FILM 1483: WAG THE DOG

TRIVIA: After this film started production and before its release, US President Bill Clinton became involved in a sex scandal and threatened military action against Iraq.

During the filming of Wag the Dog (1997) Dustin Hoffman, his co-star Robert De Niro and director Barry Levinson had an impromptu meeting with President Bill Clinton at a Washington hotel. "So what's this movie about?" Clinton asked De Niro. De Niro looked over to Levinson, hoping he would answer the question. Levinson, in turn, looked over to Hoffman. Hoffman, realizing there was no one else to pass the buck to, is quoted as saying, "So I just started to tap dance. I can't even remember what I said."

"Why change horses midstream?" was originally a campaign slogan for Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

The talk show phone number, (800) 555-0199, is common to many films and television shows because this is the only number that has been reserved by the phone company as an allowable "fake" 800 number for media usage.

Conrad's line, "A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow," is a quote from WWII General George S. Patton.

The scene in which shoes laced together are hanging from telephone and electric wires was shot on East Capitol Street a few blocks behind the U.S. Capitol. The production crew left several pairs of shoes behind and they remained hanging on the wires for years.

The character of Winifred Ames was originally written for a man.

Motss' claim "there is no Academy Award for producing" is (technically) incorrect, since the Academy Award for Best Picture has always been given to the main producers of a film.

It was filmed in 28 days, during a pause in other Barry Levinson's movie, Sphere (1998).

FILM 1361: THE UNTOUCHABLES

TRIVIA: Robert De Niro tracked down Al Capone's original tailors and had them make him some identical clothing for the movie.

Brian De Palma met Bob Hoskins over a drink in Los Angeles to discuss playing Al Capone if De Palma's first choice Robert De Niro were to pass on the role. Since De Niro had not yet said yes, Hoskins told De Palma he would do it if he were available. When De Niro finally took the role, De Palma sent Hoskins a thank you note, and the studio paid Hoskins, who had a "pay or play" deal, $200,000. Hoskins called De Palma and asked if there were any more movies the director did not want him to be in.

An envelope is dropped on the desk of Eliot Ness in one scene. It is assumed to be a bribe but the amount inside is never revealed. In real life, Al Capone promised Eliot Ness that two $1,000 notes would be on his desk every Monday morning if he turned a blind eye to his bootlegging activities (an enormous amount of money then). Ness refused the bribe and in later years struggled with money. He died almost broke at the age of 54.

In real life, Al Capone, knowing that killing a Prohibition agent would only lead to more trouble than he or his outfit could handle, actually had a non-violence order to his men, concerning the Untouchables. While Capone did repeatedly attempt to buy them off, he never once attempted to kill Ness or any of his men.

The scene where Al Capone (Robert De Niro) pulls out a baseball bat at a dinner party and suddenly beats to death one of his men is based on a true incident which happened on May 7, 1929. Two of Capone's most feared hit men, Albert Anselmi and John Scalise, had hatched a plot to kill Capone and take over his gang. Capone got wind of it and invited all his associates to a dinner party, including Anselmi and Scalise. In the middle of the party, Capone pulled out a baseball bat and battered both men to death, then shot them both in the head. A conflicting version of the story has Tony "Joe Batters" Accardo, one of Capone's hit men, as the man who bludgeoned the traitors to death.

Despite the final courtroom scene in this movie, the real Al Capone and Eliot Ness never came face to face during their battles.

Michael Douglas, Don Johnson and Mel Gibson were considered for the role of Eliot Ness and rejected. Harrison Ford was offered but turned down the role before Kevin Costner was signed.

When Agent George Stone is introduced, Malone finds out that his real name is Giuseppe Petri and he was born in Italy. In Italian, Giuseppe Petri can be literally translated as "Joseph Stone".

Sean Connery turned up to the shoot in his golf clothes they did a close open and Sean was dismissed for the day. He came back after a full day of golf, acted for five minutes then went to go home. Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith grabbed him after the scene and said that was very clever of you, you just got back from golf turn up for five minutes and do your scene and that's it. Connery turned to them and said, "this is not my first BBQ."

Patricia Clarkson's film debut.

http://everyday-i-show.livejournal.com/195397.html

FILM 1215: FRANKENSTEIN

TRIVIA: It was during the filming of this movie that Kenneth Branagh, then married to Emma Thompson, fell in love with Helena Bonham Carter.

Robert De Niro studied stroke victims to get a purchase on speech that is struggling to emerge.

Producer Francis Ford Coppola had originally planned to direct the film himself as a companion piece to Dracula (1992), but eventually stepped back to let Kenneth Branagh direct. Coppola later regretted his decision after a number of disagreements with Branagh during filming.

Gérard Depardieu and Andy Garcia were early suggestions for the role of the Creature.

Frank Darabont has said in interviews he was displeased with finished film feeling Kenneth Brangh had mishandled the project.

FILM 1202: ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA

TRIVIA: Sergio Leone had refused the offer to direct The Godfather (1972), an opportunity he deeply regretted. This may have partly inspired him to try a gangster film; Leone has also notably used the flashback technique pioneered in The Godfather: Part II (1974)

Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Noodles.

When filming was completed, the footage ran to a total of 8-10 hours. Director Sergio Leone and editor Nino Baragli trimmed the footage to around 6 hours, with the plan of releasing the film as two three-hour movies. The producers refused this idea and Leone had to further cut the film down to 3 hours 49 minutes.

Robert De Niro suggested that James Woods wear a set of perfect, bright white teeth to demonstrate Secretary Bailey's wealth and vanity. The producers balked at the cost, so De Niro paid for them himself.

This was Jennifer Connelly's first feature film role.

This was Sergio Leone's final film.

The phone rings a total of 24 times near the beginning of the movie.

Sergio Leone based the film's visual style on the paintings of artists Reginald Marsh, Edward Hopper, and Norman Rockwell and Edgar Degas (for Deborah's dancing scenes) and the photographs of Jacob Riis (for the 1922 sequences).

By 1980, Sergio Leone spoke of casting Paul Newman as old Noodles and Tom Berenger as young Noodles; the role of Max going to Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel or John Malkovich; Liza Minnelli would be Deborah and Brooke Shields as young Deborah; and Claudia Cardinale would be Carol.

During the baby-switching scene, the music heard is "La gazza ladra" ("The Thieving Magpie"), a musical overture by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini.