# Anyone else remember the alternate ending to "Big"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 16, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864 "2002-04-16T02:03:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/801 "2019-07-30T00:36:21Z")
> [@Helmut\_Doork](#): > > You may be fooling the people who don’t know youre talking out of your rear, but not those who do know it- what would be the exact problem “SAG” would have with an extra, originally hired to sit in a desk and smile, then be asked to move in front of the window on a door and smile? Please, im dying to hear this. How would this affect the “casting” (she’s already cast?) and credit (her on screen credit, if any, would change from ‘girls in classroom’ to ‘girl at door’, or perhaps ‘young E. Perkins’)- but irrelevant, _because it did not make the final theatrical cut anyway_! Only whats in the movie usually gets a credit, not whoever is cut? She may get a bit more pay if at the door? And!?! Its not unheard of an extra can impress a director and get a bigger role as a result, your point? I was a professional extra for years. My sister still is. Extras dont get credit. If you get any lines, you are upgraded, get a sag voucher, a credit, and a HUGE raise. You’re clearly talking out of your ass. Edit: and now I see he was banned… bah! ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/802 "2019-07-30T01:00:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I honestly can’t remember, did Big actually feature any scenes at a school? Not in a classroom. There was a gym-class scene, but nothing with students seated at desks. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/803 "2019-07-30T02:17:10Z")
The funny thing is, _I_ have a clear mental picture of this scene, just based on arguing over it in this thread over the years. To the extent that at one point, I almost argued that someone was describing the non-existent scene wrong. Also, I don’t remember what the kid who played Josh looks like, so in my head, he’s very obviously _Wonder Years_-era Fred Savage. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/804 "2019-07-30T02:24:30Z")
A helpful rule of thumb for deciding which of two non-disproved hypotheses to tentatively believe is : believe the one that would be easier to disprove. If the guy at the bar claims he knows Beyonce, you disbelieve that hypothesis (tentatively) because it would be really easy for him to prove it if it were true ('Hey, Beyonce could you mention me in a tweet by name or let me get a picture of us hanging out?") but really difficult to prove the opposite. This is a helpful heuristic because it puts you in the position of learning you were wrong quicker. The application to the question of Big is left as an exercise for the student. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/805 "2019-07-30T02:34:50Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > A helpful rule of thumb for deciding which of two non-disproved hypotheses to tentatively believe is : believe the one that would be easier to disprove. If the guy at the bar claims he knows Beyonce, you disbelieve that hypothesis (tentatively) because it would be really easy for him to prove it if it were true ('Hey, Beyonce could you mention me in a tweet by name or let me get a picture of us hanging out?") but really difficult to prove the opposite. This is a helpful heuristic because it puts you in the position of learning you were wrong quicker. The application to the question of Big is left as an exercise for the student. I think this is the direction this thread was destined to go back in 2002. Can we say we know no alternative ending happened? I think we can because there is no evidence that it ever did. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/806 "2019-07-30T02:46:35Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In light of further developments, closure of this thread might not be necessary. Bless you. I love this thread with all my heart. It gives me hope in a cruel, dark world, that wishes might come true. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/807 "2019-07-30T03:01:29Z")
I was sad when this got closed, just because it’s like an annoying childhood friend that you miss somehow. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Hey, everybody, remember the alternate ending to the _Big_ thread where it was closed? My cousin in New Zealand recorded it on VHS, so we don’t need another thread about how our memories of this thread are conflated. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/808 "2019-07-30T04:03:30Z")
> [@Helmut\_Doork](#): > > This thread has apparently done something for the first time in recorded history- proved something did NOT happen!:rolleyes: This is the classic misunderstanding and misapplication of the aphorism _absence of evidence is not evidence of absence_. If a hypothesis predicts that we should expect to see evidence, then absence of evidence is good evidence that the hypothesis is false. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/809 "2019-07-30T06:14:36Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Let’s get along, everyone! The survival of this thread matters to me! It’s all I have! > > No insults! It’s just a movie! Well, you did create a sibling to this thread in 2008 that did not get as much love: [What happened to the alternate ending to Big? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475863) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/810 "2019-07-30T12:15:01Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > Well, you did create a sibling to this thread in 2008 that did not get as much love: [What happened to the alternate ending to Big? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=475863) (I remember. Let’s leave that mistake forgotten). :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/811 "2019-07-30T14:10:52Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I honestly can’t remember, did Big actually feature any scenes at a school? There was one. Tom Hanks reads a Berenstein Bears book about Nelson Mandela and his tragic death in prison. But that’s only in the Maori version. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/812 "2019-07-30T14:11:45Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > There was one. Tom Hanks reads a Berenstein Bears book about Nelson Mandela and his tragic death in prison. But that’s only in the Maori version. Applause ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/813 "2019-07-30T14:20:06Z")
This is Schrodinger’s Thread: it is both closed and not closed at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/814 "2019-07-30T15:20:27Z")
> [@Helmut Doork](#): > > This thread has apparently done something for the first time in recorded history- proved something did NOT happen! > [@Riemann](#): > > This is the classic misunderstanding and misapplication of the aphorism _absence of evidence is not evidence of absence_. If a hypothesis predicts that we should expect to see evidence, then absence of evidence is good evidence that the hypothesis is false. Actually, I agree with the dear, departed **Helmut Doork**. This thread has come as close as anything to proving there was no alternative ending to _Big_. But how about that alternative ending to _A League of Their Own_, where Dottie holds onto the ball, Kit is called out, and Kit becomes a bitter old woman who never reconciles with her sister. Didn’t that blow your mind when they showed it on that Qantas Airlines flight from Honolulu to Sydney! ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/815 "2019-07-30T15:47:18Z")
The one I’m glad is not true is the alternate ending to Blade Runner where the movie claims Deckard is a replicant. The scenes would have had to have been filmed later, probably by a rogue director. Good thing that isn’t real. It would completely undercut the theme of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/816 "2019-07-30T15:49:15Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Actually, I agree with the dear, departed **Helmut Doork**. This thread has come as close as anything to proving there was no alternative ending to _Big_. I think you need to read both Doork’s and my comment more carefully. Doork’s comment was sarcastic (your quote has snipped the emoticon from the end of his sentence) implying that _he_ thinks it’s always impossible to “prove a negative”. So you’re saying you _disagree_ with him, and agree with me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/817 "2019-07-30T19:07:53Z")
I just love how big the Big thread is. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/818 "2019-07-30T22:35:10Z")
This thread is older now than _Big_ was when it was started. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/819 "2019-07-30T22:37:15Z")
Bigger, too. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864/820 "2019-07-30T22:45:20Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Bigger, too. I didn’t know they made multiple Big sequels. Did they have alternate endings, too? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-else-remember-the-alternate-ending-to-big/103864.md?page=42)