It’s an unspoken rule that once Halloween is over, it’s time for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and what better way to prep for Christmas than jumping into its spirit and grabbing some Christmas movies?
The Christmas movies that we watch with our warm hot chocolate have some interesting facts that we bet you didn’t know about. Here are some of the most intriguing facts about your favorite Christmas movies.
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Michael Caine took his role seriously in The Muppet Christmas Carol
Based on The Guardian report, director Brian Henson met with Caine to see how he would portray Scrooge, to which Caine answered: “I’m going to play this movie like I’m working with the Royal Shakespeare Company. I will never wink. I will never do anything Muppet-y. I am going to play Scrooge as if it is an utterly dramatic role and there are no puppets around me.”
The “Baby It’s Cold Outside” shower scene in Elf
Turns out that this scene wasn’t in the original script. Director Jon Favreau wrote the scene into the script as Zooey Deschanel’s voice reminded him of Doris Day, which gave the film a magical feeling.
Deschanel also revealed that this was her favorite scene to film in the entire movie.
Bruce Willis’s role In Die Hard was offered to Frank Sinatra first
Strangely enough, there’s a weird link to how this came to be. Sinatra starred in the 1968 film The Detective, which was based on the book. Years later, a sequel to the book was published, which was the inspiration behind Die Hard.
This technically made Die Hard a sequel to The Detective. Therefore, Sinatra was contractually obligated to get the first dibs for the sequel. However, due to him being 73 at the time, he declined the offer and the role went to Bruce Willis.
Three different stars of Dreamgirls were in Jingle Jangle
Writer-director David E. Talbert poured his heart and soul into the movie, having spent 20 years on the project. The movie features three real-life actors from Dreamgirls. Firstly, there was Phylicia Rashad (Grandmother Journey), who was the Broadway understudy for Deena Jones in the 1980s.
Secondly, there was Anika Noni Rose (Jessica) played Lorrell in the 2006 movie. Finally, there was Marisha Wallace (who sang “Miles and Miles” on the soundtrack) who played Effie on the West End in 2017.
Tim Allen was stuck in the role while filming The Santa Clause 2
With great power comes great responsibility, and the children in the movie believe that Allen is the real Santa. Consequently, Allen had to stay in the role even when they weren’t filming, making sure he didn’t utter a bad word in front of the children and stayed calm all the time.
The tarantula in Home Alone
The tarantula was supposed to be a fake prop, but the director, Chris Columbus, insisted on it being real. The star tarantula’s name was Barry. There was a rumor that Daniel Stern had to mime his screaming, which is false. The tarantula trainer told Stern he’d be fine as long as he didn’t make any sudden movements.
They originally shot four additional storylines in Love Actually
One of the four additional storylines included the school’s headmistress and her partner, who had a terminal illness. Writer-director Richard Curtis said the scenes were cut from the movie but were so good that he included them in the DVD extras.
Writer-director Frank Capra helped create a new type of snow in It’s a Wonderful Life
Instead of using corn painted white or asbestos as snow, Capra helped create a new method that made the artificial snow way less noisy, so he no longer had to film the picture and audio separately and dub it later.
In addition, it helped Capra and his team earn a special Technical Achievement Award at the Oscars.
Flick’s tongue was suctioned by a hidden vacuum to give the impression that it was frozen to the pole in A Christmas Story
According to CinemaBlend, Scott Schwartz (Flick) talked about how the set directors put a piece of plastic over the flagpole to film this scene. He explained further: “It had a little hole in it with a suction tube that went into the snow.” The little hole and suction tube couldn’t be seen. “So when you put your tongue there or finger or whatever, it just stuck,” he elaborated.
In Jingle All the Way, the movie was inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kids craze from the Christmas season of 1983
During this season, parents camped out before stores opened to ensure their children got their desired Christmas gifts. When the store’s doors opened, however, havoc would be unleashed, with parents getting into physical fights and some even getting trampled on, leading to broken bones.
The hotel that Queen Latifah stayed at in Last Holiday was actually real
The deluxe hotel that Queen Latifah stayed at in the movie was Grandhotel Pupp, located in the Czech Republic. The majestic hotel was established in 1701 and is known for its hospitality, first-class service, and entertainment.
They only had one morning to be done with filming the movie’s opening in Miracle on 34th Street
The parade scenes had to be shot on location during the 1946 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The only way they were able to achieve that was through having actor Edmund Gwenn, who won an Oscar for his role as Kris Kringle, be the actual Santa in the parade.
Eddie Murphy and Jack Nicholson were originally considered for the role of the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Both actors were considered for the role, but it eventually landed in Jim Carrey’s lap. Who knows how Murphy’s and Nicholson’s careers would have changed if they had landed the role, or how Carrey’s career would have changed for the worse if he hadn’t landed the role?
Chevy Chase Broke A Finger in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
In the movie, Kris Kringle was punched in the face by Chase, but the punch cost Chase his pinky, as he broke it. He proceeded with the scene but resorted to kicking as his finger hurt so much. The take of Chevy breaking his finger was still used in the final film.
A Cameraman Was the Killer in Black Christmas
For lovers of horror during the jolly season, the movie follows a group of sorority girls who are being stalked by a killer. Director Bob Clark didn’t want the viewers to see the killer. However, we get to see some scenes featuring the killer’s hands and arms, which belonged to cameraman Bert Dunk.
The Practical Effects in Gremlins
The film relied heavily on practical effects. However, Director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, and executive producer Steven Spielberg had another vision. They wanted to use monkeys in gremlin suits, but the test monkey failed them because it was hard to control.
