ONTD Original: Wholesome Movie Trivia: Old Hollywood Edition
It Happened One Night (1934)
* Clark Gable won an Oscar for his performance but later gave the statue to a child who admired it. Gable reportedly said that the winning of the Oscar is what mattered, not the owning it. The child returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clark's death.
* Bugs Bunny is said to be inspired by this film: the personality of Oscar Shapely and the way Peter Warne (Gable) eats a carrot.
* first movie to win the Oscar "Grand Slam": Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay. (The only other 2 movies to do this were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs.)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
* Gene Kelly, a notorious taskmaster, clashed often with newbie dancer Debbie Reynolds. At one point Fred Astaire, working in a nearby dance studio, found Reynolds crying under a piano. He comforted her and told her all her hard work was worth it.
* when Kathy Selden (Reynolds) is dubbing Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) it is actually Hagen herself speaking. So Jean Hagen is dubbing Debbie Reynolds who is dubbing Jean Hagen.
* Cyd Charisse had to be taught how to smoke a cigarette during the Broadway sequence. She's stated that she never smoked another cigarette after that.
Harvey (1950)
* at the suggestion of James Stewart, the director widened several shots so "Harvey" could fit into frame.
* the cast and crew would often set out an extra chair at lunch for "Harvey" and even order him something to eat.
* director Henry Koster loved working with Stewart: "without any doubt one of the most pleasant experiences of my life...It must have been his spirit. There was very little friction, ever, only ambition and craftsmanship and precision, just doing it right professionally. On top of that he put the whipped cream of great talent...He was always the first on the set."
The Women (1939)
* There are over 130 roles in this movie, all played by women. Every animal is female as well.
* When Rosalind Russell was seen dancing with the director at the wrap party, she was told "If you want more close-ups in the picture, never mind dancing with your director, you'd better dance with Norma Shearer!" Without missing a beat, she grabbed Shearer by the hand and danced her across the floor.
* One of Freddie Mercury's favorite films.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
* the Halloween sequence was primarily filmed with low angles so the audience would get a better feel of how children experienced it.
* the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (featured in the movie) is believed to have popularized the waffle-style ice cream cone. It also first introduced Dr. Pepper to a national audience. (OP note: thank you from this Diet Dr Pepper stan. It's the sweet one!) #notsponsored
* Judy Garland met her husband Vincente Minnelli on the set of this film. She later claimed she married him because she felt so beautiful during filming.
** this isn't wholesome but I wanted to point out that Margaret O'Brien sounded like a little shit on set. She was an angel when her mother was around and a demon when she wasn't. (AKA the set up for the WORST episodes of every 80s & 90s sitcom ever.) She particularly liked to mess with the prop master, rearranging the table settings after he meticulously set them up. She very well knew he wouldn't yell at her because she was one of the stars so all she got was an exasperated, "Please, Maggie dear!"
the poor Meet Me in St Louis prop master:
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
* for one of the movie's most famous scenes 200 hard boiled eggs were prepared. Thanks to clever editing, Paul Newman only ate about 8. The rest was fed to the cast and crew which led to a very smelly set. :(
* Jack Lemmon was originally selected to play Luke. After reading the script, he felt Paul Newman was a better fit. Lemmon took on a producing role instead.
* Paul Newman requested that the writers not tailor the script to him or his strengths. He wanted a part that would challenge him.
ONTD, what's your favorite classic movie? Are you enjoying a waffle cone or diet soda on this wholesome Sunday?
SOURCES 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
* Clark Gable won an Oscar for his performance but later gave the statue to a child who admired it. Gable reportedly said that the winning of the Oscar is what mattered, not the owning it. The child returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clark's death.
* Bugs Bunny is said to be inspired by this film: the personality of Oscar Shapely and the way Peter Warne (Gable) eats a carrot.
* first movie to win the Oscar "Grand Slam": Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay. (The only other 2 movies to do this were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs.)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
* Gene Kelly, a notorious taskmaster, clashed often with newbie dancer Debbie Reynolds. At one point Fred Astaire, working in a nearby dance studio, found Reynolds crying under a piano. He comforted her and told her all her hard work was worth it.
* when Kathy Selden (Reynolds) is dubbing Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) it is actually Hagen herself speaking. So Jean Hagen is dubbing Debbie Reynolds who is dubbing Jean Hagen.
* Cyd Charisse had to be taught how to smoke a cigarette during the Broadway sequence. She's stated that she never smoked another cigarette after that.
Harvey (1950)
* at the suggestion of James Stewart, the director widened several shots so "Harvey" could fit into frame.
* the cast and crew would often set out an extra chair at lunch for "Harvey" and even order him something to eat.
* director Henry Koster loved working with Stewart: "without any doubt one of the most pleasant experiences of my life...It must have been his spirit. There was very little friction, ever, only ambition and craftsmanship and precision, just doing it right professionally. On top of that he put the whipped cream of great talent...He was always the first on the set."
The Women (1939)
* There are over 130 roles in this movie, all played by women. Every animal is female as well.
* When Rosalind Russell was seen dancing with the director at the wrap party, she was told "If you want more close-ups in the picture, never mind dancing with your director, you'd better dance with Norma Shearer!" Without missing a beat, she grabbed Shearer by the hand and danced her across the floor.
* One of Freddie Mercury's favorite films.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
* the Halloween sequence was primarily filmed with low angles so the audience would get a better feel of how children experienced it.
* the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition (featured in the movie) is believed to have popularized the waffle-style ice cream cone. It also first introduced Dr. Pepper to a national audience. (OP note: thank you from this Diet Dr Pepper stan. It's the sweet one!) #notsponsored
* Judy Garland met her husband Vincente Minnelli on the set of this film. She later claimed she married him because she felt so beautiful during filming.
** this isn't wholesome but I wanted to point out that Margaret O'Brien sounded like a little shit on set. She was an angel when her mother was around and a demon when she wasn't. (AKA the set up for the WORST episodes of every 80s & 90s sitcom ever.) She particularly liked to mess with the prop master, rearranging the table settings after he meticulously set them up. She very well knew he wouldn't yell at her because she was one of the stars so all she got was an exasperated, "Please, Maggie dear!"
the poor Meet Me in St Louis prop master:
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
* for one of the movie's most famous scenes 200 hard boiled eggs were prepared. Thanks to clever editing, Paul Newman only ate about 8. The rest was fed to the cast and crew which led to a very smelly set. :(
* Jack Lemmon was originally selected to play Luke. After reading the script, he felt Paul Newman was a better fit. Lemmon took on a producing role instead.
* Paul Newman requested that the writers not tailor the script to him or his strengths. He wanted a part that would challenge him.
Click to viewONTD, what's your favorite classic movie? Are you enjoying a waffle cone or diet soda on this wholesome Sunday?
SOURCES 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8