Trivia / Waiting for Guffman

• Approval of God: Christopher Guest got Emma Thompson's okay for Corky's The Remains of the Day lunchbox (she also begged to be in the movie but he politely told her that he didn't want any big names in the cast).
• Defictionalization: At least one real-life theater company has performed a full version of Red, White & Blaine.
• Deleted Role: Frances Fisher as Johnny Savage's mother (she still briefly appears in the trailer), Bob Odenkirk as an auditionee (you can see him in a hallway shot).
• Deleted Scene: As with all of Guest's mockumentaries, there were tons of outtakes that eventually got used as bonus material on the DVD. One deleted scene has become so well-known people are shocked to learn it didn't actually make the movie: Libby Mae's Narmy, Flowers in the Attic-inspired audition monologue (which Parker Posey wrote herself).
• Fake American: Since Guest wisely decided to hire a bunch of people from The Second City's Toronto branch for an improvisation-based film, a number of the Missourians are actually played by Canadians—Catherine O'Hara (Sheila), Eugene Levy (Dr. Pearl), Linda Kash (Mrs. Pearl), Deborah Theaker (Gwen Fabin-Blunt), Don Lake (town historian Phil Burgess).
• Texas Doubling: The exterior shots of Blaine, Missouri are actually the town of Lockhart, while most of the interiors were filmed in nearby Austin.
• Memetic Mutation: It’s extremely common among theatre people to announce, “This is the DAY of the show, y’all” on opening nights.
• What Could Have Been: Ideas considered for the film's ending included the theater being destroyed by a tornado before they get a chance to perform the play as well as Corky finding love with Steve Stark in New York.

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