The Misfits 1961

“I just gotta find another way to be alive, that’s all.”

The film started as a short story by Arthur Miller while waiting in Reno for his divorce to be finalized prior to marrying Marilyn Monroe. After months on location Monroe started losing her battle with alcohol and prescription drugs. The production finally had to be shut down to send her to a hospital for detox. During this hiatus director John Huston gambled, sometimes drank through the night and the production company even had to cover some of his losses. When Monroe returned, a doctor had to be on call around the clock. She was nearly always late to the set, sometimes not showing up at all. Bored while waiting for Monroe, 59 year old Clark Gable opted to do some of his own stunts, which included being dragged by a truck traveling at 30 mph. United Artists execs were unhappy with the rough cut, so Huston and producer Frank Taylor agreed to reshoot several scenes. But Gable had script approval and rejected the reshoot. According to Arthur Miller, Gable had already seen the rough cut by the last day of filming and said, “This is the best picture I have made, and it’s the only time I’ve been able to act”. This was the last completed film for both Gable and Monroe. While Something’s Got to Give (1962) is listed as her last film, it was never completed because she was fired. On the last day of filming, Gable said, “Christ, I’m glad this picture’s finished. She (Monroe) damn near gave me a heart attack”. The next day, Clark Gable suffered a massive heart attack and died 11 days later. Marilyn Monroe died of a drug overdose the following year.

Forrest Gump 1994

“I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or if we’re all just floatin’ around accidental-like on a breeze. But I... I think maybe it’s both.”

Terry Gilliam and Barry Sonnenfeld turned down the chance to direct. Bill Murray, John Travolta and Chevy Chase turned down the role of Forrest Gump. David Alan Grier, Ice Cube and Dave Chappelle turned down the role of Bubba. Tom Hanks based his accent on Michael Conner Humphreys who played young Forrest and actually talked that way. The line, “My name is Forrest Gump. People call me Forrest Gump”, was ad libbed by Hanks. In the book the film is based on, when Lt. Dan played by Gary Sinise sarcastically tells Forrest Gump that the day Forrest works on a shrimp boat is the day he’d be an astronaut – Forrest actually did become an astronaut. Coincidentally, the following year Sinise and Hanks appeared together as astronauts in Apollo 13 (1995). The necklace worn by Lt. Dan is a rosary with a Saint Christopher medal, inscribed with “Protect Us In Combat”. It was worn in Vietnam in 1967-68 by Gary Sinise’s brother-in-law. One of the effects shots that director Robert Zemeckis ended up cutting had Forrest running into Martin Luther King at a protest, where Forrest distracts police attack dogs by playing fetch with them making them docile. In the scene when Forrest is brought to the podium to speak at the Vietnam anti-war rally in Washington DC and the plug to his microphone gets pulled, what we did not hear him say is, “Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that”.

Casablanca 1942

“And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart.” “That is my least vulnerable spot.”

On November 8th,1942 the Allies invaded the Vichy controlled city of Casablanca. Because the film was not due to be released until the following Spring, the studio wanted to change it and incorporate the invasion. Warner Brothers chief Jack L. Warner objected because he felt an invasion was a big subject worthy of an entire film, but that this film’s love story should retain its pre-invasion setting. Eventually he gave in and told producer Hal Wallis to prepare shooting an epilogue where Humphrey Bogart and Claude Rains hear about the invasion. But just before Rains could travel to the set, David Selznick (whose studio owned Ingrid Bergman’s contract) previewed the film and urged Warner not to wait – but to release it unaltered and capitalize on the huge publicity from the Allied invasion of North Africa. Warner agreed and the film premiered in New York on Nov 26th, 1942. Hal Wallis almost cast the piano player as a female. Hazel Scott, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald were all considered for the role of Sam. Studio publicity in 1941 claimed that Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan were scheduled to star in this film. The false story was planted by their talent agents so they could keep the other actor’s names in the press. At the same time, George Raft was angling for the role of Rick but Hal Wallis was intent on casting Humphrey Bogart and wrote to Jack Warner telling him that he had found the perfect role for him. Casablanca was to be tough guy Bogart’s first attempt at playing a romantic lead. It won the Oscar for Best Picture.

Get Shorty 1995

“What is the point of living in L.A. if you’re not in the movie business?”

Michael Keaton, Bruce Willis, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino all turned down the role of Chili Palmer. The studio’s first choice to direct was Quentin Tarantino. When John Travolta initially declined to be in this movie Tarantino convinced him to do it, just before backing out himself. Two years later, Tarantino directed another film based on an Elmore Leonard book, Jackie Brown (1997). Danny DeVito was director Barry Sonnenfeld’s first choice for the role of Chilli Palmer, but he couldn’t fit it into his schedule so he took the smaller role of movie star Martin Weir (Shorty). The character of Martin Weir is based on Leonard’s personal dealings with Dustin Hoffman. The character of Chili Palmer was named after a friend of Leonard’s named Ernest ‘Chili’ Palmer, who has a small role in the movie playing one of Ray Barboni’s pals. Hollywood inside jokes all taken from the book include: Miguel Sandoval who plays the Colombian drug lord, Escobar, also played a Colombian drug lord in Clear and Present Danger (1994) named Escobedo; Harry Zimm (played by Gene Hackman) tells Chili Palmer that he wants to cast Gene Hackman as the lead in his new movie; Jimmy Cap (played by Alex Rocco) appears lying on a massage table in exactly the same way he did playing casino owner Moe Green in The Godfather (1972) when he was shot through the eye; and the movie-within-a-movie ending with cameos of Harvey Keitel (known for playing tough guys) playing Ray Barboni and real-life director Penny Marshall playing an actor playing a director.

Network 1976

“I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

News anchors Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor were both approached by director Sidney Lumet to play Howard Beale, but they declined. Henry Fonda turned down the role saying it was “too hysterical”. James Stewart turned it down because of the strong language. But Cronkite’s daughter agreed to play left-wing radical Mary Ann Gifford – a character loosely based on Patricia Hearst. United Artists agreed to make this film despite having just settled a lawsuit from producers Paddy Chayefsky and Howard Gottfried that challenged UA’s right to lease their previous film, The Hospital (1971), to ABC television. Later, UA backed out fearing the subject matter was too controversial. But then MGM agreed to make the movie, so UA quickly did a reversal, choosing to co-produce the film with the competing studio. Six years later, MGM bought UA outright after their debacle with Heaven’s Gate (1980), a financial and public relations nightmare that prompted UA’s parent company, Transamerica, to leave the film business. Peter Finch (Howard Beale) died before the Academy Awards ceremony, making him the only actor to ever receive an Oscar posthumously. Ned Beatty (Arthur Jensen) once remarked that actors should never turn down work. “I worked a day on Network and got an Oscar nomination.” Beatrice Straight was on screen for just five minutes and forty seconds, making her’s the shortest performance to ever win an Oscar. Network is one of only two films to win three Oscars for acting. The other is A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).

North by Northwest 1959

“I’m an advertising man, not a red herring. I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them all by getting myself slightly killed.”

The premise of a man mistaken for a nonexistent secret agent was inspired by an actual case during WWII, known as Operation Mincemeat. A cadaver was given an identity with phony papers about invasions of Sardinia and Greece, so the Germans wouldn’t be expecting the invasion of Sicily. James Stewart wanted to play Roger Thornhill, but Alfred Hitchcock believed the poor box-office of Vertigo (1958) was because Stewart looked too old in it. MGM wanted Gregory Peck, but Hitchcock wanted Cary Grant. To soften the blow, Hitchcock delayed production until Stewart was committed to Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder (1959). Before he cast James Mason as Phillip Vandamm, Yul Brynner was considered. MGM wanted to cast Sophia Loren to play Eve Kendall but contractual issues forced her to reluctantly turn it down. Then MGM wanted Cyd Charisse, but Hitchcock insisted on Eva Marie Saint. The studio had Eva Marie Saint’s line: “I never make love on an empty stomach”, dubbed over with: “I never discuss love on an empty stomach”. The final chase was not shot on Mount Rushmore because they couldn’t get permission to film an attempted murder on a national monument. So they recreated it on a soundstage. They also couldn’t get permission to film inside the UN, so footage was secretly shot of the building’s interior and it also was recreated. Cary Grant was paid $450,000, plus a percentage of the gross profits, a considerable amount at the time. He also got $315,000 in penalty fees for working nine weeks past his contract.

Young Frankenstein 1974

“Hello handsome. You’re a good looking fellow, do you know that? People laugh at you, people hate you... but why do they hate you? Because... they are jealous.”

While in the cast of Blazing Saddles (1974), Gene Wilder wrote the screenplay for this film and asked Mel Brooks to direct it. The film was shot with the actual laboratory equipment used in the original Frankenstein (1931). Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman all had the same agent – making it possible to appear together and negotiate a better deal with the movie studio. The Blind Man’s parting line to the Monster, “I was gonna make espresso” was an ad lib by Gene Hackman during shooting. In 1974 while taking a break from a long night of recording, rock band Aerosmith saw the film. The next morning, Steven Tyler wrote the band’s big hit “Walk This Way”– inspired by the scene where Igor (Marty Feldman) says to Dr. Frankenstein as he leads him to the castle “...walk this way”.

The Missouri Breaks 1976

“Why don’t we just take a walk and we’ll just talk about the Wild West and how to get the hell out of it.”

Made in 1976 after the golden age of westerns had passed, and not featuring a clear delineation between hero and villain as many earlier westerns did, the film has more in common with more modern westerns such as Unforgiven (1992) due to its themes of moral ambiguity and the lack of a clear hero. Stars Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando were on the set at the same time only once, despite their multiple scenes together throughout the production. Nicholson didn’t like that Brando used cue cards while filming because in their scenes together it broke his concentration when Brando would shift his gaze to a cue card behind the cameraman. Brando’s performance as Robert E. Lee Clayton was mostly improvised in exceedingly eccentric ways. His character arrives in town and quickly establishes not only his ability with a rifle but also that he is completely mad. Brando would change scenes, such as showing up dressed as an old woman. Director Arthur Penn, a three time Oscar nominee in the 1960s for directing major films like Bonnie & Clyde, eventually gave up trying to control Brando and let him portray Clayton any way he wanted. Brando received $1 million for five weeks plus 11.3% of the gross in excess of $10 million. Nicholson got $1.25 million for ten weeks, plus 10% of the gross after $12.5 million. The film made a modest $14 million domestically. This film is on the American Humane Society’s list of ‘unacceptable’ films. One horse drowned, another was crippled by tripwires, and several were injured in a stampede.

The Usual Suspects 1995

“How do you shoot the devil in the back? What if you miss?”

The idea for this Oscar winning screenplay started with the concept of a movie poster of five guys in a lineup. Writer Christopher McQuarrie’s inspiration for the character of Keyser Soze was a real-life murderer named John List, who murdered his family and then disappeared for 17 years. The role of Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) was first offered to both Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken, who declined. Al Pacino wanted the part and read for it but had to pass due to scheduling conflicts. Michael Biehn turned down the role of McManus because of a previous commitment to Jade (1995). The long-haired Keyser Soze (in the flashback) was played by one of the grips. Director Bryan Singer chose him because he noticed that the man was unable to straighten his elbows, giving him a very surreal and powerful look. The name of the film’s production company (Blue Parrot/Bad Hat Harry Productions) is an inside reference to a line from Jaws (1975), when Chief Brody is mocked by an old man in a black bathing cap on the beach saying “That’s some bad hat, Harry.” The “Blue Parrot” is a reference to Casablanca (1942), as is the title of the film. The fingers on Kevin Spacey’s left hand were glued together to make his character’s disability more realistic and he filed down the soles of his shoes to look like they’d been worn by his character’s gimp. The role of Fenster was written to be older, but Benicio Del Toro’s audition idea of having him speak unintelligibly got him the part. Throughout the movie, ‘fuck’ and its derivatives are used 98 times.

In the Heat of the Night 1967

“Boy it would give me a world of satisfaction to horsewhip you, Virgil.”

In 1967 it was not only unusual to have a non-white actor in a leading role, it was nearly unheard of. It would have been easy to make Chief Gillespie’s character a stereotypical, loudmouthed Southern bigot, but screenwriter Sterling Silliphant gave him much more depth than that. By the same turn, Tibbs is shown to be a flawed man as well, with his pride and cleverness getting in his way. As the film unfolds, Gillespie and Tibbs slowly come to the realization that they have more in common than they’d like to admit and even develop a begrudging respect for each other. The movie could easily have been obvious and heavy-handed but instead it is subtle and character-driven. The dialog at the sheriff’s house came out of improvisations between Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Of all the films he’s done this is Poitier’s favorite. He recalled, “On weekends when we went out to a movie or dinner, he (Steiger) remained completely immersed in the character of the Southern sheriff, speaking with the same accent and walking with the same gait, on and off camera. I was astonished at the intensity of his involvement with the character.” Set in a hot Mississippi summer but filmed during Autumn in Illinois, the actors had to keep ice chips in their mouths (and spit them out before takes) to prevent their breath from appearing during the night scenes. It won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Actor (Steiger), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound. In 2002 it was selected for the Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Jaws 1975

“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him.”

When Richard Dreyfuss was first offered the role of Hooper he turned it down. Jeff Bridges, Timothy Bottoms and Jon Voight were being considered, but then Dreyfuss saw the initial screening of his first film, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) and quickly asked for the part back. Before casting Robert Shaw as Quint, director Steven Spielberg offered the role to Lee Marvin – but Marvin said he’d rather go fishing. Then Spielberg offered the part to Sterling Hayden, but he passed because he was in trouble with the IRS and his income was being garnished. The original idea for introducing Quint was to have him in the local movie theater watching Moby Dick (1956) starring Gregory Peck. Quint was to be sitting in the back laughing so loudly at the absurd special effects of the whale that he drives the audience out of the theater – left all alone. The only thing that stopped Spielberg from doing that scene was Gregory Peck, who held the rights to Moby Dick and turned him down because he didn’t like his own per formance. Quint’s tale of the USS Indianapolis was conceived by playwright Howard Sackler, lengthened by screenwriter John Milius and rewritten by Robert Shaw. The line, “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” was ad libbed by Roy Scheider as Chief Brody. Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Robert Duvall and Charlton Heston had all been considered for Brody. Spielberg named the shark ‘Bruce’ after his lawyer. Jaws was the first movie to reach $100 million, the highest grossing of all-time until Star Wars (1977).

Blade Runner 1982

“The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long... and you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.”

Dustin Hoffman was the original choice to play Rick Deckard – until he insisted on making the character completely different. James Caan had also been considered. Deborah Harry was reputedly the first choice to play Pris. Writer Philip K. Dick’s ideal choice for Rachael was Victoria Principal. While the film is loosely based on Dick’s, ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’, the title comes from a book by Alan Nourse named, ‘The Bladerunner’. William S. Burroughs wrote a screenplay based on the Nourse book. Director Ridley Scott bought the rights to the title but not the screenplay or the book. (The Burroughs version defined a blade runner as a person who sells illegal surgical instruments.) Other titles considered include: Android, Mechanismo, Animal and Dangerous Days. Cityspeak (switching languages in mid-sentence) was Edward James Olmos’ idea. Joanna Cassidy (Zhora) was quite comfortable with a snake around her neck because it was her pet – a Burmese python named Darling. The original released version end titles appear over unused footage from Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining (1980). As one of the first major films to be reissued as a “director’s cut”, Ridley Scott restored footage and made changes to reflect his original vision. It was editor Terry Rawlings’ idea to eliminate Harrison Ford’s voice-over narration. When Scott re-shot scenes with Joanna Cassidy to clean up the film’s continuity she was amazed that the original Zhora costume still fit her after 20 years. The critics gave this version a much better rating than the original.

Se7en 1995

“If we catch John Doe and he turns out to be the devil, I mean if he’s Satan himself, that might live up to our expectations. But he’s not the devil, he’s just a man.”

Before hiring David Fincher, David Cronenberg was asked to direct, but declined. Denzel Washington turned down the role of David Mills that went to Brad Pitt. Screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker took two years to write the script while working at Tower Records. Originally it referred to Mills’ previous police partner being killed on a bust with Mills, helping to explain why he was so over protective of Somerset (Morgan Freeman) in some scenes. All references to Parsons were deleted before shooting began. Originally the script had an odd, dwarf-like woman as part of the forensics team appearing in all the cleanups after a murder, hurling foul language at Somerset and Mills. When casting the part of Victor (the sin of sloth), director Fincher was looking for someone that was incredibly skinny, around 80 lbs. Michael Reid MacKay auditioned, and at the time weighed 85 lbs. Fincher cast him and jokingly told him to lose more weight. To Fincher’s surprise, MacKay showed up having lost 5 lbs more. When the film was first shown on network TV, Mills’ line, “Movie of the week” was changed to “Book of the Month”. It has since been restored in showings on Cable TV. All of John Doe’s books were real and took two months to write at a cost of $15,000. According to Lt. Somerset, two months is also the time it would take the police to read all the books. New Line executives originally balked at the film’s ending, but Brad Pitt refused to make the film if the ending was changed. The production cost was $33 million. Wordwide gross was $327 million.

Time Bandits 1981

“What sort of Supreme Being created such riff raff? Is this not the workings of a complete incompetent?”

King Agamemnon was introduced in the original script as: “The warrior took off his helmet, revealing someone that looks exactly like Sean Connery, or an actor of equal but cheaper stature.” To writer/director Terry Gilliam’s surprise, when Connery saw the script he expressed interest in the role and his agent approached them for the part. Ruth Gordon was originally cast as Mrs. Ogre but was replaced before filming began because of a broken arm. Jonathan Pryce was offered the role of the Evil Genius but had to decline because of his prior commitment to Loophole (1981). He later worked with Gilliam taking the lead role in Brazil (1985) and in The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen (1988). Young Craig Warnock who played Kevin, won the role after a wide search for the right child actor. An agent had seen Warnock’s brother and sent him to an audition. It was coincidence that Craig was even there, but Gilliam cast Craig instead of his sibling because “the young man seemed rather intelligent yet aloof and quiet”, as opposed to the stereotypical cute little boy. Gilliam shot the film with low camera angles to give the audience the perspective of a child, or a dwarf – the heroes of Time Bandits. The footage of the Titanic sinking is taken from the film, A Night to Remember (1958) – colorized and then slowed down. Gilliam reportedly also wrote a screenplay for “Time Bandits 2”, but never followed through with the film project due to the deaths of Jack Purvis and David Rappaport, the two most prominent little people featured in the first movie.

Little Big Man 1970

“It makes me sad. A world without Human Beings has no center to it.”

Entered into The Guinness Book of World Records as “the greatest age span portrayed by a movie actor” for Little Big Man in which Dustin Hoffman portrayed a character from age 17 to age 121. In order to get the raspy voice of a man who is over 120 years old, Hoffman sat in his dressing room and screamed at the top of his lungs for an hour. The role of Chief Old Lodge Skins was initially offered to Marlon Brando, who turned it down. The marching tune played when the 7th Cavalry is attacking Indians on the Washita River and during the Battle of Little Big Horn is an Irish jig titled “Garry Owen”, the official song of the U.S. Army Seventh Cavalry (General Custer’s cavalry). Coincidentally, near the site of Custer’s Last Stand, is a village named Garryowen. Little Big Man was a critical and commercial success and ushered in a new era in Hollywood’s characterization of Native Americans. Other films followed including The Outlaw Josie Wales (1976) that attempted to show U.S. history from a more balanced perspective. For his part, Chief Dan George (1899-1981) was honored with a New York Film Critics Award as well as an Academy Award for best supporting actor. He was 71 years old. As a member of the Coast Salish nation, the success of Little Big Man gave Chief George a platform from which he was able to call public attention to the plight of North America’s indigenous peoples in the twentieth century. Dustin Hoffman was nominated for Best Actor. The film made $31,559,552 in domestic box office.

Good Will Hunting 1997

“I teach this shit, I didn’t say I know how to do it.”

Screenwriter Matt Damon, a former Harvard student, intended Will to be a physics prodigy and discussed it with Sheldon Glashow, a Nobel laureate in physics and Harvard professor. Glashow suggested Will be a math prodigy instead and referred Damon to his brother-in-law, Daniel Kleitman, a professor of math at MIT. Originally, Rob Reiner’s company, Castle Rock bought the film rights and had screenwriter William Goldman read the script. He suggested ending with Will following his girlfriend Skylar (Minnie Driver) to California. Skylar is named after Matt Damon’s girlfriend, who left him when he and Driver got romantically involved during production. When Miramax bought the film rights Matt Damon and Ben Afleck persuaded them to hire Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, 1989) as director.

True Romance 1993

“Marty. Y’ know what we got here? Mother fuckin’ Charlie Bronson.”

Writer Quentin Tarantino sold this script to fund Reservoir Dogs (1992). He received $50,000 which was the minimum that can be paid according to Writer’s Guild rules. His screenplay was originally part of a longer screenplay written by Tarantino and Roger Avary. The other half was later used for Natural Born Killers (1994). In both films Tom Sizemore plays a cop. The structure was different in Tarantino’s original script. The first two parts were told in trademark Tarantino nonlinear fashion but director Tony Scott changed it to a linear structure for filming. Val Kilmer had wanted to play the role of Clarence (Christian Slater). Kilmer’s Elvis character is referred to as ‘Mentor’ in the closing credits to avoid litigation from the Presley estate. Bronson Pinchot ad libbed the scene in the Porsche where he’s covered with cocaine. It was Brad Pitt’s idea for his character to be a stoner who never leaves the couch. Gary Oldman based the character of Drexl on an actor named Willi One Blood, who he later co-starred with in Luc Besson’s The Professional (1994). Tarantino had written the role of gangster Vincenzo Concotti for Robert Forster, that ended up being played by Christopher Walken. According to Dennis Hopper, the only words improvised in the scene with Walken were “eggplant” and “cantalope”. Patricia Arquette’s voice-over at the film’s opening is borrowed from Badlands (1973) and set to very similar music. There are 21 deaths, all male, all by gunshot. Director Tony Scott gave Patricia Arquette the movie’s Cadillac as a gift after filming wrapped.

Platoon 1986

“Excuses are like assholes, Taylor. Everybody’s got one.”

Drawn from Oliver Stone’s personal experience in the Vietnam war, the screenplay was finished in 1976, but studios passed on it until 1986. One of three Vietnam-based films released within 9 months of each other in 1986-87. The other two films were Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket and John Irvin’s Hamburger Hill. The lead role of Pvt. Chris Taylor was offered to Kyle MacLachlan and Keanu Reeves – both turned it down. Stone considered casting Johnny Depp but felt he was too young but cast him in a supporting role. Sergeant Barnes (Tom Berenger) was first offered to Kevin Costner. All of the actors had to endure a harsh 14-day boot camp in the Philippines before filming. The actors were given military haircuts, ate only military rations, weren’t  allowed to shower, slept in the jungle, and even had rotations for night watch. Prior to the scene where Elias’ half of the platoon smokes dope, the actors actually smoked it. But by the time they were ready to shoot, they had come off their high and felt sick. In U.S. military leadership classes, the character of Lt. Wolfe is used as an example of how not to behave as a junior officer. The movie poster of Elias with his hands in the air is based on a 1968 photograph by Art Greenspon, recognized as the 13th greatest military photo by the Army/Navy/AF Times. The U.S. Department of Defense refused to cooperate in the making of this film, so military equipment was loaned by the Filippino armed forces. The film is banned in Vietnam because of its depiction of the Vietnamese. Filmed in 54 days.

Jurassic Park 1993

“They only eat vegetables, but for you, I think they’d make an exception.”

Universal paid Michael Crichton $2 million for the rights to his novel before it was even published. It was widely believed that the book would be a hit and make an outstanding movie. The novel was published in 1990, but pre-production of the film began in 1989, using only Crichton’s manuscript. Steven Spielberg was in the very early stages of pre-production for the film ER, also based on a Michael Crichton novel, when he heard about the Jurassic Park book. He subsequently dumped what he was doing to make this movie. Afterwards, he returned to ER but helped develop it into a hit TV series. Spielberg was so confident with this film that he started making his next film, Schindler’s List (1993), placing post-production in the hands of George Lucas. Harrison Ford turned down the lead role of Dr. Grant, played by Sam Neill. William Hurt was also offered the part but passed without reading the book or the script. Sean Connery turned down the role of Hammond, played by Richard Attenborough – his first acting job in 15 years. The role of Dr. Ellie Sattler played by Laura Dern was originally offered to Robin Wright Penn who passed, then to Juliette Binoche who also turned it down – to make Blue (1993). Steven Spielberg wanted the Velociraptors to be about 10 feet tall, which was taller than they were believed to be at the time, but during filming paleontologists uncovered 10 foot tall specimens of raptors called Utahraptors. After grossing over $2 billion in worldwide sales, Jurassic Park held the record until Titanic (1997).

Some Like It Hot 1959

“It’s not how long it takes, it’s who’s taking you.”

The working title was, “Not Tonight Josephine”. Director Billy Wilder originally wanted Frank Sinatra or Jerry Lewis to play Jack Lemmon’s role of Jerry-‘Daphne’– but they didn’t want to dress in drag. Anthony Perkins also auditioned for that role. Danny Kaye and Bob Hope were also considered as a team for the Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis roles. His first choice to play Sugar was Mitzi Gaynor, not Marilyn Monroe. Monroe was pregnant during the filming so she looked considerably heavier that usual. (She had no known children and several miscarriages in her life.) So the Studio had most of her publicity photos posed for by Sandra Warner, who had an uncredited role as one of the band members, and Monroe’s frequent stand-in Evelyn Moriarty. A head shot of Monroe was then superimposed over their bodies. According to Tony Curtis, Monroe was routinely 2 to 3 hours late to the set and sometimes refused to leave her dressing room. Billy Wilder publicly blasted Monroe for her behavior and she was not invited to the wrap party. Wilder, referring to Monroe: “We were in mid-flight, and there was a nut on the plane.” Monroe sang a vocal version of the film’s theme to be played over the opening credits but it wasn’t used. Her songs from the film were re-released in the 1970s, including, “I want to be loved by you”. Her vocal coach was friend Judy Garland. The film was banned in Kansas because cross-dressing was considered “too disturbing for Kansans”. The closing line, “Nobody’s perfect” was meant to be a placeholder, but test audiences loved it so they kept it.

No Country for Old Men 2007

“What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss?”

Contrary to most successful films made from books, much of this film’s action is taken word for word from Cormac McCarthy’s novel ‘No Country for Old Men’. The title comes from a poem by Yeats, ‘Sailing to Byzantium’. In the novel (not the movie) Sheriff Bell says of the dope-dealers, “Here a while back in San Antonio they shot and killed a federal judge”. A year before the novel was written, a Federal Judge in San Antonio, John Howland Wood, was shot by a Texas contract killer named Charles Harrelson. Coincidentally, Woody Harrelson, who plays Carson Wells in the movie, is his son. The credited editor for this film, Roderick Jaynes, is a pseudonym for Joel and Ethan Coen. They have co-edited all of their movies since Blood Simple (1984) and use the name because Guild membership rules don’t allow two co-credited editors on the same film. If Jaynes had won the Oscar, the award presenter and not the Coens would have been authorized by the Academy to accept the award on “his” behalf. The Academy won’t allow proxies to accept awards at the Academy Awards Show ever since Marlon Brando sent Sacheen Little Feather to pick up his Oscar when he won for The Godfather (1974). Javier Bardem, for his role as killer Anton Chigurh, is the first Spanish actor to win an Academy award. The weapon used by Bardem’s character is a captive bolt pistol, most widely used in the slaughter of beef cattle to stun the animals before they are butchered. Heath Ledger had discussed playing Llewelyn Moss, but withdrew to take some time off.

The Wild Bunch 1969

“What I like and what I need are two different things.”

Before William Holden was cast, the role of Pike Bishop was turned down by Lee Marvin, James Stewart, Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Sterling Hayden, Richard Boone and Robert Mitchum. Marvin accepted but pulled out after he was offered more money to do Paint Your Wagon (1969). The train robbery was not in the script and many scenes were improvised, including the big ending when the four of them walk into town to rescue their friend Angel. L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin’s idea for their characters (T.C. and Coffer) was to add a hint of a homosexual relationship. Peckinpah liked the idea and kept it in the final cut. The shootout at the end took 12 days using 90,000 blank rounds and 10,000 squibs (simulated bullet hits). More blanks were discharged during the production than live rounds were fired during the entire Mexican Revolution of 1914 on which the story is loosely based. The budget went from $3.5 to $6 million and from 70 to 81 shooting days. Walon Green wrote the script and Sam Peckinpah then rewrote it. Green argued that the changes did not warrant Peckinpah getting a screenplay credit. After this dispute the Writer’s Guild changed their rules, and now a finished script must be at least 60% written by a director to claim a writer credit. Green, Sickner and Peckinpah all shared Academy award nominations for best screenplay – the only nomination Peckinpah received in his entire career. They didn’t win. John Wayne complained that the Wild Bunch destroyed the myth of the Old West.

The Terminator 1984

“Listen and understand. That terminator is out there. It can’t be bargained with, it can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until you are dead.”

O.J. Simpson was considered for the Terminator role, but producers feared he was “too nice” to be taken seriously as a cold-blooded killer. Mel Gibson turned down the role. Both Jürgen Prochnow and Lance Henriksen were considered and writer/director James Cameron even made sketches showing The Terminator looking like Henriksen. The original concept was for the character to be able to blend into a crowd. At first Cameron wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the role of Kyle Reese, but after meeting, both Schwarzenegger and Cameron agreed he should play the lead, so Henriksen was cast as Det. Vukovich. Interestingly, Henriksen later got to play Bishop, the humanoid cyborg in Aliens (1986), also directed by Cameron. Linda Hamilton beat Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rosanna Arquette for the role of Sarah Connor. Hamilton and Cameron later got married (and subsequently divorced). Edward James Olmos and Louis Gossett Jr. were considered for the role of Lt. Traxler. Production was postponed nine months due to Schwarzenegger’s commitment to shoot Conan the Destroyer (1984). During this time, Cameron took on a screenwriting assignment which became Aliens (1986). Science fiction author Harlan Ellison sued James Cameron, claiming this film plagiarized two episodes he wrote for The Outer Limits (1963). Also the concept of Skynet was taken from an Ellison short story. The suit was settled out of court and newer prints of the film credit him. The first draft was sold to Cameron’s ex-wife, producer Gale Anne Hurd for one dollar.

Raging Bull 1980

“I knocked him down. I don’t know what else I gotta do.”

Robert De Niro read the autobiography of Jake LaMotta while filming The Godfather: Part II (1974). But it took over four years to convince anyone, including collaborator Martin Scorsese, to make the film. Mardik Martin wrote a traditional, linear script but then backed out from exhaustion. Paul Schrader rewrote the script, making Jake’s brother, Joey La Motta (Joe Pesci) the second most prominent character and starting the story in the middle of La Motta’s career, rather than at the beginning. De Niro and Scorsese spent five weeks rewriting Shrader’s script keeping his overall structure, but are uncredited as screenwriters. De Niro went through extensive training, and entered in three actual Brooklyn boxing matches, winning two. He gained 60 pounds to play the older Jake La Motta, holding the movie weight-gain record until it was broken by Vincent D’Onofrio – who gained 70 lbs for his role as Pvt. Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket (1987). Joe Pesci, at the time a frustrated, struggling actor, had to be persuaded to make the film rather than return to the musical act he shared with fellow actor Frank Vincent. Beverly D’Angelo and Sharon Stone both auditioned for the role of Jake’s wife, Vicki LaMotta. Scorsese cast Cathy Moriarty (whom the producers saw before D’Angelo), freeing D’Angelo to be in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980). The Nicholas Colasonto character, Tommy Como, is based on real-life mobster Frankie Carbo, who ran boxing in New York City during the 1940s and ’50s. The word “fuck” is used 114 times.

Million Dollar Baby 2004

“There is magic in fighting battles beyond endurance.”

The movie is based on three short stories from Jerry Boyd’s book: Rope Burns. Anjelica Huston originally brought the book to producer Albert S. Ruddy’s attention, hoping he would let her direct the film. By the time Ruddy acquired the rights, Huston was busy on another project. Paul Haggis was directing Crash (2004) and was scheduled as the director/screenwriter for this film, when Clint Eastwood (who was to act only) asked to direct it. Haggis agreed to step aside as director. It is the 25th film Eastwood has directed, the 57th film in which he has acted, and the 21st he has produced. Sandra Bullock was the first actress considered to play Maggie Fitzgerald, but she wanted to pursue Shekhar Kapur as the director. By the time a studio expressed interest in the project, her commitment to Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous (2005) prevented her from doing the film. Ashley Judd was also considered for the part of Maggie. Hilary Swank underwent serious training to prepare for the role, gaining nearly 20 pounds of muscle. Boxing champ Lucia Rijker, who played Billie ‘The Blue Bear’ in the film, was also Swank’s boxing coach. Originally Morgan Freeman was asked to play Eastwood’s role of Frankie Dunn, but chose to play Eddie ‘Scrap-Iron’ Dupris instead. Eastwood was the only nominee for Best Actor in 2005 to play a fictitious character. All four other nominees portrayed real people in their respective films: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Aviator), Johnny Depp (Finding Neverland), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (Ray).

The Black Stallion 1979

“Son, if you can ride that horse you can have that horse.”

The film is based on a 1941 classic children’s novel The Black Stallion by Walter Farley. Francis Ford Coppola was the executive producer on this film while he was making Apocalypse Now. Cass Ole, a champion Arabian stallion from Texas, portrayed ‘The Black’ in most of the movie, with Fae Jur, his primary double. Fae Jur’s main scene is when Alec is trying to gain the trust of the stallion on the beach. Two other stunt doubles were used for the running, fighting and swimming scenes. El Mokhtar, an Egyptian Arabian racehorse, was the producers’ first choice, but his owners declined any offers. Later, however, he appeared in The Black Stallion Returns, alongside Cass Ole, after the studio bought out the syndicate of owners in order to secure El Mokhtar’s services. The Black’s friend, the old white horse named Napoleon was portrayed by Junior, who previously appeared in National Lampoon’s Animal House as Trooper – Niedermeyer’s horse. The film’s composer, Carmine Coppola (Francis’ father) was nominated twice for Best Original Score by the Golden Globe Awards that year. Carmine won for Apocalypse Now. The scene when Alec looks at all the old memorabilia in Henry Dailey’s (Mickey Rooney) office, one of the old photos on the wall is of a younger Rooney on the horse from National Velvet (1944). Rooney was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, reviving his career. In 2002, the U.S. Library of Congress selected this film for preservation in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

The Man who would be King 1975

“Now listen to me you benighted muckers. We’re going to teach you soldiering. The world’s noblest profession. When we’re done with you, you’ll be able to slaughter your enemies like civilized men.”

Director John Huston tried to make the film several times. It was originally conceived as a vehicle for Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart in the fifties, and later for Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. When it was considered for Robert Redford and Paul Newman, Newman suggested Sean Connery and Michael Caine. Huston failed to cast the role of Roxanne before shooting began. Over dinner, the cast and crew suggested Shakira Caine, Michael’s wife. Karroom Ben Bouih, who played the high priest Kafu-Selim, was 103 years old when he made his only film appearance. After seeing the footage he declared that now he would live forever. Both Connery and Caine sued Allied Artists to get a small percentage of the profit – reportedly $250,000 each.

LA Confidential 1997

“Hold up your badge, so they’ll know you’re a policeman.”

Based on James Ellroy’s novel, the name comes from ‘Confidential’, a notorious 1950s era movie star tabloid, fictionally portrayed as ‘Hush-Hush’. Many of the plot lines are based on real events, including: the bloody Christmas scene where drunken police officers brutally beat Hispanic prisoners suspected of beating up two uniformed policemen; the story of real-life gangster Mickey Cohen’s arrest that touched off a gang war for control of the rackets; the LAPD Goon Squad which would kidnap out-of-town gangsters, beat them up then threaten to kill them if they returned; and Lana Turner dating gangster Johnny Stompanato. In real life, Turner’s daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Stompanato to death after catching him hitting her mother. Twice the idea was pitched to television: first, producer David Wolper wanted to produce it as a mini-series. Then after the film’s success, an HBO TV pilot was made with Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Vincennes but it wasn’t picked up. At first studio executives were against casting two Australians (Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce) in an American period piece. The role of Bud White had been offered to Michael Madsen, but director Curtis Hanson wanted Crowe as White after seeing his performance in Romper Stomper (1992). Izabella Scorupco and Jennifer Jason Leigh were both offered the lead female role, but passed. Kim Basinger won the Oscar as Best Actress for it. The Brett Chase TV detective is based on Jack Webb in Dragnet. Kevin Spacey’s characterization of Detective Jack Vincennes is based on Dean Martin.

The Natural 1984

“It took me sixteen years to get here. You play me, and I’ll give ya the best I got.”

While the story is an adaptation of the book by Bernard Malamud the plot was changed so the movie would be more uplifting. Several characters and symbols are heavily influenced by the writings of Homer and Greek mythology. Roy Hobbs is Odysseus trying to find his way home. The oak tree and lightning bolt on the Wonderboy bat are his symbols. The broken bat is the broken sword. Pop Fisher is The Fisher King. The baseball team is called “The Knights”. The Judge is Hades, God of the Underworld always in the dark, a.k.a. Death – where the dead were judged. The plot borrows from the true story of the bizarre shooting of the former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman, Ed Waitkus by Ruth Ann Steinhagen in the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago on June 14th, 1949. Roy Hobbs breaking the scoreboard clock with a home run was inspired by Bama Rowell of the Boston Braves doubling off the Ebbets Field scoreboard clock on May 30, 1946, showering glass. He was promised a free watch by Bulova for hitting the company’s scoreboard sign, but Rowell had to wait until 1987 to receive it. While actor Darren McGavin had a major role as the bookmaker Gus Sands, McGavin didn’t receive a film credit. He was cast late in the picture and would’ve had to receive a lesser billing than the other stars. So he chose to go uncredited. The line spoken by Roy Hobbs (Redford) about what it takes to be a big leaguer, “you have to have a lot of little boy in you”, was actually a quote by Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2003

“Me? I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest.”

Michael Keaton, Jim Carrey and Christopher Walken were all considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Tobey Maguire, Christopher Masterson and Christian Bale were all considered for the role of Will Turner. Singer Jimmy Buffett was offered a role as a pirate, but had to decline due to previous engagements. When the screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio first pitched the movie to Disney in the early ’90s, it was rejected. When Steven Spielberg got the script he wanted to cast either Bill Murray, Steve Martin or Robin Williams to play Captain Jack Sparrow. But Disney wouldn’t give approval. The title originally was just, “Pirates of the Caribbean” but they added, “The Curse of the Black Pearl” in case it did well at the box office so they could make a sequel. The movie is inspired by and takes its concept from the popular Walt Disney theme park ride of the same name. Disney has released R rated films under their Touchstone Pictures label since the 1980’s, but this was their first PG-13 film in the U.S. under the Walt Disney name. According to Johnny Depp, pirates were the 18th century equivalent to rock stars back then, so his characterization of Sparrow was heavily inspired by his friend Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. But he claims it was not an impersonation. Depp wanted to portray Captain Sparrow with a lot of gold teeth, so he had his dentist implant real gold in his teeth for the production. Many of the offhand “eunuch” remarks were improvisations by Johnny Depp, including the catch phrase, “Savvy?”

Ocean's Eleven 2001

“You’re either in or you’re out. Right now.”

Bruce Willis was originally cast as Danny Ocean, but had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts. Jon Favreau was offered to write the screenplay but had to decline. Two early casting choices to play Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) were Sydney Pollack and Dennis Franz. Warren Beatty, Michael Douglas and Ralph Fiennes were all considered for Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Matt Damon’s role as the pick-pocket was written for Mark Wahlberg. Don Rickles was an early choice to play Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner) before Alan Arkin was cast – who later dropped out for personal reasons. The role of Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) was originally offered to Danny Glover, who passed so he could be in The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). Ewan McGregor was considered for the role of Basher (Don Cheadle). With the exception of Danny Ocean (George Clooney/Frank Sinatra), none of the principal characters have the same names as their counterparts in the 1960 version. In nearly every scene he’s in, Brad Pitt is eating. Pitt’s idea was that his character Rusty, otherwise would be too busy to eat. Andy Garcia’s line to Pitt, “If you should be picked up buying a $100,000 sports car in Newport Beach, I’m going to be extremely disappointed,” is a reference to the kidnapping of casino owner Steve Wynn’s daughter, Kevyn. The kidnappers were caught spending ransom money in Newport Beach buying a very expensive car with cash. Director Steven Soderbergh wanted to shoot the movie in black and white. Warner Brothers said only if it reduced the budget. He changed his mind.

Rain Man 1988

“What you have to understand is, four days ago he was only my brother in name. And this morning we had pancakes.” 

Raymond Babbitt was inspired by real-life savant, Kim Peek, whom Rain Man writer Barry Morrow first met in 1986. When Morrow won an Academy Award for the screenplay in 1989, he gave his Oscar trophy to Ms. Peek. The script was originally written with Dennis Quaid and Randy Quaid in mind. Both Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro turned down the part of Raymond. The first draft of the script had Raymond as a happy, friendly retarded person, but after an initial reading Dustin Hoffman successfully lobbied for Raymond to be a withdrawn autistic savant. The character of Charlie Babbitt was first written as a 56-year-old and Hoffman wanted Bill Murray to play him. J.T. Walsh was to play the psychiatrist at the end of the movie, but when he couldn’t, on Hoffman’s suggestion director Barry Levinson played the part. Three weeks into the project, Hoffman wanted out, telling Levinson, “Get Richard Dreyfuss, get somebody, Barry, because this is the worst work of my life”. Hoffman received his second Best Actor Oscar for his role. For in-flight viewing, several airlines deleted the sequence when Raymond reels off statistics on airline accidents, saying Qantas had no crashes. In reality, Qantas has had eight crashes, all prior to the making of the film, but they were all propeller-driven planes, not jets. Steven Spielberg seriously considered directing but backed out because his friend George Lucas needed him to start work on the third Indiana Jones movie. After Tom Cruise was seen wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses in the film, sales went up 15%.

Harvey 1950

“Well, I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years now doctor, and I’m happy to say I’ve finally won out over it.”

Universal-International paid $750,000 for the film rights to playwright Mary Coyle Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play. Chase first wrote Harvey as a novel and later developed it as a Broadway play that opened in 1944. Frank Fay originated the role of Elwood P. Dowd on the Broadway stage until Jimmy Stewart replaced him. Bing Crosby was the first choice for the movie, but he passed. For the film, Stewart suggested to director Henry Koster that he shoot Elwood’s scenes wider on screen so it would appear as if Harvey, the “pooka” (the invisible white rabbit) was always in the frame with him. In the film version, Harvey is said to be 6′ 3″ tall, but in the stage version Harvey’s height was changed to 6′ 8″ in order to be more of a contrast to Stewart’s height, which was 6′ 3″. That way Stewart could always appear to be looking up at Harvey. Though Elwood was certainly an alcoholic, only at one time in the entire picture is he actually seen taking a drink. Josephine Hull was the first to perform the role of Elwood’s fretful sister Veta Louise Simmonson on Broadway and got the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the film. Although Stewart was nominated for Best Actor, Humphrey Bogart won it for The African Queen, beating out Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Montgomery Clift in, A Place in the Sun. The Jimmy Stewart Museum, located in Stewart’s hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania, will on ocassion bestow ‘The Harvey Award’ to a distinguished celebrity in honor of Stewart's spirit of humanitarianism.

The Fabulous Baker Boys 1989

“Most cynics are really crushed romantics.”

Steven Kloves wrote the screenplay and intended this to be his directorial debut. Kloves is perhaps best known for adaptations of novels, more recently for the first four Harry Potter films. Initially, studio execs thought that a more experienced filmmaker should direct and George Roy Hill was considered at one point. But after three years in development Kloves convinced the producers that he should direct it. They were impressed with his refusal to make a safe, Hollywood movie. Some people in Hollywood believed that the film could be made with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray which Kloves felt would be a disastrous mistake. From the very start, Kloves had envisioned Jeff and Beau Bridges as the Baker brothers. He got them to sign on after he met with Jeff at his ranch in Montana. Madonna was originally approached for the role of Susie Diamond but she turned it down because the plot was “too mushy”. Debra Winger was also offered the lead, but turned it down. Michelle Pfeiffer hadn’t sung professionally since Grease 2 (1982). Pfeiffer sang all her character’s songs in the film – no vocal double was used. The scene where she sings “Makin’ Whoopee” on top of a piano took six hours to shoot, in just four takes. Her performance won a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Both Beau and Jeff Bridges learned to play all the songs, but Dave Grusin recorded the songs for the final movie soundtrack. Grusin won a Grammy for Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score. The film cost $12 million to make. It grossed only $16.8 million (USA).