Movies/Tv - Facts and Trivia

Remember the scene in Ghostbusters 2 where the slime is running under the building and that woman’s fur coat comes alive and runs off, originally the scene was for first film but they never filmed it so they used it for the second movie. That scene along with the ghost jogging and the titanic still creep me out to this day lol.

In an episode of the original MacGyver series Richard Dean Anderson and a kid and family members decide to escape from captors using three British Mini Coopers. The whole idea and scenes from the original 1969 film were directly lifted from 'The Italian Job'

The scene in Back To The Future Part 2 when Marty gets attacked by the holographic Jaws from Jaws 15. All tho Jaws was holographic it was made to unrealistic on purpose as Jaws always looked liked like rubber and looked fake in the movies hence why Marty says “The Shark still looks fake” after Jaws disappears after attacking him lol.

In the original version of Smokey and The Bandit 3 Actor Jackie Gleason played both the bandit and the sheriff but they chopped out his bits as the bandit and refilmed scenes with Jerry Reed as the bandit. If you watch the trailer of the film you see Gleason as the bandit. That version of the movie still exists some where out there.

Seth MacFarlane appeared in Star Trek Enterprise he played Ensign Rivers. He appeared in the third season of the show “The Forgotten” and season 4 “Affliction”. He would later of course star in his sci fi show The Orville.

Silent Screen Actor Harold Lloyd was the inspiration for Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent.

Harold Lloyd lost half an index finger and thumb on his left hand due to an accident when a prop bomb went off. He used a special prosthetic glove to cover it up. Most of his stunts looked very dangerous but in Safety Last anyway whichever it was he was in fact attached to a hidden line whilst hanging from the clock face and scene to his right is a matte painting superimposed.

Buster Keaton, in the film Steamboat Bill Jr, could have been killed had he been standing an inch more to the right as the top of the house(which weighed two tons) fell forward and the top window part went over him. Much later in the BBC comedy series The Goodies, Graeme Garden recreated that scene in an episode and again precision measuring was needed.

A bit of Trivia from Superman The Movie, Clark Kent and Superman's hair part on opposite sides can’t believe I never noticed that lol and Christopher Reeve based the performance of Clark Kent on Cary Grant's character in Bringing Up Baby (1938).

We all know the Great Escape film but a lot of it is actually wrong. The biggest liberty taken was including American prisoners(Steve McQueen, James Garner) when in actual fact there were NO Americans in that camp Stalag Luft III, but there were Canadians there. It was also thought that the comedy series on radio, The Goon Show, took its name from the nickname that was given to the German guards by the prisoners. However, in an old Popeye cartoon a large lumbering character is also called The Goon. Is it a Christmas film? Well yes because it was always shown here in the UK around Christmas time or on Christmas Day ad nauseum but it divides some like Die Hard(Bruce Willis always maintained it wasn't one but there is a scene with a Christmas tree and party) It is still a hell of a film with a great cast. Steve McQueen is disguised as a German motorcyclist and did a lot of his own riding but he doesn't do that incredible 60ft stunt-that was left to his stuntman Bud Ekins.

Today is the 75th Anniversary of The Great Escape and of the 76 men who escaped, 3 made it home to the UK. 23 were recaptured and sent back to Sagan. Hitler personally ordered the execution of the other 50 men. The commandant of Stalag Luft III, Lindeiner, was court-martialed by the Gestapo for not preventing the escape.

Mork and Mindy series was actually a spin off of Happy Days. The character was created by Robin Williams and appeared in a dream sequence that Richie Cunningham had(Ron Howard) Most of it was ad libbed by Williams but the audience loved it. Through that appearance the series Mork and Mindy was created which also became a hit. It also has the distinction of being the only American comedy series to feature a character(Tom Poston, who would re-appear as miserable card designer neighbour of Mork, Mr Bickley later) called Mr Wanker! Channel Four unfortunately didn't realise it hadn't been edited when it went out but quickly edited it out in a later repeat!

When comedian Jonathan Walters appeared as Mirth, Mork's son who ages backwards they did a routine that was virtually ad-libbed with Walters doing a spot-on English accent as a hunter. It is genuinely one of THE funniest routines done on television.

A lot of Mork's stuff done by Williams was ad-libbed, the producers just gave him free rein-within reason.

You never saw the man only heard the voice of Orson his boss although he does appear in the opening titles in the background.

The movie/television term 'jumping the shark' originated in an episode of 'Happy Days' when the Fonz(Henry Winkler) literally decides to do a stunt jump over a shark. For many fans this was seen as completely ridiculous and incredible and since then anything which is seen as ridiculous, stupid, unbelievable or implausible in a film or television show is called 'jumping the shark.' Aaaayyyy!