History Trivia / TheThirdMan

** There was a casting tug-of-war between Selznick and Carol Reed. Reed wanted Orson Welles from the start but Selznick didn't think Welles had enough appeal and tired to push Creator/CaryGrant for the role, before Reed won out. Reed's first choice for Holly Martins was Creator/JimmyStewart, but Creator/JosephCotten got the nod because he was under contract to Selznick.

** There was a casting tug-of-war between Selznick and Carol Reed. Reed wanted Orson Welles from the start but Selznick didn't think Welles had enough appeal and tired to push Creator/CaryGrant for the role, before Reed won out. Reed's first choice for Holly Martins was Creator/JimmyStewart, but Creator/JosephCotten got the nod because was under contract to Selznick.

* ThrowItIn: The hotel manager points in the wrong directions when talking about Heaven and Hell due to the actor's trouble speaking English, which Reed loved as a symbol of post-war Vienna's skewed morality.

* MoneyDearBoy: Creator/OrsonWelles [[OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt took the role as Harry Lime in order to fund his film adaptation]] of ''Film/{{Othello}}''. Also crosses over into WhatMightHaveBeen, in that Welles was offered either a straight paycheck or a third of the film's gross. He took the paycheck (being desperate for cash), but considering how huge a hit the movie was, had he taken the percentage, he might never have had to do paycheck work again.

* MoneyDearBoy: Creator/OrsonWelles took the role as Harry Lime in order to fund his film adaptation of ''Film/{{Othello}}''. Also crosses over into WhatMightHaveBeen, in that Welles was offered either a straight paycheck or a third of the film's gross. He took the paycheck (being desperate for cash), but considering how huge a hit the movie was, had he taken the percentage, he might never have had to do paycheck work again.

* BFILists/BFITop100BritishFilms: #1.

* BigNameFan: RogerEbert ''loved'' [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-third-man-1949 this movie]], and included in his [[RogerEbertGreatMoviesList Great Movies Essays]]. He later said it was one of the [[https://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/ten-greatest-films-of-all-time 10 greatest films ever made.]]

* RealitySubtext: Graham Greene used to work for British Intelligence in WW2, where his boss and friend was the DoubleAgent Kim Philby. It's been speculated that Lime (a charismatic yet amoral friend secretly working for Soviet Intelligence) reflected underlying suspicions Graham had of Philby. In a particular irony, after Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean fled to Moscow to escape arrest, Philby fell under suspicion of being "the third man" in their spy ring.

* ThrowItIn: The hotel manager points in the wrong directions when talking about Heaven and Hell due to the actor's trouble speaking English, which Reed loved as a symbol of post-war Vienna's skewed morality.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Creator/CaryGrant was considered for Holly or Harry. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) despite David O. Selznick's strident objections. Similarly, Creator/JimmyStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded Creator/JosephCotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time. Selznick also suggested Creator/RobertMitchum, but the actor's arrest for marijuana possession ruled him out.
** Carol Reed originally wanted Creator/NoelCoward for Harry Lime.
** The original script included a return appearance by Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as Charters and Caldicott, the two English cricket enthusiasts who first appeared in Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/TheLadyVanishes'', and later in Carol Reed's ''Night Train to Munich'' (1940). However, the two characters were streamlined into the role of Mr. Crabbin

** Creator/CaryGrant was considered for Holly or Harry. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) despite David O. Selznick's strident objections. Similarly, Creator/JimmyStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded Joseph Cotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time. Selznick also suggested Creator/RobertMitchum, but the actor's arrest for marijuana possession ruled him out.

* ActorInspiredElement / WrittenByCastmember: The cuckoo clock speech wasn't in the original script. It was suggested by Creator/OrsonWelles, inspired by a Hungarian play.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Creator/CaryGrant was the first actor considered to play Lime. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) in favor of Creator/OrsonWelles over David O. Selznick's strident objections. Similarly, Creator/JimmyStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded Joseph Cotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time. Selznick also suggested Creator/RobertMitchum, but the actor's arrest for marijuana possession ruled him out.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: CaryGrant was the first actor considered to play Lime. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) in favor of OrsonWelles over DavidOSelznick's strident objections. Similarly, Creator/JimmyStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded JosephCotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time.

* The hotel manager points in the wrong directions when talking about Heaven and Hell due to the actor's trouble speaking English, which Reed loved as a symbol of post-war Vienna's skewed morality.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Sergeant Paine is [[Film/JamesBond the original M]].
** A number of famous Austrian and German actors appear in small parts, including Paul Hörbiger as the Hausmeister (janitor). Dr. Winkel is played by Erich Ponto, who played Peachum in the original production of the Threepenny Opera, and Baron Kurtz by Ernst Deutsch, the Rabbi's assistant from the 1920 movie ''[[Film/TheGolem Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam]]''.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: CaryGrant was the first actor considered to play Lime. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) in favor of OrsonWelles over DavidOSelznick's strident objections. Similarly, Creator/JimmyStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded JosephCotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: CaryGrant was the first actor considered to play Lime. For reasons unknown, he was passed over (apparently, though, he was still a frequent visitor to the London studio shooting sessions) in favor of OrsonWelles over DavidOSelznick's strident objections. Similarly, JamesStewart was first considered to play Holly Martins -- here Selznick won, as he demanded JosephCotten, who was under contract to Selznik at the time.

** Sergeant Paine is [[JamesBond the original M]].

* MoneyDearBoy: OrsonWelles took the role as Harry Lime in order to fund his film adaptation of ''{{Othello}}''. Also crosses over into WhatMightHaveBeen, in that Welles was offered either a straight paycheck or a third of the film's gross. He took the paycheck (being desperate for cash), but considering how huge a hit the movie was, had he taken the percentage, he might never have had to do paycheck work again.

* MoneyDearBoy: OrsonWelles as Harry Lime.