A curtain call (walkdown, bow) occurs at the end of a performance when individuals return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for their performance.[1][2] In musical theater, the performers typically recognize the orchestra and its conductor at the end of the curtain call. Luciano Pavarotti holds the record for receiving 165 curtain calls, more than any other artist.[3]
Curtain calls are not solely limited to actors in theaters. Athletes who also perform well may return to the field of play after a big play or at the conclusion of the game for recognition. Professional baseball players usually take their cap or helmet by the brim and hold it in the air.[4]
In film, the term "curtain call" is used to denote the film's end credits showing clips, stills, or outtakes of each character with the actor's name captioned. This sequence results in a similar individual recognition by the audience as a stage curtain call. This is usually only done in films that are light-hearted and have many characters, or perhaps a long list of cameo appearances.
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On occasion, television series have included curtain calls at the conclusion of their runs, with the cast breaking character and often showing the audience and crew:
According to baseball historian Peter Morris, in May 1881 Detroit fans cheered a home run by Charlie Bennett until he bowed to them.
On October 3, 1951, after Bobby Thomson hit the pennant-winning home run for the New York Giants in the ninth inning of the third game of the National League playoff, jubliant Giant fans swarmed the playing field of the Polo Grounds, running after the triumphant Giant players, who raced towards the clubhouse which was located in center field. Author Joshua Prager, in his definitive volume of Thomson's homer The Echoing Green, wrote, "(T)housands of fans hungry for a curtain call stood now outside a green clubhouse chanting 'We want Thomson!' We want Thomson!'" Several minutes later (about 15 minutes after the actual home run), "word reached Thomson that he was wanted outside, that only a curtain call might dissipate the stubborn throng (...) And so out Thomson went, wading through the packed clubhouse to its top outdoor step." New York Times sportswriter John Drebinger called the crowd's response "the most frenzied 'curtain calls' ever afforded a ballplayer."[7]
Curtain calls showing the characters in video games are fairly uncommon. "Parades" showing the characters without naming them is used in a variety of games, including Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, both of which featured actual parades. Curtain rolls showing the names of the characters are also used, notably in Mother 2 and its sequel Mother 3, in which the characters scroll from bottom to top with their name underneath. Some games, including the Super Nintendo Entertainment System's Donkey Kong Country and Art of Fighting 2, show characters performing a typical special attack or delivering characteristic lines of dialogue in the character's level as part of the credits.