History Trivia / BeverlyHillsCop

** Both Creator/MickeyRourke and Creator/SylvesterStallone were approached to play Axel Foley. When Stallone was attached to the film the character of Jenny was supposed to be his LoveInterest. After Eddie Murphy got the part, Paramount made the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt somewhat questionable decision]] to make Jenny Axel's platonic friend.
** Amusingly, Stallone had a bunch of ideas about how the movie should go and was editing the script accordingly. When Murphy was brought on, Stallone gracefully backed out, taking the ideas with him to be used in ''Film/{{Cobra}}''.
** The original finale for the Stallone draft of the script took place at night and ended with a car chase between Victor in a Lamborghini and Axel in a turbo-boosting Pontiac GTO. Victor is ultimately killed when his car smashes into an oncoming train.
** Creator/JeffBridges, Creator/JamesCaan, Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/HarrisonFord, Creator/RichardGere, Creator/MelGibson, Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/NickNolte, Creator/AlPacino, Creator/RichardPryor, Creator/DennisQuaid, Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Creator/JohnTravolta, Creator/RobinWilliams and Creator/BruceWillis all could have been Axel.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The chef in the hotel lobby who provides Foley with the bananas is played by Creator/DamonWayans.

* {{Corpsing}}: Eddie Murphy apparently caused plenty of this, specially because most dialogue was improvised. During the "Super Cops" scene, John Ashton is doing sort of a FacePalm to hide his laughter, while Creator/JudgeReinhold, in turn, was pinching his thighs through his pants pockets.

** In the Stallone draft, Billy Rosewood was originally killed off halfway through.

* AFIS100Years100Laughs: #63

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The film is very much a product of 1984 from the clothing to the music to the pop culture references.

* CastTheExpert: The role of Detroit police inspector Douglas Todd was played by RealLife Detroit police detective Gilbert Hill.

* ThrowItIn: There are a ''spectacular'' number of ad-libs in this movie in general, most of them from Murphy. One example of this is a moment where Maitland has Axel and Jenny cornered and is deciding what to do with them when he stop in his tracks and makes a face. In reality, the actor was reacting to something Creator/EddieMurphy ad-libbed but was removed in editing. They kept in his reaction because it made Maitland seem even more sinister and unhinged.

** Originally, two men were supposed to be working in the art gallery scenes. When Martin Brest heard Creator/BronsonPinchot's Serge impersonation, however, he thought it was so hysterical he scaled back the other part to give Pinchot more screen time. The second actor shows up only briefly with his shirt collar open too wide, on which Serge comments.

* RecycledSet: The Beverly Hills PD was inspired by Martin Brest's original conceptual designs for the NORAD scenes in ''Film/WarGames'', a film which he was fired from.

* ThrowItIn: There's a moment where Maitland has Axel and Jenny cornered and is deciding what to do with them when he stop in his tracks and makes a face. In reality, the actor was reacting to something Creator/EddieMurphy ad-libbed but was removed in editing. They kept in his reaction because it made Maitland seem even more sinister and unhinged.
** There are a ''spectacular'' number of ad-libs in this movie in general, most of them from Murphy.

** Both Creator/MickeyRourke and Creator/SylvesterStallone were approached to play Axel Foley. When Stallone was attached to the film the character of Jenny was supposed to be his LoveInterest. After Eddie Murphy got the part, Paramount made the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt somewhat cowardly decision]] to make Jenny Axel's platonic friend.

* {{Defictionalization}}: During his tirade at the Beverly Palms Hotel, Axel pretends to be writing an article called "Music/MichaelJackson: Sitting on Top of the World" for Rolling Stone magazine. In real life, Playboy ran an article called "Creator/EddieMurphy: Sitting on Top of the World."

* LifeImitatesArt: During his tirade at the Beverly Palms Hotel, Axel pretends to be writing an article called "Music/MichaelJackson: Sitting on Top of the World" for Rolling Stone magazine. In real life, Playboy ran an article called "Creator/EddieMurphy: Sitting on Top of the World."

** Originally, two men were supposed to be working in the art gallery scenes. When the director heard Creator/BronsonPinchot's Serge impersonation, however, he thought it was so hysterical he scaled back the other part to give Pinchot more screen time. The second actor shows up only briefly with his shirt collar open too wide, on which Serge comments.

* StarMakingRole: Creator/EddieMurphy had already carried ''SNL'' through its most disastrous season and held his own against white co-stars in ''Film/FortyEightHours'' and ''Film/TradingPlaces''. This was the film that confirmed him as one of the biggest stars of the decade.

* StarMakingRole: Creator/EddieMurphy had already carried ''SNL'' through its most disastrous season and proved that he could hold his own against white co-stars in ''Film/FortyEightHours'' and ''Film/TradingPlaces''. This was the film that proved, once and for all, that he had the star power to headline a blockbuster on his own.

* RetroactiveRecognition: DamonWayans as the buffet attendant who gives Axel the bananas.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The first film is very much a product of 1984 from the clothing to the music to the pop culture references.

** Creator/MartinScorsese was offered the chance to direct but he turned it down, saying the premise reminded him too much of ''Film/CoogansBluff''.
** Creator/DavidCronenberg was asked to direct but turned it down.

* LifeImitatesArt: During his tirade at the Beverly Palms Hotel, Axel pretends to be writing an article called "Creator/MichaelJackson: Sitting on Top of the World" for Rolling Stone magazine. In real life, Playboy ran an article called "Creator/EddieMurphy: Sitting on Top of the World."

* OldShame: Steven Berkoff is said to loathe the film.

* RecycledSet: The Beverly Hills PD was inspired by was influenced by Martin Brest's original conceptual designs for the NORAD scenes in ''Film/WarGames'', a film which he was fired from.

* StarMakingRole: Creator/EddieMurphy had already carried ''SNL'' through its most disastrous season and proved that he could hold his own against white co-stars in ''Film/48Hrs.'' and ''Film/TradingPlaces''. This was the film that proved, once and for all, that he had the star power to headline a blockbuster on his own.

* HarpoDoesSomethingFunny: By the time Eddie Murphy was attached to the project, the script had been shopped around considerably and rewritten several times. Many of the funniest scenes just resulted from Eddie and the other actors improvising in place of the scripted lines.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Both Creator/MickeyRourke and Creator/SylvesterStallone were approached to play Axel Foley. When Stallone was attached to the film the character of Jenny was supposed to be his LoveInterest. After Eddie Murphy got the part, Paramount made the [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt somewhat cowardly decision]] to make Jenny Axel's platonic friend.
** Amusingly, Stallone had a bunch of ideas about how the movie should go and was editing the script accordingly. When Murphy was brought on, Stallone gracefully backed out, taking the ideas with him to be used in {{Film/Cobra}}.

** Creator/JamesCaan, Creator/RobertDeNiro, Creator/HarrisonFord, Creator/MichaelKeaton, Creator/AlPacino, Creator/RichardPryor and Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger all could have been Axel.

* StarMakingRole: Eddie Murphy had already carried ''SNL'' through its most disastrous season and proved that he could hold his own against white co-stars in ''Film/48Hrs.'' and ''Film/TradingPlaces''. This was the film that proved, once and for all, that he had the star power to headline a blockbuster on his own.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Daymon Wayans' film debut as The Banana Man at the Beverly Palms Hotel.

* CreatorCameo: Director Martin Brest appears at the end of the movie as the clerk who checks Axel out of the hotel.
* ExecutiveMeddling: When the script for ''Beverly Hills Cop'' was in development the character of Jenny was supposed to be the LoveInterest. After Creator/EddieMurphy was finally cast in the part, Paramount [[WhereDaWhiteWomenAt got nervous]] and decided to make Jenny Axel's platonic childhood friend.