National Lampoon's Animal House

Trivia

This movie was filmed at the University of Oregon, in Eugene, and features numerous buildings from that campus and the surrounding area; however, the idea for script of the movie derived from Miller's experience at his own fraternity at Dartmouth College, one of the Ivy League colleges, in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Related Topics:
University of Oregon - Dartmouth College - Ivy League - Hanover - New Hampshire

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The filmmakers had submitted the script to a number of colleges and universities, all of which turned them down. The University of Oregon agreed because the Dean who read the script had been the President of a small California college years before, and had been shown the script for The Graduate. He turned it down, believing it to be worthless, and then watched The Graduate become a huge hit. When offered the script for Animal House, he was determined not to make the same mistake twice, even allowing the filmmakers to use his office as Dean Wormer's office.

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The motto of Faber College (as inscripted on the statue of founder Emil Faber shown at the beginning of the film) was "Knowledge is Good."

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In one scene during the infamous toga party, John Belushi's character, Bluto Blutarsky, smashes an acoustic guitar belonging to a folk singer (portrayed by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop, who is credited as "Charming Guy With Guitar") who is serenading a group of girls with the song "I Gave My Love a Cherry That Had No Stone". Bluto then hands him a splintered piece and says "Sorry." This sight gag has been imitated on TV several times, most memorably by Worf on '.

Related Topics:
Stephen Bishop - I Gave My Love a Cherry That Had No Stone - Worf

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The highest-paid member of the cast was Donald Sutherland, who received $40,000 for his appearance. Sutherland's casting was essential for the movie being picked up by Universal, as Universal was reluctant to produce a picture with no stars, and Sutherland was one of the biggest stars of the 1970's. For two days' work on the picture, Sutherland was offered either a $40,000 flat fee or a percentage of the film's gross; assuming that the movie would be quickly forgotten, he opted for the flat fee, a decision which (by his own admission) has cost him millions.

Related Topics:
Donald Sutherland - Gross

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Surprisingly, the censors allowed through a scene that clearly implies statutory rape, or at least the possibility of it.

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The film also inspired a short-lived half-hour television sitcom, Delta House, in which the late John Vernon reprised his role as the long-suffering, malevolent Dean Wormer.

Related Topics:
Sitcom - Delta House - John Vernon

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Dee Snider, lead singer of the heavy metal music group Twisted Sister, was so enamored of Mark Metcalf's performance as Neidermeyer that he had the actor perform a similar role in the music videos to two of Twisted Sister's songs, "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock."

Related Topics:
Dee Snider - Heavy metal music - Twisted Sister - Music video - We're Not Gonna Take It - I Wanna Rock

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The role of D-Day was based on Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd was offered the part, but he was already committed to Saturday Night Live.

Related Topics:
Dan Aykroyd - Saturday Night Live

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In the motion picture (1983), an American GI, lost in a Vietnamese jungle, tells his fellow soliders "We shouldn't have killed Lieutenant Neidermeyer!", an allusion to the epilogue of "Animal House".

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