Movies/Tv - Facts and Trivia

The late Danny Aiello played Madonna's father in the video for Papa Don't Preach.

Eddie Murphy was originally supposed to play Bob Hoskins role in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

When the original animated film 'The Snowman' was broadcast people naturally assumed that singing 'Walking in the Air' had been Aled Jones, who had a top ten hit with it in the 90's. However, it was years later that the real chorister was finally credited with singing it in the film, and that was Peter Luty.

Not sure if I've mentioned this before but apologies if I have.
When you're watching the Harry Potter films the distant shots of Hagrid(Robbie Coltrane) seen are in fact done by 7ft 2 Martin Bayfield, former England rugby player. He is credited as stuntman in the films too.

Alan Napier(1903-1988) the 6ft 5in actor who played butler Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960's series of Batman was born in Birmingham, but in reality he was very upper class and a cousin of prime minister, Neville Chamberlain. When offered the role of Batman he asked 'What is Batman?"

Madame Hooch, the Quidditch teacher first seen in 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'(The Magician's Stone in the US) was dropped from the second film due to "artistic differences" (more likely money). Played by Zoe Wanamaker in the film, she refused to star in the next one and was subsequently dropped, even though she is in the second book.

More Harry Potter bits of trivia.
There are several running gags in the films. Poor old Neville Longbottom cops a few mishaps in the first three films. One boy when using his wand keeps getting 'blown' up and in the first and third films.

Whenever Harry is in The Leaky Cauldron, a young witch maid knocks on a door asking to do the room, it opens, you hear a roar and her being blown by a something with tremendous wind and the door closes. "I'll come back later." This I think was the same scene from Philosopher's Stone just slotted into the third film, Azkaban for comic effect. In the third film(Azkaban) you see a blue bird that flies too close to the Whomping Willow each time and ends up in a blur of feathers, whilst for each season that passes, the Willow loses its leaves dramatically-one scene had a load of green leaves just fall in a massive heap.

Interesting to note that Martin Bayfield, who as you know is the 7ft 2' former England rugby player, who doubled for Rubeus Hagrid in distant scenes is credited as a stuntman in the third film but the previous film he didn't appear as a stuntman.

Comedian Paul Whitehouse appeared as Sir Cadogan but he says that his part was virtually cut from the film, yet he appears in the main end title scroll.

The town centre set that’s used in Back To The Future is the same one used in Gremlins and It’s A Wonderful Life.

^^^ more trivia about the set of the Back To The Future set town centre it was known as the mockingbird set as How To Kill A Mockingbird was also filmed there too.

The Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker animated movie was the first PG-13 Batman animated movie was released twice, the first time cut and on its second release uncut.