Best movie trivia of 1954

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More White Christmas trivia
Them! picture

Trivia: When Ben Peterson is killed by a giant ant, he emits a high-pitched, half-choked death scream. This scream has been used in many other movies ever since: in Small Soldiers (when Brick Bazooka loses his legs); in Star Wars - A New Hope, when Luke shoots a stormtrooper in the shaft-swinging scene; in Lord Of The Rings - The Two Towers, when an Elf warrior is thrown off the Helm's Deep wall; and in Lord Of The Rings - Return of The King, when a Gondor soldier fleeing from Osgilliath is snatched up and dumped by a Nazgul steed. I guess that makes it the most used death scream in movie history.

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Seven Brides for Seven Brothers picture

Trivia: Ever notice how Benjamin never dances? It's because the other brothers were recruited from a dance school, Benjamin was just there for eye candy.

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The High and the Mighty picture

Trivia: When Dr. Flaherty is painting on the beach, his tranquillity is broken by the nearby launch of a military weapon test. The film seen of the launch is stock footage of a U.S. built, back-engineered copy of the V-1 buzzbomb, one of the cutting edge weapons used by the Nazis during World War 2.

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The Caine Mutiny picture

Trivia: The Caine's name was derived from the USS Zane, the Navy destroyer on which author Herman Wouk served during World War II.

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Seven Samurai picture

Trivia: In some instances in the film, such as when Gorobei kills the bandit who was checking the water level with an arrow, the actors were actually shot with real arrows. The actor would simply wear a block of wood under his costume (which you can see if you know what to look for) and an expert archer would actually shoot him.

RJR99SS

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Dial M for Murder picture

Trivia: Alfred Hitchcock wanted the film to look as natural as possible, with the camera at eye level with the actors. Since movie cameras were large (especially 3D cameras), Hitch had a small trench built into the soundstage floor, so that the camera lens was, roughly, at eye level.

Colin Schmit

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The Bridges at Toko-Ri picture

Trivia: Although the carrier used in the movie was the U.S.S. Oriskany, for the film it was given the fictitious name of U.S.S. Savo. I do not know why that name was chosen or by whom, but it was a very ironic choice. Although many U.S. carriers have been named after famous battles that were American victories (including Oriskany), the Battle of Savo, early in WWII, was one of the worst defeats in the history of the U.S. Navy.

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On the Waterfront picture

Trivia: During the McCarthy Red Scare, director Elia Kazan decided to name suspected Communists in Hollywood and was severely criticized for doing so. It's widely believed this film was his attempt at vindication by portraying Terry Malloy as a hero who testifies in court against his friends.

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River of No Return picture

Trivia: Marilyn Monroe suffered a torn ankle ligament August 13th when she fell into the river during filming. She was rescued by Mitchum and a dozen crew members, and had a limp for several days.

Larry Redfield

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Creature from the Black Lagoon picture

Trivia: William Alland who produced The Creature From The Black Lagoon, acted in Citizen Kane as the reporter who investigates Kane's career. During the filming Alland met Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa Mateos, who told him a legend of an amphibious creature who comes out of the River Amazon to seize women. Alland wrote a story based on the legend, which would form the basis of this 1954 horror film.

Rob Halliday

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No Barking picture

Trivia: When Claude Cat flies up above the elevated train tracks, there is a sign in the background saying "Don Foster for Mayor." Foster was an artist who designed many of the lobby cards for Warner Brothers.

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By Word of Mouse picture

Trivia: When Hans arrives in America, he gives his cousin Willie some cheese. Hans then looks around and sees some traffic coming past. The traffic includes a pink lorry saying "Foster's Eggs" and a yellow lorry saying "Fritz Transfer Co." - a reference to the writer Warren Foster and director Friz Freleng, respectively.

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Gone Batty picture

Trivia: Behind the Goon's pitcher you can see an ad for "Harris Used Cars" - a reference to the Warner Brothers animator Ken Harris.

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea picture

Trivia: The name of the supply colony that Nemo shows the professor is Rura Penthe, which is also the name of the Klingon prison in Star Trek VI.

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Pet Peeve picture

Trivia: This was the first Tom and Jerry cartoon to be released in CinemaScope, as well as the first not to have Mammy Two-Shoes as the owner of the house.

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