cast of thousands

cast of thousands

A great many individuals, a large crowd. This term originated in Hollywood, in advertisements for epic-scale films such as Ben-Hur (1926), which had an enormous cast. Legendary producer Samuel Goldwyn, during the filming of The Last Supper, allegedly had this exchange: “‘Why only twelve [disciples]?’—‘That’s the original number.’—‘Well, go out and get thousands.’”
See also: cast, of, thousand
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • bigger than Ben-Hur
  • dream team
  • shwench
  • balls-out
  • balls to the wall
  • at the helm
  • alive (live) and kicking (well)
  • jabroni
  • dogsbody
  • a brave new world
References in periodicals archive
A cast of thousands would be assembled and tens of thousands more interviewed for roles in the project.
029 2022 4488 hours THEATRE The Messiah Three towering talents play a cast of thousands in this new comedy of Biblical proportions by the writer of the Olivier Award-winning West End hit The 39 Steps.
It is a nightmare as they take days out on location and have a cast of thousands.
They will play a cast of thousands in The Messiah by comedy playwright Patrick Barlow, who also directs the new production.
Drake) - Right Here | Justice Collective - He Ain't Heavy | Paolo Nutini - Rewind, New Shoes, Last Request | Rihanna - Take A Bow | Stereophonics - 1,000 Trees Albums | Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast | Black Sabbath - Forbidden | Coldplay - Parachutes, below, Rush of Blood to the Head | The Coral - Distance Inbetween | Doves - The Last Broadcast | Elbow - Asleep in the Back, Cast of Thousands | Echo and the Bunnymen - The Fountain | Gomez - Liquid Skin | Miles Kane - Don't Forget Who You Are | Paolo Nutini - These Streets | Stereophonics - Word Gets Around | Space - Spiders | Super Furry Animals - Radiator | The Zutons - Who Killed ...
The cornerstone of this development is based around the more than three dozen online and print graphic novel properties in various stages of production as well as the cast of thousands of characters from those series.
Lorre, in a meeting with reporters, said there will be a "cast of thousands'' for the final episode but is keeping their identities a secret not to spoil things for viewers.
The epic film may have a cast of thousands, but Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler are veritable forces of nature who refuse to be upstaged by that teeming multitude!
And you don't have to have a cast of thousands in each of your ads to be fair housing compliant.
While the stories involve a cast of thousands, recurring characters have emerged as the stories passed into historical legend.
It has accumulated a cast of thousands over the decades with some major parts, such as those played by Yasser Ararat and Ariel Sharon, some minor roles that failed to develop into anything meaningful and others, such as the one played by Bill Clinton, who entered the arena with much fanfare and political clout but, ultimately, failed to make any lasting impact on the storyline.
With their arrivals and departures, Mintz's cast of thousands (often the same person over and over) comes to define his locations of surveillance as much as a single ghost's narrative defines a creepy demesne or opera house.
One stumbles at first through the clumsy narration, choppy action scenes, and a "cast of thousands," including reluctant pirates, middle men, Islamists, political and economic opportunists, teenage suicide bombers, and would-be martyrs.
The X Factor returned at the weekend with new judges and, again, a cast of thousands of wannabe hopefuls.
With names like Sledgehammer and Ergenekon and an alleged cast of thousands ranging from retired top military generals to newspaper editors, the plots being investigated are incredibly complex.