History Trivia / AnimalHouse

* TooSoon: Creator/JohnLandis nixed a gag that would have had a sculpture of JFK on a parade float being shot in the "head" during the chaos when the Deltas attack the parade in their "Eat Me" float. (In the finished film, it is ''Jackie'' Kennedy who is disrespected, when Babs Jansen, who is portraying Jackie, has her pink suit ripped off and ends up in her underwear.) Ironically, in-universe the gag would have been a FunnyAneurysmMoment, since the parade takes place in the autumn of 1962 - more than a year before the assassination.

** Creator/BillMurray and Creator/DanAykroyd were also pursued for the roles of Boon and D-Day, respectively, but they were busy with ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''. In fact, the role of D-Day was based on Aykroyd.

* MoneyDearBoy: Creator/DonaldSutherland was so convinced of the movie's lack of potential, that, when offered a percent of the gross or a flat fee of $75,000 for his three days' work, he took the upfront payment. Had he taken the gross percentage he would have been worth an additional $3-4 million.

* IronyAsSheIsCast: According to James Widdoes (Hoover), neither he nor his co-stars: Creator/JohnBelushi (Bluto), Tim Matheson (Otter), Peter Riegert (Boon), Bruce McGill (D-Day), Tom Hulce (Pinto), and Stephen Furst (Flounder), had ever actually belonged to a college fraternity.

* TooSoon: The censors nixed a gag that would have had a sculpture of JFK on a parade float being shot in the "head" during the chaos when the Deltas attack the parade in their "Eat Me" float. (In the finished film, it is ''Jackie'' Kennedy who is disrespected, when Babs Jansen, who is portraying Jackie, has her pink suit ripped off and ends up in her underwear.) Ironically, in-universe the gag would have been a FunnyAneurysmMoment, since the parade takes place in the autumn of 1962 - more than a year before the assassination.

a sequence showing expelled Deltas going through a medical screening after having to register for the draft, during which the double-jointed D-Day rotates his feet backwards (this scene was removed a few months after release due to many young men hurting themselves while trying to emulate the stunt).

* DawsonCasting: Most of the cast. For example, Creator/MarkMetcalf (Neidermeyer) was 32. One of the other most notable examples was 19-year-old (at the time of production) actress Sarah Holcomb, who played 13-year-old statutory rape victim Clorette [=DePasto=]. Justified in the case of Bluto. ("Seven years of college down the drain!") and subverted by the casting of Creator/KevinBacon, who was actually of college age at the time, and even then he was still an example because he was 20 while his character was a freshman.

* OrphanedReference:
** The original script called for Flounder to be admitted to the fraternity only if he told one of Larry Kroger's secrets. Flounder blurted out, "He's got spots on his weenie!" Later, during the naming of the pledges, when Larry asks why his Delta name is Pinto, the entire fraternity drunkenly yells, "'Cause you got a spotted dong!"
** The original script included a scene of "competitive projectile vomiting" which Flounder was to fail at repeatedly. Later, after Flounder throws up "on" Dean Wormer, Boon congratulates Flounder on his technique.

* DeletedScene: A scene that was cut was Pinto being entertained by Boon and Hoover by telling tales of legendary Delta House frat brothers from years before. The past fraternity brothers had names like Tarantula, Bulldozer, Giraffe, and his girlfriend, Gross Kay.

** The original script called for Flounder to be admitted to the fraternity only if he told one of Larry Kroger's secrets. Flounder blurted out, "He's got spots on his weenie!" Later, during the naming of the pledges, when Larry asks why his Delta name is Pinto, the entire fraternity drunkenly yells, "'Cause you got a spotted dong!"

** The original script included a scene of "competitive projectile vomiting" which Flounder was to fail at repeatedly. Later, after Flounder throws up "on" Dean Wormer, Boon congratulates Flounder on his technique.

* DawsonCasting: Most of the cast. For example, Mark Metcalf (Neidermeyer) was 32. One of the other most notable examples was 19-year-old (at the time of production) actress Sarah Holcomb, who played 13-year-old statutory rape victim Clorette [=DePasto=]. Justified in the case of Bluto. ("Seven years of college down the drain!") and subverted by the casting of Creator/KevinBacon, who was actually of college age at the time, and even then he was still an example because he was 20 while his character was a freshman.

** Subverted, however, with John Vernon's character Dean Vernon Wormer. According to Creator/JohnLandis, his first choice for the role was Creator/JackWebb, who turned it down because he felt that the film was making fun of his straight-laced, law-and-order image.
*** Doubly subverted with John Vernon, as Vernon was actually one of his ''middle'' names. He was born Adolphus Raymondus Vernon Agopsowicz.

* DoingItForTheArt: The whole reason why the movie was made. According to ''Franchise/NationalLampoon'' publisher Matty Simmons, who eventually co-produced the film with Ivan Reitman, he had suggested making a movie as a means of placating co-writer Douglas Kenney, who was also working at the magazine as editor-in-chief. At the time, Kenney had told Simmons that he was suffering heavily from burnout and having a hard time meeting deadlines and had decided to quit as a result. Simmons, however, did not want Kenney to leave as he was one of the most important contributors to the magazine's humor, and in trying to convince him to stay, accidentally blurted out, "We're going to make a movie."

** As mentioned above, the first choice for the role of Dean Wormer was Creator/JackWebb, while the first choice for the role of Mrs. Wormer was Kim Novak.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Creator/DonaldSutherland was so convinced of the movie's lack of potential, that, when offered a percent of the gross or a flat fee of $75,000 for his three days' work, he took the upfront payment. Had he taken the gross percentage he would have been worth an additional $3-4 million.

* CareerResurrection: For Music/ElmerBernstein, whose career was mostly spent scoring TV shows in the 1970's (a far cry from ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' and ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''). His work on the film later made him a go-to composer for many popular comedies (such as ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', ''Film/{{Stripes}}'' and ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'') and he became Creator/JohnLandis's AssociatedComposer. In fact, Landis actually knew Bernstein when he was a kid, and had actually gone to school with his son, Peter.

** One bit that was written in the original script but never filmed included a parade bust that was destroyed at the climax of the film. The bust was of ''JohnFKennedy'' and the gag was Kennedy's head was punctured in the same way the real Kennedy would be shot the next year. Landis cut the idea because he felt the tone of the gag was wrong.

* ItWillNeverCatchOn: Creator/DonaldSutherland was offered either a percentage of the gross, or cash up front. He chose cash, sure that the film would flop. If he had taken the former option, he would've raked in several million dollars.

* MoneyDearBoy: Creator/DonaldSutherland was so convinced of the movie's lack of potential, that, when offered a percent of the gross or a flat fee of $75,000 for his three days' work, he took the upfront payment. Had he taken the gross percentage he would have been worth an additional $3-4 million.

** As a mark of the success of Landis' plan, Bruce [=McGill=], who played D-Day, had the piano at the hotel accommodating the cast moved to his room and held late night parties with the other Delta actors; Mark Metcalf, who played Niedermeyer, had his room changed to the one above [=McGill's=] so that the noise and resulting sleep loss would keep him in a bad mood for filming.

** Originally, Ramis and Douglas Kenney's idea was titled ''Laser Orgy Girls'', a comedy about UsefulNotes/CharlesManson as a high school student. Matty Simmons told them that the material they wrote was way too raunchy for a high school setting and that instead it would more appropriate if it was a college setting instead. Ramis also incorporated ideas from an earlier treatment he wrote titled ''Freshman Year'' based on his experiences in college.

** Subverted, however, with John Vernon's character Dean Vernon Wormer. According to Creator/JohnLandis, his first choice for the role was Jack Webb of ''Franchise/{{Dragnet}}'' fame, who turned it down because he felt that the film was making fun of his straight-laced, law-and-order image.

* CareerResurrection: For Music/ElmerBernstein, whose career was mostly spent scoring TV shows in the 1970's (a far cry from ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' and ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''). His work on the film later made him a go-to composer for many popular comedies (such as ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', ''Film/{{Stripes}}'' and ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'') and he became Creator/JohnLandis's AssociatedComposer. In fact, Landis actually knew Bernstein when he was a kid, and had actually gone to school with his son, Peter.

** Originally, Ramis and Doug Kenney's idea was titled ''Laser Orgy Girls'', a comedy about UsefulNotes/CharlesManson as a high school student. Producer Matty Simmons suggested that the setting be changed to college and the content to be toned down. Ramis also incorporated ideas from an earlier treatment he wrote titled ''Freshman Year'' based on his experiences in college.

* StillbornFranchise: A sequel was planned that would take place during the 1969 Summer of Love and involve the Deltas reuniting for Otter's wedding. But when ''Film/MoreAmericanGraffiti'' bombed at the box-office, Universal stalled the project. The project was scrapped for good when Creator/JohnBelushi died in 1982.

** Creator/ChevyChase was originally asked to play the role of Eric "Otter" Stratton. He turned it down in order to star in ''Film/FoulPlay''. Creator/JohnLandis preferred to cast unknown actors instead of comedians and takes credit for subtly discouraging Chase by describing the film as an "ensemble".

** As mentioned above, the first choice for the role of Dean Wormer was Jack Webb, while the first choice for the role of Mrs. Wormer was Kim Novak.

** Originally, Ramis and Doug Kenney's idea was titled ''Laser Orgy Girls'', a comedy about CharlesManson as a high school student. Producer Matty Simmons suggested that the setting be changed to college and the content to be toned down. Ramis also incorporated ideas from an earlier treatment he wrote titled ''Freshman Year'' based on his experiences in college.

* CareerResurrection: For Music/ElmerBernstein, whose career was mostly spent scoring TV shows in the 1970's (a far cry from ''Film/TheTenCommandments'' and ''Film/TheMagnificentSeven''). His work on the film later made him a go-to composer for many popular comedies (such as ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', ''Film/{{Stripes}}'' and ''Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}}'') and he became Creator/JohnLandis's AssociatedComposer.
* TheDanza: Creator/JohnBelushi as John "Bluto" Blutarsky.In fact, Landis actually knew Bernstein when he was a kid, and had actually gone to school with his son, Peter.

** In fact, Landis actually knew Bernstein when he was a kid, and had actually gone to school with his son, Peter.

* TheDanza: Creator/JohnBelushi as John "Bluto" Blutarsky.