O.K., your mission with each of these questions is to name the leading actor and name the film starring him consistent with the given clues, based on a theme, which you should name as well.
1) He gave us the archetypal suave assassin. He gave us the perfect embodiment of misogyny. And just after this film, by stepping down he gave us George Lazenby. So for all that, why not give him something in return? How about a wife with the face like a pig? Some unused oysters? I know — let’s give him the very best duck!
2) He famously almost died during the filming of the so-called “Elderly Gang Goes Off to War” flick, but before that got to play a character who was able to spend a few hours catching up with his lost, mandarin-eating, human-pyramid-forming(-and-collapsing) servant.
3) Some say his vehicle to stardom was sort of a want-monikered trolley. But in another role he battled against racism (he was also apparently cool with cross-dressing).
4) In between movies where he’s shooting hordes of Axis soldiers or hordes of American Indians, he found time for the shooting of this (ironically less savage) film (to help out Good & Plenty potential concessionaires?).
5) After breaking up with the lunar-pizza-pie-eyed guy but before his snagging the Legion d’honneur, he starred in this movie (with the former Brooklyn Dodgers and the woman who would later have to act in bed with Bob Newhart) where gets upstaged by a rabbit and gets his subtitles all mixed up before he gets the girl.
6) One of his characters didn’t cry over spilt milk (nor over the spilt blood of his once-future-father-in-law, for that matter). Soon after he plays a man trying to get a visa to America (a simpler time where America would let in even the Russo-Chinese?!).
7) We’ve seen this guy above (so don’t bother renaming him, sorry!), but this time he’s trying to play a local (and well enough, too, that many movie-goers felt gypped when they didn’t notice him). This film costarred an actor playing a wannabe-farmer years before his other wannabe-farmer TV role made him a household name.
#1 is Sean Connery, of course.
… and #5 is Jerry Lewis.
Oops, I’m screwing up! The film in #1 is “You Only Live Twice.”
… and the film in #5 is “The Geisha Boy.”
Would #7 be Eddie Albert in “The Longest Day”?
#3 is Marlon Brando but I’m not sure of the film. It might be Sayonara.
Yes, Bill gets #1 and #5. And Hazel is correct as well for #3. Good start!
Bill, #7 is indeed Eddie Albert, but The Longest Day doesn’t quite work with the theme.
Sorry, guys — I didn’t take the time to look to see how many of you were morning people (I’m actually in early today…).
Anyway, then it’s time for a clue. The costar (the major star of the film) of #2 even more famously also almost died during filming (by nearly drowning).
If you thought my clue ‘want-monikered trolley’ was a groaner, you’ll hate this one for #4. ‘Good & Plenty potential concessionaires’ –> ‘plenty potential’ –> ‘plenipotentiary’, wherein our hero is a council general / ambassador (which may not technically be a plenipotentiary, but heh).
#4 is John Wayne in The Barbarian and the Geisha.
And #7 must be Marlon Brando again in The Teahouse of the August Moon.
Is the theme “Japan?”
Excellent — Melville gets both #4 and #7.
The theme is a little bit more specific — Foreigners in Exotic Japan in (mostly U.S.) Films of the 50’s and 60’s.
Since we know the theme, another clue for #2 is that the servant character (a valet) is seen visiting the Daibutsu in Kamakura (reasonably close to where the story placed him in Yokohama), but he’s also shown wandering around Kyoto, a good distance away.
I thought the first part of the question for #6 was pretty easy, but you might not have much luck with the second part if you’re a googling fan — a lot of sites claim the protagonist is American or even Russo-Japanese, so do let that fool you.
Er, don’t let that fool you.
Clue for #2: The quote “Elderly Gang Goes Off to War” comes from a review or critique of the film The Guns of Navarone.
The non-Japanese lady who played opposite the star of #6 might be better known to some in the TV world as the Dohlman of Elas.
#2 is David Niven in Around the World in Eighty Days.
#6 is Laurence Harvey in A Girl Named Tamiko (I had to depend on IMDB to get that one, working through the answer to your last clue, France Nuyen. And the first clue is a reference to The Manchurian Candidate.)
Yes, Melville cleans up the final two clues!
Thanks for letting me play, and thanks to Deborah for the DIY. I hope my questions weren’t too far off your typical routine.
— arghous