The classic film of the Charlie And The Chocolate Factory book is 40 years old this year!
Being big fans of Roald Dahl and the classic Gene Wilder flick, we thought we would post some facts about the wonder that is itself. This timeless classic never ceases to amaze us...
Ahhhh. The Wonka Bar. We are so in love with this logo that we aren't quite sure what to do with ourselves. Oh what we would give to have one in Vivid HQ! Incredibly, most of the chocolate bars were actually made of wood. We would still take one!
Did you know that the film was originally financed by the Quaker Oats Company. They hoped to tie it to a new candy bar they intended to bring on the market. When the film was released, the company began marketing its "Wonka" chocolate bars. Unfortunately, an error in the chocolate formula caused the bars to melt too easily, even while on the shelf, and so they were taken off the market. They sold it on and you can still buy Wonka sweets today, but the logo is nowhere near as great!
The opening credits sequence was filmed at a real (Tobler) chocolate factory in Switzerland, and the exterior of the chocolate factory was Munich's gas works. After reading the script, Gene Wilder said he would make the film under one condition: that he would be allowed to do a somersault in the scene when he first meets the children. When asked why, he replied that having Willy Wonka start out limping and end up somersaulting would set the tone for that character. He wanted to portray him as someone whose actions were completely unpredictable. His request to do the somersault was granted and an icon was born.
Sammy Davis Jr. expressed an interest in playing Bill, the candy store owner, but the film-makers deemed it as too kitschy and declined. Nevertheless, the candy store song, "The Candyman", became a staple of Davis' stage show for many years. Vivid love to sing this song!
Who doesn't want all of their grandparents to all sleep in one bed like this? Hee hee!
There he is! Mike Teavee is our favorite character - and has the best exit as a Wonka contestant!
The scene of Mike's demise was difficult to film. When seen far away while in the TV, it was accomplished through blue screen. While seen in the TV from close up, Mike was standing on a platform on a huge television set. The shot where Mrs. Teavee picks him up was a doll, and the single shot where we see a closeup of Mike dangling from his mom's fingers was accomplished by having him dangle from a Styrofoam thumb and forefinger covered with fabric. Who wouldn't have wanted to film that scene?!
The final Oompaloompa song took a total of 50 takes. That would be enough to drive anyone insane. How fitting! You can find out more facts about the classic film here and if you are interested to find out whatever happened to that motley crew, you can read more here.
We will be spending our afternoon watching the film and licking our wallpaper.
Have a good Sunday!
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