90
votes
Accepted
Are there historical examples of audiences drawn to a work that was "so bad it's good"?
I’ll throw in a vote for Robert “Romeo” Coates, a theatre actor in Britain in the early 1800s. According to Wikipedia (emphasis mine):
Despite this ridicule, Coates went on to tour the British ...
- 3,075
64
votes
Why, in old movies and TV series, do they always use such extremely exaggerated wheel turns when driving a car?
In old cars you had to turn the wheel a lot further, because there was no power steering. For a feel of that, push a car when the engine is dead and try to steer it without engine assistance (it's ...
- 13.8k
62
votes
Are there historical examples of audiences drawn to a work that was "so bad it's good"?
The poet William McGonagall (born March 1825 and died 29 September 1902) is a famous example.
McGonagall has been lampooned as the worst poet in British history. The chief criticisms are that he is ...
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49
votes
Are there historical examples of audiences drawn to a work that was "so bad it's good"?
Florence Foster Jenkins, known as the world's worst opera singer. "No one, before or since, has succeeded in liberating themselves quite so completely from the shackles of musical notation."
...
- 761
46
votes
Why, in old movies and TV series, do they always use such extremely exaggerated wheel turns when driving a car?
In addition to the points that Maury Markowitz described, another factor was the large amount of free play in many car steering systems of that era.
I was a young kid in the late 1950s, and I ...
- 537
40
votes
Accepted
Was there a tax in the fifties for British citizens traveling abroad?
Currency restrictions existed between 1939 and 1979.
The main goal of these restrictions after 1945 was to insure that enough foreign exchange was available to finance needed imports from non-sterling ...
- 9,184
33
votes
Why did the film "The Longest Day" have the "cricket" training scene if the Allies received no intelligence about the hedgerows in Normandy?
The Allies knew about the bocage, but did not appreciate their scale precisely because they trained in Britain. A British hedgerow is quite a different thing than a Norman hedgerow.
While both ...
- 54.5k
31
votes
Accepted
Before television sets became commonplace, did people generally watch movies only once?
Short Answer
Although opportunities certainly existed for repeat viewing of movies before the advent of television, this was not 'generally' the case. Reasons for this included limited long-term ...
- 107k
29
votes
Accepted
Why did the film "The Longest Day" have the "cricket" training scene if the Allies received no intelligence about the hedgerows in Normandy?
The Allies certainly had intelligence about the Normandy 'bocage' country. The problem seems rather to have been that American commanders had failed to appreciate the specific problems that fighting ...
- 77k
26
votes
Are there historical examples of audiences drawn to a work that was "so bad it's good"?
English As She Is Spoke was so bad it was enjoyable:
English As She Is Spoke is the common name of a 19th-century book written by Pedro Carolino, and falsely additionally credited to José da Fonseca, ...
- 363
24
votes
Were major foreign films allowed in the USSR?
Some films were officially licensed and were quite popular, such as Sun Valley Serenade, Some Like It Hot, The Sandpit Generals etc.
You might take a look at the chart here. Where there's only year, ...
- 617
18
votes
Why, in old movies and TV series, do they always use such extremely exaggerated wheel turns when driving a car?
turning the wheel wildly to the left and right
For the very simple reason that they could not see the images. So you get them to make random motions, because steering straight while the scenery is ...
- 337
18
votes
Accepted
Why did the French Army melt film during WWI?
SHORT ANSWER
Films at the time were generally considered to have little, if any, artistic value. Nor was it believed that they had any commercial value once they had been seen by the public. Thus, ...
- 107k
13
votes
Accepted
Did the old-west style duels (as depicted in movies) actually occur?
Not all were that ordered, and it may have been the exception rather then the rule, but it did happen:
Both men faced each other sideways in the dueling position and
hesitated briefly. Then Tutt ...
- 37.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Was Zhukov's wit portrayed accurately in The Death of Stalin?
No Zhukov's biography I read ever mentioned humor or wit of any kind.
The personal trait they consistently emphasize if ruthlessness.
E.g.,
Зенькович "Маршалы и генсеки"
Карпов "Маршал ...
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10
votes
Are there historical examples of audiences drawn to a work that was "so bad it's good"?
The works of Amanda McKittrick Ros are an example of prose that was so bad it was considered entertaining for its badness.
One group who entertained themselves with her work was a group of British ...
- 726
10
votes
Accepted
Which British town or city is recorded in this 1890's YouTube video?
London
The movie 'scene' in question (alternative YouTube video) was an entire early short film — 39 seconds long — and is titled simply (as on Wikipedia here) "A Switchback Railway" from ...
- 80.2k
9
votes
Was Zhukov's wit portrayed accurately in The Death of Stalin?
It seems unlikely. While Eisenhower noted that Zhukov liked to joke, there are no other references to Zhukov being particularly witty. Among western military men, diplomats and journalists, Zhukov was ...
- 107k
7
votes
Why, in old movies and TV series, do they always use such extremely exaggerated wheel turns when driving a car?
Other answers are correct when mentioning the absence of power steering at the time and the fact that the actor/actress ‘driving’ could not see the screen behind them, but budget and time constraints ...
- 107k
7
votes
Help identify this poster of early 1900's movie with a woman sitting on a bench and a man behind holding her arm
Not sure about the movie, but here is the web page of family of the original photographer, and their version of your image
It is a cinema at Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
Certainly it ...
- 4,047
6
votes
Before television sets became commonplace, did people generally watch movies only once?
It was commonplace as late as the 1960s to watch a movie in a movie theater multiple times in one sitting for a single admission charge. It was called "continuous showings" and this term was ...
- 593
6
votes
Accepted
Are these outfits of children of Nazis historically accurate, and if so, what is their meaning?
1. The triangles the children are wearing appear to be part of some kind of 'tag' game they are playing during the party. Thus, the triangles do not have anything to do with their costumes or Nazi ...
- 107k
6
votes
Racial Themes in Rocky Movies
What your instructor I think was trying to point you to is the old Hollywood troupe of Black Dude Dies First.
Films would take a Scary Black Man, turn him into The Big Guy, and
kill him off to ...
- 115k
5
votes
Accepted
Did Cao Cao really say the greatest traitor resembled an honest man?
I highly doubt it.
Bar one line, that almost-exact quote
The greatest traitor has always resembled an honest man and the greatest falsehood comes across as truth.
Righteousness and evil cannot be ...
- 1,102
5
votes
Was Jud Suss a veiled criticism of Hitler?
I think, no. I think this film's plot was not intended as criticism of Hitler. To understand it one should have idea about Nazi mentality. They did not consider themselves as some tyrants that ...
- 32.4k
5
votes
Accepted
How were ship kills accounted in WWII?
As far as sinking submarines wwas concerned, from the USN perspective may I suggest a look at https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/rep/ASW-51/ASW-PART-II.html which discusses antisubmarine measures ...
- 4,411
5
votes
Was there a tax in the fifties for British citizens traveling abroad?
Just to precisely answer the question,
Was there a British tax for British citizens staying abroad in the fifties?
No, there was absolutely no tax.
The line of dialog is referring to the limit on ...
- 167
4
votes
Were major foreign films allowed in the USSR?
Soviet Union was really special market for American movies.
First of all, many movies took their way into SU many years after international release. For example, "West Side Story" (1961) was shown in ...
- 4,268
4
votes
Were major foreign films allowed in the USSR?
"Allowed" is not an exact term here. Nothing was "allowed" in Soviet Union. Everything was decided by higher authorities, including which movies to show.
A lot of foreign films were purchased by the ...
- 38.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible