TRIVIA TIDBITS
Welcome back to 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: Michael Douglas, Don Johnson and Mel Gibson were considered for the role of Eliot Ness in “The Untouchables” and rejected it. Jack Nicholson was also offered it and William Hurt was considered but was too busy with other projects. Director Brian De Palma also talked to Jeff Bridges and Gene Hackman about playing Ness and Malone. Harrison Ford was also offered but turned down the role before Kevin Costner was signed.
2: While preparing for his role as heroin addict Harry Goldfarb in “Requiem for a Dream“, Jared Leto lost 28 pounds, starved himself and denied himself the pleasure of then-fiancée Cameron Diaz’s bed for two months. Leto admits that playing the part was “sadomasochistic… the hardest thing I’ve done“.
3: In “Frankie & Johnny“, one scene called for Al Pacino to be surprised after opening a door. “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” was filming in a nearby studio, so director Garry Marshall arranged for Kirk and Spock to be on the other side of the door that Pacino opened.
4: Marlon Brando’s signature was considered so valuable to collectors, that many personal checks he wrote were never cashed because his signature was usually worth more than the amount on the check.
5: The longest film ever made is “The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World“, a British underground movie produced by Anthony Scott in association with the Swiss Film Centre, London. Directed by Vincent Patouillard and premiered at the Cinématheque de Paris in October 1970, it lasts exactly 48 hours.
6: Ryan Gosling was the first Canadian-born performer in over 60 years to be nominated for the best actor Oscar in “Half Nelson” in 2006. The last was Walter Pidgeon for “Madame Curie” in 1943.
7: At various points Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Andy Garcia were all previously attached to star in “Donnie Brasco“. Stephen Frears was also set to direct it before Mike Newell took over.
8: The six leads in “The Full Monty” did in fact perform a full-frontal strip-tease in front of 400 extras. Director Peter Cattaneo described it as “a one-take deal.”
9: According to Robert DeNiro, he and Billy Crystal briefly toyed with the idea of co-directing “Analyze This” before deciding to offer it to Harold Ramis. Martin Scorsese was first approached but turned it down.
10: In “Reservoir Dogs“, Quentin Tarantino originally wrote the role of Mr. Pink for himself. Michael Madsen also originally auditioned for it and Vincent Gallo turned it down. Steve Buscemi auditioned for the part of Mr. White. George Clooney read for the role of Mr. Blonde but was turned down, and Christopher Walken refused the same role. Samuel L. Jackson also auditioned for the role of Mr. Orange. Once Tim Roth was cast, Tarantino originally wanted him to play Mr. Blonde or Mr. Pink. Robert Forster and Timothy Carey auditioned for the part of Joe Cabot, and the film is dedicated to Carey.
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 week…
(For earlier editions of Trivia Tidbits click here.)
MARKED MOVIES 
July 17, 2013 at 1:10 pm
Nicely done as always Mark. I wonder how many people have actually sat through that 48 hour film?! Also love that Frankie & Johnny fact.
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July 17, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Yea i always like it when you find something out about natural reactions in film. If I watch that movie again I won’t help but picture William Shatner & Leanord Nemoy on the other side of the camera.
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July 17, 2013 at 7:02 pm
Haha! Yeah, I’ll be feeling the exact same. I’m looking forward to seeing it again just for that reaction… 😉
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July 17, 2013 at 6:57 pm
Cheers Chris. I doubt I’ll ever be sitting down to a 48hr movie. This too long for my liking.
The Frankie & Johnny one’s a corker isn’t it?
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July 20, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Same here. The Frankie & Johnny one made me LOL. 😀
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July 23, 2013 at 8:06 am
LOL! Yeah, I’ll be looking out for that reaction the next time I see the film Monkey.
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July 17, 2013 at 1:10 pm
I love this feature! And the tidbits this week were particularly interesting, so thank you 🙂
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July 17, 2013 at 6:58 pm
Thanks for the support. It’s always nice to hear that people enjoy these posts. 🙂
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July 17, 2013 at 1:53 pm
Number 3 is fucking great!!
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July 17, 2013 at 6:59 pm
Haha! I like your positivity my man! 🙂
Boat Drinks!
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July 17, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Very interesting tidbits as always 🙂 Poor Jared Leto.
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July 17, 2013 at 7:00 pm
Thanks Fernando! He does seem to delve into his roles often, though, doesn’t he. And doesn’t quite receive much recognition for it.
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July 18, 2013 at 1:57 am
Nope. Very underrated actor.
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July 18, 2013 at 7:53 am
Indeed he is 🙂
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July 17, 2013 at 3:07 pm
I LOVE the film ‘The full Monty’. Fun read 🙂
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July 17, 2013 at 7:01 pm
Thanks again, Cindy. Bet you wish you were in that extras crowd? 😉
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July 17, 2013 at 9:57 pm
LOL. –Hey! Stop by my blog, darn you! I like it when you visit. 🙂
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July 18, 2013 at 7:52 am
😉 Just kidding.
I will stop by. All all honesty, I’ve not been stopping by many blogs at the moment. I’m really busy just now and my chances to read others’ posts has taken a back seat for the time being. Not to worry, though, I’ll remedy that.
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July 17, 2013 at 3:56 pm
Good stuff brother. I go back to #1. I can’t see anyone but Kevin Costner playing that role. Isn’t it funny a strong we connect a movie to lead performer? Love that film. Keep up the good work!
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July 17, 2013 at 7:03 pm
Thanks bro! I totally agree on #1. Costner was very suited to that role. It’s hard to picture anyone else. Great movie, too.
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July 17, 2013 at 6:09 pm
Fascinating list, Mark!! No way in hell am I ever going to watch a 48-hour movie, though. Crazy!
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July 17, 2013 at 7:05 pm
Cheers Tom. I’m with you on that movie. I have absolutely no interest in it whatsoever. That’s a just a tad too self-indulgent for me.
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July 17, 2013 at 7:38 pm
Could you imagine Don Johnson as Eliot Ness??? My gods that would have been bad. Ryan Gosling the first Canadian to be nominated for the best actor Oscar! GO CANADA!
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July 18, 2013 at 7:41 am
Can’t imagine Don Johnson at all and I’m glad it didn’t happen. That would have been disastrous.
Gosling was the first Canadian in 60 years to be nominated for Best Actor. Thought you might like that one. That one was with yourself in mind. I like to post stuff for certain people occasionally. 🙂
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July 17, 2013 at 7:41 pm
Great tidbits as always Mark! I’m actually glad those actors turned down the role of Ness, I like Costner in Untouchables. WOW, that’s an incredible trivia on Brando! If I were him I’d be signing stuff left and right, ahah. I quite like Analyze This, boy I’d be curious what Scorsese would’ve done with that.
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July 18, 2013 at 7:43 am
I’m with you on all accounts Ruth. Costner was perfectly suited as Ness and it does make you wonder how Scorsese would have tackled Analyze This. His dark comedy After Hours was really good so he might have been up to the job.
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July 18, 2013 at 2:13 pm
Boy I didn’t even know Scorsese made a dark comedy. I should check out After Hours.
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July 18, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Yeah, give it a look. After Hours is twisted, dark little film. Plenty to enjoy.
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July 17, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Jared Leto: What a fucking idiot.
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July 18, 2013 at 7:44 am
Haha! Is that because of his diet or because you’re a Diaz fan? 😉
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July 18, 2013 at 1:44 am
Nice tidbits as always. That Reservoir Dogs one is interesting.
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July 18, 2013 at 7:53 am
Cheers man! Yeah, some interesting casting choices for Reservoir Dogs there.
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July 18, 2013 at 4:33 am
Love #5! Wonder if I can track that down?…
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July 18, 2013 at 7:54 am
I’m not sure if you could track it down, Misty. Personally, I just wouldn’t have time for that one.
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July 18, 2013 at 10:36 am
Mark this is a brilliant feature. It’s always interesting and surprising.
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July 18, 2013 at 2:04 pm
Cheers Chris! I love me some trivia. 🙂
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July 18, 2013 at 12:42 pm
Here’s some good info on the longest movies ever. “The Longest Most Meaningless Movie in the World“ was the longest film until ’87. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_films_by_running_time
They’re all pretty much art installations, experimental works or clips spliced together. Shoah, the Holocaust doc at 9 hours, might be the longest film I ever seen though in parts. The Best of Youth at 6 hours is the longest one I’ve sat through.
Didn’t know Gosling was Canadian.
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July 18, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Damn Dave! I’d actually heard of that Danish film before and it went right out of my head. Nice info my man. It’s still too long for me to ever go near, though. Those documentaries are a bit much for me as well. Kudos, man.
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July 19, 2013 at 11:50 am
De Niro, Pacino, Tarantino, Brando, Gosling AND Leto!!!!!!! Congrats Mark, you ticked all the boxes and compiled your best list. It can’t be topped, so you may as well quit now brother!!! 🙂
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July 19, 2013 at 12:01 pm
Wahey! I finally done it? At last, man.
You can now take comfort in the fact that all future posts will be shite in your eyes 😉
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July 19, 2013 at 12:05 pm
Exactly!! I’m not even going to bother reading any more as they will just be second rate in comparison 😉
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July 19, 2013 at 12:08 pm
Haha! I can only thank you for your encouragement to better myself up until now. It’s been a pleasure working with you Sansei. Wax-off! 😉
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July 20, 2013 at 4:35 pm
Mark, you know I am a big fan of trivia. Some great stuff here. I learned. Love the Kirk and Spock tidbit. haha that must have indeed been a surprise!
great to see this segment man. Love it. Have a great weekend, my friend!
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July 23, 2013 at 8:10 am
Thanks T. I brought this back a few weeks ago so you may have missed a couple. Still, it’s great to hear that you’re still enjoying them. Cheers man.
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August 6, 2013 at 1:49 am
Loved #3
And #10 needs a flow chart to keep track of
Thanks again for these.
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August 7, 2013 at 12:09 am
Glad to hear you enjoyed them Vic. I’ve been a little lackadaisical with them of late but more will follow soon.
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