Curtain call

For the compilation album by Eminem, see Curtain Call: The Hits.

A curtain call (walkdown, bow) occurs at the end of a performance when individuals return to the stage to be recognized by the audience for their performance. In musical theater, the performers typically recognize the orchestra and its conductor at the end of the curtain call. Luciano Pavarotti holds the record for receiving 165 curtain calls, more than any other artist .

Curtain calls are not solely limited to actors in theaters. Athletes who also perform well may return to the field of play after a big play or at the conclusion of the game for recognition. Professional baseball players usually take their helmet by the rim and hold it in the air.

In film, the term "curtain call" is used when the film's end credits show clips, stills, or outtakes of each character with the actor's name written underneath. This sequence results in the same individual audience-recognition as a stage curtain calls. This is usually done in films that are light-hearted and have many characters or perhaps a long list of cameos.

Films that use curtain calls during their end credits

• Citizen Kane: The first film to ever use a curtain call.
• 12 Angry Men: A curtain call was necessary since the characters' names are never revealed in the film.
• The Bad Seed: A curtain call (as well as a humorous blooper) was specifically added at the request of the Production Code to reassure the audience after the intense film)
• MASH: This curtain call used a voice-over (of the film's PA announcer) to announce the names of the cast instead of captions.
• The Deer Hunter: A rare occurrence for a downbeat film, which went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: Scrawled signatures of the cast are superimposed over a star field, suggesting the finality of this series.
• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Sketches of the actors' faces are presented with their names, suggesting finality in this third film of the trilogy.
• Kill Bill: Vol. 2: Characters from both films in the series are listed in order of appearance, suggesting finality.
• Zatoichi (2003 film): This curtain call is in the form of a tap dance number.
• Many of Mel Brooks's films, including both versions of The Producers (1968 and 2005), Spaceballs, and Dracula: Dead and Loving It. (Robin Hood: Men In Tights only contains a curtain call for the cameos in the film, not for the main actors.)
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show
• The Blues Brothers
• 1941 (film)
• Little Shop of Horrors
• Top Gun
• Predator
• The Princess Bride
• Nixon (film)
• Dogma
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
• The Scream Trilogy
• Not Another Teen Movie
• Chicago (2002 film)
• The Simpsons Movie
• Tropic Thunder
• Con Air

TV series that used a curtain call

In 1977, the popular Australian prime time soap opera, Number 96, paid homage to both its cast and loyal audience by devoting a significant part of its final episode (#1218) to a curtain call of many of the series' regular stars, past and present.

Sports curtain calls

On May 28, 1956, Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates took the first ever curtain call in baseball history, after hitting a home run in his eighth consecutive game caused fans to applaud for five minutes.