27 Fun Facts About Indiana Jones

Facts about your favorite childhood movie.

By mrlousyjeans

Published 10 years ago in People & Lifestyle

Facts about your favorite childhood action/adventure movie that has absolutely not stood up against the test of time.

2
Most of the uniforms used in the Berlin book burning scene are authentic World War II uniforms and not costumes. A cache of old uniforms was found in Germany and the costume designer, Anthony Powell, obtained them to be used in the film.

3
"The Last Crusade" is Spielberg's favorite Indiana Jones film.
4
The gun used to shoot Connery's character is a Walther PPK, the same model he used as James Bond.

5
2,000 rats were bred for production.
6
When filming in Venice, they were given complete control of the Grand Canal from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. for one day.
7
Harrison Ford cut his chin in a car accident when he was 20. In the movie Indy is shown getting the scar from a whip.

8
Denholm Elliot had been diagnosed with AIDS shortly before filming, and was seriously ill on many days.
9
Neither Harrison Ford nor Sean Connery wore pants in this scene. It was filmed in a very hot studio and Sean Connery didn't want to sweat too much.
10
When George Lucas meet with Steven Spielberg about a third Indiana Jones movie, he wanted to have it set in a haunted mansion. Spielberg had just finished shooting "Poltergeist" and wanted to do something different. Lucas then came up with the Holy Grail concept and Spielberg added the fatherson sub-story.

11
While filming the whipping scene, the crew played a practical joke on Harrison Ford. While he was chained to a large stone, Barbara Streisand appeared dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit and proceeded to whip him saying, "That's for Hanover Street, the worst movie I ever saw!" She continued whipping him for Star Wars and making all that money. Carrie Fisher threw herself in front of Ford to protect him.
12
The original script had a motorcycle chase scene across the Great Wall of China. However, the Chinese government would not grant them permission so it was replaced with the plane crash scene.
13
D. R. Nanayakkara, cast as the Village Elder, did not speak a word of English. He delivered his lines phonetically by mimicking director Steven Spielberg who was prompting him off camera. The pauses in his dialogue were not for dramatic effect, but rather him waiting for his next line.

14
14 dummies fall of the bridge when it is cut. Batteries operate their arm and leg movements to make it look like they are really kicking and flailing.
15
Jeff Bridges turned down the role of Indiana Jones.
16
An open casting call was put out to elementary schools to find a young Asian actor to play Short Round. Jonathan Ke Quan arrived with his brother not to audition, but to only provide moral support. He caught the Casting Director's attention during his brothers audition by constantly telling him what to do and what not to do.

17
Amrish Puri shaved his head for the role of Mola Ram in Temple of Doom. This created such an impression that he kept it shaved and became one of India's most popular film villians.
18
All three main characters of Temple of Doom are named after dogs. Short Round was named after screenwriter Willard Huyck's dog. Willie is named after Steven Spielberg's dog. And Indiana is named after George Lucus's.
19
The out-of-control airplane actually ran over Harrison Ford's knee tearing his ligaments. Rather then be subjected to Tunisian health care, he wrapped it in ice and carried on.

20
Famous anime voice actor Bob Papenbrook voiced some of the screaming natives who chase Indy.
21
Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison wrote a script during shooting breaks on "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Steven would dictate a story that would become "E.T. The Extra Terrestial"
22
Raiders was Alfred Molina's screen debut. His first scene on his first day of shooting involved being covered in tarantulas.

23
The giant boulder that chases Indy at the beginning of the film was made of fiberglass.
24
Indiana Jones's kangaroo hide bullwhip was sold at auction in December 1999 for 43,000.
25
The lead character's name was originally Indiana Smith, but was changed on the first day of production.

26
In a deleted scene where Sallah is confronted by a Nazi, John Rhys-Davies, who was suffering with cholera at the time, was required to bend down. Unfortunately this caused the very sick John to soil himself.
27
During filming in Tunisia, nearly everyone in the cast and crew got sick except for Steven Spielberg. It is thought he avoided illness by only eating food he brought with him. Cans and cans of Spaghetti O's.