This is a list of the top box office stars, as of 6/8/13. It's important to note that they are ranked by how many hits they have had and how many of those hits have become blockbusters (for tie breakers). This way we can see which stars consistently made money for studios over time. The reason why I'm using this method to rank them is because if you add up their total box office draw, then you might just have actors who do a lot of movies, who are in less hits that make a ton of money (like Samuel L Jackson), and who get involved in small roles of hit movies. But it isn't the small roles that sell the movies. So by measuring how many hits they have we can guage their box office clout and how successful they are at picking and making hit films. We start with the overall top box office actors (who's had the most hits over their whole careers), then their momentum (who's had the most hits in the last 10 years), and then we look at the same for the ladies.
Who's on the rise in the last year: Bruce Willis, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Robin Williams, Denzel Washington, Nicolas Cage, Owen Wilson, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Rock,
We separated the male and female actors into two lists.
Definitions:
Hit = $100 million worldwide or more
Blockbuster = $200 million worldwide or more
Gold = $500 million worldwide or more
Platinum = $1 billion worldwide or more
Top Streak = Personal record for most hits in a row
Current Streak = Currently how many hits in a row
Total Hits = Counts all films that scored $100 million or more
What's Next = Films that the actor has lined up to make next
Missed = A film that did not Hit
Momentum = How many hits they've had in the last 10 years
NOTE: This is a work in progress. I'm currently at #20, Owen Wilson. Leave a comment if something needs to be updated.
TOP BOX OFFICE ACTORS (10 or more hits)
#1 Tom Cruise: 26 Total Hits, 16 Blockbusters, 3 Gold
Current Streak: 2 (Jack Reacher, Oblivion)
Top Streak: 8 (MI2, Vanilla Sky, Space Station, Minority Report, Last Samurai, Collateral, War of the Worlds, MI3)
Gold ($500M+): Mission Impossible 2, The War of the Worlds, MI4: Ghost Protocol
Blockbusters ($200M+): Top Gun, Rain Man, A Few Good Men, The Firm, Interview with the Vampire, Mission Impossible, Jerry Mcguire, Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, The Last Samurai, Collateral, Mission Impossible 3, Knight and Day, Valkyrie, Jack Reacher, Oblivion
Hits ($100M+): Cocktail, Born on the 4th of July, Days of Thunder, Far and Away, Eyes Wide Shut, Space Station, Tropic Thunder
What's Next: Hardy Men, Top Gun 2, Adventurer's Club
Commentary: Tom Cruise started off making dramas, but he has slowly increased his focus on suspenseful films. You can see from his top hits that he tries to also find blockbuster-style films that are likely hits (such as Minority Report, Mission Impossible, War of the Worlds), and he wants to dabble in comedies if he thinks they'll hit (Knight and Day, Tropic Thunder) or epic dramas/thrillers (A Few Good Men, The Firm, Jerry Mcguire, Vanilla Sky, The Last Samurai, etc.). What's truly remarkable about Tom Cruise is that he has a fantastic nose for hits, and this has been evident as a young actor in the 80s (Top Gun, Rain Man, Cocktail, Born on the 4th of July) all the way to current films, whether it's a comedy, drama, or action adventure (granted that it's mostly back and forth between drama/thrillers and action adventures).
#2 Bruce Willis: 22 Total Hits, 11 Blockbusters, 2 Gold
Current Streak: 2 (Die Hard 5, G.I. Joe 2)
Top Streak: 3 (Armageddon, Siege, Sixth Sense)
Gold: Armageddon, The Sixth Sense
Blockbusters: Look Who's Talking, Die Hard 2, Pulp Fiction, Die Hard 3: with a Vengeance, The Fifth Element, Unbreakable, Over the Hedge, Live Free or Die Hard 4, Expendables 2, A Good Day to Die Hard 5, G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation
Hits: Die Hard, Death Becomes Her, Twelve Monkeys, The Jackal, The Siege, Sin City, Surrogates, Red, Looper
What's Next: Kane & Lynch, Red 2
Commentary: Bruce Willis got his start on Moonlighting, and his first hit was Die Hard, when he/we realized that he's action gold. He tried drama and comedy, but he mostly missed with them. So he focused on action, which peaked with Armageddon. He then wanted to pull back and try drama and comedy again, but he mostly missed with that. He's been focusing more on action lately, and he's had some success with it (Die Hard 4, Surrogates, Red, Looper, Expendables 2, Die Hard 5, and G.I. Joe 2). He really needs to get Michael Bay back on his team!
#3 Tom Hanks: 21 Total Hits, 13 Blockbusters, 2 Gold, 1 Platinum
Current Streak: 1 (Cloud Atlas)
Top Streak: 7 (Saving Private Ryan, You've Got Mail, Toy Story 2, Green Mile, Castaway, Road to Perdition, Catch Me if You Can)
Platinum: Toy Story 3
Gold: Forrest Gump, The DaVinci Code
Blockbusters: Sleepless in Seattle, Philadelphia, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, You've Got Mail, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile, Castaway, Catch Me if You Can, The Terminal, Polar Express, Angels and Demons
Hits: Big, A League of Their Own, The Road to Perdition, Charlie Wilson's War, Cloud Atlas
What's Next: Boone's Lick, Jungle Cruise, Toy Story 4
Commentary: Tom Hanks started as a comedian (after being on Bosom Buddies on TV), but then Big hit (got nominated for an Academy Award), and after League of Their Own, he was able to steer his choices more toward drama and hit comedies (or dramadies). He has also dabbled in suspense a little, but he's unique because none of his hits have been conventional blockbusters that rely on action and effects (no giant robots, machine guns, sci fi, or aliens in his films). Hanks barely edges out for the #1 spot because he's had a Platinum hit.
#4 Brad Pitt: 21 Total Hits, 10 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0 (Killing Them Softly missed)
Top Streak: 5 (Troy, Ocean's Twelve, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Babel, Ocean's Thirteen)
Blockbusters: Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, Ocean's Eleven, Troy, Ocean's Twelve, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Ocean's Thirteen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Inglorious Basterds, Megamind
Hits: Twelve Monkeys, Sleepers, The Devil's Own, Seven Years in Tibet, Fight Club, The Mexican, Spy Game, Babel, Burn After Reading, Moneyball, Happy Feet Two
What's Next: Cogan's Trade, World War Z, The Odyssey, The Zombie Survival Guide, The Counselor, Twelve Years a Slave, Fury
Commentary: Brad Pitt started out with dramatic roles, which got more and more intense. Before long he was pumping out hits and proving his acting chops.
#5 Sylvester Stallone: 21 Total Hits, 7 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 4 (see above)
Blockbusters: Rocky, Rocky 2, Rambo First Blood 2, Rocky 4, Cliffhanger, The Expendables, Expendables 2
Hits: Rocky 3, First Blood, Staying Alive, Rambo 3, Rocky 5, Demolition Man, The Specialist, Judge Dredd, Daylight, Antz, Spy Kids 3-D, Rocky Balboa, Rambo, Zookeeper
What's Next: Death Wish, Escape Plan, Grudge Match
Commentary: Sylvester Stallone is unique in that he might not be the best actor in the world, but he's a great writer, a good director, and he understands the business of synergy. When his acting jobs aren't lining up or aren't great roles, then you can see the points in his career when he wrote movies for himself to act in. When his career seemed all dried up in 1997 - 2005, he came back in 2006 by writing, directing, and starring in Rocky Balboa, Rambo, and The Expendables (the latter was a Blockbuster film that Stallone stacked with action stars... Stallone, Arnold, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Terry Crews, Randy Couture (a UFC star), Dolph Lundgren (who starred with Stallon in Rocky 4), Steve Austin, and Mickey Rourke). As Stallone expected, the momentum of those three hit films revitalized his career, and Stallone went back to acting (including the future Expendables 2) while others write and direct for him. So if you're wondering how he got so many hits and stayed around for so long, it's because he understands how to write and direct films and how valuable it is to use those abilities as synergy (the best examples of that are Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard, who are more successful as directors than actors).
#6 Morgan Freeman: 20 Total Hits, 8 Blockbusters, 1 Gold, 2 Platinum
Current Streak: 0 (last was Now You See Me)
Top Streak: 5 (Bucket List, Wanted, Dark Knight, Invictus, Red)
Platinum: The Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises
Gold: War of the Worlds
Blockbusters: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, Se7en, Deep Impact, Bruce Almighty, Million Dollar Baby, Batman Begins, Wanted, Oblivion
Hits: Driving Miss Daisy, Unforgiven, Along Came a Spider, Sum of All Fears, March of the Penguins, Evan Almighty, The Bucket List, Invictus, Red, Olympus Has Fallen,
What's Next: Last Vegas
Commentary: After acting for awhile, he caught his break doing the drama "Driving Miss Daisy" in 89. He followed it up with Robin Hood in 91, and since then he's managed to get into many successful films. He developed an important relationship with director Clint Eastwood, which led to several of his hits (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Invictus). So he found most of his success much later in life.
#7 Eddie Murphy: 20 Total Hits, 8 Blockbusters, 3 Gold
Current Streak: 0 (Thousand Words missed)
Top Streak: 6 (Daddy Day Care, Haunted Mansion, Shrek 2, Dreamgirls, Norbit, Shrek 3)
Gold: Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, Shrek Forever After
Blockbusters: Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Mulan, Doctor Dolittle, Nutty Professor 2, Shrek
Hits: Another 48 Hours, Boomerang, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Doctor Dolittle 2, Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion, Dreamgirls, Norbit, Tower Heist
What's Next: Beverly Hills Cop 4, Hong Kong Phooey
Commentary: After becoming a star on SNL, Murphy took his comedy to film, and he's stayed in comedy ever since (with a brief turn in the drama, Dreamgirls). Murphy keeps working on redefining his career after picking up a few stinkers for the cash. So it's almost as if he takes whatever's paying and then once the stinkers add up to result in him getting worse offers (both in pay and quality), then he knuckles down and molds a hit (for example: Beverly Hills Cop, Nutty Professor, and Norbit).
#8 Matt Damon: 20 Total Hits, 10 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 3 (Hereafter, True Grit, Adjustment Bureau)
Blockbusters: Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, Ocean's Eleven, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, Ocean's Twelve, The Departed, Ocean's Thirteen, The Bourne Ultimatum, True Grit
Hits: Courage Under Fire, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Spirit, The Brothers Grimm, Invictus, Hereafter, The Adjustment Bureau, Contagion, Happy Feet Two, We Bought a Zoo
What's Next: Liberace, All In, Elysium, Monuments Men
Commentary: Stuck in small roles, Damon decided to team up with friend Ben Affleck to write themselves into starring roles, and Good Will Hunting was the result. Damon has since ridden the momentum and has had the most success with the Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series of 6 films (3 each). While Damon is #7 overall, he is #1 in the Momentum list below (he's had the most hits in the last 10 years). Damon isn't doing the numbers that some of the others on this list are, but he's been pumping out two or three films most years, which means he has more opportunities to get more hits out in the last 10 years.
#9 Liam Neeson: 18 Total Hits, 9 Blockbusters, 3 Gold, 1 Platinum
Current Streak: 3 (Wrath of the Titans, Battleship, Taken 2)
Top Streak: 3 (see above)
Platinum: Star Wars 1: Phantom Menace
Gold: Narnia 1: Lion Witch & Wardrobe, Battleship, Taken 2
Blockbusters: Shindler's List, Love Actually, Kingdom of Heaven, Batman Begins, Narnia 2: Prince Caspian, Taken, Clash of the Titans, Narnia 3: Voyage of Dawn Treader, Wrath of the Titans
Hits: Everest, Haunting, Gangs of New York, A-Team, Unknown
What's Next: Butler, Nut Job, Million Ways to Die in the West
Commentary: Liam lept on the scene with Shindler's List in 93. Then he had the usual supporting roles in great films. His career got a new, fresh jolt with Taken in 2009. After that he was cast as a gritty action hero in A-Team, Unknown, The Grey, and Taken 2. During that time, he still kept the supporting roles coming with the Narnia films, Battleship, and more.
#10 Robin Williams: 18 Total Hits, 10 Blockbusters, 2 Gold
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 2 (Happy Feet, Night at the the Museum)
Gold: Aladdin, Night at the Museum
Blockbusters: Dead Poet's Society, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting, Patch Adams, Artificial Intelligence, Robots, Happy Feet, Night at the Museum 2
Hits: Good Morning Vietnam, Nine Months, The Birdcage, Flubber, Insomnia, Happy Feet Two
What's Next: The Butler, Face of Love
Commentary: Robin Williams got his start on Mork and Mindy (after proving his chops in stand up and on the short-lived Richard Pryor show). Oddly, he didn't do well in comedies (which he started with Popeye in 80), and his first hit was the drama, Good Morning Vietnam in 87, which led to several hit dramas. But he also scored his first hit adventure with Hook in 91, his first animated hit Aladdin in 92 (with Happy Feet, Robots, and Happy Feet 2 to follow), and his first hit comedy with Mrs. Doubtfire in 93. Then he scored about a hit a year from 91 to 2006, but lately he hasn't been pumping out as many films and hasn't had as many hits (with his last being 2009's Night at the Museum).
#11 Denzel Washington: 18 Total Hits, 3 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 5 (Taking of Pelham 123, Book of Eli, Unstoppable, Safe House, Flight)
Top Streak: 5 (see above)
Blockbusters: Philadelphia, American Gangster, Safe House
Hits: The Pelican Brief, Crimson Tide, Courage Under Fire, The Siege, The Bone Collector, Remember the Titans, Training Day, John Q, Man on Fire, Inside Man, Deja Vu, Taking of Pelham 123, Book of Eli, Unstoppable, Flight
What's Next: 2 Guns
Commentary: Denzel Washington knows drama. He started out early in his career with an Oscar nomination for Cry Freedom, a win for Glory, and then nominations for Malcolm X, Hurricane, and Training Day. He's translated his ability for intensity to make thrillers and intense dramas. Those haven't landed him many blockbusters, but it brought him 14 hits that made between $100 million and $200 million world-wide. So he's consistent.
#12 Jim Carrey: 17 Total Hits, 13 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 8 (Ace Ventura 1, The Mask, Dumb & Dumber, Batman Forever, Ace Ventura 2, Cable Guy, Liar Liar, Truman Show)
Blockbusters: The Mask, Dumb & Dumber, Batman Forever, Ace Ventura 2, Liar Liar, Truman Show, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Bruce Almighty, Series of Unfortunate Events, Fun with Dick and Jane, Horton Hears a Who, Yes Man, A Christmas Carol
Hits: Ace Ventura 1, Cable Guy, Me Myself & Irene, Mr. Popper's Penguins
What's Next: Ripley's Believe it or Not, Popeye
Commentary: Jim Carrey was hot off of In Living Color and came out to films with a bang, starring in 8 hit films in a row! However, as he branched out to more dramatic roles, securing the hits has become a little challenging for him, but he has still been very successful.
#13 Harrison Ford: 17 Total Hits, 8 Blockbusters, 4 Gold
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 3 (Devil's Own, Air Force One, Six Days Seven Nights)
Gold: Star Wars 4: A New Hope, Star Wars 5: Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars 6: Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Blockbusters: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Presumed Innocent, The Fugitive, Clear and Present Danger, Air Force One, What Lies Beneath
Hits: American Graffiti, Patriot Games, The Devil's Own, Six Days Seven Nights, Cowboys and Aliens
What's Next: Indiana Jones 5, Anchorman 2, Ender's Game, Paranoia
Commentary: Ford got his break with George Lucas, which led to American Graffiti, Star Wars, and Indiana Jones. In between those films, he's had the most success with intense thrillers (Fugitive, Clear and Present Danger, Air Force One, and What Lies Beneath).
#14 Nicolas Cage: 17 Total Hits, 9 Blockbusters, 1 Gold
Current Streak: 1 (Croods)
Top Streak: 5 (The Rock, Con Air, Face Off, City of Angels, Snake Eyes)
Gold: The Croods
Blockbusters: The Rock, Con Air, Face Off, Gone in 60 Seconds, National Treasure, Ghost Rider, National Treasure 2, G-Force, Sorcerer's Apprentice
Hits: City of Angels, Snake Eyes, Family Man, World Trade Center, Knowing, Kick-A, Ghost Rider 2
What's Next: National Treasure 3
Commentary: Nicolas Cage got started as a comedic actor and first made it big with Moonstruck in 87. After a string of comedies, he barely kept his career alive until his Oscar winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas (95). He used that momentum to line up The Rock and his 5-hit streak. He has since been hit and miss, but he has enough sense in him to get a hit in every third movie or so. It helps that he stars in 2 or 3 movies a year, which increases his odds and gives him a hit about every two years. He has been able to turn a few dramas into hits, but most of hits rely on action adventures.
#15 Mel Gibson: 17 Total Hits, 10 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0 (The Beaver was a miss)
Top Streak: 5 (Lethal Weapon 4, Payback, Chicken Run, Patriot, What Women Want)
Blockbusters: Leathal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Braveheart, Pocahontas, Ransom, Lethal Weapon 4, Chicken Run, The Patriot, What Women Want, Signs
Hits: Lethal Weapon, Bird on a Wire, Forever Young, Maverick, Conspiracy Theory, Payback, We Were Soldiers
What's Next: How I Spent My Summer Vacation, Under and Alone, Machete Kills, Sam and George
Commentary: Mel grew up in Australia and got his start making films there (including the Mad Max series). Lethal Weapon was his breakout film, and he had an impressive string of hits from 84 to 02. He hasn't had a hit since 2002. He better hurry up and find some, because the youngsters are gaining ground!
#16 John Travolta: 17 Total Hits, 8 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 4 (Broken Arrow, Phenomenon, Michael, Face/Off)
Blockbusters: Saturday Night Fever, Grease, Look Who's Talking, Pulp Fiction, Face/Off, Wild Hogs, Hairspray, Bolt
Hits: Staying Alive, Get Shorty, Broken Arrow, Phenomenon, Michael, The General's Daughter, Swordfish, Ladder 49, Taking of Pelham 123
What's Next: ?
Commentary: After Carrie, Travolta was a musical heart throb with Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and Staying Alive in the late 70s and early 80s. Look Who's Talking was a brief comeback in 1989, but it wasn't until 1994 when Pulp Fiction put him on the map and gave him the chance to be a star, and he lined them up with Get Shorty, Broken Arrow, Phenomenon, Michael, and Face/Off in 95-97. However, he was then hit and miss, scoring General's Daughter in 99, Swordfish in 2001, Ladder 49 in 04, and then a nice line up with Wild Hogs, Hairspray, Bolt, and Pelham 123 in 07-09. His last two films have been misses (Old Dogs and From Paris with Love), but he's obviously trying to line up hits and be a heavy hitter who can do action and drama hits (sort of like Tom Cruise).
#17 Robert De Niro: 17 Total Hits, 3 Blockbusters, 1 Gold
Current Streak: 0 (last was Being Flynn)
Top Streak: 3 (Shark Tale, Meet the Fockers, Hide and Seek)
Gold: Meet the Fockers
Blockbusters: Meet the Parents, Shark Tale, Little Fockers
Hits: Backdraft, Cape Fear, Frankenstein, Casino, Heat, Sleepers, Analyze This, The Score, Hide and Seek, Arthur and the Invisibles, Stardust, Limitless, New Year's Eve
What's Next: Grudge Match, The Big Wedding, Red Lights, Last Vegas
Commentary: Interestingly, Robert De Niro didn't have a hit until 91 (Backdraft), after 22 films. He was doing gritty dramas and focusing on the character films, including several Scorsese films (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, New York New York, Raging Bull, King of Comedy, and Goodfellas) and other, similar gritty dramas (Godfather 2, Deer Hunter, Untouchables). Eventually he figured out the formula for hits and used his momentum and producing to line some up.
#18 Will Smith: 16 Total Hits, 8 Blockbusters, 5 Gold
Current Streak: 10 (MIB 2, Bad Boys 2, I Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Hancock, Seven Pounds, MIB 3)
Top Streak: 10 (see above)
Gold: Independence Day, Men in Black, I Am Legend, Hancock, MIB 3
Blockbusters: Enemy of the State, Wild Wild West, Men in Black 2, Bad Boys 2, I Robot, Shark Tale, Hitch, The Pursuit of Happyness
Hits: Made in America, Bad Boys, Seven Pounds
What's Next: Time Share, Overboard, Amulet, Monster Hunter, Last Pharaoh, Independence Day 2, Independence Day 3, Bad Boys 3, I Robot 2, After Earth
Commentary: The only actor who started out in the music business, then scored with a hit TV comedy (Fresh Prince of Bel Air), and then went on to be a box office superstar. Will is hit and miss with dramas, but he's the #1 sci-fi and action star on this list, and he knows how to line them up. He also has the least amount of misses, the most golds, and he's currently in his hottest streak, so he's catching up!
#19 Johnny Depp: 16 Total Hits, 6 Blockbusters, 2 Gold, 3 Platinum
Current Streak: 1 (Dark Shadows)
Top Streak: 4 (Alice in Wonderland, The Tourist, Rango, Pirates 4)
Platinum: Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest, Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides
Gold: Pirates of the Caribbean 1: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
Blockbusters: Sleepy Hallow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Public Enemies, The Tourist, Rango, Dark Shadows
Hits: Platoon, Chocolat, Finding Neverland, The Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd
What's Next: Shantarum, Lone Ranger, Pirates 5, Ginger Man, Thin Man, Paul Revere, Transcendence
Commentary: Depp started out in the TV show, 21 Jump Street. After languishing in dramas, Burton tried him out for his own quirky ends with Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hallow. Sleepy Hallow was Depp's first starring hit, and then when Depp delivered Captain Jack Sparrow, he began to become more choosey and focus on the quirky characters that got him there... thus Pirates films, Sweeney Todd, Mad Hatter, and Willie Wonka. Now Depp has seemed to line up hits with Tim Burton films (Sleepy Hallow, Charlie, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice, Dark Shadows), Pirates films, and the director of the first 3 Pirates films, Gore Verbinski (also directed Rango and currently slated for Lone Ranger). Depp also has the most Platinum hits of anyone on this list. He has caught up quickly.
#20 Owen Wilson: 16 Total Hits, 6 Blockbusters, 4 Gold
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 5 (Meet the Fockers, Wedding Crashers, Cars, You Me & Dupree, Night at the Museum)
Gold: Armageddon, Meet the Fockers, Night at the Museum, Cars 2
Blockbusters: Meet the Parents, Wedding Crashers, Cars, Marley & Me, Night at the Museum 2, Little Fockers
Hits: The Cable Guy, Anaconda, The Haunting, Starsky & Hutch, You Me & Dupree, Midnight in Paris
What's Next: The Internship, Free Birds
Commentary: After the successful indy film, Bottle Rockets, Owen became sought after and slowly proved himself as a comedian.
#21 Adam Sandler: 16 Total Hits, 7 Blockbusters
Current Streak: 1 (Hotel Transylvania)
Top Streak: 4 (Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Zookeeper, Jack and Jill)
Blockbusters: Big Daddy, Click, You Don't Mess with the Zohan, Betime Stories, Grown Ups, Just Go with It, Hotel Transylvania
Hits: The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Mr. Deeds, Anger Management, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Zookeeper, Jack and Jill
What's Next: Take Me to Your Leader, Fat Man, Golddigging 101, Valet Guys, Grown Ups 2, Blended
Commentary: Like Eddie Murphy, Adam was at the top of SNL in his days, and he left to become a star (he was lovingly pushed). After a successful comedy album, Sandler basically put together his own movies and hired all his friends. When Adam and his writing partner, Tim Herlihy, presented Billy Madison to SNL's Lorne Michaels, Lorne said, "That will never work." Thus Lorne never produced any of Sandler's movies. Sandler has successfully kept a continued momentum of hits since Wedding Singer (on the films that he produces and puts together). With one missed attempt at the action genre (Bulletproof) and several misses in drama (including Funny People), Sandler is clearly a comedy star who can't cross over. However, he's the most consistent comedy star at pumping out hits.
#22 Ben Stiller: 15 Total Hits, 4 Blockbusters, 5 Gold
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 5 (Night at the Museum, Heartbreak Kid, Tropic Thunder, Madagascar 2, and Night at the Museum 2)
Gold: Meet the Fockers, Madagascar, Night at the Museum, Madagascar 2, Madagascar 3
Blockbusters: There's Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Night at the Museum 2, Little Fockers
Hits: Along Came Polly, Starsky & Hutch, Dodgeball, Heartbreak Kid, Tropic Thunder, Tower Heist
What's Next: The Hardy Men, Night at the Museum 3, Secret Life of Walter Smitty, Penguins of Madagascar, While We're Young, Zoolander 2
Commentary: He went from a short stint on SNL (he got noticed with his Tom Cruise impression in the short, "The Color of Money") to his own show (won an Emmy for writing) to a comedic career in films. But his career was floundering until There's Something About Mary (98), and even then he didn't have the hit films ready to line up until Meet the Parents (2000), and a few Frat Pack films (Zoolander, Royal Tenenbaums), a little more floundering, and then he had the formula down starting with Along Came Polly in 2004. I'm looking forward to Hardy Men (with Tom Cruise as the other brother) and Zoolander 2. Personally I think he should ruin more old shows/books like he did with Starsky & Hutch and is doing with Hardy Men. Even Jonah Hill's butchering of 21 Jump Streets was hilarious (but I hated the butchering of Dukes of Hazard). Anyway, Ben has mastered the slow burn and the "everything goes wrong" sense of comedy.
#23 Dustin Hoffman: 14 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#24 Leonardo DiCaprio: 14 Total Hits, 6 Blockbusters, 1 Gold, 1 Platinum
Current Streak: 2 (Django Unchained, Great Gatsby)
Top Streak: 7 (The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, Aviator, Departed, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies)
Platinum: Titanic
Gold: Inception
Blockbusters: Catch Me if You Can, Aviator, Departed, Shutter Island, Django Unchained, Great Gatsby
Hits: Romeo + Juliet, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Beach, Gangs of New York, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies
What's Next: Wolf of Wall Street
Commentary: The promising boy who did a lot of drama (This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Basketball Diaries, Marvin's Room) seems to have gotten lucky (or wise) by falling in with fantastic directors early in his career (Quick and the Dead's Sam Raimi, Baz Lurmann's Romeo + Juliet), and then he seemed to have gotten very lucky (and was thought of as overrated) with the megahit Titanic ($2.1 billion+) from James Cameron. So that's three great directors earlier in his career. The question was, what was he going to do then? Well he did the wisest thing possible -- he leveraged his successful film to hand pick (and get picked by) more great directors... Randall Wallace (Man in the Iron Mask, $183M), Woody Allen (Celebrity, $5M), Danny Boyle (The Beach; $144M; who later did Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours), and then he hit gold with Martin Scorsese (starting with Gangs of New York; $193M). That's also when we truly saw that Leonardo could act and could play crazy personalities that we love to watch collapse on themselves. He continued the fantastic directors with Steven Spielberg (Catch Me If You Can; $352M), and back to Scorsese for two films (Aviator; $213M; and Departed; $289M). After Edward Zwick's Blood Diamond ($171M), he moved on to Ridley Scott's Body of Lies ($115M). Not the box office he was hoping with Ridley (known for Gladiator), but still a hit. Next was Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road ($75M), which didn't pan out as well as Mendes' Skyfall (over $1B), American Beauty, and Road to Perdition. After RR, DiCaprio returned to Scorsese a fourth time with the successful Shutter Island ($294M). Then the great directors continued with Christopher Nolan's Inception ($825M), Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar ($84M), Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained ($424M), and a second film with Baz Lurmann, The Great Gatsby. Next up is a fifth Scorsese film, Wolf of Wall Street. So a recap of directors... Sam Raimi, Baz Lurmann (2 films), James Cameron, Danny Boyle, Martin Scorsese (4 films), Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Sam Mendes, Christopher Nolan, Clint Eastwood, and Quentin Tarantino. That's an impressive list of directors! Seeing how Leonardo returned to Baz Lurmann, I hope he also returns to Sam Raimi, James Cameron, Danny Boyle, Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Sam Mendes, and Christopher Nolan. I think Sam Raimi, Danny Boyle, Ridley Scott, Clint Eastwood, and Sam Mendes are all wiser now and would have a better idea of what to do with Leonardo DiCaprio in a film. None of them gave their best film with Leonardo, and all of them should try again!
#25 Samuel L. Jackson: 13 Total Hits, 6 Blockbusters, 2 Gold
Current Streak: 0
Top Streak: 2 (Shaft, Unbreakable)
Gold: Jurassic Park, The Incredibles
Blockbusters: Pulp Fiction, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Unbreakable, xXx, SWAT, Jumper
Hits: Patriot Games, A Time to Kill, Deep Blue Sea, Shaft, 1408
What's Next: The Avengers, Nick Fury, xXx 3, Afro Samurai, The Last Dragon, Django Unchained
Commentary: Samuel L Jackson actually has the largest box office total (over 10 billion) and the most total hits (23). However, 3 of those were cameos in Star Wars movies, 4 were cameos in Marvel hero movies (as Nick Fury), and 3 were cameos in other hits (The Other Guys, Coming to America, and Kill Bill). So we're only giving him 13 for this list, since it's about how well the actor can sell a film. But he has at least two coming films where he'll play larger rolls as Nick Fury, so there's hope! Jackson is also unique because he focuses more on supporting rolls and cranks out 3-5 films a year!
#26 Dwayne Johnson (the Rock): 13 Total Hits, 3 Blockbusters, 1 Gold
Current Streak: 1 (Fast & Furious 6)
Top Streak: 5 (Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, The Other Guys)
Gold: Fast Five
Blockbusters: The Mummy Returns, Get Smart, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, Fast & Furious 6
Hits: Scorpion King, Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, The Tooth Fairy, The Other Guys
What's Next: Hercules: Thracian Wars, Shazam, Ciudad, Lore, Arabian Nights, Miami Athletes, Fast & Furious 7, Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon, Spy Hunter
Commentary: I must admit that I was a huge fan of The Rock on WWF (now WWE). There are only two times when I was into wrestling. One was as a kid watching Hulk Hogan. Then later in college watching Hulk leave WWF and go to WCW with the NWO. WWF suffered under that wave of interesting attitude going on over there. That's when WWF found it's own attitude with Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Undertaker. The Rock slowly showed his style and kept the momentum, managing to be hilarious and full of attitude. It led him to be the new face of all wrestling. So when he starred in his first two movies as big budget action Universal films (Mummy Returns and Scorpion King) it felt like the first few movies of another professional athlete performer (Hercules in New York, Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja). Arnold Schwarzenegger had proven himself as the world's champion in Body Building (having won the record for Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia), and he rode that into Hollywood, wanting to star in a Hercules film (that was the pattern that the world champion body builders get offered parts in Hercules films). And here we had The Rock in similar starting films (like The Scorpion King). Also note that the Rock broke records for getting paid the most in a first starring role... $5.5 million. Since those first few films, The Rock was, well, Rocky, with misses and Sleepers like Rundown, Walking Tall, Be Cool, Doom, and Gridiron Gang. Then he proved his comedy chops by alternating hit comedies and comedy adventures with Disney's Game Plan ($147M), Get Smart, Race to Witch Mountain, Planet 51, Tooth Fairy, and the Other Guys. After a brief stall with another gritty action film (Faster, 2010, $35M), the Rock proved two unusual things. First, he broke into the blockbuster action adventures, but he was also brought on to help breathe new life into three different film series! First, he was brought onto Fast Five to give further momentum to the successful resurrection of Fast and Furious 4. And Fast Five went gold ($628M). Next he was brought in to replace Brendan Frasier in Journey 2: Mysterious Island. That also worked; the box office take went up (with $240M in part 1 to $325M for part 2). And a third time with G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation (which brought it up from $302M with poor reviews to $325M with far better reviews). And then those are now including sequels to the revitalization projects with Fast & Furious 6 ($492M), and the upcoming Fast & Furious 7 and Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon (plus I suspect we'll see a G.I. Joe 3). And to top it all off, he's also working on a Hercules movie, which is a throwback to a period piece like Scorpion King and a likely accidental reference/parallelism to Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose first film was a Hercules movie. The only thing that would make that circle complete would be to do a Conan film (it would be far better than the blip of a reboot they recently tried). But I have to say that the film I'm crossing my fingers for the most (hoping it happens) is Shazam. I would love that film with any cast, but I know the Rock would help give it humor. (I think that's what was missing from G.I. Joe 2; it was all business, with only Bruce Willis to make you smile.) Oh, and Spy Hunter. I loved the game with the car that turns into a boat... guns, speed, transforming machines, and special effects... perfect film for the Rock (yes I refuse to call him Dwayne Johnson).
#27 Arnold Schwarzenegger: 13 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#26 Jack Black: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#27 Tommy Lee Jones: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#28 Jack Nicholson: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#29 Ralph Fiennes: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#30 Patrick Stewart: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#31 Alan Rickman: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#32 Danny DeVito: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#33 Sean Connery: 12 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#34 Seth Rogen: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#35 Hugh Jackman: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#36 Antonio Banderas: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#37 Anthony Hopkins: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#38 Keanu Reeves: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#39 Ian McKellan: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#40 Christopher Walken: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#41 Alec Baldwin: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#42 Hugo Weaving: 11 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#44 Shia LeBeouf: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#45 Steve Carell: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#46 Jamie Foxx: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#47 Bill Murray: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#48 Geoffrey Rush: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#49 Sean William Scott: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#50 Hugh Grant: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#51 Pierce Brosnan: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#52 Rob Schneider: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#53 Michael Douglas: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#54 Gene Hackman: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#55 Richard Gere: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#56 Stanley Tucci: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
#57 Danny Glover: 10 Total Hits, - Blockbusters, - Gold
Current Streak: -
Top Streak: -
Gold: -
Blockbusters: -
Hits: -
What's Next: -
Commentary: -
Now let's talk Momentum. Momentum is how many hits the actors have had in the last 10 years. This helps tell us how likely they are to get a box office hit, since it removes the factor that their box office favor could have been over a decade old.
BOX OFFICE MOMENTUM - ACTORS (6 or more)
Matt Damon: 13 Momentum Hits
Johnny Depp: 12 Momentum Hits
Brad Pitt: 12 Momentum Hits
Morgan Freeman: 12 Momentum Hits
Ben Stiller: 11 Momentum Hits
Adam Sandler: 11 Momentum Hits
Seth Rogen: 11 Momentum Hits
Tom Cruise: 10 Momentum Hits
Owen Wilson: 10 Momentum Hits
Shia LaBeouf: 10 Momentum Hits
Steve Carell: 10 Momentum Hits
Liam Neeson: 10 Momentum Hits
Alec Baldwin: 10 Momentum Hits
Will Smith: 9 Momentum Hits
Denzel Washington: 9 Momentum Hits
Hugh Jackman: 9 Momentum Hits
Eddie Murphy: 9 Momentum Hits
Jamie Foxx: 9 Momentum Hits
Geoffrey Rush: 9 Momentum Hits
Bradley Cooper: 9 Momentum Hits
Jack Black: 9 Momentum Hits
Ralph Fiennes: 9 Momentum Hits
Orlando Bloom: 9 Momentum Hits
Ian McKellan: 9 Momentum Hits
Stanley Tucci: 9 Momentum Hits
Alan Rickman: 9 Momentum Hits
Hugo Weaving: 9 Momentum Hits
Leonardo DiCaprio: 8 Momentum Hits
Will Ferrell: 8 Momentum Hits
Tom Hanks: 8 Momentum Hits
Nicholas Cage: 8 Total Hits
Jason Bateman: 8 Momentum Hits
Robert De Niro: 8 Momentum Hits
Ewan McGregor: 8 Momentum Hits
Gerard Butler: 8 Momentum Hits
Jude Law: 8 Momentum Hits
Michael Cain: 8 Momentum Hits
Justin Long: 8 Momentum Hits
John Tuturro: 8 Momentum Hits
Jon Favreau: 8 Momentum Hits
Christian Bale: 7 Momentum Hits
Vince Vaughn: 7 Momentum Hits
Samuel L. Jackson: 7 Momentum Hits
Daniel Craig: 7 Momentum Hits
Jim Carrey: 7 Momentum Hits
Vin Diesel: 7 Momentum Hits
Mark Wahlberg: 7 Momentum Hits
James Franco: 7 Momentum Hits
Kevin James: 7 Momentum Hits
Dustin Hoffman: 7 Momentum Hits
Jonah Hill: 7 Momentum Hits
Sean William Scott: 7 Momentum Hits
Antonio Banderas: 7 Momentum Hits
Chris Rock: 7 Momentum Hits
Collin Firth: 7 Momentum Hits
John C. Reilly: 7 Momentum Hits
Rob Schneider: 7 Momentum Hits
Josh Hutcherson: 6 Momentum Hits
Robert Downey, Jr.: 6 Momentum Hits
Russell Crowe: 6 Momentum Hits
Ashton Kutcher: 6 Momentum Hits
Zach Galifianakis: 6 Momentum Hits
George Clooney: 6 Momentum Hits
Colin Farrell: 6 Momentum Hits
Anthony Hopkins: 6 Momentum Hits
John Travolta: 6 Momentum Hits
Robin Williams: 6 Momentum Hits
Matthew McConaughey: 6 Momentum Hits
Keanu Reeves: 6 Momentum Hits
Hugh Grant: 6 Momentum Hits
Patrick Stewart: 6 Momentum Hits
John Goodman: 6 Momentum Hits
Tobey Maguire: 6 Momentum Hits
Christopher Walken: 6 Momentum Hits
Nick Nolte: 6 Momentum Hits
No Momentum (despite having many box office hits over their careers, they have 5 or less hits in the last 10 years):
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Ben Affleck
- Bill Murray
- Bill Pullman
- Billy Bob Thornton
- Brendan Fraser
- Bruce Willis
- Cary Elwes
- Charlie Sheen
- Chevy Chase
- Chris Evans
- Chris Pine
- Clint Eastwood
- Clive Owen
- Craig T. Nelson
- Cuba Gooding, Jr.
- Dan Aykroyd
- Danny DeVito
- Danny Glover
- David Spade
- Edward Norton
- Elijah Wood
- Emilio Estevez
- Eric Bana
- Freddie Prinze, Jr.
- Gene Hackman
- Greg Kinnear
- Guy Pearce
- Haley Joel Osment
- Harrison Ford
- Jack Nicholson
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Jason Segel
- Jeff Bridges
- Jim Belushi
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Joe Pesci
- John Belushi (deceased)
- John Candy (deceased)
- John Cusack
- Josh Duhamel
- Jusin Timberlake
- Kevin Bacon
- Kevin Costner
- Kevin Kline
- Kevin Spacey
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Luke Wilson
- Martin Lawrence
- Martin Sheen
- Martin Short
- Mel Gibson
- Michael Douglas
- Michael Keaton
- Patrick Dempsey
- Paul Giamatti
- Paul Newman
- Paul Rudd
- Paul Walker
- Pierce Brosnan
- Richard Dreyfuss
- Richard Gere
- Richard Pryor
- Ricky Gervais
- Rob Schneider
- Robert Duvall
- Robert Pattinson
- Robert Redford
- Russell Brand
- Ryan Reynolds
- Sean Connery (retired)
- Steve Martin
- Sylvester Stallone
- Thomas Haden Church
- Tyrese Gibson
- Val Kilmer
- Willem Dafoe
- William H. Macy
- Zac Efron
And onto women (7 or more hits)...
TOP BOX OFFICE ACTRESSES (7 or more hits)
#1 Julia Roberts: 20 Total Hits
#2 Cameron Diaz: 17 Total Hits
#3 Angelina Jolie: 14 Total Hits
#4 Sandra Bullock: 13 Total Hits
#5 Nicole Kidman: 12 Total Hits
#6 Kathy Bates: 12 Total Hits
#7 Natalie Portman: 11 Total Hits
#8 Anne Hathaway: 11 Total Hits
#9 Meryl Streep: 11 Total Hits
#10 Catherine Zeta-Jones: 10 Total Hits
#11 Sigourney Weaver: 10 Total Hits
#12 Michelle Monoghan: 10 Total Hits
#13 Julie Andrews: 10 Total Hits
#14 Drew Barrymore: 9 Total Hits
#15 Renee Zellweger: 9 Total Hits
#16 Anna Faris: 9 Total Hits
#17 Queen Latifah: 9 Total Hits
#18 Halle Berry: 9 Total Hits
#19 Jennifer Aniston: 8 Total Hits
#20 Reese Witherspoon: 8 Total Hits
#21 Cate Blanchett: 8 Total Hits
#22 Michelle Pfeiffer: 8 Total Hits
#23 Rosario Dawson: 8 Total Hits
#24 Scarlett Johansson: 7 Total Hits
#25 Glenn Close: 7 Total Hits
#26 Amy Adams: 7 Total Hits
#27 Dakota Fanning: 7 Total Hits
#28 Joan Cusack: 7 Total Hits
#29 Keira Knightley: 7 Total Hits
#30 Jennifer Garner: 7 Total Hits
#31 Whoopi Goldberg: 7 Total Hits
BOX OFFICE MOMENTUM - ACTRESSES (4 or more in the last 10 years)
Angelina Jolie: 12 Momentum Hits
Cameron Diaz: 12 Momentum Hits
Anne Hathaway: 11 Momentum Hits
Julia Roberts: 10 Momentum Hits
Nicole Kidman: 10 Momentum Hits
Michelle Monaghan: 10 Momentum Hits
Meryl Streep: 9 Momentum Hits
Kathy Bates: 9 Momentum Hits
Natalie Portman: 8 Momentum Hits
Jennifer Aniston: 8 Momentum Hits
Reese Witherspoon: 8 Momentum Hits
Anna Faris: 8 Momentum Hits
Queen Latifah: 8 Momentum Hits
Julie Andrews: 8 Momentum Hits
Renee Zellweger: 7 Momentum Hits
Cate Blanchett: 7 Momentum Hits
Amy Adams: 7 Momentum Hits
Dakota Fanning: 7 Momentum Hits
Keira Knightley: 7 Momentum Hits
Jennifer Garner: 7 Momentum Hits
Scarlett Johansson: 6 Momentum Hits
Catherine Zeta-Jones: 6 Momentum Hits
Jessica Biel: 6 Momentum Hits
Michelle Rodriguez: 6 Momentum Hits
Sandra Bullock: 5 Momentum Hits
Drew Barrymore: 5 Momentum Hits
Bryce Dallas Howard: 5 Momentum Hits
Halle Berry: 5 Momentum Hits
Kate Beckinsale: 5 Momentum Hits
Diane Kruger: 5 Momentum Hits
Jennifer Connelly: 5 Momentum Hits
Abigail Breslin: 5 Momentum Hits
Zoe Saldana: 5 Momentum Hits
Brittany Murphy: 5 Momentum Hits
Kristen Stewart: 4 Momentum Hits
Katherine Heigl: 4 Momentum Hits
Joan Cusack: 4 Momentum Hits
Kate Hudson: 4 Momentum Hits
Rachel McAdams: 4 Momentum Hits
Kate Winslet: 4 Momentum Hits
Sigourney Weaver: 4 Momentum Hits
Mila Kunis: 4 Momentum Hits
Kristen Wiig: 4 Momentum Hits
Liv Tyler: 4 Momentum Hits
Kirsten Dunst: 4 Momentum Hits
No Momentum (these lady actresses have had some hits, but they had 3 or less in the last 10 years):
- Amanda Bynes
- Amanda Peet
- Anna Paquin
- Annette Bening
- Ashley Judd
- Barbra Streisand
- Bette Midler
- Betty White
- Charlize Theron
- Claire Danes
- Cybill Shepherd
- Debra Winger
- Diane Keaton
- Ellen Page
- Emma Stone
- Frances McDormand
- Glenn Close
- Goldie Hawn
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Hayden Panettiere
- Helen Hunt
- Jamie Lee Curtis
- Jane Fonda
- Jennifer Lopez
- Jennifer Love Hewitt
- Jodie Foster
- Kate Bosworth
- Katie Holmes
- Kristen Bell
- Lindsay Lohan
- Marisa Tomei
- Mary Stuart Masterson
- Meg Ryan
- Melanie Griffith
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Michelle Williams
- Miley Cyrus
- Minnie Driver
- Rashida Jones
- Rosie O'Donnell
- Sally Field
- Salma Hayek
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Shirley MacLaine
- Sissy Spacek
- Uma Thurman
- Whoopi Goldberg
Saturday, June 02, 2012
BO Clout: Top Box Office Stars
Sunday, February 05, 2012
A113 - CalArts alumni's joke in Pixar films
A 113 is an inside joke present as an Easter egg in animated films created by alumni of CalArts, referring to the animation classroom number at the CalArts that was used by Pixar directors including John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew stanton.
I wonder if Tim Burton has ever put it in one of his movies?
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Tim Burton's CalArts short (1978) - King and Octopus
Legendary Director - Tim Burton's CalArts short film, which he made at California Institue of the Art (CalArts) , founded by Walt Disney. 1979, Tim Burton was hired by Disney studio on the strength of his CalArts short - Stalk of the Celery Monster.
This short is called "King and Octopus." I would love to see this as a full film!
Enjoy!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Tim Burton's CalArts short 1979 - Stalk of the Celery Monster
Legendary Director Tim Burton's CalArts short film, which he made at California Institue of the Art (CalArts) , founded by Walt Disney. 1979, Tim Burton was hired by Disney studio on the strength of his CalArts short -Stalk of the Celery Monster-
Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Complete History and Videos of Walt Disney's Animated Shorts: Part 1 (1922-1924)
Update: I'm slowly adding more videos and images. Today I added images and more info about the Little Red Riding Hood Laugh-O-Gram short. That includes images from Disney's second (and last) use of Red Riding Hood, 1934's The Big Bad Wolf. This blog post was originally written back in 2008.
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We're going to show a video and info (whatever we can find) for every single Walt Disney animated short. We'll take it one year at a time (or three years at a time in this case; we also might take it six months at a time if Disney was busy that year). Have patience with us. It will take awhile. Post a comment if you find more/better videos or info. Enjoy!
The History and Videos of Walt Disney's Animated Shorts
Part 1: 1922-1924
1922
1) Laugh-o-grams: Newman Laugh-o-grams - 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
This montage includes one of his Newman Laugh-o-grams, "Kansas City Clean Up" (it's near the end):
Named after the fact that they were released in the Newman Theater. Walt Disney was working at a design firm that did a few flyers for a local movie theater. That led to Disney doing some stills and really short animations for the theater, lampooning local politics and news. Titles included "Cleaning Up!!?", "Kansas City Girls are Rolling Their Own Now", "Take a Ride Over Kansas City Streets" and "Kansas City's Spring Cleanup." Disney based his subject matter, and won over the Kansas City audience, on problems and corruption within the local government.
That led to his first series, the Laugh-o-gram shorts. Walt's first series was about what he loved... fairy tales.
2) Laugh-o-grams 1: Little Red Riding Hood - July 29, 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Color process: Black and white
Running time: 6 minutes 12 seconds
Country: United States
Preceded by Kansas City’s Spring Cleanup
Followed by The Four Musicians of Bremen
This is a contemporary setting for Disney's first take on Little Red Riding Hood (his second stab at this tale was in the 1934 sequel to The Three Little Pigs--see Note #1 below).
In this Laugh-O-Gram, Little Red Riding Hood is on her way to deliver some doughnuts when Disney's first villain (ever) attacks her (we'll call him the Wolf, but he's a man). Her cat fetches a man in a helicopter who rescues her.
Animation by Walt and Rudolph Ising.
Based on the story by the Brothers Grimm.
Original poster:
NOTES:
(1) His second attempt at this story was in the Silly Symphony, The Big Bad Wolf in 1934 (that played off the popularity of The Three Little Pigs). Basically Walt needed a sequel to his biggest hit since Steamboat Willie. So he brought Red back!
In The Big Bad Wolf, Red accompanies Fiddler Pig and Piper Pig through a forest to deliver food to her sick grandmother. The three meet "Goldilocks the Fairy Queen", who turns out to be the Big Bad Wolf in disguise. She escapes, but the wolf reaches her grandmother's house before her. When Little Red Riding Hood and the pigs reach the house, the wolf tries to eat them, but fortunately she finds refuge in a closet long enough for the other pigs to fetch their brother Practical Pig who rescues her. Here is Red from The Big Bad Wolf:
Red Riding Hood celebrating with her Grandma and The Three Pigs:
In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Red made a cameo around the end of the film with other toons.
In the episode "Big Bad Wolf Daddy" from House of Mouse (TV cartoon), when the wolf is introduced to perform, Red quickly demands her check in fear. Here she is from House of Mouse:
(2) The plane antics are revisited in Mickey Mouse's first cartoon, Plane Crazy, in 1928.
(3) Walt had a heavy hand in producing this film (although he animated it with Rudolph Ising). The look compared to the Laugh-O-Gram slides and political cartoons is very similar, with sparse backgrounds and clean lines.
(4) What's interesting, is that this is a linear story. Cartoons at the time mostly just featured gags with some situations tying them together. But this was the most complicated story in a cartoon at that time.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) In the scene with the cat shooting holes through the doughnuts, what makes it surreal is the old bearded man in the corner of the room that is leaning through in a picture frame. (2) Red's car is powered by a dog that is being drawn forward with sausages dangled on a stick behind the car. (3) She has a flat tire and blows up one of the donuts to fix it, which, based on the cat dying, is probably better than eating it.
VIOLENCE: (1) A mother is making donuts by throwing pastry into the air, while her cat shoots a hole through the pastry, and then landing the whole mess in a frying pan. (2) The cat eats one of the donuts, then dies (maybe by lead poisoning for shooting the doughnuts), and his nine lives fly out of him as a counter in the bottom right of the screen keeps track. (3) Some people who have watched it think the Wolf is raping Red. But it was probably not intended to be that extreme.
3) Laugh-o-grams 2: The Four Musicians of Bremen - August 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
All these laugh-o-grams are set in present times, the 1920s. The idea was that they were looney modern updates of classic fairy tales. Animation by Walt and Rudy Ising.
This short is based off The Bremen Town Musicians by the Brothers Grim. Read more about it here.
NOTES: (1) Walt never revisited this classic fairy tale. I don't know why not. It would have made a perfect Silly Symphony, since music is already the theme (and it's obviously too short of a story for a longer film). (2) They used painted backgrounds in this short, as Walt was trying to save money by creating lush backgrounds that he could reuse. It works fine here, as many of the scenes take place over a generic landscape. (3) The cat is very much like the cat in Little Red Riding Hood, and he is the star of this short. The cat also seems to become Julius, the main animated character from the Alice Comedies that Walt started one year later (scroll below to see those).
VIOLENCE: (1) The cat swims up after the fish, but runs into a swordfish that has removed it’s sword and is sharpening it. Right before the cat and the stray fish arrive, the swordfish tests out his new sword by cutting a fish in half ruthlessly. (2) The criminals attack the animals with swords and cannonballs.
4) Laugh-o-grams 3: Jack and the Beanstalk - September 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
No video.
Based on a story collected by the Brothers Grimm, "Jack and the Beanstalk."
Animation by Walt Disney, Rudolph Ising, Hugh Harman, Carman "Max" Maxwell, Lorey Tague, and Otto Walliman.
The only image we have is the poster, which I don't usually post because the art style doesn't reflect the actual film:
NOTES: (1) Disney later revisited this story twice with Mickey Mouse. The second version was in the 1933 Mickey short, Giant Land. (Mickey battled a giant again in The Brave Little Tailor in 1938.) Disney's third take on this tale was with Mickey and the Beanstalk, which was part of the film, Fun and Fancy Free from 1947. So basically, Walt visited this tale once a decade for three decades in a row (1922, 1933, and 1947). (2) Although it didn't originate from Disney, the Disney Channel showed this Japanese anime version of Jack and the Beanstalk in the 80s (and the kids voice is the same voice as in Super Book). (3) Walt's first laugh-o-gram with a full animation crew.
(4) When Walt created Little Red Riding Hood, he was still doing it in his spare time in his father’s garage. That film was for training for himself, but would later be released. The Four Musicians of Bremen was the first short intended for release. Based on those two films, Walt secured a contract to produce four more films (which is why his crew grew), after his boss at the Kansas City Slide Company (later Kansas City Film Ad Company) passed on the fairy tales. The four films included "Jack and the Beanstalk", "Goldie Locks and the Three Bears", "Puss In Boots" and "Cinderella."
Also, here's a 1933 telling of Jack and the Beanstalk from Ub Iwerks. Ub was the top animator at Walt's studio, but he was convinced to leave Disney and start his own studio. He featured Flip the Frog and these ComiColor cartoons. Take a look. This was arguably as good or better than Walt's 1933 cartoons:
5) Laugh-o-grams 4: Goldie Locks and the Three Bears - October 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
No video.
Based on a story collected by the Brothers Grimm, "Goldie Locks and the Three Bears."
Animation by Walt Disney, Rudolph Ising, Hugh Harman, Carman "Max" Maxwell, Lorey Tague, and Otto Walliman.
NOTES: (1) Disney revisted the Goldilocks story with the 1924 Alice Comedy, Alice and the Three Bears. This is the only other time that Disney has revisited this story. (2) In 1936, a version of the Three Bears was proposed as a Disney Silly Symphony with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other stock Disney characters in the familiar roles, but the film was never made. I think it should have been a Silly Sympohny instead.
6) Laugh-o-grams 5: Puss in Boots - November 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
In a split from the original story, the titled cat helps the young boy win the heart of the Princess by enlisting him in a bullfight.
Based on a story by Charles Perrault, "Puss in Boots."
Animation by Walt Disney, Rudolph Ising, Hugh Harman, Carman "Max" Maxwell, Lorey Tague, and Otto Walliman.
NOTES: (1) Most of these shorts featured a black cat that greatly resembled Felix the cat. Walt Disney would make this into a regular character, Julius, in his next series, the Alice Comedies. (2) Disney revisited this story once with the 1935 Silly Symphony, Robber Kitten. That short was a very scaled down version of the Puss in Boots story. (3) Disney has slacked on this character and allowed DreamWorks to claim it through the Shrek storyline (the first Disney character that DreamWorks managed to spoof and then claim for their own because people don't think of Boots as a Disney character). This will become abundantly clear when DreamWorks releases their Puss N Boots movie. (4) Probably the earliest Disney inside joke; when the boy and the cat are standing outside of a movie theater, one of the posters features "Cinderella," a Laugh-o-Gram then still in production. Pixar is the most notorious for doing this.
(5) The four main characters in this film, a boy, a girl, the cat and a dog are in the new title card for Laugh-O-Gram Films, so this short must have been one that was produced early on. (6) The King is played by the old man in the picture frame from Little Red Riding Hood. (7) The production value is also much higher here. The backgrounds are very detailed, with the crowd renderings in the bullfight scene deserving particular notice. (8) Walt revisits the bullfight theme in 1925 with Alice the Toreador and again in 1929 with the Silly Symphony, The Terrible Toreador.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The movie theatre is another great sight gag, with one poster showing an ad for “Rudolph Vaselino,” an obvious play off of Rudolph Valentino. (2) The other poster shows an ad for “Cinderella” by Laugh-O-Grams Films. Neat little product placement. (3) The sign advertises "$5 Boots now $4.99." (4) The cat is a classic cartoon character in that he can do surrealistic things in a realistic world, like remove his tail and make a question mark as he does after the king throws them out. (This gag was already done by Felix the Cat. So obviously Walt was inspired and copying some gags.)
7) Laugh-o-grams 6: Cinderella - December 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
The traditional story with Cinderella as a 1920's flapper.
Animation by Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, Rudolph Ising, Hugh Harman, Carman "Max" Maxwell, Lorey Tague, and Otto Walliman.
Based on a story by Charles Perrault in 1697, "Cinderella." The Brothers Grimm also told this tale, but they didn't include the Fairy Godmother.
NOTES: (1) Walt Disney only revisited this story one other time, in the 1950 feature-length film, Cinderella. (2) This was the first animation that also included Walt's friend, Ub Iwerks (friends since 1919, working together at the Pesman Art Studio in Kansas City; then they started their ill-fated partnership together, a commercial art business; Ub was the first animator to move to LA with Walt in 1923). (3) Features the same characters from Puss N Boots. I have a feeling that if this series was a success, then these characters would have been the main ones. (4) Disney puts animals into the story once again. The reason is because you need animals or something magical in a cartoon. Otherwise, why not do it in live action instead? (5) This is the last laugh-o-gram fairy tale.
VIOLENCE: (1) Prince shoots the bear in the bottom. (2) The dog hops on a bike to deliver the invitations like a paper boy. He hits a rock and tumbles down a hill, emerging from a cloud of dust with a bandaged head and a crutch. (3) A bystander comes by and says via word balloon “Are you hurt?” The dog simply looks at him, then bashes the man over the head with his crutch.
8) Tommy Tucker's Tooth - December 6, 1922 - Dir. by Walt Disney
An excerpt from the short:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJcp9L-R6iw
Camera: Walt Pfeiffer
NOTES: (1) This was the first of two shorts that Walt Disney made for a local dentist to pay his bills ($500). You'll notice that he was light on shorts in 1923. He was scraping by that year. People have said that he pretty much lived out of the Laugh-o-gram studio, above a restaurant. He mostly ate out of cans, and he ate at the restaurant out of charity from the restaurant and in change for drawing portraits for the owner. This was perhaps the darkest year of Disney's life, but he kept at it. (2) This short was his first released short to combine live-action and animation, which naturally led him to his first series, the Alice Comedies. (Which later led to masterpieces like Mary Poppins. So it can be argued that if he hadn't taken on this job, he might have never experimented with combinations of live-action and animation.) (3) Back in the early 20's, teachers showed this film on proper dental care to grade students (so it was decently popular). (4) The name Tommy Tucker originated from this nursery rhyme.
Other 1922-1923 shorts.
Disney also made a few 300 foot shorts from 1922-1923 called "Laffets" that combined live action and animation. They included "Golf in Slow Motion," "Descha's Tryst with the Moon," "Aesthetic Camping," "Reuben's Big Day," "Rescued," "A Star Pitcher," "The Woodland Potter," and "A Pirate for a Day."
1923
1) Alice Comedies 1: Alice's Wonderland - 1923 - Dir. by Walt Disney
The Fleischer brothers had already achieved some moderate success with their "Out of the Inkwell" series in which a cartoon character would jump into and interact with the real world. Disney envisioned a series where a live actor would be put into a cartoon world.
The full short:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H58meqbp5Ps
This home video montage includes excerpts of Alice's Wonderland:
Animators: Ub Iwerks, Rudolph Ising
Technical Direction: Hugh Harman, Carmen Maxwell
Live Actors: Virginia Davis (Alice), Margaret Davis (Alice's mother ... Virginia Davis' mother in real life), Walt Disney (animator), Ub Iwerks (animator), Hugh Harman (animator), Rudolph Ising (animator)
Of course Disney revisited Alice famously with his 1951 feature-length adaption, which Tim Burton recently made a sequel to. Here's the Unbirthday song (which will annoy you if you're around the Teacup ride for an extended period at Disneyland):
Walt meets Julius:
NOTES: (1) Alice (Virginia Davis) interacts directly with Walt Disney. You also see the birth of the Julius cat character, who stars in the Alice Comedies series alongside Alice. (2) Also, at the Laugh-o-gram studios, Disney reportedly had a friend that was a mouse. This started him thinking about mice in the Alice Comedies and planted the first seeds for Mickey Mouse. (3) This is a good chance to take a look at Walt (without mustache) and his first animators. (4) It's interesting, because Walt had built a good group of animators here, and it was years before he got up to having a group as trained as this one, even though he was head-long in his successful Alice Comedies. Life is ironic like that. (5) Walt Disney scraped together his change (and the money made from Tommy Tucker's Tooth) to finish this short, a mix between live-action and animation and to buy a train ticket to California. Armed with this short (and his Laugh-o-grams), Disney got a distribution deal with Winkler productions, the company that distributed the Felix shorts and most of the other major shorts at the time. So this is basically an unaired pilot.
(6) Because Alice actually enters the world, which is the premise of the Alice Comedies, we are calling this the first episode of the Alice Comedies. (7) One of the cartoon scenes features a group of animated mice. Some interpreters have seen precursors of the character that was to become Mickey Mouse in this scene. (8) Some of the interaction between the live action and animation was so tricky that Alice's movements were at times composed of animated still photos, a process that was continued at times throughout the series. (9) With the concept of Walt hosting this short, you can't help but foresee his hosting the package films of the 40's and the Disneyland TV Show (and Wonderful World of Disney) from 1954 until his death in 1966. (10) The film's sudden ending before the actress wakes up (Alice jumps off the cliff when being chased by lions) is believed to be because Walt ran out of time and money, but it still works. (11) Using this film, Walt and Roy were able to secure the contract for Alice's Comedies and start their new company, the Disney Brothers Studio. (12) It wasn't originally shown in theaters, but it is believed to have been released as "Alice In Slumberland" on Sept. 29, 1926. Makes sense. The show was popular enough then. Might as well release this short in the series. (13) Virginia Davis was only four years old. Wow, she was good.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) Note the rubbery train. That was an uncommon style, and the style would get used more by Walt and Ub later on, and it would make Walt famous. (2) A rabbit and Alice jump into a rabbit hole. I can't resist. This is too perfect. This of course is a gag and reference to the book, which Walt later made into a feature-length film (1951). Here's the Rabbit scene from the film:
2) Martha - 1923 - Dir. by Walt Disney
This was a Sing-a-Long reel released in 1923 for the song "Martha: Just a Plain Old Fashioned Name."
1924
1) Alice Comedies 2: Alice's Day at the Sea - March 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Part 1, Dutch titles:
Part 2, Dutch titles:
Animation: Walt Disney
Live Action Camera: Roy Disney
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Walt Disney, and Peggy, the Dog
Here Walt plays Reggie. It starts with a bit about a dog in bed. Looks like some early inspiration for Pluto!!! The dog wakes up Alice and gets the car ready. (Wow, it looks like Burton's Frankenweanie and Pee Wee's Big Adventure were greatly inspired by this.) The animation here is mostly silliness just to help the story along, until her underwater dream sequence. That's where the live-action girl goes into the 2D animated world. It really reminds me of the clam story in the full-length Disney Alice in Wonderland movie, made in 1951. Here's the clam scene from the film:
The catfish looks like Felix the Cat! LOL. Observe:
Oh, and a sealion. Classic:
The original poster:
NOTES: (1) You'll notice that it took Walt Disney until March to get this distribution deal off the ground. Disney then insisted to have Virginia Davis move on down to California to continue her role as Alice in the Alice Comedies. (2) I'm calling Alice's Wonderland Alice Comedies 1, even though it officially isn't (it was later released as Alice in Slumberland). The reason, though, is that these aren't numbered by anyone otherwise, so I'm not bucking any known system. I'd rather have the 1923 pilot accounted for than to have it slip by in obscurity. (3) Walt signed a contract with Winkler calling for twelve more films (this was the first), whose option could be dropped after the first six if they proved unsatisfactory. (4) Disney moved into a small space at 4651 Kingswell Avenue. (Later that year, they would move into more spacious studios next door at 4649 Kingswell.) (5) For the first few shorts, Walt did all of the animation, and his brother Roy did all of the live-camera work. (6) Walt also recruited child actors from neighborhood children to provide Alice with others to play against in the live-action scenes.
2) Alice Comedies 3: Alice's Spooky Adventure - April 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Alice enters an abandoned house to retrieve a lost baseball and is knocked out. She dreams she is visiting a town called "Spookville" where she is chased by ghosts.
Animation: Walt Disney, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Camera: Roy Disney
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Leon Holmes, & "Spec" O'Donnell
The show continued with the live-action, present-time premise. Her imagination gets the best of her, and she's whisked away into her cartoon imaginary world. Later on, she would already start in that world at the beginning of the shorts, and the shorts would rely more on the cartoon hijinks.
This short seems to have inspired two of Walt's later and more famous shorts, the first Silly Symphony, Skeleton Dance (1929):
... And Mickey's Haunted House, which came right right after (also in 1929; it borrowed animation from the Skeleton Dance and proved more popular):
Back to the Alice animation...
NOTES: (1) Finally a ghost runs up to Alice and asks her to “Take it off!” The ghost is referring to the sheet, but this is a little riskee the way it is said. (2) Under the sheet, is the cat, Julius, who is the continual refinement of the cat character found in the laugh-o-grams and since the first Alice's Wonderland short. (3) This is the first animation where Rollin "Ham" Hamilton joins Walt in animation. You'd think Ham would be loyal since he'd been around so long. But, nope, it's believed that Ham took off with most of Disney's animators when Mintz power-played Walt and stole Oswald. Ham seemed to have mostly worked for Lantz post Disney, working on the Bosko series and others. His IMDB. (4) Alice comes across a black cartoon cat in this short. He was missing in the next short (Wild West Show), as Disney never intended for him to be a regular character, but Margaret Winkler asked Disney to bring him back.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The cat removes his tail to use as a bat, and then passes it off to Alice to use.
3) Alice Comedies 4: Alice's Wild West Show - May 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Alice and her friends put on a Wild West Show for the neighborhood kids where she regales the audience with her tales of cowboys and Indians.
Edited down. Titles are in English. Includes music (added later). Most of the animation is edited out. Some at 1:24. Wow, Alice gets that bully in the end!
Animation: Walt Disney, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Tommy Hicks
Here are some images from the cartoon parts...
Alice in the cartoon...
NOTES: (1) Alice faces the Indians down inside a cave, where we can’t see the action. This was a common trick in Walt’s cartoons, as he used it in nearly all the Laugh-O-Grams. (2) When Wild Bill Hiccup escapes, Alice and our friend the dog from the Laugh-O-Gram days chase him down. So it's notable that Walt is using the laugh-o-gram characters. (3) Virginia Davis' acting gets up a notch in this short. She is much more animated, especially in her face.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The safe reads “Mfg. by the Unsafe Safe Co.” (2) The short ends with Alice chasing him away and turning to the camera to grin, as we see her two front teeth missing.
4) Alice Comedies 5: Alice's Fishy Story - June 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Alice steals away from piano practice to go fishing and tells her friends a tale about fishing at the North Pole.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Animation: Walt Disney, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Leon Holmes, Tommy Hicks, Walt Disney, Peggy the Dog
Here's Julius:
NOTES: (1) The animated portion of the short opens with Julius the cat, who has not yet been named as such, but we know that is what he will soon be called. (2) Walt drew the cat character in "Alice's Spooky Adventure," and the cat didn't appear in Wild West Show. Margaret Winkler (the distributor) asked Walt to bring the cat back for this short. (3) As the year went on, more artists were added to the staff. One of the more important additions was a girl who was hired to ink and paint cels, Lillian Bounds, who was eventually to become Mrs. Walt Disney. (4) One gag has Julius luring fish to the top of the ice with tobacco and then clubbing them when they come up. It was reused by Goofy in the 1935 short, "On Ice." Observe:
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) Alice manages to trick her mother by training the dog to play piano while she sneaks out the window. (2) Alice and Julius feed the Eskimos like seals.
5) Alice Comedies 6: Alice and the Dog Catcher - July 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Alice presides over a secret club which proposes to rid the town of dog catchers and free the dogs!
Part 1, Dutch titles:
Part 2, Dutch titles:
Animation: Walt Disney, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Camera: Harry Forbes
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Leon Holmes, Tommy Hicks, Joe Allen, Peggy the Dog
Wow the dogcatcher is huge:
VIOLENCE: (1) It's kind of funny that Alice frees the dogs by blowing up the pound with TNT (it rains dogs). (2) Tubby nearly drives the stolen dogcatcher car into a guy on the street. (3) The kids laugh at the dogcatcher in the car going over a cliff at the end.
RACISM NOTES: Although it wasn't intended to be racist at the time... (1) Alice leads a meeting of the Klik Klak Klub, an unfortunate name in light of the later associations for KKK. (2) All the kids are wearing bags over their heads, reminiscent of hoods. (3) The one African-American kid is included almost as a servant of the other kids. (4) The black member wears a bag with blackface on it (supposed to be a joke).
6) Alice Comedies 7: Alice the Peacemaker - August 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
No video.
Alice tries to break up a fight between two newsboys by telling them a story of a feuding cat and mouse.
Characters: Alice, Ike the Mouse, Mike the Cat
Animation: Rollin "Ham" Hamilton, Ub Iwerks
Live Action Camera: Harry Forbes
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, Leon Holmes, "Spec" O'Donnell
NOTES: (1) The cat's name is Mike here, but he is later known as Julius. (2) This is Ub Iwerks' first Alice Comedy (other than Alice's Wonderland), and it shows. The animation is much more fluid and enjoyable, with smarter gags. (3) Also due to Ub's influence, this mouse looks a lot like what Mickey Mouse will look. (4) For the first time, because Ub is there, the quality of the animation is back up to the level of the Laugh-o-gram shorts. Walt knew it too, because he was using animation less and less. This short relies heavily on the animation.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The cat and mouse hang a sheet in front of a horse’s rear, paint their pictures on it, and watch as the dog attacks the sheet, gets kicked by the horse and goes sailing through the air. (2) The cat’s tail is used as a paintbrush. (3) Then the horse giggles after kicking the dog. =^)
7) Alice Comedies 8: Alice Gets in Dutch - November 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
Alice misbehaves in school and is forced to sit in the corner. She falls asleep and dreams, but schoolwork intrudes even into her dreams.
Director: Walt Disney
Animation: Ub Iwerks, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Camera: Harry Forbes
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis, "Spec" O'Donnell, David F. Hollander, Marjorie Sewell, Mrs. Hunt (?), Peggy the Dog
The cat is prominently featured in the title card:
NOTES: (1) It's interesting that the cartoon animals are the dog, cat, and donkey. These are three of the four Musicians of Bremen characters from the Laugh-o-gram in 1922. (2) The technique of combining live action and drawings is suffering in this short; at some scenes Alice is rendered so light, she's almost invisible.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The not-yet-named Julius fires a pepper cannon that makes the teacher and the books sneeze. (2) The teacher grows horns at one point.(3) The teacher sneezes her hair off, and the books sneeze all their pages off, ending their threat. (4) Julius sneezes his face off. (5) They sneeze a hole into the ground, which the animals jump into to get away from the teacher.
VIOLENCE: (1) The teacher and books pull out cannons and start firing them at Alice and her animal friends. (2) The teacher chases down Alice with a sword and pokes her.
8) Alice Comedies 9: Alice Hunting in Africa - November 15, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
No video.
Alice and Julius hunt wild game in Africa with differing results.
Animation: Walt Disney; touched up by Ub Iwerks, "Ham" Hamilton, and Thurston Harper
Live Action Camera: Roy Disney
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis
NOTES: (1) Even though it was the third Alice short made, it was not released until this time (November) because of Margaret Winkler's dissatisfaction with it (she's the distributor). For this official release, parts of the animation were redone by Ub Iwerks, "Ham" Hamilton, and Thurston Harper. (2) The animation still wasn't very good, and so the live action footage was reused later in 1925's "Alice in the Jungle." (In other words, they remade it with new animation so that it was a better, finished piece.) (3) Alice becomes animation, in places where the live action Alice would not show up.
VIOLENCE: (1) Alice is chasing a bear with a shotgun. (2) The elephant launches a cannonball from it's trunk that knocks a hole in a sleeping hippo. (3) Julius shoots the spots off a cheetah.
9) Alice Comedies 10: Alice and the Three Bears - December 1, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
In a twist on the traditional story, Alice comes across three bears operating a still, and she and Julius have to fight their way free.
Director: Walt Disney
Animation: Ub Iwerks, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis
This is Walt's second and last take on the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (his first was the 1922 Laugh-o-gram fairy tale). Walt was thinking of doing a Mickey Mouse short on this tale, but it never happened.
NOTES: (1) The bears start in a still, making beer. (2) This is the first short to completely take place in the animation world. They don't even bother setting up the cartoon dream sequence.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) To get more hops for the beer, the baby bear chases a frog and nets the word "Hop" as the frog hops away. (2) Julius summons his nine lives to attack the bears. (3) Julius gives his ninth life beer/moonshine, which gives it the strength to beat the bears.
10) Alice Comedies 11: Alice the Piper - December 15, 1924 - Dir. by Walt Disney
No video.
A take on the story of "The Pied Piper on Hamelin" as Alice and Julius are hired to rid the town of rats.
Animation: Ub Iwerks, Rollin "Ham" Hamilton, Thurston Harper
Live Action Actors: Virginia Davis
Disney later revisited the Pied Piper story in the Silly Symphony, "The Pied Piper," in 1933. In that version, the rats are led off to a rat utopia (and not drowned in the river) and the children are led off into a special child utopia dimension in the mountain side that is closed off (and a child throws away his crutches as he enters; kind of like heaven for kids).
NOTES: (1) You'll notice that the cameraman isn't credited anymore because the only live action is Alice now. (2) Recent showings on The Disney Channel (1998) omit the final scene showing Alice and Julius vacuuming up the King after finding out their reward was less than they expected. This is probably not a deliberate cut, but the result of Disney having to use the only print available to them.
NOTABLE GAGS: (1) The king posts a reward sign, offering $5.00 (five dollars) to anyone who can rid the kingdom of the rats. The mischievous rats, meanwhile, change the sign to read $5,000 reward. This is a clever setup to how the Pied Piper (Alice and Julius) get stiffed. The king gives them $5.00 and not the $5,000 they expected. (2) Since the music isn't working, they use a vacuum cleaner.
Click here for Part 2 of this series, 1925-1927.
- TAE
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