# Really little known movie trivia
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 14, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639 "2002-04-14T23:44:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [April 14, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/1 "2002-04-14T23:44:14Z")
In the movie Predator… Jean-Claude Van Damme was the first to play the part. of the Predator. But he got canned because he kept passing out.
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### Author:  [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/2 "2002-04-15T00:25:57Z")
Buddy Ebsen was the first Scarecrow in the \*Wizard of Oz \*but he had a severe allergic reaction to the paint/make up they put on his face and had to be replaced with the Scarecrow that we all know and love, whose name I cannot recall at the moment.
Until about a week or so before filming, Judy Garland’s Dorothy was to wear short bouncy curls and frou frou skirts like Shirley Temple, who was the #1 movie star in the world.
The first scene shot in \*Gone with the Wind \* was the 'burning of Georgia ’ scene, with Rhett leading the horse and wagon and Scarlett sitting on the wagon. The actress playing Scarlett had not been chosen yet, so they had someone be Scarlett and hide her face. Oh, another tid bit, the great fire behind them is actually the set of King Kong being torched.
\*Godfather \* The director was still not certain if he wanted Al Pacino for the part …and was…still not certain until the infamous scene in the restaurant where Michael Corleone guns down the opposition.
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### Author:  [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/3 "2002-04-15T00:49:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Reeder \*
> \*\*In the movie Predator… Jean-Claude Van Damme was the first to play the part. of the Predator. But he got canned because he kept passing out. \*\*
Do you have a cite? [IMDB](http://us.imdb.com/Trivia?0093773) says that
> [@](#):
>
> According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the “hole in the jungle” appearance of the Predator was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in a “blue screen” (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with being cast as an uncredited special effect. The alien was scrapped, redesigned and was eventually played by 7’2" Kevin Peter Hall.
And, of course, **Shirley Ujest** means to say Buddy Ebsen was slated to play the Tin Man, not the Scarecrow.
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### Author:  [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/4 "2002-04-15T00:53:29Z")
To clarify, Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, but switched roles to be the Tin Man. He was allergic to the Tin Man makeup, and so left the film.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/5 "2002-04-15T00:55:37Z")
It does sound better than passing out doesn’t it…🙂
It’s little known trivia.
I heard it on AMC last night.
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### Author:  [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/6 "2002-04-15T01:54:17Z")
Stephen Spielberg, Chuck Jones, and Jerry Goldsmith all have cameos in Gremlins. George Lucas is rumored to be in there as well.
Young Frankenstein: The film was shot in the same castle and with the same props and lab equipment as the original Frankenstein.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/7 "2002-04-15T02:36:00Z")
The Buddy Ebsen and “Young Frankenstein” items are hardly obscure.
You want obscure? Check the closing credits for the Rolling Stones documentary “Gimme Shelter”. One of the people that provided footage they shot themselves will jump out at you.
You are a movie trivia buff if you know that Ronald Reagan was up for the role of “Rick” in “Casablanca.”
You are a serious trivia buff if you know that he wasn’t.
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### Author:  [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/8 "2002-04-15T03:35:39Z")
And for the record. Coppola was certain that Pacino was perfect for the role of Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”. It was the suits that wasn’t sure he was their man. It is true that until Coppola filmed the diner scene that only then was the studio behind Pacino. They really doubted Coppola for trusting an unknown actor to play the pivatol role. Take a look at the special features on the recent DVD box to see screen tests with James Cann and Diane Keaton as Michael and Kay. I _think_ there was some footage of a young Martin Sheen playing Michael as well.
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### Author:  [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/9 "2002-04-15T04:13:58Z")
You want obscure? Okay, here goes:
_The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. In one famous scene, Leatherface cuts the finger of the screaming captured girl and Grandpa sucks on the blood. On the DVD commentary, Gunnar Hansen, the actor who played Leatherface, reveals that the shoot was unbearably hot and long, and for this scene the tube that was supposed to squirt out fake blook kept getting clogged. So, Hansen ditched the tube, removed the protective tape from the blade of the knife, and really cut the girl’s finger. She was supposed to be screaming anyway, so no one noticed. Even director Tobe Hooper didn’t know about it until Hansen told the story while they recorded the commentary track.
While we’re talking about real blood drinking and DVD commentaries, the commentary by director Alejandro Jodorowsky on _Fando y Lis_ reveals that a bizarre scene that involves filling a syringe with a girl’s blood, putting it in a wine glass, and drinking it (without a cutaway) was real.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/10 "2002-04-15T15:23:26Z")
The very first tug (on the first victim, portrayed by a Penthouse model whose name I do not recall) was done by Steven Spielberg himself.
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### Author:  [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/11 "2002-04-15T20:14:17Z")
While George Lucas was a film student, his telephone number was 849-1138.
THX-1138
Here’s a piece of trivia in progress. Everyone knows that the car chase in THX-1138 was filmed in some unfinished sections of San Francisco’s subway system. But something I have never been able to establish is, what were the cars that Lucas used?
They sure look like a couple of Jim Hall’s [Chaparral 2Ds](http://hm.aitai.ne.jp/~u1ro/2Dgallery.html). Don Pedro Colley says [this](http://www.lucasfan.com/thx1138/interv.html):
“The jet cars were actually Chapperell [sic] race cars that had plastic appliances added to look like they were jet powered.”
There were only two of these cars built. What this _should_ mean, although I cannot confirm it, is that one of the cars depicted in the film is the _very same car_ that Phil Hill and Jo Bonnier co-drove to victory at the Nurburgring in 1966.
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### Author:  [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/12 "2002-04-15T20:21:42Z")
• Norma Shearer’s first film job was as Lillian Gish’s stand-in
• Joan Crawford’s first film job was as Norma’s Shearer’s stand-in
—Eve, the Empress of Esoterica
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### Author:  [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/13 "2002-04-15T20:27:27Z")
ftg–the Ronald Reagan/“Casablanca” trivia is bogus. Let me just refer you to the always helpful Snopes ([http://www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com)):
"[Warner Bros. Head of Production] Hal Wallis never seriously considered anyone but Humphrey Bogart for the part of Rick Blaine. On 14 February 1942, he had advised Warners to “please figure on Humphrey Bogart for Casablanca,” and in a memo he wrote to Jack Warner on 3 April 1942 he stated that “Bogart is ideal for [Casablanca], and it is being written for him . . .” ’
The rumor that RR was considered for the role came from a 1942 “Hollywood Report” article. At the time, though, WB didn’t even have a script, and were not casting any roles.
You can read the whole thing at Snopes, if you like.
Shirley–your “Godfather” cite is incorrect. FFC wanted Pacino from the beginning; it was the studio that was dead-set against him. FFC kept doing screen tests until the studios caved in. Coppola and Pacino discuss the whole thing on the deluxe DVD “Godfather Saga” set.
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### Author:  [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/14 "2002-04-15T20:33:34Z")
The singing voice of Lauren Bacall’s character in _To Have, And Have Not_ was a young tenor named Andy Williams.
But if I know it, it can’t be too obscure.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/15 "2002-04-15T20:39:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \*
> **The singing voice of Lauren Bacall’s character in _To Have, And Have Not_ was a young tenor named Andy Williams.**
Actually, I think this is no longer believed to be the case.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/16 "2002-04-15T20:54:57Z")
Karl Malden has found a way to say the name “Sekulavich” in almost every movie or TV show he’s appeared in. For example, his first line in “Patton” (where he played General Omar Bradley) is “Hand me those field glasses, Sekulavich.”
Three guesses what Malden’s real last name is? 🙂
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### Author:  [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2002, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/17 "2002-04-15T23:18:48Z")
In Star Wars: A New Hope when Darth Vader is chasing Luke during the Death Star attack, you can see his eyes through the famous mask in some of the shots.
Okay, so it’s not really trivia- but my SO thought it was really cool when I pointed it out to him.
🙂
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2002, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/18 "2002-04-16T00:42:23Z")
**Guy Propski** : please read a post completely before replying.
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### Author:  [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2002, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/19 "2002-04-16T01:11:53Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Shirley Ujest \*
> \*\*Buddy Ebsen was the first Scarecrow in the \*Wizard of Oz \*but he had a severe allergic reaction to the paint/make up they put on his face and had to be replaced with the Scarecrow that we all know and love, whose name I cannot recall at the moment.
>
> Until about a week or so before filming, Judy Garland’s Dorothy was to wear short bouncy curls and frou frou skirts like Shirley Temple, who was the #1 movie star in the world.
>
> The first scene shot in \*Gone with the Wind \* was the 'burning of Georgia ’ scene, with Rhett leading the horse and wagon and Scarlett sitting on the wagon. The actress playing Scarlett had not been chosen yet, so they had someone be Scarlett and hide her face. Oh, another tid bit, the great fire behind them is actually the set of King Kong being torched.
> \*\*
Speaking of _Wizard of Oz_ and _Gone With The Wind_, the same guy directed both of them, Victor Fleming.
Several directors had been thrown off the set of WOZ, specifically the one who wanted Dorothy to wear the blonde curls and short frou-frou skirts **Shirley Ujest** spoke of. Fleming was pulled off the final few days of WOZ to go save the Civil War epic being shot on the next sound stage over.
It’s [Jack Haley](http://us.imdb.com/Name?Haley,+Jack) who took over the role of the Tin Woodsman from Buddy Ebsen. They had already recorded all the songs, but film was already so far behind schedule and so far over budget they didn’t bother re-recording them. If you listen closely, you can hear Ebsen’s distinctive gravelly voice singing, “We’re off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz!”
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### Author:  [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2002, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-little-known-movie-trivia/103639/20 "2002-04-16T01:38:45Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by peepthis \*
> \*\*To clarify, Ebsen was cast as the Scarecrow, but switched roles to be the Tin Man. He was allergic to the Tin Man makeup, and so left the film. \*\*
Sorry…um… you wanna play with the big dogs, fine. Otherwise, stay on the porch, Lemuel.
First, the quote above. In **The Making Of The Wizard of Oz** , the real story is told in detail. It’s not allergies. He did not pass out because of allergies. The makeup tests for the Tin Woodsman were shot pre-production. ( As is the case in any make-up or costume-heavy show. You do screen tests.).
When the make-up man tried to apply the aluminum dust ( YES, REAL ALUMINUM DUST ), he took a plate of it, told Buddy to close his eyes, and blew hard. At that moment, Buddy inhaled, and in doing so coated his trachea, bronchii and alveoli with aluminum dust.
He nearly died, withdrew from the movie and was plagued with respiratory problems for the balance of his life. Of course, the solution was easy --MIX the dust into the pancake.
As for Jaws? RIGHT on the money, as you can read [At This Jaws Article, about 3/4 of the way down](http://www.geocities.com/shwatkin/officebeasts.html).
Cartooniverse
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