Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

by Craig Fass, Mike Ginelli, Brian Turtle

Describes a trivia game in which actors' appearances in movies are linked to the movies of Kevin Bacon

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction

126 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[KristenR]

This is fun. I’ve never actually played this game, but adding in all the things Kevin Bacon has acted in since 1996 must make this even easier. I don’t think my kids even know who he is. (Feeling very old)

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Kevin Bacon project is a game for movie buffs, where the goal is to trace a “made-a-movie with” graph with connections between an actor or actress and the actor Kevin Bacon. For example, Marlon Brando was in “The Godfather” with Al Pacino, who was in “Sea of Love” with Ellen Barkin who was in “Diner” with Kevin Bacon. In most cases there is more than one way to connect an actor in this way to Kevin Bacon.
As a math professional, I understand that all that is needed to make such connections is to have a base person that made many movies, which Bacon has done. In general, all that it needed to make such connections between any two people for any reason is to have at least one of them have many connections with most intermediates having a significant number.
This project has created a lot of fun for movie buffs and has also spawned some copycat connections. For example, I have seen a project based on baseball players that have been on a team with someone that was on a team with Babe Ruth. There is also the Erdos project where a number is assigned to mathematicians based on the papers that have been coauthored by mathematicians that can be traced back to the legendary and prolific Paul Erdos.
This was a fun book to read, for it has spawned more than what the creators of the original Kevin Bacon project envisioned.

[Scott Bohanon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was neat, but I thought it would highlight more of the theory of the six degrees of separation. Instead it just talks about how everyone in cinema can be related to Kevin Bacon. The book is laid out like a crossword or puzzle book where you are given a name and try to come up with the six degrees. They do provide answers in the back that gave an interesting perspective. Just not what I was expecting….

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first, reading this game book was interesting as its title. But when I began reading the "game" after the facts about the movies where Kevin Bacon appeared, I started to get bored. Why? Because I have no idea as to who are the people casted on those mentioned movies and connected to Kevin Bacon. I cannot answer ALL connections linking to him. Ugh!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend I met in a deep, deep, dark shithole taught me a game, to pass the time. He called it the name game, and I suppose it was just a drinking game, but it went like this; every name I could think of, the next player had to think of a name that started with that first player's name's first letter of that last name. Example:

player one: Art Linletter

Player two: Lonnie Anderson

player three: Audrey Hepburn

player four: Hugh Hefner

and so on...when alliteration was used, the direction of the game would reverse itself, and the last player would have to state a new name...it went on four hours...and it was sometimes the best part of the day.

I tried explaining this Kevin Bacon theory thing...and found out I couldn't really get it started.
This book would have been a good way to explain I wasn't just balls-crazy.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book shortly after returning from Europe (I was introduced to the awesome game of getting to Kevin Bacon in six people - thanks to my friends who traveled Europe with me). Unfortunately he has been in a ton of shows since this edition, but it is amazing that everyone can be connected back to Kevin. People you would even think about. It a fun book.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well warn guide in a hoes of skilled SDKB players.
(Jennifer can get almost anyone in three or less.)

[Calton Bolick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, but nothing was really added to this Internet meme when it was placed between book covers.