History Trivia / NorthByNorthwest

** Legend has it that Hitchcock denied Creator/JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it... so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart. (More likely, the less-than-spectacular box office results for ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, hence no ''North by Northwest'' for the latter. )

** Legend has it that Hitchcock denied Creator/JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it - so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart. (More likely, the less-than-spectacular box office results for ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, hence no ''North by Northwest'' for the latter. )

** MGM wanted Cyd Charisse to play Eve Kendall (since she was under contract to the studio) and Cary Grant pushed for Creator/SophiaLoren (with whom he'd reportedly grown infatuated when they did ''Houseboat'' together) before Hitchcock settled on Eva Marie Saint.

** MGM wanted Cyd Charisse to play Eve Kendall (since she was under contract to the studio), while Cary Grant pushed for Creator/SophiaLoren (with whom he'd reportedly grown infatuated when they did ''Houseboat'' together) before Hitchcock settled on Eva Marie Saint.

** MGM wanted Cyd Charisse to play Eve Kendall, and Cary Grant pushed for Creator/SophiaLoren, before Hitchcock settled on Eva Marie Saint.

* DawsonCasting: Both leads were older than their characters (actually it's not clear how old Roger is supposed to be, given that Cary Grant was in his mid-50s at the time). Amusingly, legend has it that Hitchcock denied Creator/JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it - so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart.
** Reportedly, the less-than-spectacular box office results for ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, hence no ''North by Northwest'' for the latter.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: While the film was still in the early scripting stage, a scene taking place at an assembly line in Detroit was envisioned, where the camera would follow two men as they talked while a car was built behind them piece by piece... and at the end, one of the characters would open a door of the now-finished car and a corpse would fall out!

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. One of the cops accompanying Roger to Lester Townsend's house is [[Film/TwelveAngryMen Juror #6]]. "Mrs. Townsend" is [[Film/SonOfFrankenstein Elsa von Frankenstein]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from ''Film/WestSideStory''. Not to mention Eve Kendall is [[Film/SupermanReturns Martha Kent]] and [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendofKorra the older Katara]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. One of the cops accompanying Roger to Lester Townsend's house is [[Film/TwelveAngryMen Juror #6]]. "Mrs. Townsend" is [[Film/SonOfFrankenstein Elsa von Frankenstein]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from ''Film/WestSideStory''.

* DawsonCasting: Both leads were older than their characters (actually it's not clear how old Roger is supposed to be, given that Cary Grant was in his mid-50s at the time). Amusingly, legend has it that Hitchcock denied JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it - so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart.

** Reportedly, the less than spectacular box office results for ''Vertigo'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, hence no ''North by Northwest'' for the latter.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. One of the cops accompanying Roger to Lester Townsend's house is [[Film/TwelveAngryMen Juror #6]]. "Mrs. Townshend" is [[Film/SonOfFrankenstein Elsa von Frankenstein]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from ''Film/WestSideStory''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. One of the cops accompanying Roger to Lester Townsend's house is [[Film/TwelveAngryMen Juror #6]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from ''Film/WestSideStory''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. One of the cops he takes to Lester Townsend's house is [[Film/TwelveAngryMen Juror #6]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from ''Film/WestSideStory''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]]. And the ticket seller who tries to hold up Roger is actually Doc from WestSideStory.

** Reportedly, the less than spectacular box office results for ''Vertigo'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, henche no ''North By Northwest'' for the latter.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: While the film was still in the early scripting stage, a scene taking place at an assembly line in Detroit was envisioned, where the camera would follow two men as they talked while a car was built behind them piece by piece...and at the end, one of the characters would open a door of the now-finished car and a corpse would fall out!
* WordOfGay: Martin Landau stated in interviews that he portrayed Vandamm's henchman Leonard as a closeted homosexual who was secretly jealous of Eve Kendall's relationship with his employer. In the scene where he revealed to Vandamm that Eve was secretly working for the Feds, he commented, "Call it my woman's intuition if you will..."

* DawsonCasting: Both leads were older than their characters. Amusingly, legend has it that Hitchcock denied JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it - so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]].

** Reportedly, the less than spectacular box office results for ''Film/Vertigo'' caused a falling out between Hitchcock and Stewart, henche no ''North By Northwest'' for the latter.

* DawsonCasting: Both leads were older than their characters. Amusingly, Hitchcock denied JimmyStewart the part of Thornhill because he thought he was too old for it - so instead he got Cary Grant, who was even older than Stewart.

* HeyItsThatGuy: As noted above, the Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[Series/GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]].

* HeyItsThatGuy: As noted above, the Professor is [[TheManFromUNCLE Alexander Waverly]]. Leonard is [[MissionImpossible Rollin Hand]]. Roger's lawyer is [[GetSmart The Chief of CONTROL]].

* WorkingTitle: "The Man in Lincoln's Nose"

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: While the film was still in the early scripting stage, a scene taking place at an assembly line in Detroit was envisioned, where the camera would follow two men as they talked while a car was built behind them piece by piece...and at the end, one of the characters would open a door of the now-finished car and a corpse would fall out!