From: muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au (Murray Chapman)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies,alt.cult-movies
Subject: LIST: Trivia, Cameos, In-jokes, Director's Signatures
Date: 27 Jan 93 07:04:55 GMT
Reply-To: muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au
Followup-To: rec.arts.movies


Hi there

I'm starting to put together a new list, and I'd like your help.  YOU decide
what should go in it.

You should get some idea from what I've got already.

Comments appreciated, followups to rec.arts.movies.


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DIRECTOR'S TRADEMARKS


James Cameron
- strong female characters (The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Terminator 2)
- frequently casts Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss)


John Landis
- the phrase "See You Next Wednesday": check out the rec.arts.sf.movies FAQ.


Alfred Hitchcock
- has cameo in many of his films (see below)


Stanley Kubrick
- his films have a common theme of dehumanization


Woody Allen
- often makes films about a director making films, casts himself in lead role
- frequently plays a neurotic New Yorker

[more!]


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELECTED CAMEOS

DIRECTORS APPEARING IN THEIR OWN FILMS:
---------------------------------------

(Does not include directors in major roles)

The undisputed champion is Alfred Hitchcock:
# North by Northwest: just missing a bus
# Lifeboat: in weight-loss ad on back of newspaper
[others???]


Martin Scorsese:
# Raging Bull: asking Jake to go on stage
# After Hours: shining spotlight from a platform in the club
# Taxi Driver: man who tells Bickle about the .357 Magnum


Francis Ford Coppola:
# Apocalypse Now: filming a war documentary


Barry Levinson:
# Rain Man: psychiatrist determining if Raymond should stay with Charlie


Oliver Stone:
# The Doors: Morrison's film professor


Lawrence Kasdan:
# Grand Canyon: tries to interest Steve Martin's character in a film


Sydney Pollack:
# Tootsie: Michael/Dorothy's agent (George Fields)


Alan Parker:
# The Commitments: the record producer in the studio near the end of the film.
                   His cardboard cut-out can be seen in the background in a
                   video shop, and cassettes of his films are on the shelves.



MISCELLANEOUS CAMEOS:
---------------------

# Back to School
- Kurt Vonnegut: himself

# The Blues Brothers
- Frank Oz: prison officer
- Stephen Spielberg: Cook County Assessor
- James Brown: minister

# Deliverance
- James Dickey (author): policeman

# Electric Dreams
- Georgio Moroder (songwriter): radio station executive at very end

# It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- dozens of cameos:
- Spencer Tracey
- The Three Stooges
[more?]

# Fletch Lives
- BB King: CIA agent at the drive-in

# Pet Sematary
- Stephen King: minister at funeral

# The Right Stuff
- Chuck Yeager: bartender

# Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- Sean Connery: King Richard

[more!]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
FILM TRIVIA

# Back to the Future
- The mall where Marty McFly meets Dr. Brown for their time travel experiment
  is called the Twin Pines Mall.  Dr. Brown comments that ol' farmer Peabody
  used to own all of the land, and he grew pines there.  When Marty goes back
  in time, he runs over and knocks down a pine tree.  When he comes back to the
  mall at the end of the film (BACK TO THE FUTURE) the sign at the mall now
  identifies the mall as the Lone Pine Mall, reflecting the fact that Marty had
  changed the present (1985) by his trip to the past (1955).
- Farmer Peabody's son is named Sherman. Sherman was the name of the little boy
  time traveler in one segment of Jay Ward's cartoon show, "The Rocky &
  Bullwinkle Show."  The dog who owned his time machine was named (surprise)
  Mr. Peabody.

# Bagdad Cafe
- The shadow of the camera crew is visible while the credits for the
  cinematorgrapher are on the screen

# Blade Runner
- lots of symbolism: check out the BR FAQ in rec.arts.movies, alt.cult-movies

# A Clockwork Orange
- Soundtrack of _2001: A Space Odyssey_ (also directed by Stanley Kubrick)
  highly visible in record store.

# Highlander
- MacLeod says "It's a kind of magic", which is the name of the Queen album
  which contains songs from the film
- The Vietnam vet who tries to machine-gun Kurgan has the Queen song _Hammer
  to Fall_ playing in his car

# Misery
- A video of _When Harry Met Sally_ (also directed by Rob Reiner) is visible
  in the general store

# Point Break
- The character "Warchild" (one of the surf nazis) is played by Anthony Keidis,
  lead singer of the _Red Hot Chili Peppers_
- One of the places that Utah follows Bodie (Patrick Swayze) to is "Patrick's
  Roadhouse".  Patrick Swayze previously starred in a movie called "Roadhouse".

# Return of the Jedi
- SFX guys claim to have included a "sneaker" as one of the spaceships in a
  complex dog-fight scene

# Roxanne
- Steve Martin is challenged to tell 20 nose jokes.  After he tells 19, he
  asks "How many's that?", to which he is told "Fourteen!".  He goes on to tell
  another six, making 25 in total.

# Stakeout
- Richard Dreyfus starred in _Jaws_, but his character didn't recognise the
  quote from it during the trivia contest.

# Star Wars
- Han and Luke "transfer" Chewbacca from cellblock 1138: Lucas made a film
  called THX-1138.
- When the stormtroopers enter the room where C-3PO and R2-D2 are hiding, one
  of them "accidentally" bumps his head on the door, complete with sound
  effects.
--
-- Murray Chapman                               Zheenl Punczna            --
-- muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au                           zhmmyr@pf.hd.bm.nh        --
-- University of Queensland                     Havirefvgl bs Dhrrafynaq  --
-- Brisbane, Australia                          Oevfonar, Nhfgenyvn       --
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies