Behind The Scenes: Photos Hidden Away Not Meant For The Screen
By | May 18, 2021
Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman Wore Six Different Costumes
A peek behind the scenes or an untold story can reveal so much more about our favorite shows and movies. Why did Mary Tyler Moore wear that silly wig on her new show, and who were those Hanson brothers in Slap Shot? These are the mysteries of the screen (big and small) that stay with us for years, seemingly never to be solved. But there are explanations and anecdotes -- everything has some back story or secret origin. What was in the bottle before Barbara Eden (Jeannie) moved in? What's George Harrison doing in that Monty Python movie? And what is up with the mask that Michael Myers wears in Halloween -- is it really a Star Trek thing? Take a moment to dig deeper and you might find the fact or tale that makes you enjoy a series or film even more.
We all know the costume Lynda Carter wore as Wonder Woman -- the star-spangled shorts, the golden eagle bustier, how could anyone forget? Yet on the TV show, which ran from 1975-79, she actually wore several other getups depending on the situation: (1) the white athletic outfit in the series pilot, (2) the "western" outfit from the "Bushwhackers" episode, (3) the full-length blue spandex body suit, which does double-duty as a wetsuit or a motorcross outfit, (4) a "formal" outfit, which includes a blue skirt and a red, white and blue cape, and (5) a second Paradise Island outfit. A girl's gotta have options.
Jane Fonda Was Drunk When She Filmed 'Barbarella's Opening Striptease
The tone of the 1968 space farce Barbarella is established early on, with star Jane Fonda slowly wriggling out of her space suit in zero-gravity. Nerves and modesty caused her to seek liquid courage for the scene. "I drank a lot of vodka," she told Good Morning America. "I was drunk out of my mind and kind of moving to the song."
Cool Hand Luke's Car Wash Girl Just Said No To Marijuana
In a memorable scene from Cool Hand Luke, actress Joy Harmon enthusiastically scrubs her 1941 DeSoto. The producers felt she might need to relax before the sexually-charged scene, and suggested she smoke some weed. Harmon adamantly refused, and was ready to quit the movie when director Stuart Rosenberg stepped in and explained that she didn't need to smoke marijuana to do the scene.
There Were No Playboy Bunnies In WWII, But There Were On The 'Dirty Dozen' Set
NFL star Jim Brown and actor Clint Walker, who'd risen to TV fame on Cheyenne, were the hired muscle in the Dirty Dozen cast. While the movie was shooting in England in the summer of 1966, Dolly Read -- a British Playboy Playmate who'd later star in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls -- stopped by for a few publicity shots.
'The Love Boat' Was Filmed On Actual Cruise Ships, And The Extras Were Paying Passengers
Captained by Merrill Steubing, the titular boat of love was actually the Pacific Princess, which set sail in real life as part of the Princess Cruises fleet. While most scenes were filmed on sound stages in California, there were some outdoor shots that couldn't be pulled off in a studio setting. For these, the cast and crew actually went on cruises on the Pacific Princess, and paying passengers were used as extras.
TV Batman Adam West Had A Super Sex Life (So Did Robin)
While his character was a virtuous do-gooder, TV Batman Adam West reportedly slept with as many as eight women a night and even had quickies between scenes on the set of Batman. Burt Ward, who played Batman’s sidekick Robin, was getting his share of groupies as well, and reports say that the Dynamic Duo did much of their extracurricular work while still wearing their iconic superhero costumes.
What's Hotter Than Slave Leia? How About TWO Slave Leias?
Male Star Wars fans could never get enough of Carrie Fisher in the getup known as "Slave Leia." Imagine their delight when photos of two Slave Leias, catching some rays side-by-side, began to emerge. No, this isn't attack of the Leia clones -- that's Fisher's stunt double and good friend from the set, Tracy Eddon.
Felix Silla, Who Played Cousin Itt In 'The Addams Family,' Was Also Twiki In 'Battlestar Galactica'
The diminutive Felix Silla attained TV immortality by playing Cousin Itt on The Addams Family. But Silla really hit the double TV sci-fi jackpot in 1978, the year he started playing Lucifer on Battlestar Galactica; shortly thereafter he got the call to play Twiki on the related-but-different show Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
Shirley Eaton Was Painted Gold In 'Goldfinger' -- And Lived!
In Goldfinger, Shirley Eaton's gold-painted character Jill Masterson is discovered dead by James Bond, played by Sean Connery. An urban legend held that Eaton herself died of suffocation due to the gold paint -- don't believe it. She not only survived the Goldfinger shoot, she also continued acting for years afterward.
Mary Tyler Moore Was Elvis Presley's Leading Lady In The King's Final Film
In the last film Elvis Presley made as an actor, 1969's forgettable Change of Habit, he was teamed with a sitcom actress who would be arguably the biggest star out of all his leading ladies (with the possible exception of Ann-Margret). Mary Tyler Moore was famous for playing Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, but became much more famous the following year, when The Mary Tyler Moore Show premiered to instant success.
Adrienne Barbeau's 'Escape From New York' Death Scene Was Filmed In John Carpenter's Garage
In Escape From New York, Adrienne Barbea's character Maggie is run over by the bad guy's Cadillac, but when director John Carpenter looked at the nearly-finished movie, he wasn't sure that point would be clear to audiences. Needing one more scene, he hauled Barbeau to his garage -- not too difficult, as she was his wife -- and filmed an extra shot of the dead Maggie underneath his own car.
'Apocalypse Now' Featured Real Playmates, Including Lynda Carter
Nobody who's seen Apocalypse Now can forget the surreal "Suzy Q" scene, featuring female dancers who are billed as Playboy Playmates -- and two out of three of them were. Sharp-eyed viewers can also catch a glimpse of a Playmate centerfold -- and the woman in the picture with the staple through her navel is, in fact, Lynda Carter.
Years After 'Partridge Family' Ended, Susan Dey And David Cassidy Had A Regrettable One-Night Stand
Susan Dey and David Cassidy played brother and sister on The Partridge Family, but Dey secretly longed to be in a relationship with Cassidy. Cassidy was notably insensitive to Dey's feelings, hooking up with groupies and often parading the flavor of the week in front of a crushed Dey. Years later, they did get together for a single night of passion -- and regretted it.
Mr. Rogers Got Your Tallman Right Here
Only Mr. Rogers could get away with flipping off a nation of children and acting like he didn't know what he was doing -- but that's what he did when he sang "Where Is Thumbkin?" It seems likely that he did know what the gesture meant, because there's a behind-the-scenes clip, now all over the internet in GIF form, in which Fred shoots the rod while laughing and looking right at us.
Charlie's Angels Anchored ABC's 'Jiggle TV' Lineup
In the mid- and late 1970s, the ABC network hit upon a winning formula, with Three's Company, Wonder Woman and especially Charlie's Angels drawing massive ratings thanks to the physical talents of Suzanne Somers, Lynda Carter, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. Paul Klein, an executive at rival NBC, denigrated ABC's brand of entertainment as "jiggle television."
Chevy Chase Was Tricked Out Of Being In 'Animal House'
When Universal Pictures wanted to add Chevy Chase to the Animal House cast, director John Landis took Chase to lunch and used some brilliant reverse psychology:
I said, ‘Listen, Chevy, our picture is an ensemble, a collaborative group effort like Saturday Night Live. You’d fit right in, whereas in Foul Play, that’s like being Cary Grant or Paul Newman, a real movie-star part. Don’t you think you’d be better off surrounded by really gifted comedians?’
Of course, that was exactly what Chase didn't want. He told Landis he'd be making Foul Play with Goldie Hawn, not Animal House.
Mae West Tormented Raquel Welch And Farrah Fawcett On The Set Of 'Myra Breckinridge'
Iconic sex symbol Mae West came out of retirement to appear in Myra Breckinridge, a famous 1970 flop, and was a diva on the set from day one. She famously decreed that only she would be allowed to wear black or white in the film, so all of Raquel Welch’s costume had to be remade. West also kept complaining about Farrah Fawcett's hair color, and Fawcett was made to dye it three separate times to try to appease West.
Suzanne Somers Thought She Was The Star Of 'Three's Company.' ABC Begged To Differ
Was Suzanne Somers she the star of Three's Company -- or was John Ritter the star? Or did the show not have just one star? It's a tough question, but Ritter was making more money than she was. After four seasons on the show, Somers made her move, demanding a raise from $30,000 per episode to $150,000. ABC said no, and cut her air time down to 60 seconds per episode, then fired her at the end of the season.
Lou Ferrigno's Incredible Hulk Wig Was Made Of Yak Hair
For Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder who actually played the monster-superhero on The Hulk, the transformation to the big green guy was involved. Achieving the Hulk's face called for prosthetics, and green grease paint was slathered on to make his skin tone the correct shade. And then there was his hairpiece -- a wig made of yak hair.
The Gopher Was A Controversial Last-Minute Addition To 'Caddyshack'
Caddyshack is to some extent a series of vignettes -- and as director Harold Ramis was trying to cut them together into a watchable movie, he realized it was a bit lacking in narrative. The solution was to take Carl Spackler's battle against the gopher, and stretch it out (while beefing it up with extra footage) into a sustained conflict with an explosive climax.
The Oompa-Loompas Were Originally African Pygmies
The Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory are whimsical orange-skinned characters -- but that's not how they were originally described in the 1964 edition of Roald Dahl's book. According to Dahl's biographer, the Oompa Loompas in that edition were "a tribe of 3,000 amiable black pygmies who have been imported by Mr. Willy Wonka from 'the very deepest and darkest part of the African jungle where no white man had been before.'"
That's Not Britt Ekland's Bum You See In 'The Wicker Man'
In The Wicker Man, Britt Ekland has a famous naked song-and-dance scene, but she refused to show her rear end. Filmmakers hired a local Glasgow stripper to shake some booty without Ekland's knowledge, which massively irked the star when she found out: "[The body double's] bottom was much bigger than mine ... It was ridiculous."
Yvonne Craig Did Her Own Fight Scenes On 'Batman,' Unlike Adam West And Burt Ward
Yvonne Craig, who played the dual role of Barbara Gordon and Batgirl on Batman, had studied ballet since she was 10 years old, and choreographed her own fight scenes. While Adam West and Burt Ward had stunt doubles for the run of the series, Craig insisted that she do her own stunts.
Sally Field Was Actually The Fifth Gidget
Though Sally Field is arguably the canonical Gidget, she wasn't the only Gidget or even the first Gidget. In three movies, Gidget was played by Sandra Dee (1959), Deborah Walley (1961), and Cindy Carroll (1963). Throw in the original real-life Gidget (who really was called Gidget, short for "girl midget") and Sally iField s Gidget Mark V.
Peter Sellers Shot Jacqueline Bisset On The Set Of 'Casino Royale'
Jacqueline Bisset's first scene with Peter Sellers in Casino Royale didn't go as she expected -- Sellers, playing James Bond, turned to her and quite unexpectedly shot her in the face with a gun. It was loaded with blanks, of course. But the gunpowder made her skin burn, and she was bleeding where tiny shards had broken the skin. "I thought I'd been blinded," she later revealed. "My face looked like a shower spout of pinpricks leaking blood. ... To get shot in your first scene with a big star, that is a nightmare."
His Herman Munster Getup Made Fred Gwynne Sweat Like Crazy
Fred Gwynne's Herman Munster costume was extremely bulky and unbearably hot. In order to keep him cool enough for his health and comfort, and to keep his heavy makeup from melting, a stagehand would use an air compressor to shoot cool air into his costume in between scenes. Despite all of their efforts, the actor consistently lost weight due to excessive sweating.
The 'L' Was Penny Marshall's Trick To Remind Viewers Of Laverne's Name
Would viewers tuning into Laverne & Shirley remember which was which? Penny Marshall decided she'd help them out with a wardrobe choice -- the monogrammed "L" on her clothing is there to remind you she's Laverne (which makes Cindy Williams Shirley) thus saving the writers from having to write clunky explanatory dialogue every episode.
Mary Tyler Moore Wore A Wig To Distance Herself From Her 'Dick Van Dyke Show' Character
The producers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show were legitimately concerned that confused audiences would see the star and think of her as Laura Petrie, her character on The Dick Van Dyke Show, so Moore started her new series wearing a large, dark wig. The wig disappeared after the first season, and nobody said anything.
MGM Wanted Shirley Temple To Play Dorothy In 'Wizard Of Oz'
MGM wanted Shirley Temple, a much bigger star than Judy Garland, to play Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz, and to get her from Twentieth Century Fox they were planning to trade Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. Then Harlow died at the age of 26, the deal was off, and MGM was stuck with second-choice Garland -- sheesh, that would explain why nobody ever watches this movie anymore. It could have been good.
Jennifer O'Neill Was Isolated During The Filming Of 'Summer Of '42'
Director Robert Mulligan shot the coming-of-age movie Summer Of '42 in chronological order, so the actors could grow into the characters. He also kept his teenage boys separate from Jennifer O'Neill, the object of their on-screen obsession, so that when they did encounter her there would be a genuine awkwardness. It was a lonely job for O'Neill, but the tactic worked.
Which Is Which? Anne Francis And Her 'Twilight Zone' Mannequin Double
In a 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone, Anne Francis plays a woman who goes into a department store and ends up becoming a mannequin. To shoot the story, the show needed the real woman (Ms. Francis) and a mannequin that looked just like her -- but was clearly a mannequin if you look closely. In this picture, we see the prop and the actress side-by-side, and the resemblance is uncanny. Actor James Millhollin seems at a loss to tell which is which (hint: look at the eyes and the hands).
'Strange Brew' Is Based On Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'
In Hamlet, a Danish prince returns home to Elsinore castle to find that his father has been murdered and his mother has shacked up with the culprit, his uncle. In Strange Brew, the Mackenzie brothers learn that the owner of their favorite brewery has been killed by an evil brewmaster, the owner's daughter is in cahoots, her uncle is trying to cover it up, etc. -- it's not an exact rip of the plot, but there are similarities. And Moranis and Thomas tipped their hand with the name of the company at the center of the story: the Elsinore Brewery.
'Max Headroom' Won An Award For High Tech Effects, But There Were None
The secret of Max Headroom, who seemed to be a computer-generated TV host, was that he wasn't computer generated at all. The character's look was achieved by encasing actor Matt Frewer in a stiff suit-and-tie shell and applying makeup to make his skin look all smooth and plasticky. In 1986, the show won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Graphics -- even though, apart from the lines in the background, the show didn't employ any graphic effects.
Richard Dreyfuss Spends Most Of 'American Graffiti' Trying To Find Suzanne Somers
In American Graffiti, the high school graduate Curt (Richard Dreyfuss) glimpses a beautiful blonde woman driving a white Ford Thunderbird, and immediately becomes obsessed with her. What viewers often don't know -- and indeed couldn't have known when the movie was released -- is that the briefly-glimpsed blonde was played by Suzanne Somers. Though Somers would soon become a big star thanks to Three's Company, she wasn't famous at all in 1973. In fact, "Blonde in T-Bird" was Somers' first credited screen role.
Bob 'Hogan' Crane Married Sigrid 'Hilda' Valdis And They Had A Son (Not Pictured)
In 1965, Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane began an affair with one of his castmates, Cynthia Lynn, who played Col. Klink's secretary Helga. Lynn left the show after the first season, and Patricia Olson -- who performed under the stage name of Sigrid Valdis -- stepped in to play Helga's replacement Hilda. Crane followed along, redirecting his attention from Helga to Hilda. Crane romanced Patricia and -- after divorcing his wife of 20 years -- put a ring on it in 1970. Their son, Scott Crane, was born the following year.
Jeannie Was Trapped In A Bottle That Originally Held Jim Beam Whisky
The bottle in which Barbara Eden's character Jeannie lives on the sitcom I Dream Of Jeannie looked exotic, but it was actually an item you could buy in your local liquor store at the time. It was a 1964 special edition Christmas decanter sold by Jim Beam -- for an estimated $5.99.
The Xenomorph In 'Alien' Was Nigerian Actor Bolaji Badejo's Only Film Role
Nigerian art student Bolaji Badejo was drinking in a pub in Soho, London, when he was spotted by director Ridley Scott's casting team. Standing 6'10" with very long legs, he was the perfect candidate to play the creature in Scott's upcoming sci-fi horror film Alien. Badejo's performance as the menacing Xenomorph is one of the many elements that make Alien a masterpiece. He never acted in another film again.
There's A Dead Actress In 'The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly'
Keep an eye out next time you watch The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly -- there's a dead body in one scene that, allegedly, is neither a living actor nor a mannequin. It's really a dead body. According to rumor, the corpse was that of a Spanish actress who wanted to act “even in death.”
Barry White Wrote 'Doin' The Banana Split'
The Banana Splits were a band consisting of anthropomorphic animals -- actors in costumes -- who played pop music on their show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. Barry White, the soul singer known for his smooth, deep voice, wrote the song "Doin’ the Banana Split." He did not perform it -- it was sung by Drooper (a lion), with much of the lead vocal work done by Ricky Lancelotti.
Bones, Kirk And Spock Pretend To Shave With Their Communicators Between Takes On 'Star Trek'
Star Trek is not a funny show. Doesn't matter whether it's the original series, Next Generation or Voyager -- none of them have jokes. And that's a shame because there is much to laugh at. These three guys apparently just realized that the prop communicators they speak into every week look like electric shavers. Long day on the set, Shatner?
Kojak Sucked A Lollipop Because Telly Savalas Was Trying To Quit Smoking
Telly Savalas was known for sucking a lollipop in his portrayal of TV detective Kojak, but he actually had a serious reason for the lollipop: He was trying to cut down on smoking. The strategy was only somewhat successful, as his character could be seen smoking a butt and sucking the lollipop throughout the series. The lollipop endures as one of the trademarks of a very memorable character -- two others being Savalas' bald pate and the catchphrase "Who loves ya, baby?"
'Gilligan's Island's Lagoon Was A Studio Lot Filled With Water
The relatively convincing lagoon of the fictional island setting of Gilligan's Island was essentially a big splash pool constructed at CBS Studio Center, in the Studio City neighborhood of Los Angeles. The water in the lagoon became famously filthy as it stagnated over the months of shooting. To prove its toxicity, Bob Denver (Gilligan) and Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper) released a live fish in the water -- and the fish died.
The Last Fight Scene In 'Raging Bull' Is Based On The Shower Scene In 'Psycho'
When Martin Scorsese was planning the climactic bout between Jake La Motta and Sugar Ray Robinson in Raging Bull, he looked to what 's arguably the most thrilling scene in cinema history -- the shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Scorsese made a list of every shot in Hitch's brutal sequence, and storyboarded his fight scene accordingly.
The Shark In 'Jaws' Was Named 'Bruce,' After Steven Spielberg's Lawyer
There was one major special effect in Jaws: the 25-foot-long mechanical shark designed specifically for the film. It was a nightmare to deal with, famously malfunctioning and breaking down -- in fact, the shark became an additional challenge for director Steven Spielberg, who had to rewrite scenes and shoot around the shark's shortcomings. In a stroke of wishful thinking, the shark was named "Bruce" after Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer.
The Face Of Michael Myers In 'Halloween' Is William Shatner
The most famous bit of movie magic in Halloween -- the mask worn by killer Michael Myers -- is truly among the most legendary low-budget shortcuts. It was actually a costume-store Captain Kirk mask -- yes, in its original form it was supposed to make the wearer look something like William Shatner -- and it cost just $1.29. Carpenter painted it white, and liked it because of its blank stare.
The 1966 Batmobile Was A Lincoln Concept Car From 1955
The 1955 Lincoln Futura was a one-off, a concept car that demonstrated Ford Motor Company's space-age imagination, and after it had served its PR purpose it ended up in the hands of customizer George Barris. In 1965, 20th Century Fox contracted Barris to create the car for the Batman TV series, and gave him just three weeks to do the job. Barris used what he had, painting the '55 Futura black and adding some bat-details here and there.
Jack Wild Seems Surprised That H.R. Pufnstuf Is An Average Joe
Young actor Jack Wild, who played Jimmy on H.R. Pufnstuf, quietly speaks for us all in this photo. Just feet away from him sits Roberto Gamonet wearing the H.R. Pufnstuf costume without the head, as well as Johnny Silver, who has removed the head from his Ludicrous Lion costume. Krofft-world bodies with human heads on them -- does anyone want to witness that? Talk about moments that'll ruin your childhood!
Tabatha On 'Bewitched' Was Played By Twin Actresses
Erin Murphy, the actress known for playing Tabatha on Bewitched, has a fraternal twin sister Diane, and for at least 18 episodes in 1966-67 the two of them shared the job of playing Samantha and Darrin's offspring. Erin eventually got the role all to herself, partially because, as fraternal (and not identical) twins, she and her sister began to look noticeably different from each other.
Groucho Marx's Guest Appearance On 'Welcome Back Kotter' Was Canceled
Comedy legend Groucho Marx (of the Marx Brothers) was booked to do a guest spot on Welcome Back, Kotter. In the episode, series star Gabe Kaplan would break into a Groucho Marx impression, and then the show would cut to Marx himself reacting to it. When the 86-year-old Groucho showed up to the set, he was clearly too feeble to do the scene. Marx shot a few publicity stills with the cast on set, but he wasn't in the episode, and died the following year.
The Painting Seen On 'Good Times' Was Painted By A Former NFL Player
On the sitcom Good Times, J.J. Evans (played by Jimmie Walker) is an artist, and his paintings are occasionally seen in the background of the Evans apartment. One in particular was also featured in the closing credits -- it's actually "Sugar Shack," a canvas by artist Ernie Barnes. Barnes was an important artist of the late 20th century, but that wasn't his only career -- he was also a pro football player who suited up for the Baltimore Colts, New York Titans, San Diego Chargers, and Denver Broncos.
The Studio Didn't Think Spencer Tracy Would Live To Finish Shooting 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner'
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy felt Guess Who's Coming To Dinner was an important movie to make, but only one of them was really in the shape to do it. Tracy was thoroughly ill, and both Hepburn and director Stanley Kramer put up their salaries as collateral in case of Tracy's death. Additionally, the writers came up with an alternate script they would use if Tracy died before shooting finished.
Fonzie Was Only Allowed To Wear A Leather Jacket Because Of His Motorcycle
It's one of the most famous garments in the history of TV, but Fonzie's leather jacket almost never got its chance to shine. Higher-ups at ABC feared that the jacket would make him look like a hoodlum. Thankfully, producers of the show cleverly found a loophole: if The Fonz was getting on or off (or simply standing near) his motorcycle, the leather jacket could be justified as “a piece of safety equipment.” The suits at ABC bought it.
The Thuggish Hanson Brothers Of 'Slap Shot' Were Played By Real Life Hockey Thugs
What makes the 1977 comedy Slap Shot so good is the weird, violent trio of hockey players Jeff, Steve and Jack Hanson. The Hansons were inspired by Carlsons, an infamous and very real trio of brawlin' hockey brothers -- and in fact, Jeff and Steve Hanson were actually portrayed by Jeff and Steve Carlson, who took a season off to make the movie. The third Carlson brother, Jack, would have been in the movie too, but he was called up to play for the Edmonton Oilers, so the Carlsons' teammate Dave Hanson (confusing, innit?) filled in.
'Dr. Strangelove' Originally Ended With A Massive Pie-Fight Scene That Was Scrapped
If you've seen Dr. Strangelove, you remember the grim yet humorous ending -- but director Stanley Kubrick had something more ridiculous in mind, and actually filmed it. In this alternate ending, the Russian ambassador throws a pie at President Merkin Muffley. General Turgidson cries, "Our beloved president has been infamously struck down by a pie in the prime of his life!" -- and a massive pie fight ensues. In test screenings, which took place right after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, viewers disliked the scene -- so Kubrick removed it.
Animal Lover Eddie Albert Objected To Eva Gabor's Furs And Feathers On 'Green Acres'
Eddie Albert, who played the urbanite-turned-farmer Oliver Wendell Douglas on Green Acres, was a nature-lover with a soft spot for animals, which caused some friction with his co-star Eva Gabor, whose shtick included her insistence on wearing very un-rural getups incorporating furs and feathers. Albert protested, saying he did not want her to set a fashion example that might result in the sacrifice of more minks, ermines or birds. Gabor reportedly replied to him that feathers don't come from birds -- they come from pillows.
They Weren't Having Such A Good Time On The 'Good Times' Set
The sitcom Good Times aired for six seasons, making a lot of viewers laugh along the way, but was a businesslike affair when the cameras weren't rolling -- at least that's how Jimmie Walker, who played the outrageous son J.J., remembers it. He barely knew Esther Rolle and John Amos, the actors who played J.J.'s parents. "We were never friends, never talked," Walker recalled. "If you said at that time ‘Call Esther and ask her about [something],’ I wouldn’t even have her number. I couldn’t have called John. I wouldn’t have had his number … We never spoke to each other."
Roxie Roker Of 'The Jeffersons' Was In An Interracial Marriage (Which Gave Us Lenny Kravitz)
Roxie Roker played Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, and as a black woman married to a white character (played by Franklin Cover) she broke the TV taboo against interracial couples. Roker herself was married to Sy Kravitz, a white Jewish TV producer. During casting, a producer raised the bizarre concern that she didn't look like she could be married to a white man. She refuted the notion by producing a family photo containing her caucasian husband. We don't know for sure, but it probably included their son -- the rock star Lenny Kravitz.
Dick York Could Not Physically Continue On 'Bewitched'
Years before he was cast as Darrin Stephens on Bewitched, Dick York suffered a serious back injury while filming the 1959 western They Came To Cordura. His spine never healed correctly, and to continue working he took strong pain medicine. Years later, while filming a Bewitched scene on a 15-foot scaffold, the hot lights, exhaustion and medication sent York into a seizure. He was rushed to the hospital and never returned to the Bewitched set.
Florence Henderson Got The 'Brady Bunch' Job Because She Was Boring
Florence Henderson was a last-minute replacement in the Brady Bunch cast. Actress Joyce Bulifant was all but set to play the role and had participated in screen tests with young actors. Bulifant's Carol Brady would have been zany -- but then Ann B. Davis was enlisted to play Alice, the housekeeper. Having Bulifant and Davis would be too much zany. Producers got rid of Bulifant, figuring Henderson would play it straight and not compete with Davis.
Garrett Morris Of 'Saturday Night Live' Is An Opera Singer
Garrett Morris is a trained tenor who studied at Juilliard and learned to sing opera in Italian and German. He occasionally sang to classical music on Saturday Night Live in segments that had a funny concept -- the concept being "bet you didn't know Garrett Morris could sing opera."
George Harrison Played Mr. Papadopolous In 'Life Of Brian' (And Also Financed The Film)
Monty Python And The Holy Grail had been a raging financial success, so the comedy troupe's production company EMI Films signed on to finance another movie. Just days before Life Of Brian was to start filming, EMI backed out, fearing the Biblical subject matter would be too controversial. In a desperate move, the Pythons called a meeting with George Harrison, who loved the script and put up 4 million pounds to fund the movie. For his largesse, he was given the small role of Mr. Papadopoulos.
Jay Thomas Was Kicked Off 'Cheers' When He Complained About Kissing Rhea Perlman
During his stint on Cheers, playing Carla Tortelli's husband Eddie LeBec, Jay Thomas was also working as a radio broadcaster. One day on his radio show a listener called in and asked Thomas what it was like being on Cheers. Thomas said something to the effect of "It’s brutal. I have to kiss Rhea Perlman." Perlman was listening to the show, and did not like the comment. Thomas never appeared on the show again, and the following season, Eddie LeBec was killed off in a freak Zamboni accident.
Card Game On Set Of 'Planet Of The Apes' Shows Humans And Apes Can Get Along After All
The humans must fight for their dignity in Planet Of The Apes, whereas the apes are hard pressed to see them as anything but inferior. But when the cameras aren't rolling on a movie set, everyone has to find something to do to pass the time. That's how we end up with this scene, which could never occur in the movie, as the intelligent apes wouldn't deign to play cards with humans any more than you would play cards with your cat.
'Daggit' On 'Battlestar Galatica' Was Played By A Chimpanzee In A Costume
What was Muffit the daggit on the original Battlestar Galactica, anyway? Well, a "daggit" is a dog in the Galactican language, so that begins to explain it. But the daggit you see on Battlestar Galactica isn't played by a dog. The actor inside the costume was actually a chimpanzee named Evolution, or Evie for short.
Quentin Tarantino Played An Elvis Impersonator On 'Golden Girls' In 1988
Quentin Tarantino, then an unknown director, played one of many Elvis impersonators in a 1988 episode of Golden Girls. That gig paid -- and kept paying. "It became a two-part Golden Girls," he told Jimmy Fallon. "So I got paid residuals for both parts. And, It was so popular they put it on a Best of The Golden Girls, and I got residuals every time that showed. [That money] kept me going during our pre-production time trying to get Reservoir Dogs going." So if you like Reservoir Dogs -- you can thank Golden Girls.
Yul Brynner Wasn't Bald
Like most people, Yul Brynner had hair -- but in 1951, he decided to shave his head to play the titular role in The King And I on Broadway. The role (on stage and in the movie version) made Brynner famous, and when he moved on to other work, he continued to shave his head. In fact, since Brynner was one of the few celebrities with a bald head in that era, baldness itself was seen as the Yul Brynner look. He continued to shave his head for the rest of his career.
A Young Peter Falk Played A Castro-Like Dictator On 'The Twilight Zone'
Yes, this bearded revolutionary in this still from "The Mirror," a 1961 episode of The Twilight Zone, is modeled on Fidel Castro. Seven years later, the actor who played the character of Ramos Clemente would become one of the most popular TV detectives of all time. Give him a shave, a trench coat, and a cigar, and you'd recognize him as Peter Falk, star of Columbo.
