with Classical Track

Hello all.

Would someone be able to tell me what classical piece is playing at the intro for this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoOJZqtf79E

Thanks :)27.32.225.185 (talk) 12:03, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

The few seconds of orchestral music from the very beginning of that video? I think that is from the first movement of Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony, about a minute after the beginning. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPpm323M_Ik#t=00m50s (Vienna Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein). – Tobias Bergemann (talk) 15:20, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Wow, you are spot on. I was thinking that it was most likely a modern composer. Thank you so much for your help, now I have more of Mahler's music to familiarize myself with :) 27.32.225.185 (talk) 23:15, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Support feature

What exactly is a support(ing) feature of a theatrical motion picture? I suppose it is mutatis mutandis the same as an opening act, but many films listed as supporting features are full-length movies in their own right, so watching both movies seems quite a lot for one evening? --KnightMove (talk) 12:56, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

B movie, which is where "supporting feature" re-directs if you search for it, explains it in the opening paragraph: yes, they were double features. That last article also lists more complicated combinations as well. 99.235.223.170 (talk) 15:23, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Ok, thanks. So I have created the missing redirect Support feature, as the search merely returned a list of examples. --KnightMove (talk) 15:56, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

As for "watching both movies seems quite a lot for one evening": In my day/the good old days, we always saw more than just a movie (unless it was a long blockbuster like Ben-Hur, which would include an intermission). If there wasn't a B movie, there'd at least be a newsreel or a documentary or a few cartoons. Plus trailers for upcoming movies. Only then came the main feature. We got our money's worth. These days, every movie is marketed as an awe-inspiring classic. They can't all be that good. They're not. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:06, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

The B-movies generally weren't all that long, either. Often they were what some call "ten-reelers", each reel being about 7 minutes, hence a running time of about 70. The heyday of the movie "experience" was before TV came along or became widespread, so you really got your money's worth for a day of entertainment. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:32, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Well then, thank you all! --KnightMove (talk) 22:29, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

In my childhood (Vienna, EU / post war years) much the same happened in our local movie theatres. The supporting feature (“Vorspann” (?)) were either sneak previews to some other feature film, short documentaries or even “mini films”, such as a 5 minute sketch showing Dick und Doof (aka Laurel and Hardy). Very often this supporting feature simply was a news report, as TV was not available until 1958. --Cookatoo.ergo.ZooM (talk) 15:27, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

See newsreel. They were used in the US, as well, until TV became popular. StuRat (talk) 20:36, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

What is this song?

The other day I was listening to a country station that plays older music and a song sung by a man came on. I can't remember all the lyrics, but it referenced many famous country artists and songs, specifically Willie Nelson and "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain". It also referenced Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Sweet Home Alabama" (I think that line said "And Skynyrd sung about Sweet Home Alabama"). The chorus was something about singing cowboys. It ended with some lyrics about cowboys and cowgirls in heaven listening to a cowboy playing his guitar. The station didn't give the name of the artist or song. I'd like to know if anybody out there has any idea of what song that may have been. I'm sorry this is vague, but I really can't remember much else. Thanks, White Arabian Filly (Neigh) 23:37, 3 January 2016 (UTC)

Probably "Hats Off", by Alabama. Available via the Usual Channels. Tevildo (talk) 00:51, 4 January 2016 (UTC)