Poll: Hollywood's Greatest Untold Stories

Results of 345 votes:

1. 1.
   

   Henry Thomas in E.T. (1982)

    

   Elliott's principal in E.T. (1982) was Harrison Ford. After the frog riot and his kiss with his blonde crush, Elliott was sent to the principal's office to receive a scolding from Spielberg's friend a…
2. 2.
   

   #11

    

   The "Gimp" scene almost sounded very very different. Though Quentin Tarantino wanted to use The Knack's My Sharona as the soundtrack to Zed's violation of Marcellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction (…
3. 3.
   

   Mickey Rooney c. 1967

    

   Mickey Rooney could have been Archie Bunker on All in the Family (1971). All in the Family creator Norman Lear explains, "I called his manager, and he said, 'Oh, Mickey happens to be in the offic…
4. 4.
   

   Danny Lloyd, Barry Nelson, and Robin Pappas in The Shining (1980)

    

   The Shining (1980) ended with Wendy and Danny in the hospital. The two are visited by the hotel's manager who hands Danny the same ball that was previously rolled to him by unknown forces from room 23…
5. 5.
   

   Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and Josh Radnor in How I Met Your Mother (2005)

    

   Casting for a long-forgotten sitcom led to hiring the three lead actors from How I Met Your Mother (2005). Longtime casting director Jeff Greenburg saw 637 women and 336 men for roles in the short-liv…
6. 6.
   

   Allison Janney and Mark Pellegrino in Lost (2004)

    

   But for lack of airfare Lost (2004) might have ended with a volcano and not a cave of light. Co-creator Carlton Cuse got the idea to have Jack and John (aka the Smoke Monster) have their final battle …
7. 7.
   

   Paul Rudd and Kristen Wiig

    

   Paul Rudd was edited out of Bridesmaids (2011). Rudd and Kristin Wiig's Annie go out on a blind date. He seems perfect until he freaks out at a kid following a mishap on the ice skating rink. The perf…
8. 8.
   

   Idina Menzel in Frozen (2013)

    

   Frozen (2013) could have gone in several different directions. Originally Elsa and Anna weren't even sisters and Elsa froze her own heart after being stood up at the altar. Also the ending was writte…
9. 9.
   

   Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express (1932)

    

   Freddie Mercury as Marlene Dietrich? When photographer Mick Rock was preparing to shoot the cover of Queen's second album, he was inspired by still photographs from Dietrich's Shanghai Express (1932).…
10. 10.
    

    Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)

     

    The creation of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) happened lightening fast. DJ Jazzy Jeff breaks it down: "We had a day off. Will said, 'Hey, I got to jump a plane to L.A. because they want me t…
11. 11.
    

    Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

     

    At the end of My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Julia Roberts's Julianne danced her last dance with a guy she met at the wedding, played by John Corbett. After showing the original cut to test audience…
12. 12.
    

    Kristen Bell and Enrico Colantoni in Veronica Mars (2004)

     

    Veronica Mars (2004) started as an evil, friendless boy?!?? Veronica was first written as a loner teen named Keith (the name was, of course, used for Veronica's PI dad). This character used his mad de…
13. 13.
    

    Olivia Newton-John and Rod Stewart in The Music for UNICEF Concert: A Gift of Song (1979)

     

    Olivia Newton-John's mega-hit Physical was written for Rod Stewart. While it would probably be interesting to hear Rod's raspy whine croaking out lines like, "Let me hear your body talk," it…
14. 14.
    

    Mark Harmon and Lisa Hartman in The Love Boat (1977)

     

    Life was a party for not just the guests of The Love Boat (1977) but some of the writers too. Says Lee Aronsohn, "One of my fondest memories was how I actually got to go on one of the first cruis…