Movie Urban Legends Revealed #4
This is the fourth in a series of examinations of legends from movies and the people who make them and whether they are true or false.
Click here to view an archive of the previous movie urban legends.
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Movie Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Movie Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. Ariel from the Little Mermaid was based on the facial features of Alyssa Milano.
3. J. Edgar Hoover had casting say over the film The FBI Story.
4. Tony Curtis said that kissing Marilyn Monroe was “like kissing Hitler.”
5. Kirk Cameron will not kiss any woman other than his wife, not even for an acting role.
7. Nia Vardalos worked on the film Sorority Sluts 3.
8. Filming of Cheyenne Autumn was halted due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
9. In Singin’ in the Rain, there was a bizarre series of voice dubbings.
13. “As Time Goes By” would have been removed from Casablance had it not been for a haircut.
15. Kevin Smith once picketed his own film.
16. W.C. Fields has an epitaph on his gravestone referring to Philadelphia.
19. Elvis Presley’s first on-screen kiss became a Catholic nun a few years later.
20. Frances McDormand almost lost her role in Blood Simple because she had to watch a soap opera.
21. John Gilbert’s voice translated so poorly to “talkies” that his career was ruined.
22. Die Hard was a screen adaptation of the sequel of a book that also was adapted into a film.
23. Oliver Reed appeared in scenes in Gladiator filmed after the actor died.
24. The FBI felt that It’s a Wonderful Life was communist propaganda.
25. A scene had to be removed from the film The Program because teenagers were killed imitating it.
31. A trained camel saved Peter O’Toole’s life on the set of Lawrence of Arabia.
32. The last words Walt Disney wrote before he died were “Kurt Russell”
33. Roger Moore was Ian Fleming’s first choice to portray James Bond on film.
34. Underage actors resulted in a number of interesting filming issues during Superbad.
36. Beverly Hills Cop was written for Sylvester Stallone.
38. Ava Gardner made extremely disparaging comments about filming in Melbourne, Australia.
39. An actress took on the name of the character she was playing in a film.
41. Army of Darkness featured a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle as a cameo/joke.
42. Steven Spielberg won a percentage of the profits of the original Star Wars film in a bet.
43. Don Ameche’s name used to be slang for “telephone.”
44. Jean Acker sued for the right to call herself “Mrs. Rudolph Valentino.”
45. There really a giant octopus in The Goonies.
46. John Wayne once took a George Stevens cue in a memorably pun-derful direction.
47. The dog Pal was acquired TWICE for sums that, in retrospect, seem to be quite astronomically low.
48. Die Hard With a Vengeance was originally written as Lethal Weapon 4
49. FedEx paid to have their products appear in the film Cast Away.
50. Tom Hanks’ acceptance speech at the Academy Awards inspired the movie In & Out.
51. An actor was almost denied appearing in the film Philadelphia because of his HIV status.
55. Ray Bolger occasionally set himself on fire while on set during the filming of the Wizard of Oz.
58. Marlon Brando made a “miraculous recovery” while preparing for his first motion picture role.
59. Shirley Williams almost got the lead in National Velvet!
60. A fictional character was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award.
62. Michael Bay apologized for the film Armageddon
64. Fast Times at Ridgemont High used the song “Kashmir” even though it did not fit into the script.
67. A Hard Day’s Night was filmed in black and white to save on costs.
68. A John Wayne anti-Communism film was dubbed in Europe and other places as an anti-drug film.
71. The Trayvon Martin case led to a Sci-Fi comedy film changing its title.
73. The car chase in The French Connection was done without any permits.
75. There is an X-Rated Director’s Cut of the film Scarface
76. House Party nearly starred DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
80. Marty McFly originally time-traveled in a refrigerator in Back to the Future.
81. Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin had a memorable first meeting outside of a movie theater.
82. Carole Lombard’s death led to a notable edit in her last film.
84. Was Nightmare on Elm Street seriously inspired by the 1970s pop hit “Dream Weaver”?
86. Did famed Alien designer H.R. Giger really design a Batmobile for Batman Forever?
87. Stephen Spielberg directed his first work for a studio when he was 21 years old.
88. Bob Dylan co-wrote “The Ballad of Easy Rider.”
89. Nintendo owns the rights to Super Hornio Brothers, a porn parody of Super Mario Brothers.
90. The assistant in Frankenstein was named Igor.
92. Concern over toy sales kept Han Solo from being killed off in Return of the Jedi.
93. A typo led to the title of the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
95. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel won two Academy Awards for Documentaries.
97. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was originally going to be a horror film.
98. Gwyneth Paltrow had an interesting approach to a radio contest revolving around her.
99. Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. attended Harvard University.
100. More than 40 actors in Philadelphia died of AIDS within a few years of the film’s release.
109. Lalo Schifrin re-used his rejected score for The Exorcist for The Amityville Horror.
110. Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots.
111. Darth Vader was not originally Luke Skywalker’s father in The Empire Strikes Back.
113. Godzilla was originally going to be a giant octopus.
114. There was no secret decoder ring in A Christmas Story.
115. Black Widow very nearly had a movie before Iron Man and Thor.
116. Pretty in Pink originally ended with Andie and Duckie together.
118. All of the timepieces in Pulp Fiction are set to 4:20.
119. ‘N Sync filmed appearances as Jedi knights in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
120. Universal Studios sued Nintendo over Donkey Kong infringing on their King Kong trademark.
121. Walt Disney used to not allow women to be trained as animators for his company.
122. An NFL team once drafted John Wayne when he was 63 years old.
126. Dumbledore was originally going to be straight in the Harry Potter movies.
127. The song “Let it Go” in Frozen saved Elsa from being a villain.
131. Harrison Ford accidentally auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars.
133. The mask used in Scream was discovered in an abandoned house during location scouting for the film.
134. Kevin Smith wrote a decoy screenplay for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
135. The film Major League originally had a dramatic twist at the end involving the team’s owner.
Ta da!
Music Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Music Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. – Harry Nillson’s coffin was lost during an earthquake
3. Bob Dylan had to re-record a song due to worries about slander/libel.
4. A musician was sued for infringing on the copyright of a silent song.
6. “Softly as I Leave You” was written by a dying man as his wife slept at his bed side.
7. Kiss got into trouble for the Kiss logo appearing to contain the logo for the Nazi S.S.
8. A musician used morse code to express his displeasure with his record company.
9. Polka was created in Poland.
10. A misheard lyric led to the title of the song “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”
11. George Michael’s “Father Figure” accidentally became a slow tempo song.
12. “Mr. Bojangles” is about the famous dancer Mr. Bojangles.
14. The song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was inspired by the film “Roman Holiday.”
15. The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” won a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental!
16. Michael Jackson’s song “Dirty Diana” was about Diana Ross and/or Princess Diana
17. An American poster company airbrushed a cigarette from a poster of the Beatles’ Abbey Road.
18. Bob Dylan had an amusing response to The Byrds changing the lyrics to one of his songs.
19. The Lovin’ Spoonful got their name from a slang term for heroin?
20. The Lovin’ Spoonful got their name from a slang term for male ejaculate?
21. The Lovin’ Spoonful were the original choice for the TV series that eventually became the Monkees.
24. Alvin and the Chipmunks made a comeback in 1980 based on a joke by a New York disc jockey
28. Stephen Sondheim’s “Marry Me A Little” was first recorded by Harry Nilsson…as a Christmas present!
29. Jon Bon Jovi’s first professional song recording was for a Star Wars Christmas Album.
31. Van Morrison was pressured to change his song “Brown Skinned Girl” to “Brown Eyed Girl.”
34. Carly Simon auctioned off the identity of who “You’re So Vain” was about for $50,000!
35. Bob Holness played saxophone on Gerry Rafferty’s hit, “Baker Street.”
36. Maya Rudolph is referenced by name in the song “Loving You.”
38. Morey Amsterdam wrote the song “Rum and Coca Cola.”
40. Igor Stravinsky was arrested for adding a chord to the U.S. National Anthem.
41. Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring caused a riot upon its first performance.
43. The band behind “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” did not really exist.
44. The Beatles used flag semaphore to spell out “help” on the cover of their album, Help!
45. During the Civil War, the Star-Spangled Banner had an extra verse written by Oliver Wendell Holmes!
46. William Zanzinger murdered Hattie Carroll by beating her to death with a cane.
47. Both the trees in Joshua Tree AND “One Tree Hill” have since died!
49. Marvin Gaye tried out for the Detroit Lions.
50. Frank Sinatra had to conduct an odd race against time to record “Strangers in the Night.”
51. The head of Madness’ record company bet his company that “It Must Be Love” would be a hit.
52. Billy Idol wrote “White Wedding” as a put down towards his sister.
53. Salman Rushdie secretly lived in Bono’s guest house in Ireland for four years.
54. Elton John wrote a song for a sports team that was gone before the song was even released.
55.Joe Walsh sneaked hidden messages via Morse Code into a couple of his songs.
58. The lyrics to “Every Breath You Take” are taken from an actual stalker’s letters.
59. Delbert McClinton taught John Lennon how to play the harmonica.
62. “We’ve Only Just Begun” was originally a song for a bank commercial.
63. Ricky Valance named himself after Richie Valens.
64. A non band member sang “Incense and Peppermints” because no one in the band wanted to.
66. “Hang On Sloopy” is the Official Rock Song of the State of Ohio.
67. Cher’s first single was a novelty song about Ringo Starr.
69. Bob Dylan lifted a number of lines from a Japanese novel for songs on his album “Love and Theft.”
70. Clem Snide’s “Moment in the Sun” is a parody of Jewel.
71. The song “Laura” is from the soundtrack of the film “Laura.”
73. “Unchained Melody” was actually the melody to the film Unchained!
74. “Danger Zone” was originally going to be a Toto song!
75. Barry Manilow wrote “Mandy” about his dog.
76. Giorgio Moroder wrote “Danger Zone” and “Take My Breath Away” with his former mechanic.
77. Old Crow Medicine Show co-wrote a song with Bob Dylan, working nearly thirty years apart!
78. Tom Lehrer quit writing protest songs because Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize.
79. The BBC forced a change to the song “The Cover of Rolling Stone” for it to be played in England.
81. David Bowie adapted the song Paul Anka used to write “My Way” before Anka!
82. “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night)” was originally about the repeal of Prohibition.
83. Kanye West wrote “Gold Digger” after seeing Jamie Foxx play Ray Charles in “Ray.”
84. The Crystals’ “He’s a Rebel” was not performed by The Crystals
85. Paul Anka got the publisher’s rights to “My Way” for free.
86. Angus Young was still a teenager when AC/DC signed their first record contract.
87. AC/DC was named after a slang term for bisexuality or a sly satanic reference.
89. Doublemint gum adapted Chris Brown’s “Forever” into a gum commercial.
90. The cereal Wheaties was saved from termination by a radio jingle.
92. Filter’s “Hey Man, Nice Shot” was about the real life suicide of Kurt Cobain.
94. Cher was one of the fake Crystals on the hit song “He’s a Rebel.”
95. The hit song “The Poor People of Paris” got its name through a mistaken translation.
96. Toto’s “Rosanna” was about Rosanna Arquette.
98. Jack Lawrence wrote a song for a one-year-old little girl who grew up to marry Paul McCartney.
102. The song “Let it Go” in Frozen saved Elsa from being a villain.
105. Outkast was sued by Rosa Parks for a song named after her.
106. Due to a marquee missing a “D,” the Food Fighters became the Foo Fighters.
107. 50 Cent was sued over the use of the term “it’s your birthday” in “In Da Club.”
108. The song “Mony Mony” was named after the bank Mutual of New York.
Ta da!
TV Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of TV Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link! The legends are in chronological order, so the most recent ones are at the end of the list!
3. There were no black people in Mayberry.
4. Spike Milligan wore a shirt that said “Hashish” on it when he was on the Muppet Show.
5. One of TV’s Friends had a painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
6. One of the stunt shots in the beginning of the Fall Guy was not even done by a stuntman.
7. Aaron Spelling paid Luke Perry’s salary himself for the first two seasons of 90210.
10. Warner Bros. sued a company over the rights to the term “Daisy Dukes.”
12. RTE turned down Father Ted because of a similar show already airing on RTE.
13. Good Times was not originally a spin-off of Maude.
14. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz divorced twice.
16. Clay Aiken learned of the results of American Idol Season 2 before they were revealed.
20. Allen Funt produced an adult version of Candid Camera called Candid Candid Camera.
24. An impostor came up on to the stage to accept Betty Thomas’ Emmy for her in 1985.
25. All My Children cut a storyline short in the middle of it because of the Oklahoma City bombing.
28. The Flintstones did commercials for Winston Cigarettes.
29. A Charlie Brown Christmas originally had an extra scene featuring its original sponsor.
30. The TV series Caprica was originally pitched NOT as a Battlestar Galactica tie-in!
31. A major character on Dark Shadows came into existence due to a typo!
35. The actress who played Judy on Family Matters went into adult films.
36. Cookie Monster was originally created as the “Wheel-Stealer” for a cheese snack commercial.
37. 60 Minutes gained its famous time slot due to an FCC regulation.
38. Jay Thomas’s character on Cheers was killed off because he called Rhea Perlman ugly.
39. Congressman Matt Santos was based on Barack Obama.
40. Barry Williams dated his TV mother, Florence Henderson.
41. An episode of How I Met Your Mother contained an genuine wedding proposal!
42. James Michael Tyler’s ability to work a cappuccino machine got him a decade-long acting gig.
43. Rebecca Schaeffer’s murder led to the cancellation of My Sister Sam.
45. The Mafia ordered a hit on Desi Arnaz for his role as the producer of The Untouchables
46. When the series was first conceived, Remington Steele was not going to exist…for real!
47. Johnny Carson accidentally caused a toilet paper shortage in 1973.
48. 77 Sunset Strip was released in theaters specifically to take away rights from the show’s creator.
50. NBC’s “Must See TV” was created for its Thursday night sitcom lineup.
52. Baretta was originally intended as a continuation of a previous series.
54. Joanna Kerns and Sandra Kerns are sisters (in the alternative, they are related)
56. The BBC bought the trademark to blue police boxes from the Metropolitan Police.
57. Julie Newmar once had a particularly cutting response to a crude remark by Michael Dunn.
59. The last episode of Ellery Queen aired as an episode of Murder…She Wrote!
60. Seaquest correctly predicted the Florida Marlins’ 2003 World Series victory.
61. Krusty the Clown was originally going to be Homer Simpson in disguise.
62. Kirstie Alley once had a publicist provide mother’s milk for Alley’s pet opossum.
63. Harrison Page was nominated for a Best Lead Actor Emmy Award for…Quantum Leap?!?
64. Dr. McCoy’s medical instruments on Star Trek were really just fancy salt shakers.
65. MTV canceled the TV series Fear because a contestant was killed during filming of an episode.
68. Star Trek once got John Drew Barrymore suspended from the Screen Actors Guild!
70. There are aliens hidden in every episode of South Park.
72. Omar was going to be killed off during Season 1 of The Wire.
73. Doris Roberts hid a back injury so that she could be cast on Remington Steele.
75. Dan Haggerty lost his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame because of a well-publicized drug bust.
77. Tom Selleck could have filmed Raiders of the Lost Ark AND done Magnum P.I.
78. Dolly Parton produced Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
80. Life Goes On changed their opening credits for the series finale to give some justice to their dog.
81. There is a special R-rated version of Dexter’s Labratory called “Dexter’s Rude Removal.”
83. Ron Howard was hired for Happy Days based on his performance in American Graffiti.
84. There was an unaired episode of the Simpsons where Bart dies.
85. Lawrence Welk played “One Toke Over the Line” on his TV show.
86. Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell from Leave it to Beaver) grew up to be the rock singer Alice Cooper.
89. Scooby Doo was based on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
93. Denise Crosby was fired from Star Trek: The Next Generation because she posed nude in Playboy.
94. Bill Cosby tried to purchase the rights to the Amos and Andy TV series to keep it off the air.
95. Masi Oka appeared on the cover of Time Magazine as a kid!
98. Wacky Races was originally going to be a live action game show.
99. Mumbly was created as a stand-in for Muttley in the Laff-A-lympics.
100. Muttley and Dick Dastardly were removed whole cloth from one show and added to another.
101. Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory originally had a typical sexual appetite.
102. Studebaker came up with an interesting way to sponsor Mister Ed.
104. The Misfit Toys were never saved in the original airing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
106. A character on Seinfeld was named after a Producer of Smallville.
107. Charles Schulz owning a Ford indirectly led to A Charlie Brown Christmas.
109. A TV series continued production even after one of the two leads on the show killed himself.
110. Dick Gregory received almost 50,000 votes in the 1968 Presidential Election.
111. The Golden Girls spun out of a joke at an NBC function introducing the 1984-85 NBC lineup.
112. First Lady Barbara Bush wrote an apology letter to Marge Simpson.
113. Lost in Space coined the term “Does Not Compute”
114. Robert Downey Jr. was written out of his character’s wedding episode on Ally McBeal.
115. There was at least one back-up Mother in the show How I Met Your Mother.
116. Michael Jackson didn’t actually do any singing in his guest appearance on The Simpsons.
117. The first interracial kiss on a TV drama was originally going to be between Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura.
118. Johnny Carson wouldn’t guest star on The Simpsons if they made fun of him.
120. Oprah Winfrey got her name via a typo on her birth certificate.
121. The Da Vinci Code was nearly adapted for the third season of 24.
122. The state of Mississippi once banned Sesame Street
123. B.A. Baracus never actually said “I pity the fool” on The A-Team.
126. James Arness is the tallest person ever to be the lead in a television series in the United States.
127. Sarah Michelle Gellar was banned for life from eating at McDonald’s.
128. Miami Vice originated as a two-word brainstorming memo – “MTV Cops.”
129. Laverne Cox is the first openly transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy Award.
131. Ellen Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy Award for an appearance that lasted fourteen seconds.
132. In The Simpsons contest “Who Shot Mr. Burns?,” no one guessed the correct answer.
133. Danielle Fishel was originally cast in another non-Topanga role in Boy Meets World.
134. Originally Cartman from South Park had both a father and a sister.
135. How I Met Your Mother worked an insult of the show by Jason Segel into the series.
136. Barack Obama personally squelched a Saturday Night Live sketch
137. Walter O’Brien has the fourth-highest IQ ever recorded.
138. Gabrielle Reece was cast as the She-Hulk in a failed She-Hulk TV pilot
139. The Apartment Building in 227 was the same one used on Sesame Street
140. Ray Palmer on Arrow was originally going to be Ted Kord, the Blue Beetle
141. Perry White was nearly played by James Earl Jones on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
142. The Big Bang Theory Originated the Term “Bazinga”
144. A TV writer once got a parking spot for his pseudonym
145. Spock originally was going to have red skin on Star Trek
146. Paul McCartney had a hidden message in an episode of The Simpsons
147. A Surprising character on Friends was originally going to have a kid
148. There was an odd secret behind Little House on the Prairie’s “Baby Battering Ram”
149. An actor was hired and fired as a Bonanza cast member all in one episode
150. All in the Family become Archie Bunker’s Place after Jean Stapleton left the show
151. The Simpsons’ famous opening credits were created to save on animation time
152. Family Guy was originally going to just be a segment on MadTV
154. A nude stripper appeared on Soupy Sales’ kids show
155. A character’s NAME on ER saved the character’s life
156. South Park was not allowed to kill off Sally Struthers
157. Waylon Smithers was originally going to be black and married with a wife and kids
159. South Park was originally going to be a big parody of The X-Files
160. A famous TV director got his start on Buck Rogers as a protest over the show’s cancellation
161. A longtime How I Met Your Mother Mystery was almost revealed on the show’s final season
162. Lisa Kudrow was a virgin until she got married
163. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia subtly revealed the name of the waitress in an episode
164. Darkwing Duck is coming back to television in 2018
165. Bruce Willis only guest-starred on Friends because he lost a bet to Matthew Perry
166. Two 1980s teen stars had to turn down Breaking Bad before Bryan Cranston had his shot
168. Sally Jessy Raphael kept wearing her trademark eyeglasses even after getting corrective eye surgery
169. The Brady Bunch’s dog was replaced mid-episode because their original dog was killed
170. How I Met Your Mother created an actual Canadian Sex Acts website
171. The host of Family Feud married one of the contestants
172. TaleSpin was sued over the voice of King Louie
173. “One Shining Moment” was almost a football song
174. A Survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima met one of the men who dropped the bomb on a reality TV show
Ta da!
Dancing Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Dancing Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. Ron Cunningham had a rather painful introduction to the world of ballet.
3. Marie Taglioni was the first ballet dancer to dance en pointe.
4. Fred Astaire’s will stipulates that he never be portrayed in a film.
5. Jim Thorpe was a champion ballroom dancer.
6. Cyd Charisse’s legs were insured for a million bucks each.
7. George Bernard Shaw had a particularly witty rebuke to a comment by Isadora Duncan.
Architecture Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Architecture Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was originally designed as a school project at Yale!
3. The campus at the University at Albany in New York was originally designed to be used in Arizona.
5. A California woman had a house constructed entirely out of a recycled Boeing 747 airplane!
Magazine Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Magazine Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
2. TV Guide once put Oprah Winfrey’s head on Ann-Margaret’s body for a cover.
3. A Playboy centerfold is the standard test image for image processing algorithms.
6. Men’s Fitness gave Andy Roddick someone else’s biceps for the cover of the magazine.
7. Gerald Ford was a male model who appeared on the cover of Cosmopolitan.
Novel Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Novel Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote while in prison.
2. Pamela began originally as basically a self-help book.
6. The Brontë sisters were forbidden by the their father from eating meat.
7. Charles Dickens was paid by the word.
9. Graham Greene came in second in a contest to parody Graham Greene’s writing style.
Musical Urban Legends History
Here are quick descriptions of each of the previous editions of Musical Urban Legends Revealed.
To see if they are true or false, you have to click on the link!
1. The Kennedys being referred to as “Camelot” came about directly because of the musical Camelot.
2. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s song “Edelweiss” is based on an Austrian folk song.
3. Cole Porter worked on song lyrics while lying crushed underneath a horse.
5. Into the Woods was almost made into a film by Jim Henson Productions.
7. Richard Rodgers would not let the melody of “Edelweiss” be used for religious hymns.