Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Eric Gurry

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was no consensus. Kevin (aka L235 · t · c) 17:20, 17 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Eric Gurry

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No significant roles in anything--the only favorable mention in a review is [1] for a supporting role in "Bad Boys" , and I do not think it enough DGG ( talk ) 23:01, 15 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Actors and filmmakers-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 23:16, 15 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of New Jersey-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 23:16, 15 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Note: This discussion has been included in the list of Television-related deletion discussions. CAPTAIN RAJU^(T) 23:17, 15 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Delete- lacks notability. A minor film role is not enough for an article.--Rusf10 (talk) 23:23, 15 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
~~Weak Keep~~ Keep: WP:NACTOR is made out, in my opinion, with starring or supporting roles in several films: Bad Boys (1983 film), Author! Author! (film), Willy/Milly and The Zoo Gang (film). WP:GNG is a little harder to establish, because the subject's acting career was primarily during the 1980s. But, in addition to the source provided by the nominator, I've found the following:

→https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/bad-boys-1983 − Roger Ebert's review of Bad Boys in the Chicago Sun-Times, describes the subject's character as "inimitable"

→https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-04-06-ca-80-story.html – Los Angeles Times review of Willy/Milly, includes a brief but favourable review of the subject's performance

→https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1986-05-02-8601260901-story.html – passing mention in Sun-Sentinel review of Willy/Milly

Here are another couple of reviews of Willy/Milly which I am unable to access fully: 1 and 2. If anyone can access the full articles, please let us know if there is anything relevant to the subject. There are also a few hits in Google Books and a couple of Google Scholar hits. Although I can't access the full Film Quarterly review for Bad Boys, it contains at least a brief review of the subject's performance: "Equally good is Eric Gurry…" (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Eric+Gurry%22). I believe there is enough here to merit an article on the subject. Dflaw4 (talk) 09:55, 16 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Update: I'm upgrading my vote to "Keep" because I have found more sources (see below). I think the article can be improved. Dflaw4 (talk) 13:10, 5 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, North America¹⁰⁰⁰ 03:00, 22 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Delete lacks significant roles so no real reason to consider him notable.John Pack Lambert (talk) 15:44, 26 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

John Pack Lambert, what are your thoughts on the subject's starring and supporting roles in the films I listed above? Dflaw4 (talk) 04:47, 27 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Keep think the sources back up WP:NACTOR.Djflem (talk) 23:02, 29 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Relisting comment: 2nd relist as this is a BLP
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, Black Kite (talk) 10:33, 1 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Delete The subject has only featured in only handful of films and has never established a prominent career to speak of. Abishe (talk) 12:25, 1 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Weak Delete, WP:NACTOR requires a significant role in two or more notable productions, but as far as I can tell he had a significant role in one, Willy/Milly, meaning he does not pass it as his other roles are all described as supporting. Bad Boys might be an exception to this, but he is still described as playing a supporting character in the Roger Ebert source. The sources brought up are really just passing mentions, not anything that can contribute to GNG. Devonian Wombat (talk) 05:58, 2 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Devonian Wombat, there's no requirement that the roles be "starring", only "significant". Dflaw4 (talk) 08:41, 2 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Oops. I still think he doesn’t pass NACTOR though, and I have altered my comment accordingly. Devonian Wombat (talk) 08:55, 2 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Not a problem at all! Thanks, Devonian Wombat. Dflaw4 (talk) 09:01, 2 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: more sources: here, here, here and here. The last source is a write-up solely about Gurry; the other three provide some praise regarding Gurry's performances in the 264-performance run of a theatre production called Table Settings, and other productions. There are also more routine TV listings which, at the very least, support the claim that he has performed in other productions, too, like an episode of CBS Children's Mystery Theatre. Newspapers.com provides dozens of hits on Gurry. I invite Rusf10, John Pack Lambert, Abishe and Devonian Wombat to review these new sources. Dflaw4 (talk) 13:38, 5 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Request to closing administrator: If possible, please relist this AfD to provide editors the chance to review these latest sources. Dflaw4 (talk) 13:38, 5 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Relisting comment: Relisted in order to allow the examination of new sources provided by Dflaw4. ——SN 54129 17:18, 9 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, ——SN 54129 17:18, 9 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I agree, it does not belong on Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Wikirapguru (talk • contribs) 17:27, 9 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - His roles may be old and half-forgotten, but they are significant: a Woody Allen play, a film starring Pacino, and a part in Bad Boys for which he earned a lot of praise. Caro7200 (talk) 17:41, 9 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Comment It does not say "2 or more" it says "multiple". We need multiple roles. Also not all billed roles are significant.John Pack Lambert (talk) 12:33, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

John Pack Lambert, "multiple" means "2 or more". Also, the subject's roles appear significant to me, as they are either starring or supporting, and there is referencing to back that up. Dflaw4 (talk) 13:05, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
- SOme people thing multiple means at least 3.John Pack Lambert (talk) 13:10, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Delete — Basically, I pretty much agree with Johnpacklambert’s rationale. Furthermore when i do a BEFORE & the first thing that pops up is a LinkedIn Page & social media pages I become very skeptical, which is what happened when I did a before on this particular article. Furthermore @Dflaw4 you posted about 4 sources above which in my opinion was an attempt by you to prove that this article’s subject is notable but having observed all four I see a “sorry this page no longer exists” message. I’m not sure I see how WP:NACTOR is satisfied here. Celestina007 (talk) 13:33, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Celestina007, that's very strange. The links still work for me. I presume you are referring to the last four sources that I provided. I will transcribe the relevant text, so you at least have an idea of what they say. Dflaw4 (talk) 14:30, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Celestina007, the first article pertains to Bad Boys: “Reni Santoni and Jim Moody are members of the staff at the correctional institution, Esai Morales is the boy who wants vengeance, and Eric Gurry is the 15-year-old who is behind bars because he “burned up” the wrong people”. There is also a picture of him along with his co-stars.
The second article pertains to the play, Table Settings: “But a special word for the children, for Eric Gurry’s smartass Grandson and Marta Kober’s anxious Granddaughter on the edge of puberty, especially when she tips over it and, all dressed up for her first party date, clomps off unsteadily on her first high heels, an old device cleverly reworked here.” Again, there is a photo of Gurry with his co-stars.
The third article pertains to Author! Author!: “Nick, Murray’s nephew, has been replaced by 16-year-old Igor (played by Eric Gurry), Ivan’s son from his first marriage to an Armenian guitarist, but this is Nick all over again… Except for Eric Gurry’s Igor, the kid actors are cute and resistible. Gurry brings as much to the party as the young Barry Gordon did 20 years ago in “A Thousand Clowns”—and that’s a lot.” There’s a photo of Gurry with his co-stars.
The final article is a write-up about Gurry and his role in the Woody Allen play, "The Floating Light Bulb", and it mentions other roles, too:

“I’m so glad that Eric Gurry lives in Ridgewood. I’m happier still because Eric is a talented 14-year-old whose growing reputation on the New York state is providing me with some very enjoyable moment in theatre. Last year, it was the Off-Broadway comedy, “Table Settings,” which earned him excellent notices. Monday night, he opened in Woody Allen’s “The Floating Light Bulb” joining a small but distinguished cast includes Beatrice Arthur, Jack Weston and Danny Aiello at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater.

"In “The Floating Light Bulb” Eric plays the younger son of a Jewish family living in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn in 1945. His father, (Aiello), several years young than his mother, is a ne’er do well, a waiter cum gambler who mysteriously disappears each time the phone rings and the caller hangs up. His mother (Beatrice Arthur) is trying to hold a disintegrating family together, bemoaning her fate and ultimately pinning her hopes on her older son, (Brian Backer), a genius with an unfortunate speech impediment who finds his only pleasure practising magic tricks in the privacy of the bedroom (hence, the floating light bulb trick).

"In the comedy-turned-drama, Eric tries to pacify the entire family, setting off to be with his friends when the going gets rough. His mother accused him of setting neighbourhood fires, a delinquent without the intelligence of his older sibling. Eric says he sees himself as “a friendly delinquent, a mini-image of his father trapped in his situation.”

"Is the play autobiographical? Woody Allen has publicly said “no.” Eric is of the opinion that there is some truth to the character of Paul Pollack, the stammering magician. Certainly, he cannot help but remind the audience of a young Woody Allen who, I have also read, practised magic in the privacy of his Brooklyn home.

"Since I saw “The Floating Light Bulb” in a preview performance last week, I have been sworn not to “review” it lest there be some last minute changes. That honor goes to our regular reviewer, Gordon Tretick (next page). I will tell you, however, that this is not the totally serious Woody Allen of “Interiors.” There are the appealing Woody Allen comments such as Bea Arthur saying, “I don’t nag; I encourage,” and the Allen attention to detail which is apparent in the setting of this one-scene, two-act play.

"If there is dissension among the characters on stage, there is complete harmony off stage, according to Eric. The cast members truly seem to enjoy each other. Eric rides to New York each day with another Bergen County resident, Danny Aiello, who lives in Ramsey. And meals during the weeks of rehearsal have been cast affairs. “No,” Eric says, “Woody Allen hasn’t said very much to us or come to meals. He really is very shy.”

"This week, the rehearsals and formal opening behind him, Eric returns to his 8th grade classes at George Washington Jr. High School. For this production, the company has provided a tutor to make sure he keeps up with his studies—in addition to a private dressing room with telephone. And ahead? Eric says he has no definite plans for the summer. There is the possibility that the run of “The Floating Light Bulb” will be extended to July; he has a small part in the soon-to-be released film, “Ragtime,” and a role in tonight’s episode of the series, “Nurse” CBS TV 10 p.m.”

There is also a photo of Gurry with co-star Aiello.

I think these roles are sufficient for WP:NACTOR, and there is enough coverage to meet WP:GNG, too. I'll also try to get the "google scholar" article clipped to see what it says. Dflaw4 (talk) 15:02, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Comment: If the consensus is to "Delete" the article, I would request that it be "draftified" so that I can work on it and try and get it up to scratch. I do believe there is enough here to merit an article. Thanks, Dflaw4 (talk) 15:06, 16 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Comment: The source I found at ProQuest (from "google scholar") provides another short burst of praise for his performance in Bad Boys, following praise of Sean Penn's performance and saying that Gurry is "[e]qually good". If I am allowed to quote the full passage, I will. Dflaw4 (talk) 09:02, 17 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Quote regarding Gurry's performance from "Bad Boys by Tom Doherty, Film Quarterly, Fall 1983, Vol. 37(1), pg. 27–29":

"Sean Penn's star-making performance as Mick repeatedly saves Bad Boys from stalling on its narrative improbabilities; onscreen he exudes such command and alertness that one sometimes wonders how his character could be so stupid as to get in this mess. Equally good is Eric Gurry (lately of Author! Author!) as Mick's creepy cellmate Horowitz, a barely post-pubescent electronics wiz on hand to provide exposition and a taste of serious derangement. Horowitz is a shrimp among Rainford's physically imposing inmates, but Gurry's character has such a psychotic edge that the big boys understandably leave him alone." (pg. 29)

Gurry is also seen in the photo with his co-stars on pg. 27. Dflaw4 (talk) 09:26, 17 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Keep - I believe that we have enough sourcing to justify the article being kept. Does it need work? Absolutely. Yet the actor himself appears to be notable. CoffeeWithMarkets (talk) 15:43, 17 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.