The 1994 Academy Award winner for best picture, Forrest Gump, has attained a greater amount of staying power than most films that receive that honor due to its charm Tom Hanks’ portrayal, and the way the film weaves itself into our history. If you’re a fan, you know its value to you personally and as a piece of art. You also probably know all the catchy lines, but these facts about the finished product, the source material, and the effort to make the film may surprise you.
You Could Buy A Car For As Much As The Park Bench Sold For At Auction. A Nice One.
The bench that Forrest sat on with his box of chocolates at the Savannah bus stop sold in 2013 for a whopping $25,000. There was also originally no bench at that particular bus stop in Savannah; producers had to bring it in for the shoot — presumably from a prop company, but who knows, maybe they just jacked it from another stop.
Mykelti Williamson Was Not The First Choice To Play Bubba.
Williamson was up against a fresh-faced Dave Chappelle (who really went for the acting thing — Robin Hood Men in Tights, Con Air — before he became Dave Chappelle) and Ice Cube for the part of Forrest’s friend. Cube reportedly turned the part down because he didn’t want to portray a “dumb” character. Despite the acclaim that came with playing the role, he may have chosen wisely if you consider all Williamson went through to play the part, which included wearing a prosthetic piece in his mouth that extended Bubba’s lower lip. Bubba’s look didn’t do Williamson any favors afterward, either. Bubba’s lower lip was so prominent that it actually made it difficult for Williamson to work after the movie, because as he described, “casting directors thought Zemeckis had discovered some weird-looking guy and put him in front of the camera.”
Hanks’ Version Of Forrest Gump Was Different Than Author Winston Groom’s
Groom’s Gump was a bit more aware of the world around him and less passive, admitting in the opening paragraph that people treat him poorly because he’s “an idiot.” The Gump from the book is also described as a more heavyset man, and Groom has said that he would have picked John Goodman for the role. Oh, and in the book Forrest accomplishes even more of the impossible by becoming an astronaut.
Chances Are, You Had Never Heard Of The Book Before The Film
Winston Groom’s novel came out in 1986 and sold around 30,000 copies before the movie catapulted it to the top of the sales charts. Less than a year after the movie was released the book had sold 1.4 million copies and later spawned the 1995 sequel, Gump and Co. The first page of the sequel even jokingly jabs at the movie with Gump saying, “Don’t never let nobody make a movie of your life’s story.”
The Anti-War Hippies Were Renaissance Fair Attendees.
The producers were able to accomplish the shot of a large protest rally in front of the Washington Monument with just 1,500 extras from a nearby Renaissance Fair. The group was filmed in various locations of the mall lawn and then the footage was spliced into one panoramic crowd shot. No word on if they were paid in mead and fur pelts.
The Term “Gumping” Came From The Film’s Special Effects.
One of the most impressive things about the movie was the realism of Forrest Gump appearing in the historical video footage. Ken Ralston’s special effects team earned an Oscar for its work on the movie and their work led to the term “gumping” for their ability to place Tom Hanks in old news footage. The process involved using CGI to superimpose Tom Hanks’ face over the likeness of other people as well as manipulating hand and mouth movements.
Gary Sinese Started A Lt. Dan Tribute Band
Following the movie’s massive success, actor Gary Sinese formed a cover band based on his Gump character called, The Lt. Dan Band. Taking the band on a tour of Bubba Gump restaurants seems like a no brainer, but Sinese actually takes the band on the road for various veterans’ and USO shows. To this point, he has not created a CSI: New York jam band.
Tom Hanks’ Brother Also Likes To Run.
Tom Hanks’ brother, Jim Hanks, actually subbed in for some of Tom’s running scenes in South Carolina and Montana.
What Forrest Said To The Soldiers
Forrest’s microphone goes mute when he begins to speak at the anti-war rally, but Tom Hanks has said that his lines from the speech were “Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Portions of this post ran on July 7, 2014.
(Via IMDb, Wikipedia, Parade, Reddit, Sun Sentinel)
