Talk:Ben Stein
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[edit] Image
The image of Ben Stein is 404-compatible. Is this a Wikipedia bug or an image bug or an article bug?
- There must have been a problem with the image. I have commented it out from the article for now, thanks for the notice. Dori | Talk 00:29, Mar 27, 2004 (UTC)
That's not a good picture that's on there now. We can do better than that. I'm going to write to Ben's agent and get a real press photo of him and the permission to use it. Unless, of course, anyone has any objection. I've already done it for Dana Reeve and Red Skelton. And I'm trying to do it for Tara Strong. I think every celebrity deserves a decent picture in Wikipedia to go along with their article. Joe 03:08, 20 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Poverty lawyer
What is a poverty lawyer? Edward 20:31, 6 Nov 2004 (UTC)
[edit] Most famous role
I came to this article, and I noticed that 63.134.129.166 had added a reference to Ben Stein's role in Richie Rich which made it seem as if Ben Stein were famous for playing an economics teacher in that movie. Since this wasn't the case, I looked to edit the text. I then asked myself why Richie Rich was being mentioned. Ferris Bueller is an obvious mention: it is the role that launched Ben Stein's film career. (I will address how this is a fairly objective statement in a moment.) But there is nothing special about Richie Rich; why not note Stein's roles in, say, The Mask or The Wonder Years instead? We could just note all of Stein's roles, but if we do that, this article just becomes a recapitulation of the IMDb filmography. So I decided to just cut the whole clause out and revert 63.134.129.166's changes.
Unfortunately, The stuart came along and pushed Richie Rich back in. Worse, he removed the statement about Stein being famous for Ferris Bueller. Thus, I come here to justify the change.
Now let's look at my claim that Ben Stein is famous for Ferris Bueller. Consider:
- Ben Stein's own website refers to the scene in which Stein utters the quote "Bueller? ... Bueller?" as being ranked one of the fifty most memorable scenes in American movies.
- Try google: a search on "bueller? bueller?" ben stein will get you a list of web sites with comments such as:
- Stein achieved his cinematic milestone with a single word droned over and over: "Bueller ... Bueller ... Bueller."
- I got recognized often and was occasionally asked for an autograph. And every once in a while, someone standing next to me at a urinal would lean over in my direction and bark, "Bueller? Bueller?"
- His droning roll call -- "Bueller?…Bueller?...Bueller?…" -- is now a rhetorical catch phrase for asking a question that no one will answer.
- "Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?" More than 350 Ben Stein fans heard this immortalized line in person on Thursday, Oct. 28, as the Renaissance man who coined the phrase visited UM-St. Louis for the evening.
- By the way, just for comparison with Richie Rich, let's look at google hits again: "ben stein" "richie rich" gets you 117 hits compared to 889 hits for "ben stein" "ferris bueller's day off" — and the longer title for Ferris Bueller should actually serve to depress its number of hits.
— DLJessup 06:18, 2004 Dec 22 (UTC)
[edit] Order of article?
Shouldn't the "Writing" section be placed before the "Work" section, to keep the article's chronological perspective? He worked for Nixon before starring in Ferris Bueller, after all. ekedolphin 08:43, May 26, 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Is this worth noting?
I believe that Ben Stein suffers from bipolar disorder, but I'm not sure if it really matters. Opinions? --Marco Passarani 17:36, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
- If it's true and you can source it, I think it's noteworthy. — DLJessup 18:16, 20 August 2005 (UTC)
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- Well, I could have sworn that I read that he had it...but can't find a source. And my memory has been known to be entirely inaccurate. My mistake! --Marco Passarani 21:15, 21 August 2005 (UTC)
Another "Is it worth noting?": Ben Stein spoke to young republicans at something like the young republicans convention a few years ago. Sorry to have so few details, but it did happen. He made plenty of knee-jerk comments to the effect that liberals are all unhappy whiners, whereas conservatives are confident, successful and content citizens, then cited some Hollywood liberals, not as counterexamples, but as hypocritical abominations. If anyone has more information on this ignominious speech might be worth noting. MotherFunctor 04:33, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
- I wish I had been there because I'm sure it was a great speech! As far as I'm concerned it is worth noting. We just need a verifiable source for it. Lawyer2b 06:33, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
- Ha! okay, well I'll try to track it down. MotherFunctor 02:34, 23 August 2006 (UTC)
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- Not sure if this is the speech you are referring to; it's not the speech itself, just a write up about it. Hardly seems like a "great" speech, just some more hysteria and partisan propaganda that is the hall mark of every major political party in the USA. However, it must make Mark Foley a bit happier to know there are people out there who see conservatives as 'confident, successful and content citizens.'
[edit] Fiction vs. Non-fiction
Can someone please specify which titles Stein authored are fiction and which are non-fiction? I could probably guess, but best if someone else could lay it out for us. Thanks.
[edit] Opening Paragraph
Benjamin Jeremy Stein (born November 25, 1944, in Washington, D.C.) is a fervently conservative (with strong libertarian economic impulses) pro-life former White House speechwriter (for the late Republican President Richard Nixon); he is/was also an attorney, (former) game show host, actor, commercial personality, screenwriter, law professor, economist, author, and columnist. He is the son of noted economist and writer Herbert Stein, and his wife, Mildred. Ben Stein has a sister, Rachel, a writer.
Wow...a little cumbersome, don't you think? — Ilγαηερ (Tαlκ) 18:45, 1 October 2005 (UTC)
[edit] Reorganization
In my reorganization of the article, I've removed:
- His efforts at film and television screenwriting have largely been for naught, aside from paying him an excellent wage for many years, though he ...
By "for naught" did the editor mean that the writing was not admired by critics? It's quite a mysterious statement. Joshuardavis 02:35, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Drug Addictions?
Nowhere is it mentioned in the article that from 1966-1988 Mr. Stein was addicted to drugs, specifically dilaudin, demerol, marijuana, dexamil, and cocaine. One of his books does focus on this addiction. I think this should be noted, either as a description of his book "The Gift of Peace" or as a separate section about his life. For all his successes and accomplishments, it shows he's still a mortal figure. --Lovelinelistener 01:04, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Newfoundland?
I'm suspicious of the references to Stein teaching in Newfoundland. They are not sourced. No offense intended to Newfies, but it seems like an odd place for a California resident to accept a teaching position. Patke@sluh.org 21:53, 5 December 2006 (UTC)
