The Mummy (1999)
Book
Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep
The Book of the Dead awakes Imhotep from his long sleep when Evie
unknowingly reads a page from it aloud. The hero version of this prop
(seen here) is complete with pages of hieroglyphs throughout and weighs
around 35 pounds. Lighter versions were used for action scenes where it
had to be carried around.
Flower Drum Song (1961)
Drum
Miyoshi Umeki as Mei Li
Flower Drum Song is based on the Rogers & Hammerstein Broadway musical
of the same name. Cast members Miyoshi Umeki & Juanita Hall both
reprised their stage roles in the film.
Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) which featured Renee Zellweger as Bridget Jones
There were multiple diaries used in different scenes of this film. The picture here is of one of the diaries created for insert shots, featuring a tipped in page that has actually been filled out.
To help celebrate our Centennial (100 Years ago to the day, yesterday 4/30/12) - here is our original Certificate of Incorporation, along with some of the fun facts around Universal’s History. Hope you enjoy! - Jeff
UNIVERSAL PICTURES 100 YEARS, 100 FUN FACTS
1. Universal Film Manufacturing Company was officially incorporated in New York on April 30, 1912. Company legend says Carl Laemmle was inspired to name his company Universal after seeing “Universal Pipe Fittings” written on a passing delivery wagon.
2. The only physical damage made during the filming of National Lampoon’s Animal House was when John Belushi made a hole in the wall with a guitar. The actual Sigma Nu fraternity house (which subbed for the fictitious Delta House) never repaired it, and instead framed the hole in honor of the film.
3. The working title for E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was “A Boy’s Life.”
4. In the movie All Quiet on the Western Front, the Greek writing on the blackboard in the schoolroom is the beginning of Homer’s Odyssey: “Tell me, oh Muse, of that ingenious hero who traveled far and wide.”
5. In 1969, a then 22-year old Steven Spielberg was assigned to direct the Universal Television series pilot, Night Gallery. It’s safe to say things went pretty well for Steven after that.
6. The word “dude” in The Big Lebowski is used approximately 161 times in the movie: 160 times spoken and once in text (in the credits for “Gutterballs” the second dream sequence). The F-word or a variation of the F-word is used 292 times. The Dude says “man” 147 times in the movie—that’s nearly 1.5 times a minute.
7. The first feature filmed at Universal City was Damon and Pythias in 1914.
8. President Ronald Reagan starred in the 1951 Universal feature film, Bedtime for Bonzo.
9. Back to the Future’s DeLorean time machine is actually a licensed, registered vehicle in the state of California. While the vanity license plate used in the film says “OUTATIME,” the DeLorean’s actual license plate reads 3CZV657.
10. The film A Beautiful Mind was shot in sequence in order to help Russell Crowe better develop his character’s emotional and physical arc.
11. American Graffiti’s budget was exactly $777,777.77, and it was delivered on time – and on budget.
12. In the Alfred Hitchcock classic The Birds, Tippi Hedren was actually cut in the face by a bird during the shooting of one sequence.
13. Throughout his career, Rock Hudson appeared in 46 feature films with Universal including Pillow Talk, All That Heaven Allows and Magnificent Obsession. In 1953, he was elected Mayor of Universal City.
14. The infamous apple pie in the movie American Pie was purchased by the production from Costco.
15. In the movie The Breakfast Club, the students ate the following for lunch: Andrew: A bag of chips, chocolate cookies, three sandwiches, milk, a banana and an apple. Claire: Sushi. Allison: Sandwich with Pixie Stix and Captain Crunch cereal. Brian: Soup, sandwich with peanut butter and jam and apple juice. Bender: Nothing.
16. In Brokeback Mountain, the song Jack plays on his harmonica is “He Was a Friend of Mine,” the same song Willie Nelson sings during the closing credits.
17. The film Buck Privates took in $4 million at the U.S. Box Office (at a time when theater admission ranged between 10 and 25 cents).
18. A sneak preview of the film Buck Privates was held in late January 1941 for soldiers at Fort MacArthur, California.
19. The Munster’s House on Colonial Street was originally built for the 1946 production, So Goes My Love.
20. The title of the movie Do The Right Thing comes from a Malcolm X quote: “You’ve got to do the right thing.”
The Sting (1973)
Costume Design
Costume Designer Edith Head her 8th & final Academy Award for her work
on 1973’s The Sting. She was nominated 35 times in all. She worked at
Universal from 1967 until her death in 1981 on such titles as Sweet
Charity, Airport & Airport ‘77, in addition to The Sting.
American Pie (1999), American Pie 2 (2001), American Reunion (2012)
Portraits of Stifler’s Mom
From left to right: The original portrait of Jennifer Coolidge as Stifler’s Mom from the first American Pie film. A new portrait was seen in the second film and the final portrait, based on the original, appeared in American Reunion.
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