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Movie Trivia
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This page is intended to be interesting and a bunch of fun for
those who enjoy arcane movie trivia.
PAGE CONTENTS:
Movie Tidbits
Movie Terminology
If Not For Movies
Foreign Movie Titles
College Cliches in Horror Movies
Advice For Scary Situations (From Horror Movies)
Movie Tidbits
Robert Mitchum was an actor's actor. He enjoyed his celebrity, but never took being a star very seriously.
His movie career began during World War II, when the rugged, sleepy-eyed actor was fired from an aircraft plant because he
threw a punch at his foreman. Acting in the movies, he figured, couldn't be any worse. Years later, he was arrested for marijuana
possession. Miraculously, his film career survived the scathing publicity — in fact, Mitchum became even more popular
after the headline event. It was a first in the U.S. film industry for a major star to be arrested and not have his/her career
terminated by an outraged studio or public. Copyright © 2008 Arcamax Pulishing, Inc., and its licensors. All
rights reserved.
Because metal was scarce; the Oscars given out during World War II were made of plaster.
In the early 1950s, Clint Eastwood signed a $75-a-week contract with Universal to do walk-ons in low-budget horror flicks
like Revenge of the Creature. He was fired when studio executives decided his Adam's apple protruded too much for him to be
star material. For some time, Eastwood took on odd jobs, such as digging swimming pools, to augment what little money he could
make from small parts in TV series like Highway Patrol. However, once he was cast as Rowdy Yates on the TV western Rawhide
in 1958, Eastwood's star began to shoot to the top.
Before she took to her bed permanently at 80,
film legend Marlene Dietrich was almost as famous for her sexual conquests as she was for her acting and singing. The immortal
screen goddess was a bisexual beauty known for having slept with such legends as Frank Sinatra, Edith Piaf, Kirk Douglas,
Adlai Stevenson, and even John F. Kennedy – whom Dietrich claimed to have bedded when she was 62.
Once, while visiting Monte Carlo, Charlie Chaplin entered
a "Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest." He not only didn't win, but he came in third.
Gary Cooper's real name was
Frank. His agent renamed him "Gary" because his hometown was Gary, Indiana.
The nickname "Tinsel Town" was coined by Oscar
Levant, the pianist,composer who observed: "Strip the phoney tinsel off Hollywood, andyou'll find the real tinsel underneath.
Cecil B. DeMille did not want to take any chances with his opulent epic
"King of Kings" (1927). His two stars, H. B. Warner, cast as Jesus Christ, and Dorothy Cummings as Mary, were required to
sign agreements which prohibited them from appearing in film roles that might compromise their "holy" screen images for a
5-year period. DeMille also ordered them not to be seen doing any "un-biblical" activities during the film's shooting. These
activities included attending ball games, playing cards, frequenting night clubs, swimming, and riding in convertibles.
Clint Eastwood was 41 years old when he debuted in the role of maverick
Det. "Dirty" Harry Calahan in the action film "Dirty Harry" (1971). Reportedly, the part had been turned down by Paul Newman,
John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra. Eastwood insisted on performing his own action stunts, including the famous
scene where he jumped from a bridge to the roof of a moving school bus.
In the movie, "Field of Dreams", the lead characters attend a game at Fenway Park, where the
name of a baseball player appears on the scoreboard. It was an actual former major leaguer who played one game but never
got an at-bat. The player was Archibald "Moonlight" Graham. He played one game for the New York Giants in 1905,
then quit five days later and , as he did in the movie, became a doctor.
In 1984, when "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was released, the MPAA didn't think the
film deserved an "R" rating, but parents were shocked at the violence and disturbing images in the film. So they created a
rating between "PG" and "R" -- "PG-13"!
Ironically, there was an American silent-era film actor named HarrisonFord. Born on March 16,
1884 in Kansas City, Missouri, this HarrisonFord made films from 1915 to 1931, including Zander the Great (1925),The Price
of a Party (1924), Vanity Fair (1923), Her Beloved Villain(1920), A Lady In Love (1920), Hawthorne of the U.S.A. (1919), Girls(1919),
and Experimental Marriage (1919). He died in 1957 in WoodlandHills, California - the "other" Harrison Ford of Star Wars, Raiders
ofthe Lost Ark, The Fugitive, and Clear and Present Danger fame, wasjust 15 years old at that time.
During the Depression, "B" movies were coupled with "A" movies to produce
a double-billing at U.S. theaters. This was a desperate effort of film studio heads to draw in budget-conscience audiences
with meager allowances for entertainment. By the 1940s, Columbia Pictures and MGM had perfected the "B" flick to the point
that it was difficult to tell it from an "A" picture. "B" movies were profitable, and Universal Pictures turned out an average
of one B-film each week. Most B-films took from 7 days to 3 weeks (including Saturdays) to make. Scant time was spent on rehearsals
or costume fittings. Work was plentiful for actors in the 1940s and 1950s, and appearing in ten or more B-films a year was
not unusual. Few got rich as A-film actors did, but acting in B-films provided a comfortable and dependable living.
Should you quit your day job and write that movie script?
Probably not - The Writers Guild of America Registration Office states that approximately 20,000 movie scripts are
registered with the Guild each year and that, of these, less than 1 percent are picked up by a studio and made into a film.
False eyelashes were invented by film director D.W. Griffith while he was making the 1916 epic, "Intolerance."
He wanted actress Seena Owen to have lashes that brushed her cheeks.
Bert Lahr's unforgettable performance in The Wizard of Oz in 1939apparently hurt his career
in films. He told friend George Burns thattypecasting meant "that they call me every time a role comes up for acowardly lion.
Otherwise, they don't call me."
Which country
makes the most movies?
India, not the United States,
is the number one movie producer in the world. Annually, India averages more than 800 films compared to just over
500 in the U.S.
CUT! Moviegoers tend to take the film editing process
for granted today. However, the very concept of it was revolutionary at the turn of the century. The first film shot and edited
with intercutting for a more complex narrative — rather than telling a story as if it were a filmed stage play —
was Edwin S. Porter's innovative The Life of an American Fireman in 1902. It was the first film to use editing to tell a story
from two points of view, and to intercut between two places and courses of action.
What do all those movie terms mean?
If you watch the credits at the end of a movie, you've probably seen
some credits that don't seem to make much sense. Following are a "translations" of some of these common motion picture terms.
Gaffer - The chief electrician on a film unit, responsible for the lighting of a set under instructions
from the director of photography. Under their supervision the electrical crew positions the appropriate lamps before and during
a shooting session.
Stand-In - A substitute
for a motion picture star during the tedious process of preparing scenes, setting up the camera, taking light-meter readings,
adjusting lights, etc. They're chosen for their physical resemblance to a particular star, in size, coloring, and facial features.
The stand-in may occasionally be used to substitute for the star in long shots or crowd scenes that require no acting.
Best
Boy - An assistant or apprentice, such as the assistant to the
gaffer or the key grip.
Associate Producer
- Nominally a producer's second-in-command, they often share both creative and business responsibilities with the producer.
Sometimes they're the actual producer of a film with the credited producer functioning only as a figurehead.
Producer
- The person exercising overall control over the production of a motion
picture and holding ultimate responsibility. Ideally, a producer should be a combination of businessman, taskmaster, cost
accountant, diplomat, and creative visionary. But producers vary widely in personality, in the extent of their authority,
and in the degree of their involvement. Typically, however, their job begins long before the start of production and does
not end until long after the film is completed.
Body Make-Up Artist - According to Hollywood union regulations, the ordinary makeup artist, usually a man, is allowed
to apply cosmetics only from the top of the head to the apex of the breastbone and from the tips of the fingers to the elbows.
All other areas of the body are the province of the body makeup artist.
Grip - A general-purpose handyman, the movie set's counterpart of the theater's stagehand.
Duties include laying dolly tracks, moving flats, setting up parallels, building platforms, placing reflectors and gobos,
doing light carpentry, and generally performing tasks that require brawn.
Key Grip
- The head grip on a film set, in charge of a group of people, usually numbering from five to fifteen.
What's the purpose of that snap-box contraption they clack
in front of a movie camera just before filming a take?
I don't know how many times I've seen one of these things in some TV
documentary about the movies and never asked myself why the heck they needed it. But sure as shootin,' just before the camera
roles, some fool sticks this box that has the title and take number printed on it in front of the camera and clacks it.
The
key, it turns out, is in the clack. The purpose of this mysterious ritual is to synchronize the soundtrack with the picture.
In the editing room during post-production, the editor can align the soundtrack for the entire scene by synchronizing the
clack sound with the frame in which the box - it's called a clapboard - is snapped closed.
Then again, sometimes it's
more fun if King Kong opens his mouth to roar and you hear instead someone ordering a coffee with milk and a piece of Danish.
Source:
THE STRAIGHT DOPE by Cecil Adams
If Not For Movies:
Movies are a great thing. They not only keep you entertained, but are a pillar in the educational community
sphere(Nah, I have no idea what I just said...it's late). The following are things that you never would have known if it were
not for movies:
One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one.
It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will
wait patiently to attach you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.
If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises wearing their most revealing underwear.
This is where horror movies differ from pornos. In a horror, they are wearing skimpy lingerie, and no shoes. In a porno, they
are wearing no lingerie, but spiked shoes.
If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at
any time of the year.
All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
It's easy for anyone
to land a plane, providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.
Once applied, lipstick will never
rub off - even while scuba diving.
You're likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing
someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.
When paying for a taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over.
It will always be the exact fare.
During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.
Cars
and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.
A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the
size of a football stadium.
If a killer is lurking in your house, it's easy to find him. Just relax and run a bath
- even if it's the middle of the afternoon.
Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.
Even when driving down a
perfectly straight road, it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.
Dogs
always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.
Police departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned
a partner who is their total opposite.
Foreign Movie Titles
On November 15, 1998, the New York Times reported on American movie titles that were creatively
translated into other languages around the globe. According to the Times, the Cantonese language versions of such films were:
US Leaving Las Vegas
CHINA I'm a Drunk And You're a Prostitute
US Field of Dreams
CHINA Imaginary Dead Baseball Players Live In My Cornfield
US The Crying Game
CHINA Oh No! My Girlfriend Has a
Penis!
US Interview With the Vampire
CHINA So, You're a Lawyer
US Babe
CHINA The Happy Dumpling-to-be Who Talks and
Solves Agricultural Problems
US My Best Friend's Wedding
CHINA Help! My Pretend Boyfriend
is Gay
US George of the Jungle
CHINA Big Dumb Monkey Man Keeps
Whacking Tree With Genitals
US Batman and Robin
CHINA Come to My Cave and Wear This
Rubber Codpiece, Cute Boy
US Barb Wire
CHINA Delicate Orbs of Womanhood
Bigger Than Your Head Can Hurt You
COLLEGE CLICHES IN HORROR MOVIES:
Most of the
students are always way too stupid to be in college.
The big time jocks are always the first to go, so brawn does
not matter.
If you are a blonde with big breasts, don't get naked or you're a goner.
Never go exploring in
that creepy deserted building.
Avoid any college with asylums or prisons near by.
Stick with the brainy wallflower,
she usually ends up surviving.
Never take a shower if you have seen dead bodies, even if you are covered in blood.
If there is a medical school nearby, avoid the morgue.
If you are in a Frat or Sorority, beware of any recently
rejected pledges, especially if they were released from a nearby asylum.
Campus Police are pretty much on the level
of Keystone Kops.
Never stay in the dorms during extended holidays.
Advice For Scary Situations (From Horror Movies)
* When it appears that you have killed the monster, never check
to see if it's really dead.
* Never read a book of demon summoning aloud, even as a joke.
* Do not search
the basement, especially if the power has just gone out.
* When you have the benefit of numbers, never pair off and
go it alone.
* Never stand in, on, above, below, beside, or anywhere near a grave, tomb, crypt, mausoleum, or other
house of the dead.
* If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave
the room immediately if you value your life.
* If appliances start operating by themselves, move out.
* If
you find a town which looks deserted, it's probably for a reason. Take the hint and stay away.
* If you're running
from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are of the female persuasion. Also note that, despite
the fact that you are running and the monster is merely rambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.
* If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glow-ing
eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, get away from them as fast as possible.
* Stay away from certain geographical
locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in
Maine.
* If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.
*
If you see a town that looks deserted except for children, do not try to 'help' them - they will eat you.
* Do not
allow crewmates back aboard the craft if and after you have found a hideous parasite attached to his/her body.
* Be
forewarned that a gun is only good for ALMOST killing the monster, never for COMPLETELY killing it. Be sure to have an extra
weapon, preferably one with a "flair" (a knife, a harpoon, a heavy box, razor confetti, pop tarts...)
* Don't open
the closed door, especially if you hear scratching, heavy breathing, or the voice of a dear relative whom you THOUGHT was
dead.
* If you are a female, never show your breasts. Easy women die fast.
* Never camp or build homes on
Indian burial grounds.
* If the phone lines are dead, and you hear footsteps upstairs, and you say "Tom... Tom is
that you?" and Tom does not answer, run away.
* If you have to run away, taking a bus is your best bet. If you take
a car the monster will be in it.
Copyright 2006
by NextEra Media. All rights reserved. Go ahead and forward this, in its entirety, to others.
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