Line #4 Trivia/FamilyPlot


1	* BillingDisplacement: Creator/KarenBlack gets top billing even though she has the least screen time of the four leads.
2	* CastTheRunnerUp: Creator/KarenBlack initially wanted the role of Blanche. She ended up playing Fran.
3	* CreatorDrivenSuccessor: The screenplay was by ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'''s Ernest Lehman, and the theme of average people who unwittingly get wrapped up in a WickedCultured villain's schemes is common to both films. Also, George and Blanche's car danger recalls both the drunk driving scene and the crop duster scene from the earlier film.
4	* DawsonCasting: In what has to be some kind of record for this, 78-year-old Julia Rainbird was played by Cathleen Nesbitt, who was in her late ''80s'' at the time!
5	* TheOtherMarty: Creator/AlfredHitchcock offered the role of Arthur Adamson to Creator/WilliamDevane, but Devane had to turn it down due to other commitments, so filming began with Creator/RoyThinnes as Adamson. Then about a week into the shoot, Devane told Hitchcock he was available. Hitchcock, who had doubts about Thinnes all along, fired him and refilmed his finished scenes with Devane (mainly the drugging/kidnapping of the priest at the cathedral. Some long shots of Thinnes from that sequence still made it into the final cut). Thinnes was with the film long enough to [[https://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/Hitchcock%20Gallery:%20image%202189 appear in a promo shoot]] with Hitchcock, Black, Dern and Harris.
6	* PlayingAgainstType: Creator/BruceDern as a hero (or, at least, someone who's trying to defeat the villains).
7	* ThrowItIn:
8	** The actors were told that they could ad lib parts of their dialogue. Barbara Harris, an alum of Creator/TheSecondCity, obviously would've been comfortable with this.
9	** The final shot in the movie, a wink by Harris, was a jokey reference that was not planned but Alfred Hitchcock decided to leave in.
10	* TroubledProduction: Hitchcock began development for the film in 1973. After ''Film/{{Frenzy\|1972}}'' screenwriter Anthony Shaffer turned down Hitch's offer to script the film, ''Film/NorthByNorthwest'' writer Ernest Lehman took over. But Hitchcock's health took a turn for the worse; he suffered a heart attack, had a pacemaker installed, then suffered some injuries from falls, which made it seem doubtful that it would ever get made. By 1975 he'd recovered enough to start filming, though his health was still a concern throughout. As mentioned in TheOtherMarty, filming had to restart when the role of Arthur Adamson was recast.
11	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
12	** Creator/AlfredHitchcock originally wanted Creator/JackNicholson for George Lumley, but he was busy with ''Film/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest''. Creator/AlPacino was offered the role, but his asking price was too high. Creator/RobertDeNiro and Creator/PaulNewman were also considered.
13	** Creator/FayeDunaway was offered the role of Fran. Creator/CybillShepherd auditioned for the role.
14	** Creator/GoldieHawn was considered for Blanche. She went on to star in the very Hitchcock-like ''Film/FoulPlay'' two years later. Creator/LizaMinnelli was also mentioned for Blanche.
15	** Creator/LillianGish wanted to test for the role of Julia Rainbird but the role had been promised to Cathleen Nesbitt.
16	** Originally Alfred Hitchcock himself was supposed to walk down the stairs and wink at the audience instead of Barbara Harris. Ultimately he decided against it.
17	** Creator/BurtReynolds was considered for the part of Arthur Adamson. Hitchcock watched ''Film/TheLongestYard'' to see if he was right for the role. Hitchcock was instead impressed with Ed Lauter and cast him in the role of Maloney. Creator/RoyScheider was also considered.
18	* WorkingTitle: Began production as ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Alfred Hitchcock's 53rd Film]]''[[note]]It was actually his 54th film. Since ''Mary'' was the simultaneously-filmed German version of ''Film/{{Murder}}'', Hitchcock apparently didn't count it as a separate film[[/note]], then later got the more formal titles ''Missing Heir'' and ''Deceit'', with ''Family Plot'' chosen midway through filming. Hitchcock also joked that he was considering the title ''Alfred Hitchcock's Wet Drawers''.

Context Trivia / FamilyPlot