TUESDAY’S TRIVIA TIDBITS
Welcome back to Tuesday’s Trivia Tidbits. For those of you out of the loop, this is a little compilation of 10 movie related facts that I will be posting weekly and info that I always find interesting. So without further ado, this weeks are…
1: “Drive” and “Taxi Driver” actor Albert Brooks’ real name is, in fact, Albert Einstein. He changed his surname “Einstein” because there was already an extremely well-known theoretical physicist by that name.
2: According to David Fincher, Robert Downey Jr. was so exhausted while making “Zodiac” because the film was shot digitally (leaving them with fewer resets and fewer breaks) that he decided to leave jars of his urine around the set as a form of protest.
3: In “Trainspotting” there are several references to The Beatles: – The scene where the store detectives chase Renton down the street is reminiscent of the scene in “A Hard Day’s Night” where The Beatles are pursued by fans. – While watching the train, the four friends arrange themselves in the same manner as The Beatles did on the back of the album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band“. – The scene where the four friends cross the road and enter the hotel is reminiscent of the cover of the album “Abbey Road“. – The scene where Renton wakes up on the couch in the morning at Diane’s home and says hello to someone passing through the hallway while covered with a blanket to his chin, is reminiscent of a scene in “Help!” where Ringo is found in a trunk of a car covered up with a blanket, and upon being found, says hello. – The “Mother Superior’s” written in the dealer house is a reference to the Beatles song Happiness is a Warm Gun, a song about heroin, which has the line “mother superior jump the gun“.
4: Dino De Laurentiis, who had produced “Manhunter“, passed on “The Silence of the Lambs” because Manhunter had flopped. He gave the rights away to Orion Pictures for free.
5: The part of J.D. (played by Brad Pitt) in “Thelma & Louise” was originally intended for William Baldwin but he jumped ship when he landed the lead in “Backdraft“. Christian Slater was also considered and, then struggling actor, George Clooney auditioned five times for Ridley Scott before Pitt took over.
6: Following the success of the movie “Forrest Gump“, the writer of the novel, Winston Groom wrote a sequel called “Gump & Co.“, which referenced the movie as if it had been released in Forrest’s world. Forrest also meets Tom Hanks in the novel.
7: After “The Wild One” in 1953, Marlon Brando and Lee Marvin almost starred together again 19 years later in John Boorman’s “Deliverance“. They were cast together in the film until Lee Marvin told director Boorman that he thought he and Brando were too old for their roles. Boorman agreed and cast Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds instead.
8: When Paul Thomas Anderson approached George C. Scott about playing the role of Earl Partridge (Jason Robards’ character) in “Magnolia“, Scott threw the script across the room, saying “This is the worst fucking thing I’ve ever read. The language is terrible.”
9: The inspiration for the character of Freddy in “A Nightmare On Elm St” came from several sources in Wes Craven’s childhood. Fred Krueger was a schoolmate of Craven with whom he had shared a paper route, and who had bullied him for several years. In “The Last House on the Left“, Craven also used this experience as inspiration, calling the villain Krug. Freddy’s appearance (especially the dirty clothes and hat) was inspired by a hobo who Craven saw staring at him through his window one day when he was ten.
10: In “The Big Lebowski“, the Dude’s line, “The Dude abides” is a reference to Ecclesiastes 1:4, “One generation passes away, and another generation comes: but the earth abides forever.” It is a reference to how the Dude, much like the Earth, can weather change and chaos around him, but still remain the same.
So there you have it. 10 esoteric Tidbits to masticate on. Some you may know. Some you may not. If you have any thoughts, stick your donations in the comment box.
See you next Tuesday…
(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)
MARKED MOVIES 
March 26, 2013 at 12:41 pm
Great trivia, love the Magnolia one.
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March 26, 2013 at 12:44 pm
Cheers Vinnie. That one was new to me. I had no idea that George C. Scott was even considered.
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March 26, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Just missing a De Niro from being my favourite list so far 🙂
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March 26, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Your favourite list? High praise sir. This is also one of the few that DeNiro didn’t get a mention. Damn!
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March 26, 2013 at 12:54 pm
Great trivia as always. I can see George C. Scott as Earl Partridge in Magnolia but Jason Robards played the part so well. Cool fact about Albert Brooks, I never knew that before.
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March 26, 2013 at 1:00 pm
Thanks man. Yeah, Robards was great in Magnolia but I can see Scott pulling that off.
Yeah, Albert Einstein. No wonder he changed it. 😉
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March 26, 2013 at 1:15 pm
Great bits of trivia, as usual. Thanks, Mark.
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March 26, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Thanks Michael. I’m surprised I’ve managed to keep it going for so long now. 🙂
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March 26, 2013 at 1:34 pm
One of my favorite parts of the blogging week Mark! Another splendid platter of cool movie trivia. I love the way you used your own personal “To my biggest fan Mark” signed Albert Brooks photo! 🙂
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March 26, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Cheers bro. Glad you’re still enjoying them. Haha, yeah, that is my own personal photo but it’s not signed Albert Brooks it’s signed… Albert Einstein. 😉
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March 26, 2013 at 1:45 pm
Oh I missed that! LOL!!!
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March 26, 2013 at 1:48 pm
Haha! 😉
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March 26, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Great selection this week Mark. I love those Beatles references in Trainspotting, I had no idea about any of those!
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March 26, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Thanks Chris. I knew of at least two Beatles references (primarily the Abbey Rd one where they’re walking across the street) but the rest where new to me as well. That film just keeps getting better 😉
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March 26, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Good stuff once again! Nice job, Mucker!
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March 26, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Thank you Mucker. Always nice to hear the feature is still doing it’s job.
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March 26, 2013 at 4:53 pm
I never knew that about the Gump & Co. book. Where he actually meets Tom Hanks. lol
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March 26, 2013 at 5:12 pm
Yeah, apparently so Chris. I didnt read either of the books so I can’t comment for sure but from what I gather, it’s accurate. They’ve also considered making it into a movie, although, I reckon they’d have to change that bit about meeting Hanks if Hanks was to reprise the role.
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March 26, 2013 at 6:55 pm
Wow, that would be a mind fuck. Hanks meeting Hanks
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March 27, 2013 at 7:35 am
If they could pull it off, it’d be very interesting indeed.
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March 26, 2013 at 5:51 pm
There’s always at least one “Im so glad that didnt happen” tidbit in these. This week its George C Scott in Magnolia. Robards was great in that role, I cant picture Scott there, as great as he was…
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March 27, 2013 at 7:31 am
I can actually see Scott being able to slot into this role. That being said, Robards was great and it was nice to see him finish on a high note with Magnolia. Cheers Fogs.
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March 26, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Haha, Downey 🙂 I heard once he defecated in co-star’s trailer 🙂
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March 27, 2013 at 7:32 am
Haha! Yeah, good ol’ Downey Jr. There’s never a dull moment when he’s around.
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March 26, 2013 at 6:02 pm
some corkers this week mark! I can believe downey would do that, and what a film zodiac is.
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March 27, 2013 at 7:33 am
Yeah, I’ve always enjoyed hearing about Downey’s antics over the years. Zodiac is a superb film. I have the directors cut to get through one day.
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March 27, 2013 at 3:36 am
8 for 10. Still teaching me Mark! Always excited to read these.
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March 27, 2013 at 7:36 am
Still riding high though Nick. I was waiting on your response here. Only two in it. Can’t seem to shake you off 😉
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March 27, 2013 at 5:42 am
Great tidbits as always. Especially loved 1, 2, 3, 8 and 10 😀
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March 27, 2013 at 7:37 am
Thanks Fernando. I’m happy to still be able to provide these.
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March 27, 2013 at 6:33 pm
😉
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March 27, 2013 at 7:55 pm
I love the tidbit about Magnolia! Classic.
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March 27, 2013 at 8:47 pm
Great movie that’s due a re-watch for me. Thanks Steph!
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March 27, 2013 at 8:34 pm
I would have kept my name as Einstein, That sounds like a crazy potential casting for deliverance, have you ever been to one of those bubba gump chain restaurants ?
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March 27, 2013 at 8:49 pm
Bubba Gump chains? Do you guys actually get them?
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March 27, 2013 at 8:57 pm
I ate to one in Hawaii, as I recall the tropical drinks were stiff and I had some decent coconut shrimp.
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March 27, 2013 at 9:07 pm
Man, I didn’t think that shit existed. We don’t have them thats for sure.
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March 27, 2013 at 9:35 pm
i got a pic of me eating there i will send it to you when i find it lol
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March 27, 2013 at 9:38 pm
yeah man! Send away. This I gotta see…. 😉
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March 27, 2013 at 9:51 pm
I emailed it to you good stuff, come to find out there is one pretty close to my house.
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March 27, 2013 at 9:55 pm
Haha! Just had a look. You even have a “B” on your hat. Does that stand for “Bubba”? LOL 😉
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March 29, 2013 at 9:21 pm
1. How did I never know that? Wow, amazing tidbit.
2. Priceless Downey right there.
4. Oops.
6. Oooh that’s right, I forgot all about that book. Have you read it?
8. (sigh) Oooooh, that old George. C
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March 29, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Haha! I havent read Gump and Co. Alex and probably never will but I like the idea of it. It would make a good film if they could manage to muster it together.
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March 30, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Interesting bit there about Trainspotting. I was looking for a new reason to give that a rewatch, so it looks like I found one. 😀
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March 30, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Cheers Eric. I like revisit this one myself on a regular basis. As it turns out, the author of Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh, paid a visit to my site the other day. I was well pleased. 🙂
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February 10, 2014 at 1:50 pm
9 really makes me laugh,. What revenge haha
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