Name an actor/entertainer that was extremely popular in their time but have no lasting cultural relevancy

It would probably surprise a lot of younger people that Barbra Streisand was the biggest movie star of the 70s.

Branden Fraser

[quote]Name an actor/entertainer that was extremely popular in their time but have no lasting cultural relevancy

Beyonce, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Reese Withersppon, Jennifer Aniston

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, All 4 Chrises

Very few people know, remember, or care how big people like Spencer Tracy, Fred MacMurray, Glenn Ford, William Holden, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Jean Harlow, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Doris Day, or Rita Hayworth were.

Too early to tell with several of your more current choices R3. And I would argue that many remember Doris Day, Bing Crosby, certainly Bob Hope and (gasp) even Fred MacMurray. The others, not so much.

Eddie Cantor, Kate Smith, Ethel Merman, Bing Crosby.

Karen Lynn Gorney

Al Jolson

Arthur Godfrey

Ronald Colman, British actor who was voted most popular actor at one time. He was well liked in Hollywood and got along well with everybody. He started in silent films in the 1920s, but when the talkies came out, he was found to have a beautiful voice. He was popular all through the thirties and forties. He starred in A Tale of Two Cities as Sydney Carton in 1937, which was a big hit. Watch it if you can.

He retired to Santa Barbara and lived there with his wife, former actress Bonita Hume, until his death.

Any fan of Old Time Radio knows Ronald Coleman and his lovely wife Bonita because they were Jack Benny's long suffering neighbors.

Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson.

R9, is Bonita the dead name of Brit Hume?

Given what an enormous star he was across decades and different forms of media, Bob Hope has NO lasting cultural relevance.

Most of his film and TV work has essentially disappeared from view. There's no real legacy to all those ROAD pictures. Most people under 40 genuinely have no awareness and no interest in who he was.

Some young people at work didn't know who Robert Redford was.

Charo

Ricky Nelson (hell, the whole family)

George Burns & Gracie Allen

John Denver

Redford was super-hot for maybe 10 years tops. And that was 45 years ago. He could've had more of a lasting influence but refused to play any bad guys.

Like Nicholson.

Hank William Jr and Sr.

Fess Parker

Mickey Rooney

To save you time, I'd say probably 80% of all who were once considered HUGE stars, will have no lasting cultural relevancy.

The Bodyguard has been shown on my TV every year! And Dances with Wolves has been mentioned every month! How could Kevin Costner not make any impact these days??? Maybe OP doesn't hear of him on some drag shows or some housewives shows, but that doesn't mean Kevin Costner isn't "impactful." Duh!

Steve and Eydie.

Ernest Borgnine

The biggest female star of the 1940s: Betty Grable.

r21 The Bodyguard endures because of The Soundtrack and Whitney. I don’t think Kevin’s part in the film’s huge success is remembered as well.

Dance with Wolves has aged like shit. It’s increasingly seen as White savior nonsense and many will tell you that Goodfellas deserved the win that year.

Elvis

Anita Bryant

[quote]Given what an enormous star he was across decades and different forms of media, Bob Hope has NO lasting cultural relevance.

It's interesting, because he was a constant presence in American culture until he was well into old age. He was ALWAYS on television, with those awful Bob Hope Specials. I think he hasn't lasted in the public consciousness because his whole act was so corny and dated for decades before he retired, and people just kind of put up with him, instead of actually liking his brand of comedy.

Pat Benatar was Madonna before there was Madonna. Now she's a footnote. Oldies radio only.

Johnny Carson. Huge presence in American pop culture, but faded fast after he retired.

Richard Burton Dan Rather

Cultural relevance is a tricky thing.

Hank Williams (the one and only, IMHO) may be unknown to most of the public these days, but his legacy as a singer-songwriter-musician is enormous and lasting. He is still revered by many musicians across genres, and is regarded as a "go to" by many contemporary songwriters.

I cannot imagine anyone is now or ever will be saying the same about, say, Paula Abdul.

Kate Smith

Bing Crosby

Ed Sullivan

Joan Davis

Jack Parr

I know this will make DL's elders furious, but I think Barbra Streisand is on her way to not having much relevancy. I know she's HUGE with Boomers, but Gen X (my generation) has never really been into her. Millennials even less so. I'm in my 40s and with people in my age group she's always been seen as kind of old-fashioned. Millennials think she's prehistoric.

Sonja Henie. That's probably karma, for breaking poor Liberace's heart.

Neil Diamond.

Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt.

Lots of actors and actresses who were big TV stars in the 70s and 80s. The casts of MASH, Family Ties, Happy Days, etc.

Julia Styles.

Julia Styles.

America's Sweetheart. I can't even remember the bitch's name...

Actors have different criteria for cultural relevance: are they associated with iconic films? Or more of the moment?

Jack Nicholson and Robert Redford are roughly contemporaries. Nicholson is associated with more iconic (and better, IMHO) films than Redford, even though Redford was more conventionally popular as a leading man. Many of Redford's blockbuster hits age badly and are forgotten vs Nicholson movies like CHINATOWN, THE SHINING, CUCKOO'S NEST, and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, most of which have held up better over the decades.

Based on that, Nicholson will surpass Redford in the long run. Some would say he already has.

G.

People in the industry try to be nice but they'll forget her once she goes to God.

I think you are very spot on OP. I can't think you pretty much captured the prototypes of such in film and entertainment. All this shit started with MTV and the 90s.

r3, Don't ever mention Queen Bey in such a thread you stankin ass bitch. She is one of the most influential female artists of all time. And that includes Opera.

R14 Was?.... Redford is still alive.

Madonna, to use corporate-speak, is on the bubble. She’s very very close to being over, if not already.

I had never heard of Eddie Cantor until Boardwalk Empire. He was a household name in his day, hugely famous. I looked him up on Youtube and it immediately became apparent why he's forgotten today. One of those entertainers whose whole act becomes antiquated in one generation.

Fanny Brice

Jack Benny

“Who”, not “that”, OP.

Kiss my ass r50

Jack Benny, Barbara Streisand, Neil Diamond and Robert Redford are dated but were all influential and continue to be. You still see references to all of them in various capacities (Sundance film fest for Redford, Diamond's song was just featured in a Tarantino film, sitcoms still mention Benny, Streisand still performs).

Kevin Costner however was never influential, he never did anything that influenced other actors or directors.

Richard Marx

Janet Jackson

Not everyone can be a John Wilkes Booth, OP.

Kevin was so bland and calorie free like eating styrofoam. These wooden actors serve a purpose but yes, no one cares now. Paula Abdul still has a large fanbase. She had an obvious career resurgence with AI years ago.

Alanis Morrisette

[quote]Many of Redford's blockbuster hits age badly and are forgotten.

Buck would never have typed such a sentence.

[quote]I'm in my 40s and with people in my age group she's always been seen as kind of old-fashioned. Millennials think she's prehistoric.

I'm a millennial R34 and Barbara is one of those people I think most of us "know" is important from hearing about it but we couldn't necessarily say that we listen to her music or have seen her movies unless we were doing so because our parents did.

Alanis Morrisette is one of those people that I really had to re-discover as an adult to appreciate her but I remember Jagged Little Pill from when I was a kid but people younger than me definitely wouldn't have a clue who she is.

I remember Celine Dion's music from when I was a kid but she's still very relevant because of her personality. When you see her on an award show or on the red carpet you just know she's going to do something or say something wild. She manages to become a meme once a year.

Janet on the other hand is culturally relevant if only because every pop star that has appeared since her gets compared to her at some point or somehow references her. She's also still remembered as someone who could dance AND sing at the same time like Britney used to be able to do and Ciara did even more recently. You don't really see that much anymore. Normani is the only person I can think of that is able to do it recently. So she still has a niche that she has settled into, in people's memories.

And OP nailed it. Kevin Costner is the guy that was in the Bodyguard with Whitney. That's pretty much all I know about him without using Google. Paula Abdul I remember from American Idol and I still remember her music but I think someone slightly younger than me wouldn't remember when she was popular as a singer. (I barely remember! I just know she danced with a cartoon cat & did a video with Keanu Reeves!)

Jackie Gleason.

If you can name someone without having to Google and the rest of us know who you mean, that person doesn't belong here. Janet and Paula obviously don't belong on this list. It's gonna be those ones whose names we can barely remember.

Like that white girl with a black voice in the 90s. Anastasia or something. Or Charlie Sheens brother (who I think was also Paulas ex). Or the guy from the Police Academy movies.

Madonna who?

When Elizabeth Taylor died I was surprised at how little coverage there was. The same with Jack Lemon. We are all forgotten soon enough.

R63 Liz Taylor was insufferable in many of her roles. Her charity work was admirable.

R1 it does surprise me.

I'm with R61 concerning Paula. She's back on X Factor for the new season with Cowell. She has said in an inter That she's undergone a full-facelift and neck lift. I think she'd be madly disappointed knowing she made this list prematurely.

^ oops, not quite sure what happened there...meant in an interview.

Just read the credits for It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, World and you'll get a complete list circa 1963.

Dick Shawn? Terry-Thomas?

Kay Medford

Señor Wences

Leo Sayer

Minnie Pearl

Kevin was gorgeous, and now is a hot daddy.

The #1 box office star for many years was John Wayne. Most people today might not be able to name a single one of his movies.

Abbott & Costello

Harrison Ford -terribad actor

Dabney Coleman and Emmanuelle Lewis.

Except for White Christmas (the song and movie) is anyone familiar with any of Bing Crosby's other songs and movies? He was one of the biggest stars of his time - he even won a Best Actor Oscar - but 99% of his work is totally forgotten.

I was looking at the list of the most bankable movie stars of the past and apparently #1 box office star of 1934 was Will Rogers. I'm a huge old movies buff but even I have no idea who the fuck that is.

Ozymandias.

R77, bless your heart.

r68, one of the local art-house theaters shows classic movies every Tuesday night and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was the presentation a few years back --the theater was packed with adults and kids, so I suspect the cast of that film may be pretty well remembered.

Indeed, it's been interesting over the years to see which films draw large audiences and a wide array of ages: The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Doctor Zhivago, Jaws, Pillow Talk, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Valley of the Dolls -- all were packed with young and old audience members.

R34, anyone who disagrees with you just can't see the writing on the wall. The fact is, her music does poorly in streaming and youtube. The only people who still find Barbra Streisand relevant are either New Yorkers, Broadway fans or older gays.

From 1987 to 1992, Kevin Costner had a remarkable string of hits: The Untouchables (1987), No Way Out (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990), JFK (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and The Bodyguard (1992). These movies were all generally hits with critics as well. Then he just never really made another movie that was a huge hit. Waterworld (1995) was one of the most expensive movies ever made at the time and wound up being a disappointment. That was his second disappointment in a row following 1993's A Perfect World. His star quickly faded and he hasn't really done any movies that had a lot of buzz after his string of hits. Still, with eight hit movies in a row, that's quite a career compared to most actors.

Jennifer Lawrence. I get it, she's a new star and it (may) be too early to tell. But really, since the end of The Hunger Games, she has proved she cannot open a movie and her "aww shucks" routine got old years ago. All her latest movies have done a mediocre job at the box office and she will be forgotten in no time.

R74 Harrison Ford played two roles (three if you count his part in 'Blade Runner') in hugely iconic movies. Debate his acting merits all you want, but he will be a lasting cultural figure.

I think Steve Guttenberg owns this thread.

Costner has experienced a career resurgence as the star of Yellowstone – the #1 scripted TV series in the 18-49 and 25-54 demos this past summer.

Not exactly the same cachet as a string of successful movies, but it's a breakout TV hit driven by his star power.

What?

Given enough time, all stars will eventually become irrelevant. Generations march on and forget. They have stars of their own.

Lawrence isn't new, she's been around for nearly 15 years and a star for almost a decade, Winter's Bone was 2010 and X-Men was 2011.

Hootie and The Blowfish. Jewel. MC Hammer. Vanilla Ice. Nora Jones. Fergie. Soulja Boy.

All of the above stars were extremely popular at some point but NONE of them will have any lasting relevancy at all.

R87, it's not about being forgotten, but about who really had a genuine cultural impact versus those who didn't. Marilyn Monroe is "irrelevant" to today's film scene, but nobody can genuinely argue she has no cultural relevancy today. They'd be stupid to try. She set the bar for what is considered a blonde bombshell and sex symbol and nobody has managed to overtake her in those regards.

[quote]The Untouchables (1987), No Way Out (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Dances with Wolves (1990), JFK (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), and The Bodyguard (1992)

They may have been hits but a lot of them were terrible. Wolves and Robin Hood were and are jokes. The Untouchables and No Way Out haven't aged well at all and people are actively hostile to JFK. The Bodyguard is sort of half-joke, half-camp classic. You could make an argument for Field of Dreams being a classic but a lesser one of little significance.

The bigger tell here is that you never see anyone say Costner inspired them to go into acting, or see anyone compare a current actor to Costner. That's because he's so bland.

Others to add to that list: Rob Thomas, Boston, N Sync (a rip off of the Backstreet Boys, let's be honest), Creed, Kid Rock.

R88, you're right, but I think that proves my other point. She became a star because of these big budget movies, not because she could carry them or was a big draw herself. When it comes to opening a movie big at the box office, she has proved she can't do it without a big budget or tons of special effects. She will be forgotten soon.

Alanis Morissette was definitely "you had to be there." Anybody who is too young to remember the mid-90s wouldn't really know her, and she was huge for a couple of years.

[quote]I had never heard of Eddie Cantor until Boardwalk Empire.

The fact that he was featured on Boardwalk Empire shows that he was influential. Most people have heard his big hit "If You Knew Susie" even if they have no idea who Eddie Cantor is. He influenced a lot of comedians in the 1930s and broke down barriers in the entertainment industry.

He's kind of like a radio star named Henry Morgan, not the guy from MASH but he had a similar name. Henry Morgan was a sarcastic and edgy radio comedy star who influenced everyone from Ernie Kovacs to David Letterman but no one knows who he is anymore. There's a band leader named Kay Kyser who had a big wacky group of band members and comedians, they hosted a hugely popular radio game show that all later game shows were based on. Groucho Marx wouldn't have had his shows if it wasn't for Kay Kyser and his band, but again, they're completely forgotten.

Yet they all had a lot of lasting cultural relevancy, which is what OP was asking about.

For those who replied "Bob Hope" here's further evidence:

Burbank Hollywood Airport used to be called Bob Hope Burbank Airport, but no longer, because as one worker there put it, "Nobody remembers him."

Lesson: better to be a hyper-masculine, racist, gun-wielding bigot from Santa Ana than a smart-ass, troop supporting, golfer

R90 Who is ‘actively hostile’ to the film JFK?

When I was reading that list I saw JFK and thought to myself ‘well at least he was in one good movie’. There’s a score of 8.0 for it on IMDb and 84% on rotten tomatoes, these are pretty high scores.

Costner is as bland and forgettable in that film as he is in the others, but JFK itself is a well-made film.

[quote]Most people have heard his big hit "If You Knew Susie" even if they have no idea who Eddie Cantor is.

Um, no.

Walter Matthau

Funny how an A-Lister like Kevin Coster seemed to fade overnight. A-Listers don't usually fade that fast, especially the men.

He was HUGE in the late 80s/early 90s, even winning TWO Oscars, and then he was just gone.

Steve Guttenberg

Yes R97, between "If You Knew Susie" and "Merrily We Roll Along" his songs are still appearing in shows and movies regularly.

"If You Knew Susie" via composer Buddy DeSylva's IMDb page. Adam Driver just sang it in a movie, apparently.

Costner definitely tops the list. Big box office then he seemed to vanish. Waterworld didn't help. Neither could his limited range of acting.

Kay Kyser - a very popular big band leader and radio personality. The video game Fallout: New Vegas revived interest in him.

When there was such a thing as a gay culture there was a pantheon of cultural figures who maintained their relevancy through generations and changing tastes.

Costner just did a Netflix movie, The Highwaymen (2019) with Woody Harrelson that was great. It got some buzz. He is also in Yellowstone (the series) as a previous poster mentioned. He is not forgotten and continues to act.

I very much doubt the likes of Rooney Mara and Chris Pratt will be remembered in 10-15 years.

I think Eddie Murphy is about done, too. Maybe he has been done. He seemed to think so on his Comedians/Coffee episode. Doesn't want to do stand up even. It must be hard staying closeted all that time.

Waterworld is probably the worst movie I've ever had to sit through in a theater. It felt like it was five hours long. I would've walked out if i hadn't been with other people.

Channing Tatum seems to be over already.

Eddie Murphy is getting a lot of buzz for Dolemite is My Name, lots of really great reviews. It's being touted as a comeback.

It's easier, I think, to list stars who've maintained some sense of cultural relevance in the years since their deaths because really there are so few.

James Dean Marilyn Monroe Audrey Hepburn Marlon Brando

Any others I can think of are iffy. Katherine Hepburn, maybe?

It's easier, I think, to list stars who've maintained some sense of cultural relevance in the years since their deaths because really there are so few.

James Dean

Marilyn Monroe

Audrey Hepburn

Marlon Brando

Any others I can think of are iffy. Katherine Hepburn, maybe?

The entertainment industry is like many people: no damned good and relatively worthless. Yet, idiots waste billions, transferring wealth where it isn't deserved. I don't play God and don't pretend to know all the answers. However, it's obvious we're worse than on the wrong track when conservative experts testify before Congressional committees that our bubble is going to burst as in 1929.

Bob Hope was a cad who once owned much of the prime real estate in California. John Wayne harassed Rock Hudson because of his sexual orientation, so R.H. called Wayne "Marion" -- his birth name. Liz Taylor, a spoiled, self-centered diva, died a billionaire due primarily to Mike Todd; her "charity work" was largely only P.R. Properly educated people in other parts of the world know when they're being duped, but most Americans don't. How many times has Hollywood made "A Star Is Born"? How many people must have the latest version of every new phone that rapidly becomes dangerous waste?

There's no backlash against the movie "JFK". Costner was brave to star in a movie which was fiction, but closer to the truth than the Warren Commission Report. "JFK" resulted in public outrage and the 1992 Congressional law known colloquially as the "JFK Act" and its resultant Assassination Records Review Board (ARRB). Every classified government document related to JFK's assassination was legally required to be released to the public in October, 2017, under the JFK Act law and ARRB mandate. During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised he'd abide by the law, as only POTUS can override it. He lied, signed an E.O. ordering millions of pages with secrets to remain hidden, and passed a secret note to G.W. Bush at his father's funeral. If G.H.W. Bush of the CIA and/or some branch of the U.S. Government weren't involved in JFK's murder and subsequent related events, the ongoing cover-up and aren't hiding anything as alleged, why continue to sequester federal documents that Congress and the ARRB lawfully ordered released to the public? I wasn't alive on that day, but as most of the world knows, our government was overthrown on November 22, 1963. We're still suffering.

R94 I only ever knew Kay Kaiser from references on All in the Family. They also referenced someone named Ish Kabibble. Several writers for that show had started out on radio, so sometimes you got those.

R112 classic idiot who thinks he's brilliant.

Nannette Fabray!

Marilyn Miller.

Dinah Shore!

[Quote] Nanette Faberass!

Lies!

R112 I really hope you burn in hell. Seriously. You’re an idiot.

R118 you’re a horrible person but I can’t stop laughing!

George Grossmith

r112 is insane. Scary.

Rudy Vallee, who even some eldergays have probably never heard of. I only know who he was because my grandmother used to mention him.

Doris Day was the #1 box office star for years and had tons of hit songs, but when she died a few months ago it was almost a footnote. Even the biggest stars can be half-forgotten eventually.

R123, I've got one even more remote...Victor Herbert

1920s: Louise Brooks and Norma Talmadge

1930s: Myrna Loy

1940s: Jimmy Durante

1950s: Cornel Wilde

1960s: Twiggy

1970s: Flip Wilson

1980s: Boy George

1990s: Kirstie Alley, Darryl Hannah

[quote]There's no backlash against the movie "JFK".

Critical backlash, absolutely. The critics weren't pleased with the conspiracy theory in the movie when it was released but praised the filmmaking and performances. Since then they have cooled on the performances and on Stone, too. It's dated.

I didn't refer to anything about the Warren Commission and I don't know why you think I did.

R54 is a moron. Other than Madonna, Janet Jackson is the only true female dance pop icon from the ‘80s left. She’s a perineal icon and pop culture stalwart with a laundry list of hits and iconic videos, and has continued to be name-checked by generations of pop stars over the last thirty some-odd years as an inspiration.

JFK is terrific, and reprehensible (complete fiction). Good storytelling of the wrong story.

R127, agreed. And I like Madonna more. But both are very iconic and continue to influence all female pop stars who came after them.

[QUOTE] Bob Hope has NO lasting cultural relevance.

because he was a homo hater and Reaganite.

R114, R119, R122:

When small-minded people speak, they hurl insults. The successful retired Vice President of a Fortune 500 corporation was a friend and colleague who encouraged me to share certain mutual observations after his death. We agreed that most people are no good and too many Americans are uninformed. I'll stop there.

Everyone engaged in entertainment is not "evil". However, the most successful entertainers, sports figures, commentators, promoters and networks are engaged in economic terrorism, which is permitted, but unethical or illegal. Monopolies are illegal in the USA, but are openly tolerated. Business ethics don't exist in the brave new world. Studies show the youngest generation is concerned about the aforementioned problems, while the most self-centered are Baby Boomers. I respectfully suggest you subscribe to the "The Economist".

If you haven't read the Federal Register to know what your government is actually doing instead of looking at an I-Phone or other device, please don't criticize those of us who try to stay informed. I'm accustomed to criticism because only about 3% of Americans are involved in their government and society. So who actually has a problem since they permit that small minority of 3% to control their lives? Our elected officials ultimately control our lives no matter to who or what we pray.

A few entertainers, including Barbra Streisand, are informed, involved and contribute. I don't own any of her music. Mel Gibson has donated many millions to extremist and anti-gay causes.

It's a bit off-topic, but... Today, about 10% of Americans believe the Warren Commission Report, which was authored by a Nazi sympathizer. The majority of the world never believed the Report. All of the Commissioners were opposed to JFK and his Administration. Anyone familiar with all of the Warren Commission's forensic evidence knows that evidence does not support the Commission's published conclusions! Therefore, anyone who charges "conspiracy theorist" is the "nut". B.W. Frazier, who drove Oswald to work, knows Oswald did not carry a rifle that morning and did not fire a rifle, which a Dallas Police Department residue test on his face proved. Frazier also explains how he was taken into custody, abused and given a police-prepared confession to sign that he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate JFK.

---R112

R112 knows how to kill a thread...

Michael Jackson is of course still relevant, but now the first thing that comes to mind is "kid fucker" instead of his career accomplishments. His legacy is beyond tainted.

R112, you need a fucking Valium. Christ, you must be unbearable to be around. You’re humorless, angry and full of rage and resentment. Stay off DL and go to the Psych ward, pronto!

The teenagers of the sixties were not into Barbra Streisand.

R112, you are thoroughly wrong about Elizabeth Taylor. She was an AIDS activist who used her wealth and fame to combat AIDS, through AmFar and her own foundation. She became an activist when it was very unpopular to do so. She left $300 million dollars in her will to AIDS causes. Also, she was a champion of gay rights. Furthermore, to state she became a billionaire due to Mike Todd, is an exaggeration. She earned her money from the movies, wise business investments and her perfume company. She was a very savvy business woman. She left this world a far better place.

R112, you are thoroughly wrong about Elizabeth Taylor. She was an AIDS activist who used her wealth and fame to combat AIDS, through AmFar and her own foundation. She became an activist when it was very unpopular to do so. She left $300 million dollars in her will to AIDS causes. Also, she was a champion of gay rights. Furthermore, to state she became a billionaire due to Mike Todd, is an exaggeration. She earned her money from the movies, wise business investments and her perfume company. She was a very savvy business woman. She left this world a far better place.

Lens Dunham

Barbra Streisand has hled enormous cultural relevancy. Aside from being the most successful female (and perhaps male) entertainer of all time (recording, film, stage, TV, concert, director, songwriter, producer, philanthropist, activist) and huge talent- she more or less changed the reference for leading female movies stars. Yes Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck were also not traditional (WASP) lookers- but they were WASP, and others who were Jewish (Lauren Bacall) did their best to look and speak WASP. Streisand embraced her ethnicity and even moved into traditional male roles in show business. If young people don't know this, then I suppose they are kind of stupid or in the bubble of their own generation.

Streisand also has been a role model for many current female stars from Madonna to Gaga- and those actresses who became involved behind the camera in film.

Streisand isn't all that relevant to generations post-Boomers. Her music and movies aren't really popular with them.

Streisand sang old people music.

Today, The Beatles are old people music.

[R143] Yes, but not back then, unlike Streisand.

R142- yes, ballads show music- but also pop, disco, bossa nova, country and classical- all of it successfully and mostly with huge critical acclaim, then and now.

Michael Keaton. Was big as Batman but then hasn't done anything relevant in ages.

This whole thread is a giant paradox. If an entertainer has no lasting cultural relevancy their name wouldn't be remembered. By listing them as irrelevant, you show they have at least a shred of cultural relevancy.

Katharine Ross.

No-one under the age of 45 outside of DL has even heard of Barbra Streisand. She wasn't as hugely successful outside of the US either. I'm a 38 year old Brit and none of her films or songs are ever played here. Even musical theatre-obsessed Eldergays I know don't seem to have the same kind of love for her US-based DL Eldergays show.

Judge Rheinhold

Singer Tracy Chapman

Marlee Matlin

Travis Fimmel

Susan Powter

Bobbie Gentry

Fabian

Edd 'Kookie' Byrnes

Andrew Dice Clay

Teri Garr

Graham Kerr

Euell Gibbons

Senor Wences

Jean Shrimpton

Meryl Streep

David Cassidy comes to mind.

Sabrina

Tony DiFranco and the DiFranco Family

Who?

The King Family

Vaughn Meader

Jim Croce

Bess Myerson

[quote] She’s a perineal icon and pop culture stalwart

Oh, dear good Lord in Heaven!

R155 I have to disagree. "Ode to Billie Joe" is an incredible song that is still on the radio and she is still being cited by other artists as an influence.

Cobina

Here's one: Eminem.

Tom Cruise, to some extent.

Bob Hope will be remembered for traveling overseas to entertain the US military troops. I don't support all wars, but a lot of these enlistees are really young and away from home for the first time in their lives.

Liza owns this thread.

Bette Midler. She was huge until the mid-90s. I doubt any non-gay under 40 knows who she is.

M. Sorry, can't remember what stands for.

Miss Pia Zadora-dorable

Barry Manilow, Elton John

There are only two; Monroe and A Hepburn.

A number of years ago I would have included Elvis and James Dean but not anymore. Eldergays would know who all these people were without googling because we grew up with them on TV either because they were still performing or their movies were always on TV without many choices. Though I have to admit the most recent from the 90s I have no idea who they are.

Other hit songs Cantor introduced that still have relevancy and keep popping up are My Baby Just Cares for Me and Makin Whoopee. I really think If You Knew Susie has deservedly been in history's dustbin for a long time.

[quote]Bob Hope will be remembered for traveling overseas to entertain the US military troops. I don't support all wars, but a lot of these enlistees are really young and away from home for the first time in their lives.

First off--no, he isn't, really. Not by many people.

Secondly--Hope made crazy money doing those tours overseas. He owned the broadcast rights (first radio, then network TV) to those events. They were great PR for the armed forces, for Hope, and for the corporate sponsors and other powers that be. For the troops? Well.

Lastly: it's been alleged that he sexually assaulted/molested/harassed any number of the female entertainers who participated.

Just an all-around shit, frankly, and deservedly forgotten.

r149 prepare to get hissed at.

Gilbert Gottfried's hilarious take on the ancient, decrepit Bob Hope.....

R176, that's BS. You may not like him but Eminem is the best selling rap artist of all time, has massive popularity in other countries around the world and is one of the most streamed artists even though his career started in the late 90s. He is still very relevant.

OP, WTF do you exactly mean by "cultural relevancy"? The lack of clarity about this concept sent this thread all over the place with people naming those they can't remember because they're too young, those they can't stand, those they wish weren't famous, etc. WTF

R131 you are a moron, and we're all worse off for having read your complete idiocy.

R183 young actors who come to Hollywood still worship James Dean. If you walk up and down Hollywood Blvd, he and Marilyn are all you see.

Greer Garson - huge in the 1940s and then largely forgotten and virtually unknown today to the general public apart from anyone interested in classic cinema.

[quote]No-one under the age of 45 outside of DL has even heard of Barbra Streisand.

This kind of ridiculous idea is so common on Datalounge and it always boils down to the individual not being that familiar with a celebrity, nothing else.

Some names are like blind items say, "permanent A-list." You know who Orson Welles is, Glenn Miller, Gloria Swanson, John Phillip Sousa, all sorts of people like that. Streisand is one of them. Maybe she won't be in a few decades but right now she's still a major name like Garland or Merman. "Well *I* never hear any of her songs!" doesn't mean shit and I don't know why the dullards always bring that up in a discussion like this. It's like you're deliberately misunderstanding the OP's topic just so you can be a bitch, and it's boring.

[quote]The lack of clarity about this concept sent this thread all over the place with people naming those they can't remember because they're too young, those they can't stand, those they wish weren't famous, etc.

That's how these threads always go though, there's too many people here who are self-absorbed or not very clued-in to cultural discussions, and all they can do is talk about who they hate or who they never heard of. OP could have been explicitly clear and it wouldn't have mattered.

'Young actors who come to Hollywood'

Clearly that's not who we are talking about. Sheesh.

Charles Nelson Reilly

Al Jolson

Enrico Caruso and Mario Lanza

Ke$ha.

Tik Tok was 10 years ago. And now it's an app used by Gen Z

Greta Garbo. She was considered to be the most beautiful actress of the 1920s and 30s. Even though she had an early retirement in 1941, she still maintained popularity throughout the 40s and 50s but by the time the 60s rolled around she lost relevancy. Today, besides the film and old Hollywood nostalgics, nobody knows who she is.

Personally, I only came to know of her a little while back, because I enjoy reading up on old Hollywood and that, I didn't find her remotely as fascinating nor this incredible beauty as the people of her time (other forgotten actors and entertainers) made her out to be. A lot of her film work is antiquated and I think there were more beautiful actresses of that time period than her.

R199, I think Marlene Dietrich's movies have aged better. Garbo is (as someone else described her) "pre-modern".

R195 I never heard of him until he guest-starred on The X-Files when I was a kid and my mom informed me that he was once a big deal.

Melania Trump

Clark Gable.

Peter North

Eddie Murphy

Billy Crystal

What about male stars of the 60s and 70s who epitomized masculinity like Steve McQueen, John Cassavetes, Charles Bronson, et al?

The truth is that very few entertainers have cultural relevance. A few do, like Streisand, the Beatles, Aretha, Brando, Dylan, etc. These people changed what came after them- in different ways perhaps, but changed. Some people are huge stars, like Paul Newman for example- but Newman was a better looking version of Brando, but he did not change the way actors acted- The Beatles set the stage for bands after them and the evolution of a great bands' music. Young people may not know their relevance- that does not mean they are not- they just don't know. Most young people do not know much about WW2 and how if changes the world. It totally blew open the gay world in the US. My guess is most gay men, especially those under 50, have no idea why. Does not mean the relevance is not there.

Most people don't know that Louis Armstrong probably did more to change American popular music than anyone- he brought jazz and blues north and into the mainstream: it was no longer isolated in the South.- not to mention black music. And he tacked away from crooners in popular singing to create the sound of an individual that became a prototype for American pop and rock. Expressionism in addition to the pretty sound.

R34 - I TOTALLY agree and have been saying the same for years. This is no reflection of her talent - just her significance.

Dwight Frye Maria Ouspenskaya SZ "Cuddles" Sakall

Montgomery Clift. He did a tremendous service to the change of style and technique in acting during the late 1940s, and he was the first of a new generation of actors to bring "the method" to the silver screen. That, and the fact that he was an extraordinary beautiful man. Marlon Brando and James Dean pretty much bootlegged his design. It's a crying shame that they are better remembered and given excessive recognition for their movies whereas Monty's work is largely forgotten. Brando and Deans' movies have not stood the test of time. But you can still watch a performance by Monty and it doesn't look out-of-date or hammy. Monty had given quite a solid performance in films such as A Place in The Sun, From Here to Eternity and I Confess, and he poured so much of himself into these performances. It's a flipping tragedy that he pissed away his talents on drugs and booze, if he hadn't he may well have solidified himself to the same status as Dean and Brando in pop culture history.

Donna Pescow, star of television’s “Angie.”

Why are people putting Elvis in this list? Elvis is one of the major music icons of the 20th century. He put rock and roll on the map, which radically changed popular music forever and was more of an idol (and certainly sex symbol) than the Beatles in his heyday. I bet you ask any kid around and they know who Elvis was. I'm not saying I'm such a big Elvis fan personally but that's just historical fact.

Rock Hudson, the only time he's ever mentioned is in relation to AIDS and that is barely as a footnote. Not for his acting or anything else. Sad how the one aspect of himself that he tried so desperately hard to conceal for all those decades (his being gay) became the most defining thing about him.

I didn’t even know Elizabeth Taylor was dead. Seems she died in 2011!

Are you kidding me R204? Peter/Matt was know for his huge cumshots.

I remember hearing on a radio talk show that he cums so much because he was born with 2 prostates. But it was Asia Carrera telling Dr. Drew this so who knows.

Karma hit Monty big time. He was a nasty snob who rated people on their looks and being that he was so friggin beautiful he could afford to. Then he had that car crash and overnight he lost that beauty. That probably destroyed him more than any physical pain he endured.

I OWN this thread.

R213 - strangely enough, Rock's sad and (for the time) humiliating demise actually added to his notoriety and certainly almost everyone young or old knows his name. He is anything but forgotten. When it comes to lasting cultural significance, I think that his "Doris Day comedies" are relatively well-remembered and about as familiar to the lay person as any other movies from the same decade(s).

So is OP a black woman? Or are AAs migrating from that ratchet site?

R218 He is also remembered for the films he made with Douglas Sirk in the 1950s, most of which are still highly regarded.

I think Bob Hope's relevance was tied to the WWII generation. The generations that followed couldn't stand him.

River Phoenix

Dennis Quaid. He was in everything for a hot minute in the 80s. Now he smirks his way through TV commercials.

Roy Rogers

R219 you know damn well white gay men have been pinching from black and latina women since the beginning of sass. What were you doing on that site anyway? Probably doing a little thieving of your own.

Not sure if anyone mentioned Shitina Haguilera. She is 100% irrelevant. You never hear her songs, see her vids. Has she done anything since being on The Voice? Even though she has a better voice than Shitney Spears, she was always an also ran. Maybe having bottle blond hair, fake blue contacts, bleaching her skin contributed to her disappearance.

Ah, but Xtina beat Brit for the Best New Artist Grammy. And “Genie...” is an infinitely better song than “Hit Me Baby...”. I love her genuine shock here...

No one gives a fuck about these two bitches from twenty years ago. People have moved on.

OP Cultural relevancy or relevance? DL grammarian s please .

The post was taken from Lipstick Alley, like those whores know how to conjugation the verbs. :-)

Pat Benatar looks a lot like the brunette from Cagney & Lacey. And a little like Linda Ronstadt, who is a terrific singer.

r230 A white gay man obsessed with Black women. Always strange to see

R216, This is true. He was a narcissistic arsehole, almost all actors and showbiz entertainers are, there's no arguing with that fact. But it should not tarnish his work as an actor.

Most people, inc all men, are narcissistic assholes. That is not saying much.

Robert Hays

R227, winning the grammy award for best new artist can be the kiss of death. It was for Christina's music career. Her albums sold less and less after her debut. She never learned to listen to the advice of others.

Billy Crystal, huge presence in pop culture and then he was gone. When was the last time anybody ever talked about him?

I think Billy helped unwrite his legendary status when he hosted the OSCARS back in 2012, after a very successful run in the late 90s/early 00s.

Reviews were respectful, but he was pretty terrible and came across as old, unfunny, and irrelevant. It was a mistake for him to come back.

r157 Who would have guessed that old Edd Byrnes would look like Efrem Zimbalist Jr., his co-star on 77 Sunset Strip? It is bizarre.

Ish Kabibble

[quote][R227], winning the grammy award for best new artist can be the kiss of death. It was for Christina's music career.

That’s just a stupidly asinine statement. She went on to garner a string of massive hits, win many more Grammys and put out several big albums afterward, including her best work (Stripped).

Morrissey. Incredible talent that turned into a ranting old queen no one wants to deal with.

From my grandparents day, Dagmar. They told a story about seeing her at an airport in the 1950’s and no one had heard of her.

r243 I wasn't around to watch her on television, but I know about Dagmar. She was famous for a New York minute.

^^^she looks like the poor man’s mamie Van Doren

R241, uh, no she didn't. She had like three somewhat big singles after her debut over the span of something like 15 years--"Beautiful", "Moves Like Jagger" (which, let's be honest, was not a hit because of her) and "Say Something". Apparently the public agrees as her music isn't really popular on youtube or spotify. Britney remains more popular than she is, even with all her problems. Stripped wasn't huge by any stretch of the imagination. It sold like 3 million at a time when albums were still selling and it was her second album. By contrast, Britney's second album sold 9 or 10 million.

^^LOL, you can't even be serious. "Three somewhat big singles"? And "Moves Like Jagger" is the worst of the big ones. Just be quiet, BritneyBot. Xtina could buy and sell you and any of your rube-ish relatives with one swipe of her platinum card.

Anyway, she certainly had more than three big singles after "Genie".

What A Girl Wants (#1)

I Turn To You (#3)

Come on Over Baby (#1)

Lady Marmalade (#1)

Beautiful (#2)

Fighter (#20)

Can't Hold Us Down (#12)

Ain't No Other Man (#6)

Keeps Gettin' Better (#7)

Feel This Moment (#8)

Probably true R218. Rock Hudson is certainly better remembered than Cary Grant or James Cagney who both died around the same time.

Might not just be because he died of AIDS though, Rock Hudson moved into TV in the early 70's/80's which gave him a wider audience.

Most of today’s “big” actors: The Rock, JLaw, JLO, Emma Stone, Saoirse (nose job), Timothee, Chris Pratt

None of these will ever approach DeNiro, Nicholson, Ford, Denzel, Harrison or Streep, Winger, Lange, Turner, or even Cher

I think acting started declining with Julia Roberts and then Marvel films and cartoons

Test yourself with this list of Grauman's Chinese Theatre handprints. I was able to ID about 85%, and I thought I would have trouble with the earlier ones, but it's the laster ones the are a mystery.

R247, three of those songs are from her debut. None of those other songs you mentioned qualify as BIG hits except for Beautiful and Lady Marmalade which I admit I should have included (but completely forgot about because you never hear it played anywhere). None of the albums she released after her debut qualify as being big. And I never said Moves Like Jagger was a good song. It was a huge song though.

So many great, iconic names mentioned in this thread, and yet.......the fucking Brady Kids will have greater sustained cultural "relevance"!

I'm younger Gen X and the Brady Bunch was never a thing with us. Millennials, forget it.

Lots of child stars fall into this category. They are popular when they are young (especially with the sick pedo fucks out there) and when they grow up unless they have real genuine talent (eg. Jodie Foster) they discarded like dirty underwear.

R132, I have no intention of killing any thread, but I don't worship at the altar of superficiality or with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. OP mentioned Kevin Costner, so my comments are relevant.

Today's world and its problems are partly due to focus on "Me" and "I got mine, don't pay my fair share of taxes, so fuck you while I maintain a false image." Actors & entertainers are at the top of that list. Typically, their careers require no formal education and don't make a genuine contribution. Dare anyone compare the work of Michael Jackson to Dr. M.L. King or the work of any actress to Mother Teresa's?

People who do spend money endowing actors & entertainers have the right to know their political & social philosophies and related spending. Those are successfully concealed by many stars today and most of the past.

Patriotism isn't about military power, the flag and the bible, it's about preserving our Constitution, human rights and "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The preceding challenge from 1961 sounds like a modern Republican demand. Among other ideas, the challenge courteously meant stop making your desires #1, stop having numb brains & souls, and get away from too much TV, theater and telephone so you can do something positive and of lasting significance. Few actors & entertainers, past or present, exhibit the aforementioned values. Only those who do get my respect & support.

Richard Gere and Jeff Young & his wife Petra of "Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet" are genuine people who make a difference. If we had political candidates more like them, the USA would be much better. Many Australians know that the Irwins are frauds. Friction exists because so many are gullible or your feelings are hurt. Grow up; this in an adult forum. The truth and karma are often painful. It's evil bitches who aren't wanted; many of you choose to be evil, petty, or vitriolic. -112

R255 I agree with almost all of your comments but make no mistake about Mother Teresa. She was nothing more than a cunt - a catholic politican and nothing more.

Using blunt needles on the poor in India but when she needed medical treatment for herself off to New York she went for the best available. Is was a good day when she stopped breathing.

Her treatment of AIDS patient was also a fucking disgrace.

The book The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice by Christopher Hitchens is a must read.

R256, thanks, I've heard of that and will try to follow up. I probably selected a poor example, but the basic premise is intact. Dolly Parton and Tina Turner earnestly support genuine charitable causes without seeking P.R., as anyone in their positions should.

About wealthy entertainers and others who donate large sums of money and/or establish foundations, it's a simple matter of a stroke of a pen. Ask yourselves this, "Although there are many very wealthy foundations, why is there so much suffering and so many needy people?"

Some people are on Earth to accomplish real goals, not live a life of hedonism. Per RuPaul, "What others think of me is none of my business." Anyone who lives for others, or engages in personal attacks, or reaches for a drug, alcohol or other crutch when times are tough has a very serious problem. Anger, hate greed and jealousy cause mental and physical illness, which is why I don't want to be around people with bad juju and dark souls -- I can sense those types of people and usually see it in their eyes and body language.

112/255

Based on the linked thread, Britney is on this path.