The arrival of Christmas brings with it endless traditions. The typical food of each country, the visit of Santa Claus with his gifts for the children or the assembly of the endearing Christmas tree, are some of them. But to these we must also add the typical Christmas movies. Today we want to talk to you about one of the most emblematic and universal. Join us to review together the best curiosities of My Poor Little Angel.
On November 16, 1990, 25 years ago, what seemed to be a family comedy about a boy left to fend for Christmas, and forced to fend off a pair of bumbling thieves, became an instant classic. Nowadays, no vacation movie marathon is complete without watching this film, which made Macaulay Culkin one of the biggest child stars of all time. So in his honor, here we bring you the most curious facts about this endearing film.
15 curiosities of My Poor Little Angel that you should know
1. Inspiration from another film
We begin the tour of the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel, telling you that the original idea for this story was inspired by another similar one. In fact, John Hughes got the great muse while recording “Alone with our uncle”which curiously also starred Macaulay Culkin.
2. The role of Kevin was written specifically for Macaulay Culkin
It is already known by all that this was the film that launched its protagonist to stardom. What few know is that the film was written with Culkin as the most probable protagonist, the desired one. However, that didn’t stop director Chris Columbus from auditioning over 100 other rascal tweens for the role. All to no avail, as Culkin nailed the paper.
3. Macaulay wasn’t the only Culkin to appear in the movie.
Another of the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel is that Macaulay was not the only Culkin to appear in the film. In fact, his younger brother, Kieran, also landed a role as Fuller, Kevin’s bed-wetting cousin. The actor may sound familiar to you from other movies like “Cider House Rules,” “Igby’s Great Fall,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.”
4. The film holds a Guinness World Record
On his first weekend, My Poor Little Angel topped the box office, earning $17,081,997 from 1,202 theaters. The film maintained its number one position for 12 weeks and stayed in the TOP 10 until June of the following year. It became the highest-grossing film of 1990 and earned a Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing action comedy in the country.
5. The tarantula on Stern’s face was real.
And one of our favorites among the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel, is that the tarantula that appears on Stern’s face is real! What is not really real is the scream that freezes the blood. In order not to scare off the spider, Stern had to imitate the scream, and the team added the sound later.
6. Poland loves the McCalisters
The projections of Mi Pobre Angelito have become a Christmas tradition in Poland, where the film has been broadcast on national television since the early 1990s. And its popularity has only increased. In 2011 it was again the most watched programming of the season with five million people watching the screen.
7. The McCallister house has become a major tourist attraction
We add to the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel, the fact that the house of the main family has become a regional tourist attraction. Located at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, Illinois, it houses the kitchen, main staircase, and downstairs seen in the film.. The dining room and the rest of the rooms on the first floor were shot in a studio. In 2012, John and Cynthia Abendshien, who owned the house when it was used as one of the film locations, sold the property for $1.585 million.
8. Robert de Niro turned down the role of Harry Lime
Incredibly, Robert de Niro, like Jon Lovitz, turned down this role.. So, Joe Pesci stuck with the character. Another curious fact is that this character is a slight tribute to Orson Welles. It was the name of Welles’s character in Carol Reed’s “The Third Man.”
9. Joe Pesci was a true method actor with Macaulay Culkin.
We add to the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel, a very interesting one in relation to the acting work behind this film. In order to obtain a more authentic result, Joe Pesci went out of his way to avoid Macaulay Culkin on set so that the young actor would actually be afraid of him.
10. In real life, Harry and Marv couldn’t have survived Kevin’s attack.
BB shots to the forehead and groin? The steam from hot iron and a can of paint on the head? A scalp torch? The wet bandits endured a great deal of violence at the hands of an eight-year-old boy. So much so that in reality not one of them would have been able to walk home that night.
11. More than a sequel
Another of the curiosities of My Poor Little Angel is that, in addition to the sequel Lost in New York, the success of the original version generated a true franchise, with four sequels, three video games, two board games, one novel and an unimaginable amount of folders, t-shirts, backpacks, and all the merchandising for children. A real deal.
12. Old Neighbor Marley Wasn’t In The Original Script
Another curious fact that few know is that the neighbor who supposedly scares Kevin and who finally teaches him the importance of family, was not a character in the original script. It was added as a suggestion for the film to have a stronger dose of sentimentality.
13. If you think Elvis is still alive, maybe he’s in the movie.
A hit movie wouldn’t be complete without some conspiracy theory. And in the case of My Poor Little Angel, it is that Elvis Presley, who (supposedly?) died in 1977, makes a cameo in the film. Some claim that “the king” is alive and apparently makes a living as a Hollywood extra.
14. Collapsed Treehouse
Surely you have seen more than once the scenes in Kevin’s endearing tree house. Well, we tell you that the structure was built specifically for the film, and in fact, it was demolished once they finished filming it.
15. Fake Snow
And we close our tour of the best curiosities of My Poor Angel by telling you that the snow you see in the movie is not real snow. In fact, it’s wax with plastic. And there was so much left over that they ended up donating it to the Chicago Opera.
What do you think of these curiosities? If you still want to know more surprising facts about mythical movies, don’t miss these 13 curiosities about Jurassic Park! We are in a next super curious article.