Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2017 April 10

= April 10 =

First Newfoundlander to win Gold in Olympics as written under Brad Gushue Article is incorrect
Brad Gushue

"With his teammates, Gushue became the first Newfoundlander ever to win an Olympic gold medal. Prior to the gold medal match, a provincial order allowed for the closure of all schools at noon on that day, one hour before local coverage of the event began. [1] [2]"

This is incorrect and should be reworded or deleted.

The correct person is listed in the following article:

http://www.thetelegram.com/opinion/columnists/2016/8/5/archival-moments-newfoundlanders-at-the-4607141.html

"Harry Watson, of St. John’s can lay claim to being the first Newfoundlander to have participated in the ‘Winter Olympics.’  The first winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France and Watson (known to his friends as Moose ) arrived with a Canadian Hockey team. Harry “Moose” Watson, and his team were the gold medal winners. The Canadians beat Czechoslovakia 30-0 and Sw .itzerland 33-0, a game in which Watson himself scored 13 goals." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 156.57.41.109 (talk) 04:05, 10 April 2017 (UTC)


 * This is not a request for information, so it belongs at Talk:Brad Gushue, not here. I'll post something there. The issue seems to be what is meant by a Newfoundlander.  Harry Watson was born in Newfoundland but when when he and his team won the Olympic medal he had moved to Canada and, as the cited source says, he was playing for a Canadian team. --76.71.6.254 (talk) 07:29, 10 April 2017 (UTC)


 * It should be noted that when Harry Watson was born, Newfoundland was not part of Canada, but its own Dominion within the British Commonwealth, co-equal with Canada and independent from it. See Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland was a tiny Dominion population-wise, which is probably why it was later absorbed into the Canadian Federation.  AFAICT they've only sent one athlete to the Olympics to compete for Team Newfoundland, Robert Fowler (athlete) at the 1904 games.  -- Jayron 32 13:52, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * (For more on Newfoundland's entry into Canada, see Newfoundland referendums, 1948.) --76.71.6.254 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 16:58, 10 April 2017 (UTC)


 * The Robert Fowler (athlete) article says he competed in the US team. The lists of participating nations for the Olympics do not mention Newfoundland at all. Wymspen (talk) 14:03, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * I think record keeping may have been a little sketchy in the early years; All-time Olympic Games medal table was my original source; as noted in the "Variations" section, official sources seem to differ. -- Jayron 32 17:20, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Also 1904 Summer Olympics notes Newfoundland's participation under 'Disputed' -- Jayron 32 13:33, 11 April 2017 (UTC)

Malcolm Dixon alive?
Is Malcolm Dixon (the actor) still alive? I can't find a decent bio anywhere. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 12:52, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * As of 2011 he was still alive. That's the most recent information I can find.  According to IMDB his last film work was in 1997.  -- Jayron 32 13:22, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * A prominent actor such as this, creating such iconic roles, I would sincerely hope that his death has not gone unnoticed. I also hope that he may just have "retired" since 1997 with roles not as abundant as they used to be since CGI has entered the industry. It saddens me that WP does not have an article on him. Lastly, I hope that you 209.149.113.5 are asking because you are thinking of creating an article on Malcolm Dixon. Yes? Maineartists (talk) 14:27, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * For reference, however, his contemporary Warwick Davis continues to work, having originated similarly iconic roles from the same time period. There's scant information on Dixon, however; he does not appear to have been much of a public figure, gave few if any interviews, and I cannot myself find any information about his wearabouts since the last IMDB entry (1997, as noted) and that one 2011 article which mentions he was still alive at that point.  Sometimes people just retire from a field like acting with no fanfare, and fade into obscurity.  Despite his many prominent roles in the early 1980s, he also seems to have been obscure at that time too.  -- Jayron 32 16:08, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * I tried to make an article. I hope it worked properly. It was pointing to the Willy Wonka page. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 17:56, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Looks like the page was immediately reverted. Apparently editors around here don't like him. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 18:26, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Excuse for reverting the page: Some user said he didn't see Malcolm in the movies, so he must not have been in any of them. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 18:52, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * That certainly is not a valid excuse for a reversion; and contributes to "Original Research". I would reject that on principle. However, the truth of the reversion, most likely, was on account of the layout of the page itself; which of course provided no reliable sources, content or claim of notability. Jayron32 is correct in that there isn't a lot out there on Dixon; and gathering enough to create an article would be time consuming. However, this shouldn't dissuade you from the task (or any other editor). He would most likely fall under General Notability for an actor; but there may be resistance from sticklers here at WP (as you have already encountered). I may try and see what I can find, as well. Maineartists (talk) 19:00, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * It wasn't too hard to find his movies on IMDB, the Star Wars wiki, and the Muppet wiki. He worked for Jim Henson's shop, so he was used a lot for Jim Henson's movies, including the Star Wars movies. I don't think he had a substantial role until Time Bandits. 209.149.113.5 (talk) 19:28, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * His substantial role in films wouldn't really make that much of a difference, since there are actors on WP who have their own articles simply for acting in one film (but the film was notable enough to carry their inclusion). Unfortunately, none of the sources you cite are reliable, as you know. It will be difficult to find his name outside of these "credit" listing sites. But we can try. Maineartists (talk) 19:38, 10 April 2017 (UTC)
 * Malcolm Dixon has appeared on the British stage in recent years in panto versions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He was in Richmond, Surrey in 2012 and in Preston, Lancashire in 2014.  The second one of those, at any rate, looks like a reliable source. --Antiquary (talk) 08:35, 11 April 2017 (UTC)
 * You can piece together a skeleton account of his career from AllMovie and The Journal, both reliable sources. --Antiquary (talk) 09:04, 11 April 2017 (UTC)


 * User:Maineartists, see assuage vs. dissuade. --   Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  22:36, 10 April 2017 (UTC)