You are probably unfamiliar with the name Frigyes Karithy - but you may have heard of the theory of Six Degrees Of Separation. In 1929, this Hungarian wrote a play called Chains in which he propounds the idea that everyone in the world is six [or fewer] steps away from every other, and that we can all be connected if only we know the right 'friend of a friend' questions to ask.
There's a trivia game called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, where people try and connect another actor to KB in 6 or fewer steps, by linking co-stars of successive films/adverts. KB himself has embraced the concept, and uses it in his EE telecom ads - and has even set up a charitable foundation called Six.Degrees.Org.
I decided to try and link two of my favourite actors [Gregory Peck and Martin Shaw] using the six degrees principle. It's enormous fun.
To Kill A Mockingbird is one of my favourite books
Gregory Peck is the wonderful Atticus Finch
One - GP also stars in Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn
Two- AH is the eponymous star of My Fair Lady, along with Rex Harrison, and young Jeremy Brett, who plays her suitor, Freddie Eynsford Hill
Three- JB is the best ever [imho] Sherlock Holmes, and his excellent sidekick Dr Watson is played by David Burke
Four - DB is the husband of equally gifted actress Ann Calder Marshall [latterly in Midsomer Murders , Poirot, Dalziel and Pascoe...but a brilliant Cathv Earnshaw in the 1970 Wuthering Heights]
Five - ACM is the mother of actor Tom Burke
Five and a Half [totally unnecessary, but I needed an excuse to put in this picture] TB played Athos, leader of the Three Musketeers, in the recent BBC production. I really enjoyed this - even though it was a distance from the original Dumas novels. I was particularly fascinated by the costumes and attention to detail. The men in blue and coppery browns, the women in beautifully stitched dresses...
Six - TB is the new star of Strike. Cormoran Strike is the detective from the pen of Robert Galbraith [aka JK Rowling] and the Bank Holiday story "The Cuckoo's Calling" features Martin Shaw as the Uncle of the deceased girl.
Peck-Hepburn-Brett-CalderMarshall -Burke-Shaw
Technically I guess that counts as only five degrees [four if you go straight from David to his son] Oh never mind...
Can you link your favourite actors like this?
That sounds like a cracking game for long car journeys with the husband! His movie knowledge is epic!
ReplyDeleteX
Are you liking Strike then? I'm thinking it is starting off ok
ReplyDeleteI think it's good Sunday night entertainment - but I have to confess that I have NEVER read a JKR book from start to finish [HPotter or CStrike]. Always given up somewhere along the way. Tom Burke's Mum was on Radio 4 this week in a play.
Delete