Strange Stories From Behind The Scenes Of Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
Vote up the most interesting stories from the making of the children's classic.
- 13 VOTES
The Screenwriter Rewrote The Final Line At The Last Minute
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentRoald Dahl wrote the original version of the screenplay, but David Seltzer rewrote much of it. However, director Mel Stuart realized at the last minute that he really didn't like the last line of the script, which called for Grandpa Joe to yell, "Yippee!"
He called Seltzer, who was no longer in the country, and gave him five minutes to come up with something better. Within about 90 seconds, Seltzer gave him the line, "Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. He lived happily ever after."
- 23 VOTES
Roald Dahl Hated The Movie
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentPartially due to his frustration about the Willy Wonka casting choice, Roald Dahl was not ashamed to speak up about his aversion to the movie. He also felt the rewritten script centered too much around Wonka and not enough around Charlie.
Tim Burton released his own version, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, 15 years after Dahl died, so we'll never know how the author would've felt about that one.
- 31 VOTES
The Scrumptious-Looking Chocolate River Was Actually Disgusting
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentThe creamy chocolate river that runs through Willy Wonka's Chocolate Room is one of the film's most recognizable creations, but you probably wouldn't want to drink from it. The crew filled the river with 150,000 gallons of water mixed with chocolate powder and real cream to give it texture.
But after sitting under the hot lights for a few days, the cream curdled and the whole thing began to smell. We hope they filmed the scene where Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner) falls in on the first day.
- 41 VOTES
The Chocolate Room Wasn't As Delicious As It Looks
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentAny candy lover would be delighted to be set free in a place like the Chocolate Room, where every item is created from something sweet. But Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee, said most of that set was actually inedible. The giant gummy bears were actually made of plastic with partially edible ears, many of the candy bars were made of wood, and the lickable wallpaper tasted more like paper than snozzberries.
Gene Wilder also had to do numerous takes chewing a "candy" teacup that was actually made of wax, and he couldn't spit until the camera stopped rolling.
- 51 VOTES
Some Of The Oompa Loompas Were Pranksters
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentThe nine men and one woman who made up the cast of the Oompa Loompas were circus performers from England and Turkey. Themmen said some of them were heavy drinkers who could get rowdy, and they liked to prank other cast members.
"In those days, when you wanted to have your shoes shined, you'd leave them outside of your hotel room door," Themmen said. "One night, the Oompa Loompas grabbed all the shoes, tied the laces together, and left them in a pile to be found in the morning."
- 61 VOTES
Gene Wilder Had Seriously Tough Competition For The Role Of Willy Wonka
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentRoald Dahl really wanted the role of Willy Wonka to go to his personal friend and comedian Spike Milligan, and many believe that was part of the reason Dahl didn't like the film.
Fred Astaire and all the members of Monty Python were supposedly interested at one point, and Peter Sellers reportedly called Dahl to request the part. However, Mel Stuart went with Gene Wilder. He claimed he knew he had found his Wonka as soon as the actor entered the audition.
- 71 VOTES
Oompa Loompas Are Orange Thanks To The NAACP
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentIn the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Dahl based the Oompa Loompas on African Pygmies. Wonka finds them in a jungle and ships them back to England in crates. The NAACP was upset about this when the book was published.
For the movie, designers made the Oompa Loompas' skin orange and their hair green in order to alleviate concerns about racism.
- 80 VOTES
The Movie Really Is One Big Candy Advertisement
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentQuaker Oats happened to be thinking about launching a product line of chocolate around the same time that Willy Wonka director Mel Stuart was looking to turn Roald Dahl's book into a movie.
The company decided to fund the movie, which provided ample opportunities to advertise the new Wonka chocolate bars. Instead of using the original title of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Quaker changed it to tie in the Wonka brand.
- 90 VOTES
Sammy Davis Jr. Reportedly Wanted The Role Of The Candy Shop Owner
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentLegendary Rat Packer Sammy Davis Jr. was reportedly interested in the role of the candy shop owner (Aubrey Woods) seen at the beginning of the film. But director Mel Stuart thought having a big-name star work in a tiny, insignificant store would ruin the reality of the film - even if that reality consisted of orange people and soda that makes you float.
Still, Davis has a connection to Willy Wonka. The year after the movie came out, he recorded his own version of "The Candy Man," the song the shopkeeper sings, and it became one of his biggest hits.
- 100 VOTES
Some Actors Got Cavities And Others Hated Chocolate
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentBeing around vast amounts of candy wasn't a sweet experience for every actor.
Denise Nickerson, who played Violet Beauregarde, claimed her dentist found 13 cavities after filming, most likely caused by her chewing a large amount of gum. Julie Dawn Cole, who played Veruca Salt, also found herself in a sour situation. Although she hated chocolate, she managed to look like she enjoyed it while eating chocolate goop out of a giant candy ball. Of all the kids in the movie, she was the only one to continue acting after Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.
- 110 VOTES
Most Of The Oompa Loompa Actors Didn't Speak English
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentBecause the filmmakers were unable to find enough little people to play Oompa Loompas where they filmed in Germany, they scoured the rest of Europe for additional actors. Many of the Oompa Loompa actors didn't speak English, which is why their lip syncing doesn't quite match the words of the songs - which only makes them creepier.
- 120 VOTES
Veruca Salt Cut Her Knee In The Chocolate Room
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentThere weren't very many real candy items in the Chocolate Room, but Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) managed to find a very real rock. She cut her knee on its sharp edge as she tried to smash a giant piece of candy on it. Watch the scene closely, and you can see a spot of blood on her tights as she kneels on the ground.
- 130 VOTES
The Actor Who Played Grandpa George May Have Been Partially Blind
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentErnst Ziegler, who played Grandpa George, reportedly suffered from exposure to poison gas while serving in World War I, and he was partially blind. In order to react to his fellow actors and look in the correct direction, the filmmakers used a red light.
They would wave it in the direction he was to look when he was on camera.
- 141 VOTES
The Director Purposely Withheld Information From The Actors
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentSeveral times during filming, director Mel Stuart used the element of surprise to get realistic reactions from his actors.
Most of the cast hadn't seen Wonka's Chocolate Room until they entered it during filming. They were also surprised by the darkness of the boat tunnel scene and frightened by the creepy, improvised ditty Gene Wilder sings. Wilder also shocked the cast by playing Wonka with more anger than he showed in rehearsals, and they didn't know he would do a somersault when Wonka first appears onscreen.
- 151 VOTES
Gene Wilder Helped Design His Costume
Photo: Warner Bros. EntertainmentIn addition to helping come up with Wonka's acrobatics, tirades, and creepy singing, Gene Wilder also had ideas about his character's wardrobe. After looking at some initial sketches of his costume, Wilder sent a letter to the director with detailed suggestions of his own. He wanted pockets in the jacket and a shorter hat.
"The hat is terrific," he wrote. "But making it two inches shorter would make it more special."
