Now, at her current age, she couldn’t imagine doing a nude scene again: “I also am married for 37 years, I wasn’t married then. I’m a mother of children. Absolutely not,” Curtis.
Family ties and fashion fumbles
At around 58 minutes in the film, when Ophelia takes Louis to her apartment, you can spot that she’s wearing pantyhose. But later, when she removes her dress, she’s only in panties.
Also, did you know that Penelope’s (Kristin Holby) friend Muffy is actually played by Jamie Lee Curtis’ sister, Kelly Curtis? And her future brother-in-law, Nicholas Guest, makes an appearance as Harry! Pretty cool family connection!
The quiet tribute to John Belushi
The number on Dan Aykroyd’s mug shot, 74745058, is the same one given to John Belushi in The Blues Brothers (1980).
Aykroyd included this as a heartfelt homage to his late comedy partner who had passed away the year before. Additionally, Jim Belushi, John’s brother, made a cameo in the film as a circus performer dressed in an ape suit.
The scene that didn’t make the theatrical cut
I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to Trading Places, but turns out there’s a little hidden gem that didn’t make the original theatrical cut! There’s a scene that often pops up when the movie is shown on TV, probably to fill in that extra time between commercials.
So, after Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) chats with the Dukes on the phone, and Billy Ray (Eddie Murphy) eavesdrops on their scheme, things take a turn. In the original version, Beeks heads straight from the phone booth to the Amtrak platform with the crop report briefcase in hand.
But in the added scene, we get a behind-the-scenes look where Beeks is off to a secured vault, where he knocks out a security guard and cracks open a safe deposit box to get those reports. I mean, talk about some extra shady business going on behind the curtain…
Trading Places really was one of a kind, wasn’t it? Movies like this, filled with unforgettable characters, hilarious moments, and a perfect mix of humor and social commentary, seem like a thing of the past. It’s a shame we don’t get that same magic today. But hey, thank goodness for the 80s and 90s!
Let’s keep the Trading Places spirit alive, because, let’s face it, it’s a classic we’ll always treasure.
