Meatballs - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

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

[amber]

While filming the social/dance scene that happens after the Camp North Star-Camp Mohawk basketball game, the cast wasn't actually dancing to "Makin' It" by David Naughton (the song was inserted in postproduction after permission for its use was secured). "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones was played again and again while shooting the scene.

[cameron]

The red shorts and colorful Hawaiian shirt that Bill Murray is seen wearing in the movie were his own clothes.

[alyssa]

Of the film's three sequels, only Meatballs III: Summer Job (1986) has any story connection to this movie.

[toni]

The only one of the four "Meatballs" movies to feature Bill Murray.

[bessie]

Breakthrough film role of actor-comedian Bill Murray.

[jamie]

The later 2008 camp film Camp Rock (2008) used the same real life camp facilities as this movie.

[fred]

According to Time Out, the film was "apparently inspired by the experience of a Corman PR man who had a poignant moment once while watching National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)".

[victoria]

Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis wanted John Landis to direct this movie, because of his work that he did on National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). But Landis turned it down because he was too busy working on The Blues Brothers (1980). Because of this, Reitman decided to direct it himself.

[carla]

According to one of the featurettes on the DVD, several of the shots in the movie were added after initial filming ended. These included the scenes of Rudy and Tripper at the bus station and of them playing blackjack for peanuts. During the time off, Chris Makepeace had entered puberty and had the beginnings of a mustache. Bill Murray decided that it had to go so he took Makepeace over to a sink, lathered him up with soap and shaved off his mustache. So Makepeace received his first ever shave from Murray.

[lena]

The movie was filmed during August and September 1978.

[carl]

First of six collaborations of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis with Ramis functioning in any combination of various roles as actor, writer, director. The movies include Stripes (1981), Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters II (1989) and Groundhog Day (1993).

[ella]

The first day of the production shoot was also the first day of camp seen in the movie.

[steve]

Debut appearance in feature film of Matt Craven, Kate Lynch, Keith Knight, Russ Banham and Chris Makepeace.

[carla]

The movie was filmed at an actual summer camp, Camp White Pine, in Haliburton, Ontario (a few hours north of Toronto). Many of the extras in the film were actual campers and counselors of the camp; most if not all locations were actual camp facilities (basketball courts, mess hall, swim docks, cabins, etc.). The "Visitors Day" scene/montage was actually filmed during the camp's Visitors Day; White Pine also had a similar yearly event to the "Olympiad" - although rather than being a inter-camp competition, it was an intra-camp relay-type competition that was just part of an overall all-day themed event. These competitions were nicknamed "Mohawk Relays", perhaps serving as inspiration for the name of the rival camp in the movie.

[riley]

Keith Knight and Peter Hume, who respectively played Fink and The Stomach, died exactly two months apart in real life. Knight died August 22, 2007; Hume died October 22, 2007.

[riley]

The nickname of Morty Melnick (Harvey Atkin) was "Mickey" whilst the nickname of Larry Finkelstein (Keith Knight) was "Fink".

[addison]

The single "Makin' it" by David Naughton (An American Werewolf in London) is on the Meatballs soundtrack

[jessica]

Jack Blum, who plays Spaz, was also the film's co-casting director for Canada.

[jamie]

Jack Blum and Keith Knight went to theatre college together in Toronto during the mid-70s and appeared in another two films, Hog Wild (1980) and Siege (1982), following Meatballs (1979). In fact, Hog Wild (1980) used them to promote the film in the trailer, stating featuring the stars of Meatballs.