E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

[claude]

Ranked #3 on the American Film Institute's list of the 10 greatest films in the genre "sci-fi" in June 2008.

[maureen]

According to the film's novelization, E.T. is over ten million years old.

[ruby]

The late Robert Murphy's Medic character is the dark haired, mustachioed one who delivers the report on E.T.'s treatment, "Cardiac arrest was terminated at 1500 hours and 36 minutes. He received intravenous lidocaine, intravenous epinephrine on a lidocaine drip, 2.7% sodium-chloride solution, catheters from the "A'' line. And the intravenous line should be sent for culture. He was monitored with a... EEG and an EKG. He was defibrillated twice.... All intravenous lines should be sent to the laboratory for cultures." He was an anesthesiologist who was then chief resident in charge of the CPR training program at University Hospital in Los Angeles, California in real life.

[norma]

Corey Feldman was originally scheduled for a role in E.T., but over the course of a script re-write, his part was eliminated. Steven Spielberg felt bad about the decision and promised Feldman a part in his next planned production, which turned out to be Gremlins (1984).

[jessie]

In the Halloween scene where E.T. sees a child in a Yoda costume and seems to recognize him suggest that they are from the same galaxy. In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), in the galactic senate scene where all the senators are on their feet shouting, you can see in the lower right corner E.T. species among the senate pods.

[michele]

The van/truck Michael hijacks and drives to the park is a 1982 Ford Econoline (E-350).

[harry]

C. Thomas Howell's film debut.

[addison]

Corey Feldman was originally supposed to co-star, but his part was eliminated (he was to be Elliott's buddy until Spielberg decided Elliott was better as a loner). As is often the case in Hollywood, after the director turned Feldman down for this role, he offered him a role in another project as compensation: Billy's buddy in Gremlins (a role similar to that he would have been playing in ET).

[alyssa]

At the auditions, Henry Thomas thought about the day his dog died to express sadness. Director Steven Spielberg cried, and offered him the role of Elliott on the spot.

[kim]

James Taylor wrote a song intended for use in the movie called "Song For You Far Away". The song was ultimately not used in the movie. However, it was eventually recorded in 1985 for release on his 'That's Why I'm Here' album.

[sandra]

At one point, Gertie looks down at E.T. and says, "I don't like his feet." This was ad-libbed by Drew Barrymore and was actually her referring to the grouping of wires coming out of the E.T. puppet. She also ad-libbed the line, "Give me a break!" after Elliott tells her only little kids can see E.T.

[tamara]

This wholesome family film features not one but two child actors who went on to pose for Playboy: Erika Eleniak (the girl Elliott kisses in class, July 1989) and Drew Barrymore (January 1995).

[jeffrey]

At one point in the film, Gertie's mother is reading Peter Pan to her. In 1991, Spielberg would film Hook (1991), a version of Peter Pan starring Robin Williams.

[jessica]

(Melissa Mathison), the film's screenwriter, filmed a cameo as Elliott's School Nurse, but the scene was cut.

[kenneth]

In mid 2009, the home featured in the film, located in the Tujunga Canyon, was saved from immolation in the treacherous Station Fire. The owner of the residence said the scorched hill behind the house "looks like the surface of the moon," but that the structure itself incurred no damage in the wildfire, which up to that time had burned over 127,000 acres and claimed 62 homes.

[clayton]

The doctors and nurses who work on E.T. are all real emergency room technicians. They were told to treat E.T. the same way they would treat a real patient, so that their dialogue and actions would seem real.

[leo]

Steven Spielberg shot the film in chronological order to invoke a real response from the actors (mainly the children) when E.T. departed at the end. All emotional responses from that last scene are real.

[tom]

Though many have suggested that the film contains elements of Christian allegory, director Steven Spielberg says any parallels are strictly coincidental. Furthermore, Spielberg adds that if he ever made a Christian allegory, his mother, a devout Jew, would probably never forgive him.

[tamara]

Peter Coyote's character's name is never revealed, and is referred to as "Keys" in the novelization and end credits because he is identified by wearing a key-chain in the first half of the movie.