Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Continued...

Quotes & Stuff

Listen to Marilyn Manson's Boat Ride!

Willy Wonka (The Boat Ride):
There's no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going
There's no knowing where we're rowing
Or which way the river's flowing
Is it raining?
Is it snowing?
Is a hurricane a-blowing?
Not a speck of light is showing (faster)
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a-glowing
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
YeeeeeeEEESSS! The danger must be growing (faster)
'Cause the rowers keep on rowing
AND THEY'RE CERTAINLY NOT SHOWING
ANY SIGNS THAT THEY ARE SLOOOOOOOWING!
Stop the boat.

Director - Mel Stuart: Watch Gene's hair thoughout the movie - it turns more and more crazy until at the end, he's clearly mad.

Gene Wilder: We all grew up on movies with scenes where the actor is lying, and know he's lying, but he wants to make _sure_ you know it's a lie, and so he overacts and all but winks at you, and everybody in the world except for the girl he's talking to knows he's lying. I wanted to do the opposite, to _really_ lie, and fool the audience...I wanted people to wonder if Willy Wonka was telling the truth so that you wouldn't really know until the end of the picture what Willy's motivations were.

Willy Wonka: So shines a good deed in a weary world. (Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice)

Mr. Salt: What is this Wonka, some kind of funhouse?
Willy Wonka: Why? Having fun?

Willy Wonka: But hurry, please. We have so much time and so little to do. Wait...strike that, reverse it.

Willy Wonka: Oh, the pressure will get him out. There's terrific pressure building up behind him. Oh, the suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts.

Willy Wonka: All I ask is a tall ship and a star to sail her by.

There's a book called "Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes". You can learn to make lickable wallpaper and other candies from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Rumor has it that during the filming Charlie (Peter Ostrum) was hitting early stages of puberty and his voice was changing during production. In fact, some of the scenes where the dialogue is looped, his voice seems much deeper. In the scene where Grandpa Joe and Charlie are walking into the fizzy lifting drinks room, listen as Charlie says, "What is it, Grandpa?" His voice is noticably deeper. Compare it to the song "I got a Golden Ticket" where his voice is much higher.

The modern rock band Veruca Salt stole their name from the spoiled little rich girl in the movie.

The legendary actor Fred Astaire originally wanted to play the part of Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder "won" the part because Fred Astaire was considered to be too old to play the part.

Did you know that almost everything in the chocolate room was really edible! A "fact giver" read all about it in a book called "Children's Live-Action Musical Films" by Thomas J. Harris, published by McFarland & Company, Inc.

Gene Wilder had the idea for the cane/somersault scene. He practiced the bit endlessly with professionals to get it perfect.

During the filming Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt) had a secret crush on Peter Ostrum (Charlie Bucket)!! Peter never knew this. Peter had asked her to a dinner party and she got all excited so she wrote home and asked her mother if it was OK. By the time her mother wrote back it was too late. Peter had changed his mind and he asked Denise Nickerson to go with him.

The picture of the guy that they show as the fradulant golden ticket holder in Paraguay, was actually, in real life the last man known to have contact with Hitler. His name was Martin Bormann, one of Hitler's many henchmen. They wanted to use a picture of Hitler, but used Bormann's instead.