Rewatchables Reference

• Opening credits / Philly montage.
• Eddie discovers he has legs – Billy Ray goes to the bar and throws a party.
• Christmas party – Billy Ray overhears the $1 bet.
• Billy Ray in jail – karate man, phone in the limo.
• The trading floor finale.
• The beach ending.

• Young Eddie Murphy at 21 – electric.
• Coleman the Butler (Denholm Elliott).
• The rich guy details – waiting for door to open, squash club, Heritage Club, five dollar tips.
• Eddie's deadpan look at camera during the BLT sandwich scene.
• The commodities ending not being over-explained.

The ending on the beach/island.

The party at Billy Ray's house.

The train scene – Beaks not flying, not recognizing everyone, and the blackface.

• Dan Aykroyd's blackface scene.
• N-word usage by the Dukes.
• Homophobia throughout.
• World Trade Center 'kill or be killed' line.

• Bill: 'Trading Places' is a better Christmas movie than 'Home Alone' and 'Die Hard'.
• Van: Chevy Chase would have killed in the Aykroyd role.
• CR: Shouldn't Billy Ray and Winthorpe also be in trouble for insider trading?

• Originally developed for Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder (Pryor set himself on fire).
• Eddie didn't want Gene Wilder. Paramount didn't want Aykroyd.
• Ray Milland was wanted for Mortimer but couldn't pass the physical – Don Ameche found instead (hadn't acted in 14 years).
• G. Gordon Liddy was going to play Beaks but refused after learning about the gorilla scene.

• Wilson in the trading pit.
• Mortimer dials it up at the end screaming 'turn those machines back on!'

• Bo Diddley as the pawnbroker.
• Other candidates: the cop from Presumed Innocent/Oz, Bill Cobb (bartender), Philip Bosco (the doctor), Jim Belushi, Edie Falco, Giancarlo Esposito.

• How rich was Winthorpe to have a butler? (Butler works for the Dukes.)
• Why do the Dukes live together?
• Why did Coleman switch sides so quickly?
• Would local news really cover Clarence Beaks delivering the crop report?

• Budget $15 million, grossed $120.6 million.
• Paramount signed Eddie to a $25 million, five-film contract after this.
• Don Ameche's money clip fumble actually happened – kept in the movie.
• Don Ameche had strong religious convictions and would only say 'fuck him' once.
• The 'Eddie Murphy Rule' – 2010 Commodities Future Trading Commission rule preventing insider trading on commodities.
• Shown every Christmas Eve in Italy as the most-watched program.

• Eddie Murphy – 'Beverly Hills Cop', but this is close.
• John Landis – possibly this film, his most juice/power after Blues Brothers.
• Dan Aykroyd – Ghostbusters.
• 'Philadelphia' 1983 – overall Philly apex.
• Paul Gleason – 'The Breakfast Club'.
• Commodities – yes.

Untouchable – shouldn't be remade.

Sam Jackson discussed as an interesting addition.

• How much money did they actually invest/make?
• Is Jamie Lee Curtis the most realistic/lovable hooker with a heart of gold? (vs Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman'.)
• Did Coleman invent smoothies?
• What actually happens to Beaks on the boat with the gorilla?

• Winthorpe's watch – tells time in Monte Carlo, Beverly Hills, London, Paris, Rome, and Gstaad.
• The Duke's original $1 bill.

Don't be a racist asshole.

48 Hours.

Eddie Murphy.