Works that we consider classics – or at the very least valuable contributions to society – haven’t always been seen as such. Sometimes it takes a little time and perspective for us to understand the true value of something. Here are a few examples of things that really tanked whey they were first released, but are now considered pretty important. The only thing that concerns me – does this mean that in 50 years, people will wonder how on earth Glitter failed to receive an Oscar nomination?
1. The Gettysburg Address. The Chicago Times said, “The cheeks of every American must tingle with shame as he reads the silly, flat, and dishwatery utterances.”
2. The Graduate… or to be more precise, Dustin Hoffman. Films in Review said, “The Graduate is a genuinely funny comedy which succeeds despite an uninteresting and untalented actor in the title role.”
3. According to a September 22, 1966 newspaper, mini-skirts were totally done for. “The masters of French fashion weighed the mini-skirt, found it wanting, and said it would not last,” the article said. “Chanel and other designers called the skirts ‘exaggerated,’ ‘terrifying’ and ‘hysterical.’”
4. Wuthering Heights was a total piece of crap, if you listen to the 1848 review in Atlas: “Wuthering Heights is a strange, inartistic story. There are evidences in every chapter of a sort of rugged power–an unconscious strength–which the possessor seems never to think of turning to the best advantage. The general effect is inexpressibly painful. We know nothing in the whole range of our fictitious literature which presents such shocking pictures of the worst forms of humanity….”
5. I love Vertigo and Alfred Hitchcock, but The New Yorker disagreed with me when it reviewed the then-new film, saying, “Alfred Hitchcock has never before indulged in such farfetched nonsense.” Time concurred: “The old master has turned out another Hitchcock-and-bull story in which the mystery is not so much who done it as who cares.” I disagree with the sentiment, but I do appreciate the pun. What can I say?
6. Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring is one of the most celebrated ballets and compositions ever, but when it was first performed in 1913, audiences were shocked and appalled. They were used to demure, elegant ballets – and The Rite of Spring was about pagan Russia. People booed, fights actually broke out in the crowd and Stravinsky, rumored to be in tears, ran out of the building in the middle of the whole thing.
7. Rolling Stone was not exactly impressed with Nirvana’s first album effort, Bleach. They called it “undistinguished” and said it “relied on warmed-over Seventies metal riffs.”
8. Cars. They’re so over-rated, aren’t they? Well, The New York Times certainly thought so. “The question of the automobile as a private and popular vehicle in this country is difficult to answer, both on account of the fact that the roads outside of certain limits of the city are not serviceable for automobile traveling and because there is no actual leisure class here which could find enjoyment in the horseless carriage the year round.”
9. Melville must have been pretty depressed when the reviews for Moby Dick rolled in. The London Morning Chronicle said it was “sheer, moonstruck lunacy” and the Southern Quarterly Review was particularly harsh, saying that the book was “Sad stuff, dull and dreary, or ridiculous . . . his Mad Captain is a monstrous bore.”
10. This one isn’t a bad review, exactly, but it’s certainly not a ringing endorsement: Tom Brady was pick #199 in the 2000 draft – a sixth-round choice. The Patriots had four quarterbacks that season, and guess who was fourth-string? Yep – Mr. Brady. He moved up to second-string, though, and got his big chance in 2001 when Drew Bledsoe got injured.
Two-part question for you today: have I missed any good ones, of course, and what do you think (or hope) will be appreciated in 50 years that we find rather unimportant today?
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I still don’t like Wuthering Heights.
posted by me on 11-11-2009 at 4:04 pm
Tony Romo wasn’t even drafted, and he sat on the bench for at least a couple years.
Romo is way better than Brady ever was. (Let a Cowboy fan dream, will ya?)
posted by Witty Nickname on 11-11-2009 at 4:09 pm
The Wizard of Oz (movie) was not well-received, being called “unimaginative.”
posted by Jeff Edsell on 11-11-2009 at 4:27 pm
George W. Bush?
J/K!!!!
posted by Alex on 11-11-2009 at 4:55 pm
Rolling Stone also didn’t like any of Led Zeppelin’s albums. In one review they were referred to as “ultimate Seventies Calf of Gold”
posted by Dan on 11-11-2009 at 4:56 pm
There are plenty of classics that got horrible reviews…how about the great reviews for horrible “classics”?
posted by graham on 11-11-2009 at 5:03 pm
“It’s a wonderful life” was a flop that almost ended the careers of Frank Capra and Jimmy Stewart. Didn’t get repsect until it started getting shown on TV. (cheap, because it failed so bad on release).
posted by Merinda on 11-11-2009 at 5:22 pm
Aww… I feel really bad for Stravinsky. The Rite of Spring is so beautiful, I can’t imagine anyone not loving it immediately.
posted by Chanel on 11-11-2009 at 5:48 pm
Don’t remember the exact quote, and I don’t have time to look it up but didn’t someone say that the idea of a personal home computer was rediculous(sp?)
And of course a lot of people said that rap was just a fad (my dad for one)
posted by jeffcomedy on 11-11-2009 at 5:48 pm
Apparently the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street” was given a very lukewarm reception upon its release, but now is considered one of their best (it’s certainly one of my favourites). It was considered bloated, too long. Folks were perplexed by “Tumbling Dice”.
posted by mlb222 on 11-11-2009 at 5:55 pm
Waterworld!!
posted by andy on 11-11-2009 at 5:57 pm
To go on what Dan said, Rolling Stone completely panned Led Zeppelin’s first album, saying that the Jeff Beck Group did it better (because Led Zeppelin was an outgrowth of the JBG) and called Robert Plant, “a foppish Rod Stewart.”
Strangely enough in 2003, that same album was number 29 on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 500 albums of all time.
posted by Mark C. on 11-11-2009 at 6:14 pm
totally agree with the London Morning Chronicle – Moby Dick is by far my least favorite novel. I cringe when I think about it. The only beneificial item i have received from that novel is for some reason i never forgot the first line of the book – “call me ishmael” and this has gained me several points in trivia.
love Brady…bellichick knew what he was waiting for. probably one of the best late round draft picks ever.
Great article..thanks Stacy!
posted by Izzi on 11-11-2009 at 7:02 pm
Following up on Stravinsky, two now-classic operas, Bizet’s Carmen and Verdi’s La Traviata, were originally considered failures.
posted by christina on 11-11-2009 at 7:30 pm
Yeah, Rolling Stone magazine was notorious for panning albums and then jumping on the bandwagon when those same artists became popular and sold millions. Many of the magazine’s audio compilations contain songs by artists that they never gave the time of day to when it came to reviews.
posted by Sandy Wood on 11-11-2009 at 7:34 pm
I always take Rolling Stone’s reviews with a grain of salt…they rely to heavily on the writers’ personal opinion.
I did laugh when the first review of Sleater-Kinney’s “All Hands on the Bad One” stated something like “This is modest effort for them, but would be another band’s masterpeice.”
And then a few years later, they referenced All Hands again with a note of something like “This album is a dog biscuit.”
BORING STORY!
I like this article, but I’d like to see some examples of things that received GREAT, STUNNING reviews at the time, but are now considered crapola.
posted by holly on 11-11-2009 at 7:36 pm
Regarding cars… the review doesn’t seem completely anti-car. The lack of a well-developed road system /was/ an impediment to adoption and cars largely aren’t employed today purely for the enjoyment of riding in them.
Maybe what the Times got wrong was assuming that the car was only a novelty and not a potentially useful method of travel?
posted by Chris on 11-11-2009 at 8:04 pm
I’d like to see George Harrison and Ringo Starr get the respect they deserve!
posted by Crunch on 11-11-2009 at 8:14 pm
2001: A Space Odyssey? I know at least Pauline Kael didn’t like it. Now, of course, it’s on many critic’s lists of the 10 best films of all time.
posted by Kirk on 11-11-2009 at 8:40 pm
I can’t say I disagree with the Wuthering Heights review. I’ve read it more than once thinking I must be missing something, and every time found it highly overrated.
posted by Kate on 11-11-2009 at 8:45 pm
where the wild things are (book) got terrible reviews.
posted by cecilia on 11-11-2009 at 9:03 pm
The thing about #5 is that The New Yorker doesn’t like any movies. Seriously, go through the archives and find me one movie that it doesn’t pan. Actually, I take that back. I think the reviewer liked Speed Racer, but that’s about it.
posted by Sarcastic Horse on 11-11-2009 at 9:04 pm
Walt Disney’s Fantasia did not fair so well during it’s first run. Maybe because he wanted the theaters to install some crazy audio systems in the theater(what we today would call stereo) . (Actually he wanted people to run in the theater blowing bubbles, burning incense, and more… guess that wish finally came true with the theme parks)
In later releases to the theater the trailer called the film “before it’s time”
posted by Chris on 11-11-2009 at 9:18 pm
George W. Bush would currently be rated at the bottom of the list since 1970 if it weren’t for Carter. But if the Middle East has more than 2 functional democracies fifty years from now, he’ll be right behind Reagan at the top.
posted by Phil on 11-11-2009 at 9:19 pm
@ Phil
What list would Reagan be at the top of? The list of overrated Republican saints who ran America into the ground with their idiocy and incompetence?
posted by Whatever on 11-11-2009 at 9:43 pm
Blood Meridian got poor to lukewarm reviews when it was released. Now it is widely hailed as McCarthy’s magnum opus and one of the best modern American novels.
Along the same lines as Tom Brady: Hockey player Luc Robitaille was a 9th round draft pick in 1984. So few roster players were coming out of the late rounds that there are only 7 rounds in the NHL draft now. Despite being a longshot to even make the Pros Luc was inducted into the Hockey Hall of fame this week and is still the all time leading scorer for his position.
I agree with the above posters. A list of things that were originally critically acclaimed and are now viewed as garbage would be interesting.
posted by Colonial on 11-11-2009 at 11:29 pm
Atlas Shrugged got pretty poor reviews when it first came out. Of note is the one they received from the National Review, which was particularly harsh.
I am surprised this was left off since it was featured in mental_floss not too long ago.
Come to think of it, Atlas Shrugged still gets bad reviews.
posted by Beau on 11-11-2009 at 11:58 pm
“Come to think of it, Atlas Shrugged still gets bad reviews.”
That’s ’cause it’s still a hysterical and inchoate novel that makes L. Run Hubbard look like Kurt Vonnegut. I wonder how many conservatives have actually READ Ayd Rand? (One assumes if they did they would know she’s a anti-democracy atheist and that her whole “free market” views are just one aspect to her twisted world view.)
posted by Matthew on 11-12-2009 at 3:48 am
There is something that most of these items have in common, that I think led to the bad reviews. Most of these items were very different than what came before.
Critics can do a good job, when evaluating a movie love story because they have seen ten of them. However, when a movie like 2001 A Space Odyssey comes out, it’s so different they have no idea how to deal with it. Some critics who can think outside the box might give it a good review. Those who can’t frequently give it a bad review.
posted by Stew on 11-12-2009 at 5:49 am
In an interview with Robert Plant, he said that the first time they played Stairway to Heaven at a concert, the fans booed and shouted for Whole Lotta Love.
The other thing I can think of is shortly after Apple mentioned it’s plans for a PC, the IBM President making the statement along the lines, “Who would want a computer in their home?”
posted by Martin on 11-12-2009 at 7:37 am
Yeah, Rolling Stone has a bad habit of reversing their opinion once an act becomes really popular- best line I heard was a friend who claimed, “Their best of a decade lists have all the credibility of photographs from Stalin-era Russia.”
posted by Jim on 11-12-2009 at 8:03 am
I once read that the movie Bravehart originally was given a ‘thumbs down’ by Roger Ebert. Not only did it win the best picture oscar, but he also recsinded and changed his review.
posted by Ian from Baltimore on 11-12-2009 at 8:42 am
James Taylor’s first album was panned by Time magazine and they predicted that he would soon drift into obscurity. That was nearly 40 years ago.
posted by james on 11-12-2009 at 9:21 am
The classic ’57 chevy that seems to remind everyone of 1950s was outsold by its crosstown rivel the ’57 Ford.
Most muscle cars of the 1960s and 1970s were eventually discontinued due to high gas prices, their high cost of insurance and poor sales.
posted by Peter on 11-12-2009 at 10:12 am
On a note somewhat related to Mark C.’s comment above, I have a 1967 copy of Hit Parader magazine with an article on Jeff Beck.
A sidebar item gives a review of an early Jeff Beck Group show (I’m paraphrasing): “…with Rod Stewart, a Z-grade singer if there ever was one. Good luck to Jeff Beck if he thinks he’s going to get anywhere with Stewart in the vocal slot. Ugh!”
Aren’t “Truth” and “Beck-ola” widely considered two monumental rock albums today?
posted by clint on 11-12-2009 at 10:39 am
Who’s James Taylor?
jk
posted by Al on 11-12-2009 at 11:53 am
I think Time Magazine published a review of “The Grapes Of Wrath” that said something to the effect of “it’s good, but it’ll never be a classic.”
posted by Emma M. on 11-12-2009 at 12:29 pm
The NY TImes just had an article on how Fight Club was panned and showed poorly at the box office. now it is a huge cult movie. “Rule #1 …”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/movies/homevideo/08lim.html?scp=1&sq=fight%20club&st=cse
posted by Rob f on 11-12-2009 at 12:53 pm
The book A Wrinkle in Time was rejected by many many publishers before it was eventually printed.
posted by Adrienne on 11-12-2009 at 1:00 pm
Isn’t there a blog that posts terrible Amazon reviews of classics? Wish I could find it!
posted by Kate on 11-12-2009 at 1:47 pm
I too can’t stand Wuthering Heights. I only made it through (on the third attempt) because I promised a friend to finish it. Serious waste of my time.
@whatever – seriously not trying to start a ideological debate here, nor am I saying Reagan deserves to be at the top of a list, but you have to give the man some credit for playing a huge role in ending the cold war…
Tchaikovsky panned his own ballet with Nutcracker. He said if he continued to compose music that bad, he would have to stop altogether. He’d probably role in his grave at how iconic it is now.
recaptcha: b-27 thwarted
posted by Hastings on 11-12-2009 at 3:22 pm
Pretty much the entire body of Edgar Allen Poe’s work would fit. He had devoted fans in his lifetime, but was largely regarded as a modern critic might dismissively regard Hannah Montana — appeals to a certain unsophisticated palate, but not to a truly refined reader. He also earned enough enemies to result in the publication of some truly nasty rumors (many of which persist today) after dying in relative obscurity. Many critics were glad to see him gone (perhaps in part because his pen was so vicious towards them). Yet today he is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in American literature.
For a flip-side story, Ravel’s “Bolero” was a huge hit when it premiered. An instant masterpiece. This was a great surprise to Ravel, who felt that orchestras would hate it, and described it dismissively as little more than an experiment. He once remarked that “I have written but one masterpiece, and that is the Bolero. However, it contains no music.” Today, it is probably his most famous piece, in part because it’s such an insidious earworm.
posted by Calli Arcale on 11-12-2009 at 4:23 pm
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole….Need I say more?
posted by Adam on 11-12-2009 at 4:58 pm
It’s a Wonderful Life was panned when released.
posted by Torpedo on 11-12-2009 at 5:26 pm
@ Matthew:
Both my father and my brother are staunch conservatives, and not only have they read Ayn Rand, but recommend it to me quite often (specifically “Atlas Shrugged”)…
posted by jane on 11-12-2009 at 10:41 pm
KNOWING, the 2009 film by Alex Proyas will become a great classic.
posted by John on 11-16-2009 at 4:32 am