Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

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

[sara]

This movie was known as "King Of The Mountain" and "Dirty Rotten Criminals" during its early stages. Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Eric Idle, Dudley Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Palin, and Gene Wilder were all considered for the role of Lawrence Jamieson.

[norma]

The movie was filmed during May, June, and July 1988.

[gerald]

The name of the butler was Arthur, and was played by Ian McDiarmid. This could be considered a bit of name nod to, and twist on, Sir John Gielgud's Hobson butler character from Arthur (1981), where Arthur was his gentleman. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) was released in the same year as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988).

[frederick]

According to Sir Michael Caine's autobiography, the girl dancing next to him in the disco scene is his real-life daughter, Natasha. She's the tall girl with straight black hair.

[kylie]

Sean Young was offered the role of Janet Colgate, but turned it down to do The Boost (1988).

[maureen]

When Director Frank Oz first approached Sir Michael Caine about a key role in this movie, he tempted him with the promise of a cozy villa in the south of France for the three-month period of the shoot. Once Caine learned that the villa on offer happened to be conveniently situated between the villas of two old friends, Sir Roger Moore and Composer Leslie Bricusse, he jumped at the opportunity.

[tamara]

The con artist who is said to be working in the region is known to be "The Jackal". Glenne Headly played the role of "Janet Colgate". The first letters of her character's first and last name when put together phonetically create "Ja-Col"/"Jackal".

[kristen]

According to the DVD commentary, when Freddy is in jail, trying to remember Lawrence's name, the entire scene was improvised by Steve Martin. Director Frank Oz was crouched out of camera range and tapped Anton Rodgers on the foot to interrupt Martin when Oz felt that he had gone as far as he could with the improv.

[nina]

First Frank Oz movie which did not feature puppets. All the earlier ones had, they being The Dark Crystal (1982), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984).

[tammy]

When Steve Martin asks Sir Michael Caine for the super glue solvent you can see Caine turn away from the camera and start laughing.

[clayton]

At one point, Steve Martin (Freddy) was to play the role of Lawrence (Sir Michael Caine), with Kevin Kline potentially to be playing Freddy. Kline was not cast, but starred in French Kiss (1995) instead.

[phyllis]

In comparison with Bedtime Story (1964), of which this movie is a remake, according to show-business trade paper "Variety", "(Steve) Martin takes the crass American role played by Marlon Brando, and (Sir Michael) Caine pays homage to David Niven, by sporting a thin mustache, slicked-back hair, and a double-breasted blue blazer, in a sort of 1930s British yachtsman look."

[francisco]

The crystal stemware used in the scene, where Sir Michael Caine is teaching Steve Martin how to act debonair, is called Massena, and is made by Baccarat.

[cameron]

The music used when Freddy goes on a shopping spree after first arriving back on the Riviera is the same music used for the opening titles of the U.K. sitcom French Fields (1989), which also featured Anton Rodgers.

[miriam]

This movie was originally a project for Mick Jagger and David Bowie. After the success of their "Dancing in the Street" video in 1985, studio bosses were anxious to put them in a movie together. Dale Launer was brought in, based on the success of Ruthless People (1986), and asked to submit ideas. Jagger had previously written the title song to Ruthless People (1986), based on his enthusiasm for Launer's script. Launer had seen the original movie, Bedtime Story (1964), on television once before, and suggested a remake. Launer acquired the remake rights from one of the original writers, Stanley Shapiro. During development, Jagger and Bowie dropped out of the project, and Steve Martin and Sir Michael Caine were brought in as replacements. According to Bowie, he and Jagger were "a bit tweezed that we lost out on a script that could have been reasonably good."

[veronica]

One of two 1988 cinematic movies starring Sir Michael Caine. Both pictures were comedies, with the other one being Without a Clue (1988). In both movies, Caine was the senior member of a two-person buddy team. Caine also starred in the two-part television mini-series Jack the Ripper (1988).

[steve]

DIRECTOR CAMEO (Frank Oz): As the police officer rushing Steve Martin to meet Sir Michael Caine at the airport near the end of the movie.

[caroline]

Sir Michael Caine was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, but lost out to Tom Hanks, for Big (1988). Steve Martin was not nominated in the same category, despite many people considering him being the major contributor of many of the movie's laughs.

[lynn]

The number plate that appears on the white Ferrari, is a Danish one. However, the font reveals it is a fake plate. If the Ferrari was registered in Denmark in 1987/1988 it would start with either an "M" or "N" the prefix "AB" on a white Danish plate was not used until 2016 and the plate no "AB 23 893" would belong to a tractor or motorcycle.