As our interview concluded, I pulled my computer back out and showed Yellin this one last chart. Take a good look at it. Something should stand out.
…
Sitting atop the list of mostly expected Hollywood stars is Raymond Burr, who starred in the 1950s television series Perry Mason. Then, at number seven, we find Barbara Hale, who starred opposite Burr in the show.
How can Hale and Burr outrank Meryl Streep and Doris Day, not to mention Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Cage, Fred Astaire, Sean Connery, and all these other actors in the top few dozen?
…
No, the strange thing is that these lists seem pretty spot-on, except for this weird Perry Mason thing.
Granted, the existence of all these Raymond Burr and Barbara Hale altgenres doesn't mean that Netflix users are having these movies pop up all the time. They are much more likely to get Action Movies Starring Bruce Willis.
But, then, why have all these genres?
> * Mysteries starring Raymond Burr
* Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Dramas starring Raymond Burr
* Thrillers starring Raymond Burr
* Suspenseful Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Suspenseful Dramas starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Thrillers starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Dramas starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Suspenseful Dramas starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Mysteries starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Suspenseful Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Cerebral Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Murder Mysteries starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Suspenseful Dramas starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Suspenseful Movies starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Mysteries starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Thrillers starring Raymond Burr
* Understated Dramas starring Raymond Burr
What was the deal?
Via violet impudence [1], “How Netflix Reverse Engineered Hollywood - Alexis C. Madrigal - The Atlantic [2]”
Not only is it remarkable that Netflix [3] has classified its movies into 76,897 genres, but that Raymond Burr is the top one! Odd, given that Bunny and I caught several “Perry Mason [4]” episodes on vacation last month. Coincidence? Hmm …
[1] http://violetimpudence.tumblr.com/post/72009069661/stfupenguins-
[2] http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/01/how-netflix-