The Survivors - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of The Survivors or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to The Survivors

[ella]

Weapons that Robin Williams bought at the military store included a self-cleaning detachable bayonet; Chinese throwing stars; a belt knife; a Fem-Prod little squealer; a concussion grenade and a .308 caliber semi-automatic assault rifle with a folding stock and two extra clips.

[russell]

John Goodman: As a Commando at the militaria shop. This film was one of Goodman's first movie roles.

[jesus]

When producer William Sackheim started looking for a director he says he soon realized how few good comedy directors existed, Michael Ritchie being one of them. Sackheim said: "I had seen The Bad News Bears (1976), Smile (1975), and Michael's earlier films. And I saw that not only can the man direct comedy, but he is adept at combining humor with social commentary - an important element for The Survivors (1983)".

[chad]

Survivalism is defined by the Wikipedia website as a " . . . movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who are actively preparing for emergencies, including possible disruptions in social or political order, on scales from local to international. Survivalists often acquire emergency medical and self-defense training, stockpile food and water, prepare to become self-sufficient, and build structures (e.g. a survival retreat or an underground shelter) that may help them survive a catastrophe".

[terry]

The letter "U" in the phrase "The Big U" stood for the word "Unemployment".

[frederick]

Director Michael Ritchie around fourteen years earlier had directed another snowbound movie called Downhill Racer (1969).

[fred]

Robin Williams, at one point in the film, says to Walter Matthau "I've never had a friend like you." In Aladdin, Williams' Genie character famously sings the song Friend Like Me, which has the repeated line "you ain't never had a friend like me."

[carla]

Both the movie's film director Michael Ritchie and sole screenwriter Michael Leeson were both first-named "Michael".

[chris]

In May 1983, the Columbia Pictures studio appealed the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)'s "R" rating certificate for the picture which upon appeal was upheld and retained.

[jesus]

Star Billing: Walter Matthau (1st), Robin Williams (2nd) and Jerry Reed (3rd).

[lena]

Robin Williams was attracted to the project for several reasons. Williams said: "First of all, after 'Garp' [The World According to Garp (1982)], I wanted to do a far-out comedy, and The Survivors (1983) certainly qualifies. Secondly, I like the basic premise - if we stick together, it will all work out. It's sort of like Yin, Yang and Yong. You've got me, who, I guess, specializes in frenetic and bizarre energy. You've got Walter Matthau, who's very grounded and subtle. And then you've got Jerry Reed, whose character is like a cross between Mister Rogers and Jack Nicholson. He's a lovable villain".

[linda]

The song played at the beginning 'Every Man is a King' was written by Gov. Huey P Long. Walter Matthau would later portray Senator Russell B Long, the son of Senator Huey P Long, in Oliver Stone's film 'JFK' (1991). John Goodman, who has a bit role in this film, would later play Long himself in the TV movie "Kingfish".

[nora]

Walter Matthau's only film with Robin Williams.

[jim]

John Goodman's only film with Robin Williams and Walter Matthau.

[frances]

The movie's closing credits declare: "The Producers would like to thank the following who have helped make this picture possible: The New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting, Edelman's Guns Store, Lake Morey Inn, U.S. Forestry Service."

[victoria]

The General Douglas MacArthur quotation from a book that Sonny Paluso (Walter Matthau) read was: "The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace. For he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. The soldier is the noblest development of mankind. But no brute instinct can take the place of divine help".

[tamara]

When Robin Williams moons the TV screen after the editorial, he is really mooning the TV. When Robin Williams sits down you can see he is not wearing underwear.

[chad]

The movie's director, Michael Ritchie, utilized contract craft service vehicles for food motivation for the sled dogs featured in the film, due to the problems which had arisen in production working with the canines, most problematic being their non-reaction to their trainer's instructions.

[phyllis]

Columbia Pictures, which produced this movie, had had, two years earlier, a huge box-office success with the Bill Murray army comedy, Stripes (1981). The Survivors (1983), another military related satire, has a main trailer which noticeably re-used that film's distinctive trademark music, and music score which is not actually heard in this movie.