Around the World in 80 days.
One of my favorite old Family Classics movies, I’d forgotten what a gazetteer of Hollywood it is. Everyone is in this, and I’mna tell you, some big ass names in bit parts. Frank sinatra is a piano player in a saloon for about thirty seconds. Red Skelton, a drunk in the same saloon. Finlay Currie. Noel Coward. Charles Boyer. Buster Keaton as a conductor! Joe E Brown. Peter Lorre. Marlene Dietrich. It’s a good movie just to watch and recognize the big players in bit parts.
Not even over yet. Can’t keep up with the cast. An intermission even. Grand movies as they probably never will be again.
Q
I was just thinking the other day about how the older movies always had what we called “stellar” casts: casts with as many big names in them as they could find. One of my favorites has always been “Goin’ South.” “Ice Pirates” does a good job of showing some good names. (Love those corny movies!)
I was just thinking about family classics yesterday. I stumbled on the old version of treasure island while channel surfing. Brings back memories.
Family Classics with Frasier Thomas? Yes!! Use to watch that every Sunday afternoon.
As to movies with “a cast of thousands”, or at least a bus load of B-list and C-list stars, with a smattering of the A-list too boot. How about “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World?
I can’t imagine today’s “stars” being willing to take bit parts in massive productions like this. Sad, really.