Al Sharpton and Strom Thurmond, 6 Degrees of Separation

[joshwriting]

So, the news is that Al Sharpton's ancestor (great grandfather?) was owned by Strom Thurmond's great great grandfather's granddaughter (Thurmond's 1st cousin, twice removed, for those of you who pay attention to such things.)

I shared this information with my spouse who was prompted to wonder how the two of them were connected to Kevin Bacon.

So, here it is:
Strom Thurmond was in U.S. vs. John Lennon. So was Geraldo Rivera.
Geraldo Rivera was in Bonfire of the Vanities. So was Tom Hanks.
Tom Hanks was in Apollo 13. So was Kevin Bacon.
Kevin Bacon was in A Few Good Men. So was Jack Nicholson.
Jack Nicholson was in Anger Management. So was Adam Sandler.
Adam Sandler was in Mr. Deeds. So was Al Sharpton.

Okay, I confess. Strom Thurmond was only in archival footage for the U.S. vs. John Lennon. But it's his only listing on IMDB, so I figure that it is fair dinkum.

Comments

re: Strom Thurmond

[etherial.livejournal.com]

He was mentioned as being in the Senate Chambers during Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, but I can't recall if he was pictured and, if so, it was really him.

Re: Strom Thurmond

[joshwriting.livejournal.com]

While I am not sure which version of Mr. Smith you are referring to, I am pretty sure that you are confusing Mr. Smith's filibuster (23 hours) with Senator Thurmond's in the mid 19050's which went over 24 hours.

I would love to see some link or reference, if you have one, for Thurmond's having been present in '39, '62, or perhaps the 90's version, The Distinguished Gentleman.

As he got elected to the Senate in 1954, it seems unlikely he would have been there in 1939. And I don't think the 1962-63 tv series was likley to have attracted his attention in its comparatively short life.

But... I would have paid money to watch Thurmond interact with Murphy.

Re: Strom Thurmond

[etherial.livejournal.com]

The '39, when Smith first gets to the Senate and all the important figures are pointed out to him. Must be thinking of the wrong guy.