George Sanders and Luck: Difference between pages

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{{unreferenced|date=July 2007}}
{{about|the actor|other people with the name George Sanders|George Sanders (disambiguation)}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Infobox actor
'''Luck''' (also called '''fortunity''') is a ''chance happening'', or ''that which happens beyond a person's control''. Fuck can be good or bad.
| bgcolour = silver
[[Image:Four-leaf clover.jpg|thumb|200px|A [[four-leaf clover]] is often considered to bestow good fuck]]
| name = George Sanders
| image = George Sanders in Ghost and Mrs Muir trailer headcrop.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = as ''Miles Fairley'' in the trailer for<br>''[[The Ghost and Mrs. Muir]]'' (1947)
| birthdate = {{birth date|1906|7|3|mf=y}}
| birthname = George Henry Sanders
| location = [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]]
| deathdate = {{death date and age|1972|4|25|1906|7|3|mf=y}}
| deathplace =[[Castelldefels]], [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]
| yearsactive = {{fy|1929}}&ndash;{{fy|1972}}
| spouse = [[Susan Larson]]<br/>''(m. October 27, 1940, div. December 10, 1946)''<br>[[Zsa Zsa Gabor]]<br/>''(m. April 2, 1949, div. April 2, 1954)''<br>[[Benita Hume]]<br/>''(m. February 10, 1959, died November 1, 1967)''<br>[[Magda Gabor]]<br/>''(m. December 4, 1970, div. January 16, 1971)''
|domesticpartner =Lorraine Chanel<br/>''(1968-1972)''
| academyawards = '''[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]'''<br>1950 ''[[All About Eve]]''
}}
'''George Henry Sanders''' (July 3, {{fy|1906}}&ndash;April 25, {{fy|1972}}) was an [[Academy Award]]-winning [[British people|English]] film and television [[actor]].


==Fuck as lack of control==
<!--spacing, please do not remove-->
Fuck refers to that which happens to a person beyond that person's control. This view incorporates phenomena that are chance happenings, a person's place of birth for example, but where there is no uncertainty involved, or where the uncertainty is irrelevant. Within this framework one can differentiate between three different types of fuck:
# Constitutional luck, that is, luck with factors that cannot be changed. Place of birth and genetic constitution are typical examples.
# Circumstantial luck, that is, luck with factors that are haphazardly brought on. Accidents and epidemics are typical examples.
# Ignorance luck, that is, luck with factors one does not know about. Examples can be identified only in [[Hindsight bias|hindsight]].


==Early life==
==Fuck as a fallacy==
Another view holds that "luck is probability taken personally".
Sanders was born in [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russia]], of [[English people|English]] parents. In 1917, at the outbreak of the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], when Sanders was 11, the family returned to [[England]] and, like his brother, he attended [[Brighton College]], a boys' [[independent school]] in [[Brighton]]. He then attended [[University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology|Manchester Technical College]] in [[Manchester]], [[England]]. After graduation he worked in an advertising agency. It was there that the company secretary, an aspiring actress named [[Greer Garson]], suggested to him a career in acting. Sanders' look-alike older brother, [[Tom Conway]], was also a movie actor, to whom Sanders later handed over the role of [[The Falcon (literary character)|The Falcon]] in ''[[The Falcon's Brother]]'' (1942). The only other film in which the two real-life brothers appeared together was ''[[Death of a Scoundrel]]'' (1956). In both films they played brothers.
A [[rationalist]] approach to luck includes the application of the rules of [[probability]], and an avoidance of [[scientific method|unscientific]] beliefs. The [[rationalism|rationalist]] feels the belief in luck is a result of poor reasoning or [[wishful thinking]]. To a rationalist, a believer in luck commits the "[[post hoc, ergo propter hoc]]" logical fallacy, which argues that because two events are connected sequentially, they are connected causally as well:
<blockquote> ''A'' happens (luck-attracting event or action) and then ''B'' happens; <br>
Therefore, ''A'' [[cause]]d ''B''. </blockquote>
In this particular perspective, probability is only affected by confirmed causal connections. A brick falling on a person walking below, therefore, is not a function of that person's luck, but is instead the result of a collection of understood (or explainable) occurrences. [[statistics|Statistically]], every person walking near the building was just as likely to have the brick fall on them.


The [[gambler's fallacy]] and [[inverse gambler's fallacy]] both explain some reasoning problems in common beliefs in luck. They involve denying the unpredictability of [[random]] events: "I haven't rolled a seven all week, so I'll definitely roll one tonight".
==Career==
Sanders made his British film debut in 1929 and, after a series of British films, made his American debut in 1936, in the film ''[[Lloyd's of London (movie)|Lloyd's of London]]'' as Lord Everett Stacy. In his films, he was known for his smooth, upper-crust English accent. His British accent and sensibilities, combined with his suave, snobbish, and somewhat menacing air, were utilised in American films throughout the next decade. He played supporting roles in prestige productions such as ''[[Rebecca (film)|Rebecca]]'', in which he joined forces with [[Judith Anderson]] in her persecution of [[Joan Fontaine]]. He also played leading roles in less high-profile pictures such as ''[[Rage in Heaven]].'' During this time he was also the lead in both [[The Falcon (literary character)|The Falcon]] and [[Simon Templar|The Saint]] film series, and also played [[Lord Henry Wotton]] in a film version of ''[[The Picture of Dorian Gray]].'' In 1947 he co-starred with [[Gene Tierney]] and [[Rex Harrison]] in ''[[The Ghost and Mrs. Muir]].'' That same year he gave one of his best performances as the lead in the little-known [[Albert Lewin]] directed film ''[[The Private Affairs of Bel Ami]]'', based on a De Maupassant short story, opposite [[Angela Lansbury]].


Luck is merely an expression noting an extended period of noted outcomes, completely consistent with [[random walk]] probability theory. Wishing one "good luck" will not cause such an extended period, but it expresses positive feelings toward the one -- not necessarily wholly undesirable.
[[Image:Foreign Correspondent trailer 12.jpg|thumb|250px|left|in the trailer for [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s<br>''[[Foreign Correspondent]]'' ({{fy|1940}})]]
In 1950 Sanders gave his most widely recognised performance, and achieved his greatest success, as the acerbic, cold-blooded theatre critic Addison DeWitt in ''[[All About Eve]],'' winning an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]].


==Luck as an essence==
He moved into the field of [[television]] and was responsible for the successful series ''George Sanders Mystery Theatre.'' Sanders played an upper crust English villain, G. Emory Partridge, in a 1965 ''[[The Man From U.N.C.L.E.]]'' episode, "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and reprised the role later that year in "The Yukon Affair." He also portrayed [[Mr. Freeze]] in two episodes of the 1960s live-action ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' TV series.
There is also a series of [[Spiritualism|spiritual]], or [[supernatural]] beliefs regarding fortune. These beliefs vary widely from one to another, but most agree that luck can be influenced through spiritual means by performing certain [[ritual]]s or by avoiding certain circumstances.


One such activity is [[prayer]], a religious practice in which this belief is particularly strong. Many cultures and religions worldwide place a strong emphasis on a person's ability to influence their fortune by [[ritual]]istic means, sometimes involving [[sacrifice]], [[omens]] or [[Spell (paranormal)|spells]]. Others associate luck with a strong sense of superstition, that is, a belief that certain taboo or blessed actions will influence how fortune favors them for the future.
Later, he provided the voice for the malevolent [[Shere Khan]] in the [[Walt Disney]] production of ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]].'' One of Sanders's final screen roles was in the 1972 feature film version of the popular television series ''[[Doomwatch]].''


Luck can also be a [[belief]] in an organization of fortunate and unfortunate events. Luck is a form of [[superstition]] which is interpreted differently by different individuals.
Sanders' smooth voice, urbane manner, and upper-class British accent were the inspiration for the [[Peter Sellers]]' character "[[Hercules Grytpype-Thynne]]" in the famous [[BBC]] radio comedy series ''[[The Goon Show]].'' Sellers and Sanders appeared together in the [[Pink Panther]] sequel, ''[[A Shot in the Dark]].''
[[Carl Jung]] described [[synchronicity]]: the "temporally coincident occurrences of acausal events". He described [[coincidences]] as an effect of a [[collective unconscious]].


[[Christian]] and [[Islam]]ic religions believe in the will of a supreme being rather than luck as the primary influence in future events. The degrees of this [[Divine Providence]] vary greatly from one person to another; however, most acknowledge providence as at least a partial, if not complete influence on luck. These religions, in their early development, accommodated many traditional practices. Each, at different times, accepted [[omen]]s and practiced forms of ritual [[sacrifice]] in order to divine the will of their supreme being or to influence divine favoritism. The concept of "[[Divine Grace]]" as it is described by believers closely resembles what is referred to as "luck" by others.
[[Image:George sanders black swan 1.jpg|thumb|225px|right|as ''Captain Billy Leech'' in the trailer for ''[[The Black Swan (film)|The Black Swan]]'' ({{fy|1942}})]]
He was honoured with two stars on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]: for motion pictures at 1636 Vine St, and for television at 7007 Hollywood Blvd. In popular culture, he is mentioned in [[The Kinks]]' song "[[Celluloid Heroes]]" and his ghost makes an appearance in [[Clive Barker]]'s 2001 novel ''[[Coldheart Canyon]]''.


[[Mesoamerican]] religions, such as the [[Aztec|Aztecs]], [[Maya civilization|Mayans]] and [[Incas]], had particularly strong beliefs regarding the relationship between rituals and luck. In these cultures, human sacrifice (both of willing volunteers and captured enemies) was seen as a way to please the gods and earn favor for the city offering the sacrifice. The Mayans also believed in blood offerings, where men or women wanting to earn favor with the gods, to bring about good luck, would cut themselves and bleed on the gods' altar.
==Writing and music==
Sanders has two crime novels to his credit: ''[[Crime on My Hands]]'' (1944, written in the first person and mentioning his "Saint" and "Falcon" movies) and ''[[Stranger at Home]]'' (1946). These were published simply to cash in on his screen success, and both were ghostwritten: the former by [[Craig Rice]], the latter by [[Leigh Brackett]].


Many traditional [[African]] practices, such as [[West African Vodou|voodoo]] and [[Hoodoo (folk magic)|hoodoo]], have a strong belief in superstition. Some of these religions include a belief that third parties can influence an individual's luck. [[Shamanism|Shamans]] and [[Witchcraft|witches]] are both respected yet feared, based on their ability to cause good or bad fortune for those in villages near them.
[[Image:George Sanders in The Picture of Dorian Gray trailer.jpg|thumb|left|215px|as ''Lord Henry Wotton'' in the trailer for ''[[The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)|The Picture of Dorian Gray]]'' ({{fy|1945}})]]
In 1958 Sanders recorded an album entitled ''[[The George Sanders Touch: Songs for the Lovely Lady]]''. Released by [[ABC-Paramount Records]], the album offered lush string arrangements of romantic ballads, crooned by Sanders in a persuasive baritone. He went to great lengths to get himself signed to sing in ''[[South Pacific (musical)|South Pacific]]'', but was overwhelmed with anxiety over the role and quickly dropped out. Sanders' singing voice can be heard in ''[[Call Me Madam]]'' and Disney's ''The Jungle Book'' as [[Shere Khan]]. He signed for the role of Sheridan Whiteside in the stage musical ''[[Sherry!]]'' (1967) based on the [[George S. Kaufman|Kaufman]] - [[Moss Hart|Hart]] play ''[[The Man Who Came to Dinner]]'', but felt overwhelmed by the demands of the production and resigned when his wife, actress [[Benita Hume]], found she had terminal bone cancer.


==Fuck as a placebo==
===Personal life===
Some encourage the belief in fuck as a [[placebo effect|false]] idea, but which may produce [[positive thinking]], and alter one's responses for the better. Others, like [[Jean Paul Sartre]] and [[Sigmund Freud]], feel a belief in luck has more to do with a [[locus of control]] for events in one's life, and the subsequent escape from personal responsibility. According to this theory, one who ascribes their travails to "bad luck" will be found upon close examination to be living [[risk]]y [[lifestyle]]s.
On [[27 October]] [[1940]], Sanders married Susan Larson. The marriage ended in divorce in 1949. From 1949 until 1954, Sanders was married to the Hungarian actress [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]]. (In 1956 he and Gabor starred together in the film ''[[Death of a Scoundrel]]''.) On [[10 February]] [[1959]] Sanders married actress [[Benita Hume]], the widow of actor [[Ronald Colman]]. Benita Hume died in 1967. Sanders' final marriage, on [[4 December]] [[1970]], was to Magda Gabor, the older sister of his second wife; the marriage lasted only 6 weeks. Following this he began to drink heavily.


If "good" and "bad" events occur at random to everyone, believers in good luck will experience a net gain in their fortunes, and ''vice versa'' for believers in bad luck. This is clearly likely to be self-reinforcing. Thus, although untrue, a belief in good luck may actually be an adaptive [[meme]].
His autobiography, ''Memoirs of a Professional Cad,'' was published in 1960 and received critical praise for its [[wit]]. Sanders, himself, suggested the title ''A Dreadful Man'' for the biography of him later written by [[Brian Aherne]] and published in 1979.


==Numerology==
[[Image:George Sanders in All About Eve trailer.jpg|thumb|215px|as ''Addison DeWitt'' in the trailer for<br>''[[All About Eve]]'' ({{fy|1950}})]]
{{Main article|Numerology}}
In his later years, Sanders suffered from bewilderment and bouts of anger, both made worse by health problems. He was losing his balance, among other things, and can actually be seen visibly teetering in his very last films. He also had a minor [[stroke]], according to correspondence quoted in the book of his friend and biographer [[Brian Aherne]]. His latest girlfriend, a Mexican woman, much younger than himself, induced him to sell his beloved house in [[Majorca]], [[Spain]] - an act which he regretted bitterly afterwards. From then on, he drifted. But house or no house, what stands out is that he couldn't bear the idea of losing his [[health]], of being dependent on someone else's care. By this time Sanders was fed up with life anyway. It was around this time that he dragged his [[grand piano]] out onto the lawn and smashed it to pieces with an axe because he couldn't play it anymore.
Most cultures consider some [[numerology|numbers]] to be lucky or unlucky. This is found to be particularly strong in Asian cultures, where the obtaining of "lucky" [[telephone number]]s, automobile [[license plate]] numbers, and [[address (geography)|household addresses]] are actively sought, sometimes at great [[Money|monetary]] expense. [[Numerology]], as it relates to luck, is closer to an art than to a science, yet numerologists, astrologists or psychics may disagree. It is interrelated to [[astrology]], and to some degree to [[parapsychology]] and [[spirituality]] and is based on converting virtually anything material into a [[pure number]], using that number in an attempt to detect something meaningful about reality, and trying to predict or calculate the future based on lucky numbers. Numerology is [[folkloric]] by nature and started when humans first learned to count. Through human history it was, and still is, practiced by many cultures of the world from traditional fortunetelling to on-line psychic reading. There are many variations of numerology - most are based on the Chaldean System or the Pythagorean System. Latest modern methods such as Formalogy also are in use. Most are contemporary systems of advanced numerology and rely on leading principals of numerology and related mystical traditions observed by Ancestral Armenians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans.


==Luck in Religion==
===Death===
On [[April 23]], [[1972]], he checked into a hotel in [[Castelldefels]], a coastal town near [[Barcelona, Spain]]. He was found dead two days later, along with five empty bottles of [[Nembutal]]. Sanders was 65 years old. He left behind a [[suicide note]] that read:


===Judaism and Christianity===
{{quote|''Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck.''}}


* But you who forsake [[Yahweh]], who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny ([[Isaiah]] 65:11 - The bearing that this has on beliefs concerning luck is a matter of controversy)
His friend [[David Niven]] recorded in his autobiography ''Bring On The Empty Horses'' that Sanders had predicted, many years earlier, in 1937 at age 31, that he would commit [[suicide]] at the age of 65. In 1972, he fulfilled this prediction.
* The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord ([[Book of Proverbs]] 16:33 [[NIV]])
* I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. ([[Ecclesiastes]] 9:11 NIV)


==External links==
Sanders' body was [[cremation|cremated]] and the ashes were scattered in the [[English Channel]].
{{wikiquote}}

*[http://www.fliptophead.com/blog/main/lucky.htm Luck, Destiny, Fate, Karma, or Self-Made?] with psychologist [[Richard Wiseman]]
==Filmography==
*[http://www.dnaindia.com/dnaprint.asp?newsid=1142462 Lucky charms and superstition] - Diligent Media Corp.
{{col-begin}}
*[http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2220191.htm "Lucky": Documentary with Richard Wiseman] transcript with link to 10 minute video.
{{col-break}}
*http://www.allexperts.com/ep/3284-103382/Reincarnation/SUMIT-KUMAR-SIRKAR.htm
* ''[[Strange Cargo (1929 film)|Strange Cargo]]'' ([[1929 in film|1929]])
*http://b-luckyalways.synthasite.com/
* ''[[Love, Life and Laughter]]'' ([[1934 in film|1934]])
* ''[[Dishonor Bright]]'' ([[1936 in film|1936]])
* ''[[Dishonour Bright]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Find the Lady]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Lloyd's of London (film)|Lloyd's of London]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Strange Cargo (1936 film)|Strange Cargo]] (1936)
* ''[[The Man Who Could Work Miracles]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Things to Come]]'' (1936) (extra)
* ''[[Lancer Spy]]'' ([[1937 in film|1937]])
* ''[[Love is News]]'' (1937)
* ''[[Slave Ship (1937 film)|Slave Ship]]'' (1937)
* ''[[The Lady Escapes]]'' (1937)
* ''[[Four Men and a Prayer]]'' ([[1938 in film|1938]])
* ''[[International Settlement]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Allegheny Uprising]]'' ([[1939 in film|1939]])
* ''[[Confessions of a Nazi Spy]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Mr. Moto's Last Warning]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Nurse Edith Cavell]]'' (1939)
* ''[[So This is London]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Outsider]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Saint Strikes Back]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Saint in London]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Bitter Sweet]]'' ([[1940 in film|1940]])
* ''[[Foreign Correspondent (film)|Foreign Correspondent]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Green Hell]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Rebecca (film)|Rebecca]]'' (1940)
* ''[[The House of Seven Gables]]'' (1940)
* ''[[The Saint Takes Over]]'' (1940)
* ''[[The Saint's Double Trouble]]'' (1940)
* ''[[A Date with the Falcon]]'' ([[1941 in film|1941]])
* ''[[Man Hunt]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Rage in Heaven]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Sundown]]'' (1941)
* ''[[The Gay Falcon]]'' (1941)
* ''[[The Saint in Palm Springs]]'' (1941)
* ''[[The Son of Monte Cristo]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Her Cardboard Lover]]'' ([[1942 in film|1942]])
* ''[[Quiet Please, Murder]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake]] (1942)
* ''[[Tales of Manhattan]]'' (1942)
* ''[[The Black Swan]]'' (1942)
* ''[[The Falcon Takes Over]]'' (1942)
* ''[[The Falcon's Brother]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Appointment in Berlin]]'' ([[1943 in film|1943]])
* ''[[Paris After Dark]]'' (1943)
* ''[[The Moon and Sixpence]]'' (1943)
* ''[[They Came to Blow Up America]]'' (1943)
* ''[[This Land Is Mine]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Action in Arabia]]'' ([[1944 in film|1944]])
* ''[[Summer Storm]]'' (1944)
* ''[[The Lodger (1944 film)|The Lodger]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Hangover Square]]'' ([[1945 in film|1945]])
* ''[[The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945 film)|The Picture of Dorian Gray]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry]]'' (1945)
* ''[[A Scandal in Paris]]'' ([[1946 in film|1946]])
* ''[[The Strange Woman]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Forever Amber (film)|Forever Amber]]'' ([[1947 in film|1947]])
* ''[[Lured]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Ghost and Mrs. Muir]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Private Affairs of Bel Ami]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Blackjack(1949 film)|Blackjack]]'' ([[1949 in film|1949]])
* ''[[Samson and Delilah (1949 film)|Samson and Delilah]]'' (1949)
* ''[[The Fan (1949 film)|The Fan]]'' (1949)
* ''[[All About Eve]]'' ([[1950 in film|1950]])
* ''[[Jack, el Negro]]'' (1950)
* ''[[I Can Get It for You Wholesale (film)|I Can Get It for You Wholesale]]'' ({{fy|1951}})
{{col-break}}
* ''[[Kentucky Jubilee]]'' (1951)
* ''[[The Light Touch]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Assignment-Paris]]'' ([[1952 in film|1952]])
* ''[[Hold That Line]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Ivanhoe]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Call Me Madam]]'' ([[1953 in film|1953]])
* ''[[Run for the Hills]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Journey to Italy]]'' (''Viaggio in Italia'') (1953)
* ''[[King Richard and the Crusaders]]'' ([[1954 in film|1954]])
* ''[[Witness to Murder]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Jupiter's Darling (film)|Jupiter's Darling]]'' ([[1955 in film|1955]])
* ''[[Moonfleet (1955 film)|Moonfleet]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Portrait for Murder]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Big Tip Off]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The King's Thief]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Scarlet Coat]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Death of a Scoundrel]]'' ([[1956 in film|1956]])
* ''[[Ford Star Jubilee: You're the Top]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Never Say Goodbye (film)|Never Say Goodbye]]'' (1956)
* ''[[That Certain Feeling]]'' (1956)
* ''[[While the City Sleeps (1956 film)|While the City Sleeps]]'' (1956)
* ''[[The Seventh Sin]]'' ([[1957 in film|1957]])
* ''[[That Kind of Woman]]'' ([[1958 in film|1958]])
* ''[[From the Earth to the Moon (film)|From the Earth to the Moon]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Outcasts of the City]]'' (1958)
* ''[[The Whole Truth (1958 film)|The Whole Truth]]'' (1958)
* ''[[Solomon and Sheba (1959 film)|Solomon and Sheba]]'' ([[1959 in film|1959]])
* ''[[That Kind of Woman]]'' (1959)
* ''[[A Touch of Larceny]]'' ([[1960 in film|1960]])
* ''[[Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Cone of Silence (1960 film)|Cone of Silence]]'' (1960)
* ''[[The Last Voyage]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Village of the Damned (1960 film)|Village of the Damned]]'' (1960)
* ''[[Five Golden Hours]] ([[1961 in film|1961]])
* ''[[Gli Invasori]] (1961)
* ''[[Le Rendez-Vous]] (1961)
* ''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|The Rebel]]'' (aka ''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|Call Me Genius]]'' (1961))
* ''[[In Search of the Castaways]]'' ([[1962 in film|1962]])
* ''[[Operation Snatch]]'' (1962)
* ''[[Cairo]]'' ([[1963 in film|1963]])
* ''[[The Cracksman]]'' (1963)
* ''[[A Shot in the Dark]]'' ([[1964 in film|1964]])
* ''[[Dark Purpose]]'' (1964)
* ''[[Last Plane to Baalbeck]]'' ([[1965 in film|1965]])
* ''[[The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders]]'' (1965)
* ''[[The Billionaire]]'' (1965)
* ''[[The Golden Head]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: The Traitor]]'' (1965)
* ''[[The Quiller Memorandum]]'' ([[1966 in film|1966]])
* ''[[Trunk to Cairo]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Good Times (film)|Good Times]]'' ([[1967 in film|1967]])
* ''[[Rey de Africa]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'' (1967) (voice)
* ''[[Warning Shot]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Girl from Rio]]'' aka ''[[The Seven Secrets of Sumuru]]'',''[[La Ciudad sin Hombres]]'' ({{fy|1968}})
* ''[[One Step to Hell]]'' aka ''[[Caccia ai violenti]]'' ({{fy|1969}})
* ''[[The Best House In London]]'' (1969)
* ''[[The Body Stealers]]'' (1969)
* ''[[The Candy Man]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Thin Air]]'' (1969)
* ''[[The Night of the Assassins]]'' (1970)
* ''[[The Kremlin Letter]]'' ([[1970 in film|1970]])
* ''[[Endless Night (film)|Endless Night]]'' ([[1971 in film|1971]])
* ''[[Mission: Impossible: The Merchant]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Psychomania]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Doomwatch]]'' ([[1972 in film|1972]])
{{col-end}}

[[Image:George Sanders in Rage in Heaven trailer.jpg|thumb|225px|as ''Ward Andrews'' in the trailer for ''[[Rage in Heaven]]'' (1941)]]

== Television ==
* ''[[Screen Directors Playhouse]]'' ({{ytv|1956}})
* ''[[The George Sanders Mystery Theater]]'' ({{ytv|1957}})
* ''[[Voyage To The The Bottom Of The Sea]]'' ({{ytv|1965}})
* ''[[The Rogues]]'' (1965)
* ''[[The Man From U.N.C.L.E.]]'' "The Gazebo in the Maze Affair" and "The Yukon Affair" (1965)
* ''[[Daniel Boone]]''({{fy|1966}})
* ''[[Batman (TV series)]]'' "[[Mr. Freeze]]" (1966)
* ''[[Mission Impossible]]'' ({{ytv|1971}})

== Broadway ==
* ''[[Conversation Piece (musical)|Conversation Piece]]'', at the 44th Street Theatre, 1934


==References==
==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Luck| ]]
===Bibliography===
*{{Citation
| last =Aherne
| first =Brian
| author-link =
| title =A Dreadful Man
| place =
| publisher =Simon & Schuster
| year =1979
| isbn =0671247972
}}
*{{Citation
| last =Sanders
| first =George
| author-link =
| title =Memoirs of a Professional Cad
| place =
| publisher =G.P. Putnam's Sons
| year =1960
| isbn =0810825791
}}
*{{Citation
| last =Vanderbeets
| first =Richard
| author-link =
| title =George Sanders: An Exhausted Life
| place =
| publisher =Madison Books
| year =1990
| isbn =0819178063
}}

==External links==
{{Commons|George Sanders}}
{{wikiquote|George Sanders}}
* {{imdb name|0001695|George Sanders}}
* {{ibdb name|59023|George Sanders}}
* {{tcmdb name|169430|George Sanders}}
* {{findagrave|6924295|George Sanders}}
* [http://www.freewebs.com/georgesanders/ George Sanders :: Official Website]

{{start box}}{{s-ach}}
{{succession box
| title=[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]
| before=[[Dean Jagger]]<br>for ''[[Twelve O'Clock High]]''
| years=1950<br>'''for ''[[All About Eve]]'' '''
| after=[[Karl Malden]]<br>for ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire (film)|A Streetcar Named Desire]]''
}}
{{end box}}

{{1966-1968 Batman television series}}

{{Persondata
|NAME= Sanders, George
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
|SHORT DESCRIPTION=actor
|DATE OF BIRTH= [[July 3]] [[1906]]
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[St. Petersburg]], [[Russia]]
|DATE OF DEATH= [[April 25]] [[1972]]
|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Castelldefels]], [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, George}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
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Revision as of 09:04, 11 October 2008

For other uses, see Luck (disambiguation).

Luck (also called fortunity) is a chance happening, or that which happens beyond a person's control. Fuck can be good or bad.

A four-leaf clover is often considered to bestow good fuck

Fuck as lack of control

Fuck refers to that which happens to a person beyond that person's control. This view incorporates phenomena that are chance happenings, a person's place of birth for example, but where there is no uncertainty involved, or where the uncertainty is irrelevant. Within this framework one can differentiate between three different types of fuck:

  1. Constitutional luck, that is, luck with factors that cannot be changed. Place of birth and genetic constitution are typical examples.
  2. Circumstantial luck, that is, luck with factors that are haphazardly brought on. Accidents and epidemics are typical examples.
  3. Ignorance luck, that is, luck with factors one does not know about. Examples can be identified only in hindsight.

Fuck as a fallacy

Another view holds that "luck is probability taken personally". A rationalist approach to luck includes the application of the rules of probability, and an avoidance of unscientific beliefs. The rationalist feels the belief in luck is a result of poor reasoning or wishful thinking. To a rationalist, a believer in luck commits the "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy, which argues that because two events are connected sequentially, they are connected causally as well:

A happens (luck-attracting event or action) and then B happens;
Therefore, A caused B.

In this particular perspective, probability is only affected by confirmed causal connections. A brick falling on a person walking below, therefore, is not a function of that person's luck, but is instead the result of a collection of understood (or explainable) occurrences. Statistically, every person walking near the building was just as likely to have the brick fall on them.

The gambler's fallacy and inverse gambler's fallacy both explain some reasoning problems in common beliefs in luck. They involve denying the unpredictability of random events: "I haven't rolled a seven all week, so I'll definitely roll one tonight".

Luck is merely an expression noting an extended period of noted outcomes, completely consistent with random walk probability theory. Wishing one "good luck" will not cause such an extended period, but it expresses positive feelings toward the one -- not necessarily wholly undesirable.

Luck as an essence

There is also a series of spiritual, or supernatural beliefs regarding fortune. These beliefs vary widely from one to another, but most agree that luck can be influenced through spiritual means by performing certain rituals or by avoiding certain circumstances.

One such activity is prayer, a religious practice in which this belief is particularly strong. Many cultures and religions worldwide place a strong emphasis on a person's ability to influence their fortune by ritualistic means, sometimes involving sacrifice, omens or spells. Others associate luck with a strong sense of superstition, that is, a belief that certain taboo or blessed actions will influence how fortune favors them for the future.

Luck can also be a belief in an organization of fortunate and unfortunate events. Luck is a form of superstition which is interpreted differently by different individuals. Carl Jung described synchronicity: the "temporally coincident occurrences of acausal events". He described coincidences as an effect of a collective unconscious.

Christian and Islamic religions believe in the will of a supreme being rather than luck as the primary influence in future events. The degrees of this Divine Providence vary greatly from one person to another; however, most acknowledge providence as at least a partial, if not complete influence on luck. These religions, in their early development, accommodated many traditional practices. Each, at different times, accepted omens and practiced forms of ritual sacrifice in order to divine the will of their supreme being or to influence divine favoritism. The concept of "Divine Grace" as it is described by believers closely resembles what is referred to as "luck" by others.

Mesoamerican religions, such as the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas, had particularly strong beliefs regarding the relationship between rituals and luck. In these cultures, human sacrifice (both of willing volunteers and captured enemies) was seen as a way to please the gods and earn favor for the city offering the sacrifice. The Mayans also believed in blood offerings, where men or women wanting to earn favor with the gods, to bring about good luck, would cut themselves and bleed on the gods' altar.

Many traditional African practices, such as voodoo and hoodoo, have a strong belief in superstition. Some of these religions include a belief that third parties can influence an individual's luck. Shamans and witches are both respected yet feared, based on their ability to cause good or bad fortune for those in villages near them.

Fuck as a placebo

Some encourage the belief in fuck as a false idea, but which may produce positive thinking, and alter one's responses for the better. Others, like Jean Paul Sartre and Sigmund Freud, feel a belief in luck has more to do with a locus of control for events in one's life, and the subsequent escape from personal responsibility. According to this theory, one who ascribes their travails to "bad luck" will be found upon close examination to be living risky lifestyles.

If "good" and "bad" events occur at random to everyone, believers in good luck will experience a net gain in their fortunes, and vice versa for believers in bad luck. This is clearly likely to be self-reinforcing. Thus, although untrue, a belief in good luck may actually be an adaptive meme.

Numerology

Main article: Numerology

Most cultures consider some numbers to be lucky or unlucky. This is found to be particularly strong in Asian cultures, where the obtaining of "lucky" telephone numbers, automobile license plate numbers, and household addresses are actively sought, sometimes at great monetary expense. Numerology, as it relates to luck, is closer to an art than to a science, yet numerologists, astrologists or psychics may disagree. It is interrelated to astrology, and to some degree to parapsychology and spirituality and is based on converting virtually anything material into a pure number, using that number in an attempt to detect something meaningful about reality, and trying to predict or calculate the future based on lucky numbers. Numerology is folkloric by nature and started when humans first learned to count. Through human history it was, and still is, practiced by many cultures of the world from traditional fortunetelling to on-line psychic reading. There are many variations of numerology - most are based on the Chaldean System or the Pythagorean System. Latest modern methods such as Formalogy also are in use. Most are contemporary systems of advanced numerology and rely on leading principals of numerology and related mystical traditions observed by Ancestral Armenians, Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans.

Luck in Religion

Judaism and Christianity

  • But you who forsake Yahweh, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Fortune, and who fill up mixed wine to Destiny (Isaiah 65:11 - The bearing that this has on beliefs concerning luck is a matter of controversy)
  • The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord (Book of Proverbs 16:33 NIV)
  • I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes 9:11 NIV)

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Luck.

References

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