The Fabulous Baker Boys - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

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

[kenneth]

The iconic famous "Makin' Whooppee" scene on the piano was choreographed. It took six hours to shoot it. Michelle Pfeiffer only had one choreography lesson, and wore knee and elbow pads during rehearsals. The red velvet evening dress that Pfeiffer wears during the sequence was designed by the film's costume designer, Lisa Jensen.

[mathew]

Michelle Pfeiffer had previously sung in Grease 2 (1982).

[caroline]

The reasons Jack behaves the way he does is because he is tired and miserable of playing in the same places and the same music. He has his own dreams of playing real jazz in nightclubs or even a recording deal with a label. This is inferred in many scenes like the nightclub scene at Henry's where he sees his friend, while he's just playing freely in the ballroom where Susie appears and spends time with him and when Susie tells him "that you're more than that" in which she sees past his frustrations.

[russell]

Before the fight between Frank and Jack after the telethon, writer/director Steve Kloves asked Beau Bridges if it was true that he turned down the Ryan O'Neal part in "Love Story" in which Beau said it was true and was still angry about it after all those years. Using that as motivation for the scene, Beau actually went toe to toe with his brother Jeff. Jeff would accidentally break his finger in the scene as a result of it.

[sara]

When this film first went into development in 1986, 20th Century Fox wanted Bill Murray and Chevy Chase to star.

[lena]

Michelle Pfeiffer won the following Best Actress awards from the following critics' circles and associations for her performance as Susie Diamond in this film: The New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics Association Award, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the latter of which she tied for the gong with Andie MacDowell for Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989). Pfeiffer was also both nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award and the Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) by the American Comedy Awards and won the Golden Globe Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - "Drama", this not being in the Golden Globes sister category of "Comedy or Musical" despite the film's comedic and musical elements.

[lena]

Jack and Frank have been playing piano since they were very little probably since age 7 as you saw in the pictures in Frank's den with their little white pianos. However, as a duo they had been playing since 1973 which coincides with the films' time-line and when the film was made in 1988, which would be fifteen years professionally as duo. Once Susie came on aboard to sing with them, it would be about six months to a year as a trio until their break up and end.

[liam]

The film is Seattle, Washington, however it was filmed in Los Angeles. Production designer Jeffery Townsend scouted locations around LA that matched the vibe and look of Seattle. Many of the outdoor scenes in the beginning were filmed in Seattle.

[ruby]

The scene where Jeff Bridges and Michelle Pffeiffer have their little foreplay between them using the different objects like the shaving cream, the butter on the bread, etc. The scene was not working so writer/director Steve Kloves told the crew to take an hour break to confer with Bridges, Pffeiffer, and director of photography Michael Ballhaus and how to make scene work. Kloves had just simplified it and it became one of his favorite scenes in the film.

[darrell]

After their break up, Jack, Susie and Frank go in different directions personally. Jack finally gets to play at Henry's nightclub twice a week. Susie was hired by a Cat Food company to sing jingles which she does for Jack before she heads to work at the end of the film. Frank wants to create a wood shop and teach kids how to play the piano.

[bryan]

Michelle Pfeiffer sang all her songs. No vocal double was used.

[lynn]

According to writer/director Steve Kloves, there are two scenes in the film that run around seven minutes long that is nothing but pure dialog which is quite rare nowadays.

[michele]

When George Roy Hill was attached to direct, writer/director Steve Kloves pitched the idea of casting the late Whitney Houston as Suzie Diamond. Kloves had heard her sing just as she was starting to become a superstar and he and Hill went to a concert that she was performing at Carnege Hall in New York. After the concert, Hill agreed to the idea of Houston and immediately wanted to change the films' downbeat ending to the Baker brothers along with Suzie heading to Las Vegas and being a great success. Kloves cut him off and told Hill that he would not change the ending to the film regardless if Houston was cast.

[fred]

Brothers Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges, who portray the characters of Jack Baker and Frank Baker respectively, who are also brothers.

[jeffrey]

The film starts with Jack going to work at night with his brother, Frank and ends with Susie going to work in the morning with Jack wanting to see her. This signifies a major change or transition in their lives with a brighter future for both.

[scarlett]

Debra Winger was offered the female lead of Susie Diamond, but turned it down, it in the end was cast with Michelle Pfeiffer.

[kyle]

The name of the nightclub where Susie Diamond and the Fabulous Baker Boys performed was the "Starfire Lounge".

[tom]

Writer/director Steve Kloves had the full support of Sydney Pollack and Mark Rosenberg throughout the entire production and if a problem arose, they'd had to answer to Pollack or Rosenberg.

[phyllis]

Brooke Shields turned down the role of Susie Diamond, which in the end was cast with Michelle Pfeiffer.