Screenplay Games: Movie Newsletter Vol. 21
This is volume 21 of what we hope will be interesting bits of motion picture trivia, legend and other useless stuff brought to you by Movie Time! the board game of memorable movie quotes. This information is compiled from numerous sources and is offered to customers and supporters of Movie Time! to make their game playing more enjoyable.
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Since we have been sending these tidbits, we have added many names to the mailing list. Therefore, we have decided to recycle some of the earlier bits of movie trivia along with the new items so we will include several older items with the new stuff.
Recycle Items
As you probably know, movies are shot out of order based on the location, personnel and desired artistic schedule. Then, the final film is edited into the story's logical order. Second time director, George Lucas shot "American Graffiti" in story sequence because the plot takes place in one night and he wanted the actors to be tired as that night came to an end.
"American Graffiti" was previewed in 1973 to a group of young people in San Francisco who gave it positive reactions however, a Universal Studios representative declared the movie unreleasable. Producer, Francis Ford Coppola offered to write a check on the spot for the film but in a compromise, he and Lucas agreed to changes so Universal would distribute the film. By the way, "American Graffiti" is the record holder for highest profit margin of any film over the last 30 years.
Tough guy Humphrey Bogart's first professional assignment was the baby's face on a Mellins baby food jar early in the 20 th century. The sketch was drawn by Bogie's mother, Maude. Bogart was born January 23, 1899 but Warner Brothers promoted him as having been born December 25. They said that a guy born on Christmas can't be all bad.
Bogart met future wife, Lauren Bacall, on the set of "To Have and Have Not" when she was 19 years old in 1944. Director Howard Hawks said that Bogie actually fell in love with Bacall's character, Slim, so she would have to play the part the rest of her life.
Movie: New (old) Trivia
We have all heard stories of future stars being discovered in soda fountains and bars, working as cashiers and carhops but you may not have heard the stories of the ones that almost got away. In 1959, an executive at Universal Studios told this aspiring actor that he had a chipped tooth, his Adam's apple was too big and he talked too slowly to work as an actor. I guess none of that bothered him when he delivered the line, "Go ahead, make my day." in his 35th movie. By the way, if you want to catch Clint's first movie, check our "Revenge of the Creature" (1955). It was a sequel to the classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon" (1954).
The legendary talent scout and producer, Darryl F. Zanuck said, "His ears are too big. He looks like an ape." All we can assume is that Clark Gable must have responded with, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
Check out the movie "Cocktail" (1988) with Tom Cruise. In one scene, he goes into The Regency Theatre in Manhattan and gets into a fight. We know Cruise was probably in good shape but how long was that fight? When he went into the theatre, the marquee read "Barfly" and when he left it read " Casablanca ".
In the movie "Kate & Leopold" (2001), spectators are waving 50 star US flags. Only problem, it's 1876.
I watched "O Brother, Where Art Thou" last week. Here is something interesting about that film. In 1959 James Carter (not the former president, we presume) was chopping wood on a Mississippi prison road gang. One afternoon, he was recorded while singing a song called Po' Lazarus . The song ended up on the soundtrack CD for the movie. It sold 5 million copies generating thousands of dollars for Carter... if he could be found. If he was still alive. It had been 40 years. After about a year's search, he was found in Chicago and presented with a check for $20,000 as his first royalty payment. Estimates are that he will receive hundreds of thousands. He had never seen the movie or heard the album.
In 1931 director, Norman Taurog was filming "Skippy" starring child actor, Jackie Cooper. He couldn't get Cooper to cry on cue so he told Jackie that if he didn't start crying right then, he was going to have that dog shot. The dog was removed from the set and a shot rang out, Cooper started crying profusely and the cameras rolled. When Taurog was satisfied with the footage, he had the unscathed dog brought back to the set. He also won the Oscar that year for best director.
Movie Recommendation
I caught "The Alamo" on opening day and really enjoyed it. It was filmed primarily in the Austin , Texas area (Dripping Springs, actually). This is the most historically accurate movie ever made about those 13 days. Second time director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie) did an admirable job of balancing the various characters. He even had the Tejanos correctly defending the mission/fort. Their role had never been included in previous movies. Unlike previous attempts that had larger than life characters, the Alamo defenders were portrayed as rather ordinary men, flawed but willing to make sacrifices. Hancock had a historian on the set and he personally read about two dozen books on the Texas revolution.
I am an Alamo history dabbler and I have to report a sad but probably correct note to those of us who learned this in Texas elementary schools. Hancock does not have the "line in the sand" scene. That probably never happened since the first stories about did not surface until about seventy years after the siege and even then it was from a questionable source.
Great Movie Lines
In what movie will you hear George C. Scott say, "Two thousand years ago, I was here."?
In what movie will you hear Ally Sheedy say, "Men, can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em."?
In what movie will you hear Dana Carvey say, "I'm having a good time...not."?
In what movie will you hear Maria Richwine say, "I'm Catholic." and Gary Busey reply, "And I'm a Texan."?
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