On this date in 1986, the movie Crocodile Dundee premiered in Australia. This article from Moviefone.com details some interesting things about Crocodile Dundee that you might not have known.
From moviefone.com:
15 Things You Never Knew About ‘Crocodile Dundee’
For better or worse, when many Americans think of Australia, they think of Paul Hogan and “Crocodile Dundee.” After all, the Australian travel pitchman cleverly designed the movie as part travelogue, part send-up of popular stereotypes. The comedy’s plot — about a fabled Australian outdoorsman and a New York newswoman who survive the challenges of each other’s jungles — and Hogan’s winning performance made “Crocodile Dundee” the most successful imported film in U.S. box office history. Still, as many times as you’ve watched Hogan cheerfully flash that giant Bowie knife, there’s plenty you may not know about “Crocodile Dundee.” Here’s the behind-the-scenes story, and it’s no croc(k).
1. Hogan came late to show business. He was a 32-year-old rigger and painter on the Sydney Harbor Bridge when his mates dared him to try out for an Australian TV talent show. He won and was soon writing and starring in his own sketch comedy show.
2. After a decade of small-screen success, Hogan and his behind-the-camera team decided to make a movie, something none of them had ever done before.
3. The real-life Crocodile Dundee was an Aussie named Rod Ansell, a hunter who, in 1977, famously survived seven weeks in the wild while stranded in a remote corner of Northern Australia. When he came to Sydney to talk about his adventure, he appeared on a TV interview barefoot and stayed in a luxury hotel, where he slept on the floor and was mystified by the bidet.
4. Hogan and his co-screenwriters clearly drew much of Mick Dundee’s character and exploits from Ansell. The character was also a canny brand extension of the character Hogan had played in Australian tourism commercials, the ones that had made him moderately famous on this side of the Pacific for his offer to “slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you.”
5.Linda Kozlowski, the lone Yank during the Australian portion of the shoot, was a Juilliard classmate of Val Kilmer’s who’d appeared on Broadway with Dustin Hoffman in “Death of a Salesman.” Nonetheless, the 26-year-old was largely unknown on either side of the ocean before she landed the role of reporter Sue Charlton.
6. The wilderness section of the movie was shot in Kakadu, a national park roughly the size of Germany. The only crocodile Hogan and Kozlowski ever tangled with was the mechanical croc built for the film (above). Nonetheless, the animatronic prop was realistic-looking enough that someone reported the crew to the authorities as suspected poachers.
7. Hogan got a lot of comic mileage out of the bidets in the Plaza Hotel during the Manhattan section of the film. In real life, however, there are no bidets at the Plaza.
8. There were two versions of “Crocodile Dundee”: an Australian version, and an international version. In the latter, the incomprehensible Australian slang dialogue was snipped out, resulting in a cut 10 minutes shorter.
9. In America, distributor Paramount advertised the film as “‘Crocodile’ Dundee,” with extra quotation marks to make clear that it was a movie about a man nicknamed “Crocodile,” not a movie about a crocodile named Dundee.
10. The film cost about $10 million to make. Not only did it become the biggest domestic hit in Australian history, but it was a smash all over the world. In the U.S., it earned $175 million, making it the second-highest grossing film of 1986, behind only “Top Gun.”
11. Hogan, Ken Shadie, and John Cornell were nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. They lost to Woody Allen (for “Hannah and Her Sisters”), but Hogan did win a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture.
12. “Crocodile Dundee” made Kakadu into a popular tourist attraction. The film’s success prompted developers to build a hotel there shaped like a crocodile.
13. Hogan and Kozlowski fell in love for real on the set. She continued to play love interest Sue in sequels “Crocodile Dundee II” (1988) and “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles” (2001). Unfortunately for the couple, Hogan was already married, to Noelene Edwards, whom he first wed in 1958, the year Kozlowski was born. They had five children together, divorced in 1981, and remarried in 1982. Their second split was considered one of the ugliest celebrity divorces in Australian history. Shortly after their second divorce became official in 1990, the 50-year-old Hogan married the 32-year-old Kozlowski. They had a child of their own, son Chance. They divorced in 2014.
14. At one time in the early 1990s, Paramount was considering a crossover sequel with one of its other big 1980s franchises: “Crocodile Dundee Meets Beverly Hills Cop.” Fortunately, Eddie Murphy nixed the idea.
15. Now 76, Hogan is the subject of a forthcoming small-screen bio, an Australian mini-series starring Josh Lawson (known to American audiences from “Anchorman 2”) as Hogan. The mini-series will be called “Hoges,” which is the nickname Hogan is known by Down Under.
Elizabeth Montgomery, born April 15, 1933 and died May 18, 1995, captivated audiences with her portrayal of a witch– Samantha Stevens– on the tv series Bewitched. She tried to lead a normal “mortal” life as a housewife, and later mother, despite the constant intrusions by her magical family. This article from Women’s World details some fascinating facts we might not know about the series.
From Woman’s World:
Bewitched outran other fantasy shows of the era
There was a boost in popularity throughout the 1960s for otherworldly shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Addams Family and The Munsters. All of the shows premiered between 1964 and 1965, but the Addams and Munsters only lasted two seasons, while Jeannie gave her final blink in 1970. Even with the Darrin switcheroo, the Stephens stayed on air until 1972.
The original Darrin never wanted to leave
Five years before being cast in the series, Dick York suffered a massive back injury while filming They Came to Cordura in 1959. He never fully recovered, but put on a brave face throughout the series for five seasons. That came to an end after problems with his back came to the surface and a dependence on painkillers forced him to leave the role.
Samantha and Endora’s names come from a Biblical story
In the First Book of Samuel, there’s a story about Saul consulting the Witch of Endor to use her powers to connect him with the deceased Samuel. Obviously, Samuel became Samantha and Endor became Endora.
The ladies often wore their own clothes
The series didn’t have a huge budget for wardrobe, so many of the women simply brought in their own outfits to wear on screen. Allegedly, Elizabeth Montgomery frequently chose clothes from her own closet for Samantha’s outfits.
The color green played a role
You might not have noticed while watching, but the color green is all over this show. Whether it’s the Stephens’ house carpet or emerald accents placed around a scene, the shade appears in every episode of the show that aired in color. Montgomery also wore the color quite frequently. Sure, it might have been because she wanted to bring out her beautiful green eyes, but the color also happens to be significant in witchy folklore. Think: Wicked Witch of the West from Wizard of Oz, countless Halloween decorations, and even the face paint kids often use while dressing up as the magical beings.
They never gave an on air explanation for Darrin’s “new look”
Thinking back on the magical show, you might have assumed they used their whimsical plot lines to come up with a creative reason for why Darrin suddenly looked so different. Instead, director and producer (and real-life husband of Montgomery) figured audiences would be able to separate the actor from the role and accept the new Mr. Stephens. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and ratings took a dip with the new Darrin.
Aunt Clara collected door knobs in real life too
Fans of the show remember Aunt Clara as one of the clumsy, bumbling, but kind-hearted witches close to Samantha throughout the series. Her spells never really worked quite right, but you couldn’t help but love her. That’s apparently due to actress Marion Lorne bringing her own charm to the role — including her personal penchant for collecting decorative door knobs.
Samantha’s alter ego got her own fan mail
Although Montgomery played both Samantha and Serena, her “twin cousin,” the role was credited to pseudonym Pandora Spocks (a play on “Pandora’s Box’). Fans of the quirky character were totally fooled and sent in letters to the studio addressed to the fake name.
Marcia Brady made two cameos
Before becoming the eldest daughter “with hair of gold” on The Brady Bunch, a young Maureen McCormick appeared in two separate episodes as different characters. First in a fantasy sequence as Darrin and Samantha’s future child (before the birth of Tabitha), then again as Endora under a spell that made her look like a child.
The Stephens’ home is still standing
You won’t find the house at 1164 Morning Glory Circle, but on the Warner Brother’s Ranch Studios. Unfortunately for fans, the ranch isn’t open to the public for tours.
Elizabeth Montgomery was pregnant while filming the first season
To hide her stomach during this period, Montgomery wore looser clothing so viewers weren’t able to tell.
Endora and Darrin’s feud didn’t translate to real life
Despite the characters of Endora and Darrin constantly being at odds with one another in the show, Dick York and Agnes Moorehead had a wonderful friendship off-screen, which left Moorehead extremely disappointed in his departure.
Today is Dennis Quaid’s birthday! He was born in 1954 and he is one of my favorite actors. This movie, Undercover Blues, is my all-time favorite Dennis Quaid movie. This is a synopsis:
A wise-cracking husband and wife (Jeff and Jane Blue) team of ex-Spies arrive in New Orleans on maternity leave with their baby girl. There they are hassled by muggers, the police and their FBI boss, who wants them to do just-one-more job. —Mark Logan <marklo@west.sun.com>
From the IMBD website:
Jane Blue: Let me see if I understand this correctly. You took our child into a knife fight?
Jeff Blue: It was a fair fight – two of them, two of us…
And one of their posted reviews:
This is one fun movie!
Not many movies keep you wanting to watch, like this one does. The plot is very simple; 2 spies on a vacation are asked to do a job while in New Orleans. The outcome…? One hilarious movie! Dennis Quaid & Kathleen Turner are great as Mr. & Mrs. Blue, the title roles. During the movie while they are fighting the bad guys, they’re either bickering over their vacation or what they want to name their daughter. The standout of this movie is Stanley Tucci, who plays street thug Muerte. After a botched mugging of Mr. Blue, which leads to Muerte getting beat up with a stroller, Muerte constantly is following the Blues in the movie to get revenge. You won’t be disappointed with this movie!
Today is Craig T. Nelson’s birthday (born in 1944) and I thoroughly enjoyed him in the series Coach. This article from Mental Floss details some interesting facts about the series.
From Mental Floss:
Before Parenthood, Craig T. Nelson starred as college football coach Hayden Fox on Coach, a sitcom that most people would be surprised to realize ran for nine seasons and 197 episodes, from 1989 through 1997. On the 20th anniversary of the series’ finale, we’re taking a look back at the original show that started it all.
1. MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY WAS ACTUALLY THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA.
Even though the first seven seasons of Coach were set at the fictitious Minnesota State University, series creator Barry Kemp graduated from the University of Iowa’s Department of Theatre Arts, and paid homage to his alma mater by giving his main character a similar name as legendary Iowa football coach Hayden Fry. The exterior shots of the show were from the Iowa campus as well.
2. IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY’S MARCHING BAND PLAYED THE SHOW’S THEME SONG.
John Morris composed the opening number for Coach, which doubled as Minnesota State’s theme song. Iowa State University’s football marching band won a 1995 college marching band contest to have their version of the theme song play on the show, which ran during the opening credits until the end of the series.
3. TWO REAL-LIFE MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITIES POPPED UP AFTER THE SHOW BEGAN.
When Coach premiered on February 28, 1989, Minnesota State University was a fictitious college. In 1998, Mankato State University became Minnesota State University, Mankato. On July 1, 2000, Moorhead State University became Minnesota State University Moorhead.
4. CRAIG T. NELSON THOUGHT ABC HATED HIM.
Craig T. Nelson was persuaded by Barry Kemp to audition for the network. The actor was so convinced that ABC wasn’t enjoying his efforts in their initial meeting that he left early. To his surprise, they offered him the part the very next day.
5. JERRY VAN DYKE AND NELSON HAD TO WORK ON THEIR CHEMISTRY.
In an interview with Popdose, Jerry Van Dyke, who played defensive coordinator Luther Van Dam, said that he and Nelson had to work on finding their chemistry when the show began. Though he says that they’ve remained friends and talk all the time, Van Dyke admitted that Nelson was “not easy to get along with” and that “he’s pretty much a loner.”
6. IT WAS JERRY VAN DYKE’S FIRST SUCCESSFUL TV SHOW, AT THE AGE OF 57.
Van Dyke had previously—and infamously—starred on the one-season sitcom My Mother the Car in 1965, which TV Guide ranked as the second worst television show of all-time in 2002. Kemp specifically wrote the part of Luther Van Dam for the actor because of his “everyman quality.”
7. DICK VAN DYKE MADE AN UNCREDITED APPEARANCE ON THE SHOW.
It had to happen sooner or later. In 1993, during the show’s sixth season, Jerry Van Dyke’s brother, Dick, appeared on the show as a partygoer who walks across the screen when Luther insists that he can’t be related to anyone at his family reunion in “Christmas of the Van Damned.”
8. CHRISTINE ARMSTRONG WAS A REGULAR IN ELVIS PRESLEY MOVIES.
Actress Shelley Fabares, who played Hayden Fox’s girlfriend-turned-wife on the series, co-starred with The King in Girl Happy, Spinout, and Clambake.
9. CHRISTINE ARMSTRONG ALSO SANG A NUMBER ONE SONG.
Fabares sang “Johnny Angel,” which was the number one song for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1962.
10. CLARE CAREY GOT THE ROLE OF COACH’S DAUGHTER BECAUSE SHE WAS THE MOST BELIEVABLE MIDWESTERNER.
Clare Carey, who played Hayden’s daughter Kelly, was born in Zimbabwe and grew up in Santa Barbara, California. But in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Carey said that what got her the role was that, “They thought I was the most believable Midwesterner!”
11. DAUBER’S FIRST NAME WAS MICHAEL.
Coach‘s Michael Daubinksy was usually only referred to by his nickname, “Dauber.” In one episode, even Hayden didn’t know who Michael Daubinsky’s girlfriend was speaking of when she referred to him by his given name.
12. DAUBER IS THE VOICE OF PATRICK ON SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS.
Bill Fagerbakke’s run as Offensive Coordinator Dauber ended in 1997, the same year that he successfully auditioned to voice Patrick Star on SpongeBob SquarePants. For the first few years of SpongeBob, he referred to Patrick as “AquaDauber.”
13. SHOWRUNNERS BEGRUDGINGLY AGREED TO TAKE PART IN AN ABC CROSSOVER STUNT IN ITS FINAL SEASON.
Competing with the 39th Annual Grammy Awards on February 26, 1997, ABC had characters from The Drew Carey Show, Ellen, Grace Under Fire, and Coach meet each other in Las Vegas on a night called “Viva Las Vegas.” Craig T. Nelson refused to take part, so Luther ended up on The Drew Carey Show getting into a bidding war with Mimi in Sin City. (For what it’s worth, Ellen DeGeneres also refused to take part.) The title of that night’s installment of Coach was “Viva Las Ratings.”
14. THE SERIES FINALE OF COACH REFERRED TO A CLASSIC SHOW WITH ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SERIES ENDINGS OF ALL TIME.
In “Leaving Orlando,” Hayden return to Minnesota to find three brothers—Larry, Darryl, and Darryl—in his cabin. Yes, the same Larry, Darryl, and Darryl from Newhart, which was also created by Barry Kemp.
15. NELSON, VAN DYKE, AND FAGERBAKKE REUNITED ON TV IN 2004.
Nelson played police chief Jack Mannion on the CBS drama The District, which was on the air from 2000 to 2004. In “The Black Widow Maker,” Van Dyke played what he described as a “cranky and brusque” small-town judge, while Fagerbakke played a kindly officer who was described in the script as “better suited to being a florist.” Though, in 2015, it was announced that a reboot of the show would be coming back to screens, plans to resurrect Coach were eventually scrapped.
Today is Christopher Walkin’s birthday—born March 31, 1943—and I cannot say I know much of his work. But what I do know and LOVE is his lion speech. I don’t even know what movie it’s from. (Poolhall Junkies) It’s how it’s been used to describe President Trump and how a lion has to show you WHO HE IS that I LOVE!
Happy Birthday Reba McEntire! She was born in 1955 and her tv series is a favorite here at home. I found this article on fame10.com detailing some things I didn’t know about her show.
From fame10.com:
Over the years there has been an onslaught of family sitcoms, but one of the best was Reba which ran on The WB for five seasons and The CW for one before going off the air. Over the years it amassed a large and loyal fanbase who would have been more than happy to see the series continue on well past 6 seasons thanks to its excellent writing and a perfect cast pulling it all together. Reba McEntire proved she really is a comedic genius and talented actress as well as an amazing singer, and was supported by a cast including Christopher Rich, Melissa Peterman, Steve Howey, Scarlett Pomers and JoAnna Garcia. All these years later, take a look back at the fantastic series with these 7 things you probably never knew about Reba.
7. Sally?
It only makes sense for a series starring Reba McEntire to be called Reba, right? Well it seems that isn’t how it started out. Originally Reba’s main character was supposed to have the name Sally, but Reba quickly convinced executives that because of her loyal fanbase from her singing career, calling the show Reba would help fans connect to it. In fact her character’s name ended up being Reba Nell Hart and Reba’s real full name is Reba Nell McEntire.
6. Best Friends
For a whole lot of the show, the basis was on Reba dealing with the fact her husband Brock has left her to marry his young, naive and ditzy dental hygienist Barbra Jean who he had an affair with. A lot of the comedy revolves around Reba “hating” Barbra Jean, known as B.J., while B.J. considers Reba her best friend. Despite all of this the two actresses Reba McEntire and Melissa Peterman really are best friends in real life.
5. Ratings
For all five seasons that Reba was placed in The WB’s Friday night lineup, the series set a new all-time viewership record for any program on the network’s Friday night lineup. Meanwhile the premiere on the The CW on Sunday made it the highest rated sitcom on the network and as a result of its placing before 7th Heaven, 7th Heaven saw a season high of 4.51 million viewers. It also beat out all others in repeats during The CW’s very first season from 2006-2007, and when ratings for the summer drama Hidden Palms plummeted, Reba re-runs were added to the CW’s schedule in June of 2007 and instantly became the most-watched program of the night, and later in the summer the Reba re-runs became the most-viewed program on the CW.
4. The Cancellation
Halfway through Reba‘s sixth season, rumors circulated that “the back nine” Reba episodes, or the final episodes, had been ordered by the network which would have given Reba a full-season order. Then, abruptly in January 2007 during the TCA Press Tour it was announced that the series had been cancelled and there was not going to be any “back nine” episodes ordered. The news came as a shock to fans and the finale garenerd 4.4 million viewers, and soon rumors began that the show was going to be picked up by another network; however, when stars JoAnna Garcia and Steve Howey signed on to new CBS and Fox shows it was clear Reba would not continue on any network. In May 2007, 20th Century Fox TV president Gary Newman stated that he regretted how the show was handled and was sure it could have been a hit for many more years on CBS or ABC.
3. The Switch
Before the cancellation, Reba was already hitting a rough patch that it was luckily able to get through. Reba was actually originally cancelled when The WB and UPN merged into The CW Television Network in 2006. Then, abruptly on May 17, 2006, The CW made the decision to actually renew Reba instead which was when the show was paired with 7th Heaven on Sunday evenings. The success of Reba was more than the network could have imagined as it quickly surpassed hit dramas such as Supernatural, One Tree Hill and Veronica Mars.
2. Eating Disorder
Fans were well aware when one of the show’s stars, Scarlett Pomers, who played Reba’s middle child, Kyra Hart, was absent for almost all of season five, appearing in only two episodes; however, her absence was not really addressed. As it turns out her absence was actually because she had to enter treatment for an eating disorder which had seen the 5’2″ actress drop down to 73 lbs. Pomers appearance drew concern from her castmates when she showed up for filming season five and it was with good cause because Pomers was barely eating and exercising for up to six hours a day in secret. Despite the severity of her condition, once she had received help she returned to the show, and a joke about her extended absence was even made. In Pomers’ first episode back, Reba asked, “Where have you been?” to which her character, Kyra, replied, “I went to get something to eat.”
1. Music Video
Fans absolutely loved the romance between JoAnna Garcia’s character Cheyenne and Steve Howey’s character Van, and as such, the two went on to star in a music video for Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney’s song “Every Other Weekend.” The two were not necessarily in character, but they did portray a divorced couple who share custody of their children and have to exchange them “every other weekend.”
In honor of the great Houdini’s birthday, I present an article revealing some of Harry’s better illusions and tricks.
From: METRO.CO.UK:
The seemingly impossible stunts performed by master escapologist Harry Houdini have confused and delighted generations. Breaking locks, escaping submerged boxes, getting out of straitjackets, the fiendish Chinese Water Torture routine – his feats were simply astounding. Yet magic always has a simple explanation and, in Houdini’s case, his methods were in fact far more ingenious and impressive than the trick itself. The 52-year-old died on Halloween 1926, possibly as a result of one of his most famous stunts going wrong. The explanation of his methods has caused outrage among the magic community, with many saying they still perform some of the tricks. But, hey guys, some of these are more than 100 years old. Don’t you think your paying audience deserves some new material?
At the risk of being sawn in half by the Magic Circle, here are ten of Houdini’s greatest stunts – and how he did them.
1. Handcuffs: Harry Houdini could get out of any set of handcuffs. He often added a river or lake to the escape trick to spice things up a bit. People came to his stage shows with elaborate sets of their own, and the local police were encouraged by Houdini to try to keep him restrained. Twice it took him over an hour to free himself, but none ever succeeded in keeping him cuffed. Even specialty one-off handcuffs with a single bespoke key could not hold Harry.
What really happened: Many thought that he had trick-release stage cuffs but the truth was more simple – Houdini studied picking locks from a very early age. Sometimes he could just hit the handcuffs, at a certain angle and with enough force, for them to spring open. Other times a thin piece of string was enough to pull a screw from the locking mechanism and open it. Most times, however, he had a skeleton key hidden in the palm of his hand or sleeve. For the specialty handcuffs with only one key, Houdini would ask to inspect the cuffs and the key, secretly handing the key to an assistant – who would go back stage and choose a similar-looking key for Houdini’s vast collection. Houdini would simply hand back the lookalike key before miraculously escaping using the real one.
2. Hanging Straitjacket Escape: Straitjackets are purpose-made to restrain people, so it was an eye-popping feat to see a man wrapped up in one, dangling high off the ground from a rope tied to his feet. Houdini was famous for this stunt, regularly performing a jacket escape while hoisted up in front of the theatre where he would be putting on his evening show. He did the stunt in public in a bid to swell audience numbers, and it worked.
What really happened: When the jacket was being put on, Houdini would: cross his arms so his dominant right arm was on top; breathe in a huge gulp of air to make his chest bigger; and pinch and grab the material of the jacket to take up any slack before it was buckled. Breathing out and letting go of the slack gave him a lot of room to maneuver, but it was a matter of using brute strength to pull his right arm over his head. Once he had both arms in front of him, he would undo the straps and buckles with his teeth, or a cutting tool he had ‘palmed’ before the jacket was put on. Hanging upside down, while seemingly making the stunt more dangerous, actually helped Houdini perform the trick, because gravity worked in his favour. If all else failed, Houdini could create more room inside the jacket by dislocating his shoulder – but it’s not something he wanted to do a lot.
3. Milk Can: This was Houdini’s most enduring and dazzling escape. After audience members examined his milk can for sturdiness and any trick escape mechanisms, and watched it filled with water, Houdini asked the audience to hold its breath as he climbed inside and allowed the top of the milk can to be locked in place – many times with locks that audience members had brought with them. This took about a minute – a lot longer than most audience members could hold their breath. A curtain was pulled and, in what seemed like an impossible three minutes, a soaked Houdini would appear and show the can, its locks still in place.
What really happened: The top of the can, while made to look like it was riveted in place, could easily come away – but only when pushed up from the inside. Locks through eyelets in the top of the can would not be undisturbed while Houdini got out and put the top back on. He then waited a dramatic amount of time before revealing himself. Despite the relative simplicity of this illusion, it did mean that Houdini had to hold his breath inside the can for as long as a minute as the locks were being put in place.
4. Underwater Box: Combining a number of Houdini’s strengths – handcuffs, locks, holding his breath – this stunt involved a handcuffed Houdini being put into a wooden packing crate. The lid was nailed shut, ropes and chains were added and locked in place, and then the crate was craned into a river, where it immediately sank. After what seemed like an eternity, Houdini would bob to the surface – free of the box and his handcuffs.
What really happened: Houdini was out of the handcuffs before the box was even nailed shut. The box not only had holes drilled in it so it could fill with water and sink quickly, it also had a hidden panel on one side which opened to allow Houdini to escape once the box was in the water, and then it was a matter of how much suspense he wanted to build before he surfaced.
5. Chinese Water Torture Cell: There’s no evidence to suggest the Chinese ever used this as a torture method, but the title certainly put bums on seats. Houdini would be hoisted above a water-filled tank, his feet locked in wooden stocks, and lowered inside. The stocks were locked to the top of the tank, a curtain was drawn, and assistants then looked increasingly frantic as the seconds ticked past. Eventually, when all hope seemed lost, a damp Houdini would appear free from all bonds.
What really happened: It was more a matter of gymnastics than magic.The stocks ‘restraining’ Houdini were rigged so he could free his feet once the curtain was drawn. They were also hinged so he could get out of the tank and set the stocks back so it looked like they were still locked in place. On October 11, 1926, an accident while hoisting Houdini fractured one of his ankles.
6. Iron Stomach: Houdini famously said he could withstand any blow to the abdomen, and regularly invited audience members up to give him their best shot. No matter how hard they wailed on him, he seemed totally unfazed.
What really happened: There was no real trick to this. Houdini could prepare his stomach muscles to take the blow, and it was a combination of muscle control and fine acting to make it look like he was unaffected. The trick may have contributed to his death. On October 24, 1926 (13 days after fracturing his ankle) Houdini suffered a ruptured appendix when a fan repeatedly hit him before he had prepared. At the time, Houdini was in his dressing room lying down – not standing, as he had always done to prepare himself – because of his fractured ankle. The ruptured appendix led to the peritonitis that killed him a week later.
7. Metamorphosis: A breathtaking illusion performed by Houdini and his wife Beatrice. Houdini’s hands were bound, he was put in a sack that was tied shut at the top and put inside a box that was strapped and padlocked shut. Beatrice would draw a curtain around the box and clap three times, at which point the curtain would fly open to reveal Houdini standing there. The box was unlocked and unstrapped, and the bag undone to reveal Beatrice inside, her hands tied.
What really happened: Houdini was a master with ropes and locks. His hands, and the sack holding him, were tied using simple slip knots. He was free of the ropes and sack while his wife was locking and strapping the box where he was ‘trapped’. When the curtain was drawn, he slipped out of a panel at the back of the box and helped tie his wife’s hands and the sack before she got inside. The audience thought it was Beatrice clapping her hands but it was actually Houdini before he opened the curtain. While he was undoing the straps and locks of the box, Beatrice made sure she looked as though she was trapped and bound inside. Harry and ‘Bessie’ practiced this trick so often they got their switch time down to an astonishing three seconds.
8. The needle/razor trick: It wasn’t all about breaking locks and holding his breath. In a potentially lethal stage act (the needle version was mystically called the East Indian Needle Trick), Houdini would get audience members to examine as many as 50 sewing needles or razor blades and a length of thread before he put them all on his tongue and drank the lot with a glass of water. Following a bit of abracadabra-ry, he would regurgitate the needles/blades, perfectly strung along the thread – to the amazement of the crowd.
What really happened: Before the trick Houdini placed a packet between his cheek and teeth. The packet contained the needles/blades already attached to the thread with knots either side, so they came out evenly and did not accidentally stay in his mouth. The real trick was what to do with the loose needles/blades that he put in his mouth at the beginning of the trick. He would either spit them into the water as he pretended to drink, leaving enough water in the glass to hide the needles/blades – or deftly moved the needles and blades with his tongue between his other cheek and teeth until the end of the illusion. Needless (no pun intended) to say, it took a lot of practice to get it right.
9. Walking Through Walls: Houdini would perform his usual tricks as a team of bricklayers built a solid wall on stage. The wall cut the stage in half, was high and wide – it was impossible for Houdini to simply climb over or run around the front or back of the wall without the audience seeing. The wall was built on a large carpet that prevented the use of a trapdoor, and Houdini called up genuine audience members to hit the wall with hammers to prove it was solid. When the audience members sat back down, Houdini would position himself on one side of the wall and screens would be wheeled in. Almost straight away they would be wheeled back to reveal Houdini on the other side of the wall.
What really happened: Anyone who watched the recent Houdini TV drama starring Adrien Brody on Channel 4 will know how this one was done. The rug, instead of preventing the use of a trap door, actually hid a long trench in the stage. Once the trap door was opened, Houdini could pass under the wall via the sagging carpet and to the other side. The art was doing it quickly, so the audience literally did not have time to think about how it could be done.
10. Making an elephant disappear: Houdini did this incredible feat only once, but once is enough. Performed on January 7, 1918, at New York’s Hippodrome Theater, Houdini had an elephant brought on stage and led it into a large cabinet. The cabinet was turned around so that the audience could see there was no escape route large enough for an elephant to get through and then, with Houdini suddenly firing of a stage pistol, the elephant simply vanished.
What really (possibly) happened: This one actually is a bit of a mystery, because the elephant cabinet, the Hippodrome Theater, and Houdini himself no longer exist. But those in on the trick – and, when an elephant’s involved, there has to be a few – suggest that the stunt was all about audience perspective. The stage of the Hippodrome was very large, and the elephant cabinet was positioned at the back. Even those in the front rows didn’t have a close-up view. The cabinet was supposedly square but was actually an oblong shape, and material that exactly matched the back curtain of the cabinet was connected by wires to a powerful spring-loaded roller that almost instantly pulled the material up to conceal the elephant behind it. Stage lighting helped to fool the audience’s eyes, and when Houdini fired the pistol without warning, it distracted the audience enough to miss the material being pulled into place.
Barron Trump played a pivotal role in his father’s reelection last year, but not a lot is known about the youngest son of Donald Trump. His parents, particularly his mother Melania, prefers to guard him closely. Will he follow in his father’s footsteps, inheriting the keys to the kingdom? Who knows. But he is already influencing events and drawing attention. I found this article about him on Biography.com.
From Biography.com:
Growing up, Barron learned to speak English and Slovene, the language of his mother’s home country, Slovenia. He is fluent in both tongues and also speaks French.
Barron was raised inside his father’s New York City high-rise Trump Tower, where he had an entire floor to himself. Accordingly, Barron has always known a life of luxury. In an interview with Parenting, Melania revealed Barron really liked planes and helicopters when he was little and that, as a hands-on mom, she cooked his breakfast and prepared his lunches. She also believed in encouraging his creativity—even when he would draw on the walls. “His imagination is growing and important,” she said. “If he draws on the walls in his playroom, we can paint it over.”
Although it’s unclear if he’ll follow his family into the real estate business, Barron did like to build cities and airports using Lego bricks and Magna Tiles growing up. He also has his own aesthetic. “He likes clean and white,” Melania told Parenting. “He builds big projects. He has a big imagination, and it’s very impressive. He loves to build something and tear it down and build something else. He is very detailed at drawing. We travel often, and he remembers everything he sees.”
Melania also told the magazine she calls Barron “Little Donald” because his personality is so similar to that of his father. “He is a very strong-minded, very special, smart boy. He is independent and opinionated and knows exactly what he wants,” she said.
She also noted that Barron spent a lot quality time with his father, mostly at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, where they played golf, ate dinner together, and enjoyed family time.
Donald Trump’s election to the U.S. presidency in 2016 brought a new level of exposure to the family, already well-known for Donald’s real estate holdings, reality TV series, and other business ventures. But Barron didn’t immediate follow his father to Washington D.C. after the inauguration. Instead, the boy stayed at Trump Tower with his mother for almost the first five months of his father’s presidency in order to finish his studies at the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School on the Upper West Side. He and his mother moved into the White House on June 11, 2017, and Barron began attending St. Andrew’s Episcopal, a prep school in Maryland.
Barron became the first son of a president to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1963. Although he stayed out of the spotlight for the most part, he did turn up for some of the White House’s holiday-themed events in 2017, including the annual Easter Egg Roll in April, where he joined his parents in signing cards for members of the American Armed Forces. He also supported his father’s pardoning of the turkeys before Thanksgiving and, soon after, stepped out with his mom on the North Portico to receive the official Christmas tree from Wisconsin, which went up on display in the White House’s Blue Room.
On October 14, 2020, Melania confirmed that, like her and Donald, Barron tested positive for COVID-19. Although Barron initially tested negative, the first lady revealed that her “fear came true when he was tested again and it came up positive.” Melania continued: “Luckily he is a strong teenager and exhibited no symptoms. In one way, I was glad the three of us went through this at the same time so we could take care of one another and spend time together. He has since tested negative.”
After leaving the White House in 2021, Barron moved with his mother and father to Mar-a-Lago. In August 2021, it was announced that Barron had enrolled in private school at the Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida. Both of his parents attended his graduation in May 2024.
Soon after, his father said in an interview that Barron was still considering multiple schools to obtain his undergraduate degree. “He’s applied to colleges and gets into everywhere he goes. He’s very sought after from standpoint,” Donald said. According to People, a source said it’s possible that his mother, Melania, “will follow him wherever he goes to school.” Barron ultimately selected New York University and is studying in the Stern School of Business. He began classes there in September 2024 and reportedly lives off-campus. He commutes to campus from nearby Trump Tower.
Barron towers over both of his famous parents and, according to his father, stands at 6 feet, 7 inches tall. Donald has attributed Barron’s impressive frame to all the food his late grandmother Amalija Knavs cooked for him. He has also remarked about Barron’s potential future in sports. “I said you’re gonna be a basketball player. He said, ‘Well, I like soccer, dad, actually,’” he said at a 2024 campaign event. “I thought… at your height, I like basketball better, but you can’t talk them into everything.”
Barron’s 18th birthday in March 2024 led to debate about how the media should cover him now that he is a legal adult. However, Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, has defended Barron, saying he has a right to privacy. “I think he’s a private citizen. I feel so strongly that if you are a private citizen, you have an unimpeachable right to privacy, and I think the media should leave him alone,” she said.
In May 2024, news broke that Barron had been selected to serve as an at-large delegate for the state of Florida at the Republican National Convention later in July, which would have marked his first foray into the political realm. However, the office of Melania Trump announced two days later that he “regretfully declines to participate” at the convention because of prior commitments.
One of my favorite actors celebrates his birthday today—Bruce Willis! Born in 1955, Willis has created many memorable characters and iconic comedic lines. (“Welcome to the party, pal!”) Mental Floss had an article detailing some fascinating facts about him.
From: Mental Floss:
On March 30, 2022, Bruce Willis’s family members, including ex-wife Demi Moore and their three daughters, posted a joint statement to their social media accounts announcing that Willis would be retiring from acting due to a recent health diagnosis.
“Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities,” the statement read. “As a result of this and with much consideration, Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.”
From his turns as unlikely action hero John McClane in the Die Hard series to smaller supporting roles in 1994’s Pulp Fiction and 1995’s Nobody’s Fool, Willis has consistently surprised audiences with his eclectic career choices. For more on Willis, including his recording career and how he made movie history with 1988’s original Die Hard, keep reading.
1. Bruce Willis was born in West Germany.
Walter Bruce Willis, the son of a military man, was born on March 19, 1955, while his father was stationed in Idar-Oberstein, West Germany. Just two years later, parents David and Marlene Willis moved to Carneys Point, New Jersey, where he spent part of his time in both high school and at Montclair State University trying his hand at acting. After his sophomore year, Willis decided to leave college and head to New York City to pursue a performing career.
2. Bruce Willis may have been one of the best bartenders in New York City.
While auditioning for acting roles and scoring the occasional break—he appeared in an off-Broadway play, Heaven and Earth, in 1977—Willis tended bar at Chelsea Central on New York City’s Upper West Side. According to actor John Goodman, who knew Willis before either of them became famous, Willis was notable even then. “Bruce was the best bartender in New York,” Goodman told The New York Post in 2017. “He kept an entire joint entertained all night. He just kept the show going. He was amazing.”
3. Bruce Willis was cast in Moonlighting even though ABC thought the role was “uncastable.”
Willis had done only some stage work and bit parts in movies like 1980’s The First Deadly Sin with Frank Sinatra and 1982’s The Verdict with Paul Newman before he went in to audition for ABC’s Moonlighting, a send-up of detective dramas. At the time, the role of David Addison was proving so difficult to cast that the network was looking to pay creator Glenn Gordon Caron, director Bob Butler, and co-star Cybill Shepherd to abandon the project. Then Willis auditioned, beating out 3000 other hopefuls and securing the part. The series ran from 1985 to 1989.
4. Thanks to Die Hard, Bruce Willis changed Hollywood salaries forever.
While doing Moonlighting, Willis spent his hiatus shooting feature films like 1987’s Blind Date with Kim Basinger. But it was 1988’s Die Hard that cemented him as a big-screen attraction. The action film about a New York City cop trapped in a Los Angeles skyscraper with his estranged wife and a group of terrorists was a hot commodity, and 20th Century Fox agreed to pay Willis the then-astronomical sum of $5 million for the role. (Richard Gere and Clint Eastwood were also considered.) At the time, major stars like Tom Cruise and Michael J. Fox were getting roughly $3 million a picture. The payday for Willis had other performers taking notice, and salaries reportedly went up as a result.
“It was an enormous amount of money at the time,” Willis told Entertainment Weekly in 2007. “And I was a TV actor! The day after I signed the deal, every actor in Hollywood’s salary went up to $5 million.”
5. The Bruce Willis movie Hudson Hawk was based on a song.
Following Die Hard, Willis was a proven box office commodity that could help projects get made. In 1991, he starred in Hudson Hawk, a critical and commercial disappointment about a jewel thief with a love of music who is hired to steal from the Vatican. The film was based in part on a song written by musician Robert Kraft in 1981. Kraft knew Willis, then a bartender and actor, and shared it with him. Over the years, the two continued to shape the song, adding characters and stories. Eventually, it wound up in the hands of screenwriters Stephen De Souza and Daniel Waters.
6. Bruce Willis all but disappeared in Nobody’s Fool.
In contrast to conventional wisdom of the era, Willis parlayed his success as an action hero into opportunities to work with actors and directors he found interesting—even if it meant taking a small supporting role. (Willis spent just 22 minutes onscreen in 1994’s Pulp Fiction as boxer Butch Coolidge.) For 1995’s Nobody’s Fool, he passed on his normal $15 million fee to take $1400 a week since it meant working with Paul Newman. (Newman had forgotten the then-unknown Willis was a bit player in Newman’s 1982 film, The Verdict.) Because Willis felt so strongly Nobody’s Fool was Newman’s film, he opted out of having his photo included in the press kit and his name wasn’t in the production notes.
7. Bruce Willis had his own cartoon series. In 1996, Willis lent his voice to Bruno the Kid, a syndicated animated series about an 11-year-old spy named Bruno who convinces his handlers he’s really an adult. “Bruno” was Willis’s nickname growing up as well as the name of his musical alter ego. In 1987, Willis released an album, The Return of Bruno, along with a cable special. The cartoon lasted one season.
8. Bruce Willis never finished shooting one of his movies.
In 1997, Willis started shooting Broadway Brawler, a romantic comedy about a washed-up hockey player falling in love. Just 20 days into shooting, Willis used his powers as producer to fire director Lee Grant, Grant’s husband and producer Joe Feury, cinematographer William Fraker, and wardrobe designer Carol Oditz—all reportedly over creative differences. The problems continued even after replacement director Dennis Dugan was brought on board. Rather than continue to waste money on the $28 million movie, studio Cinergi opted to shut it down. Cinergi’s parent company, Disney, absorbed the production costs in exchange for Willis agreeing to star in three Disney movies: Armageddon (1998); The Sixth Sense (1999), Willis’s biggest hit to date; and The Kid (2000).
Today is Rachel Weisz’s birthday (born in 1970) and I know her best from the movie The Mummy. The movie combines horror and humor with costar Brendan Frasier. There are some very interesting things from the movie that I didn’t know and wanted to share.
This iconic scene from the movie, shows Evy (Rachel) destroying the library. The amazing thing is the stunt double did it all in ONE TAKE!
Beni (the stereotypical lackey) isn’t exactly loved by anyone in The Mummy, as he forms an alliance with Imhotep to save his own skin, willing to throw everyone else into the fire for his own benefit. Beni isn’t even loved by the camels. There’s a scene that demonstrates just that, when Beni is loading a significant amount of gold onto a camel and it refuses to budge when he instructs it to go. Apparently, the camels just didn’t care for Kevin J. O’Conner, and made it plainly obvious. Even if it wasn’t in the script, it made for more laughs, and suited Beni’s character in all his glory.
While The Mummy utilized its fair share of special effects, not everything was up to technological expertise. Sometimes brave actors have to be commended, like Rachel Weisz, for experiencing things in reality. Poor Weisz was faced with rats crawling all over her in one of the final scenes in The Mummy, and audiences assume her horrified reaction is less to do with acting and more to do with her genuine reaction. Audiences are still creeped out by this scene to this day; in regards to authenticity, the film nailed this scene.
Sew Colorful 