Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2018 April 13

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April 13

I have a follow up questions about seniors working in the film industry

What TV and film directors, writers and producers still work over 70 today besides Steven Spielberg? I would like to know about older women over 70 who work presently especially. Are there seniors who are presidents of film and television companies?Sphinxmystery (talk) 01:27, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Penny Marshall is 74 if she is still working. Penelope Spheeris is in her early 70s, likewise if she is still working. Claire Denis, at 71, is definitely still working. Agnès Varda is 89 and directed a film as recently as last year. --Jayron32 02:04, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Betty White at 96 must be one of the oldest women in the industry but she is an actor and comedian and I haven't found new activity after 2017. She also produced Life with Elizabeth where she starred but amazingly that ended 63 years ago. She was an executive producer on Betty White's Off Their Rockers (2012–14). PrimeHunter (talk) 02:24, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

She is in an upcoming documentary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7427434/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_1 209.149.113.5 (talk) 17:11, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Carl Reiner and his pal Mel Brooks are still going strong (and Mel is 2000 years old). Clarityfiend (talk) 00:31, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Agnès Varda, Werner Herzog. Staecker (talk) 10:50, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Dame Judi Dench --TammyMoet (talk) 19:39, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Bigger than Ben-Hur

This review by David Stratton of the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur makes the claim that the expression "Bigger than Ben-Hur" was coined in response to the stage play that ran for over 20 years, from 1899 to 1920, on Broadway and overseas.

I had always assumed the expression was in response to the huge success of the 1959 Charlton Heston film version that won a record 11 Oscars, and everywhere I look on the net I find that assumption confirmed, including Wiktionary (although Wikiquote doesn't seem to cover it at all).

Can anyone dig up where Stratton's information may have come from? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 02:28, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

I have a subscription to Newspapers.com (pay site) which is by no means all-inclusive, but I'm seeing occurrences of the expression "Bigger than Ben Hur!" starting in the early 1910s - clearly in reference to stage plays. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:30, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

And it was, of course, a popular novel before the stage play, so there's the chance it actually referred to the book. --Jayron32 15:24, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Maybe originally. But the references I saw in the early 1910s were touting plays as being bigger than Ben Hur and also bigger than some other stage play. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 16:03, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Ah. You're probably more right then. --Jayron32 16:34, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Don't forget that there was Ben Hur (1907 film). Whether this was regarded as "big" or not, I cannot tell. Alansplodge (talk) 16:16, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Thanks to Mr B. Bugs for his research. Now, how to inform the entire online world that they've been wrong about the origin of the phrase all these years? I've started by alerting Wiktionary to this discussion. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:55, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

It's some of both. In the 1910s, the expression "Bigger than Ben Hur" was all over the place, in reference to staged extravangzas. And in the early 1960s, likewise, though not so much in 1959 or 1960. For example, Heston's 1961 film El Cid was touted as being "Bigger than Ben Hur", so obviously directly referencing the 1959 movie. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:28, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

Soundproof meaning?

If a Person is Held hostage in (Sound Proofed Box), then can that Person Hear If the Van is Definitely moving?(107.77.211.123 (talk) 18:02, 13 April 2018 (UTC)).

Hear, no, but feel yes. Acceleration would be detectable from inside the box. --Jayron32 18:19, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Also, understand that soundproofing is a misnomer. It doesn't really block all sound, just reduces it. --69.159.62.113 (talk) 00:24, 14 April 2018 (UTC)