For the span of its 40 years, Clue has remained an underrated comedy masterpiece. After flopping at the box office, it found its audience through almost daily Comedy Central broadcasts, earning its place at the top of the genre of movies based on board games. (Sorry, Battleship.) Believe it or not, this story of murder, mystery, and color-coded mayhem was even wackier behind the scenes.
Norman Bates Was Offered the Screenplay
John Landis, who was ultimately credited as a writer but initially hired to direct the movie, offered the screenwriting job to Anthony Perkins. That’s right, Norman Bates himself. This wasn’t as outlandish as it sounds, as Perkins was known to dabble in screenwriting, most famously for Psycho IV: The Beginning. Okay, bad example.
Princess Leia Was Supposed to Be Miss Scarlet
The first actress cast as Miss Scarlet was Carrie Fisher, but, well… do you remember what Carrie Fisher was doing in the ‘80s? The answer is a lot of drugs. She ended up in rehab four days before filming was set to begin. She was actually willing and able to work through treatment, but the film’s insurance company demanded a last-minute replacement.
Mr. Bean Was Supposed to Be Wadsworth
Director Jonathan Lynn’s first choice for the scheming butler was British actor Leonard Rossiter, but after he became unavailable (see: dead), he next turned to… Rowan Atkinson. Despite the recent success of the BBC series Blackadder, however, the studio decided he wasn’t famous enough, gifting us the guaranteed charm of Tim Curry.
Lee Ving Was Cast for His Name
The actor who played Mr. Boddy, real name Lee Capallero, was cast almost entirely because the team was amused by the connection between the character and the stage name Capallero developed as a punk musician in the ‘70s. Get it? Because Mr. Boddy soon finds himself leaving?
Some Big Names Auditioned for Yvette
Considering what a relatively small role it was, interest in the mansion’s maid drew some pretty heavy hitters, including Demi Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Madonna. Knowing she had some heavy competition, Colleen Camp chose a low-cut French maid’s costume for her audition, and let’s just say it wasn’t her performance that impressed producers. Bad luck, J.J.L.
The House is Modeled After the Game Board
Those paying attention (i.e. almost no one) will notice that the mansion is laid out the the same way as the board game is played on. The rooms are in the correct order, the secret passages lead to the same rooms, and even the parquet floor was built to remember the squares players move around on.
Madeline Kahn Improvised Her “Flames” Speech
One of the highlights of the movie is Mrs. White’s description of her hatred of Yvette, ending with the declaration, “Flames! Flames on the side of my face!” The whole “heaving” monologue was ad-libbed on the spot by Madeline Kahn, who was even more of a comedic genius than you thought she was.
Mrs. Peacock Was Originally Shot
When the movie’s second ending, revealing Mrs. Peacock as the killer, was originally filmed, she was shot by the chief of police as she fled the mansion. Realizing that might be a little too dark even for a murder mystery, the scene was cut after he merely points his gun at her, though when he’s seen again, you can still see the smoke from his gunshot.
The Presidential Portraits Are a… Clue
Like any stately mansion, the walls of Clue Castle are adorned with expensive portraits of famous figures, specifically of presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley. Notice a pattern? They were all murdered. Kind of a red flag, that’s all.
That’s Teddy Roosevelt’s Furniture
That’s not the movie’s only presidential connection. The antiques filling the house are the real deal, sourced from serious collectors of 18th- and 19th-century furniture, including pieces formerly owned by Theodore Roosevelt.
The Set Was Sold to ‘Dynasty’
The mansion was mostly fake, a set built on a soundstage at Paramount Studios, and after filming was completed, it was sold to Aaron Spelling to serve as the Carlton Hotel on the TV series Dynasty. No wonder there were so many murders on that show.
The House Burned Down
Only two parts of the house — the ballroom and the exteriors — were real. They were filmed at the Max Busch House in South Pasadena, but unfortunately, you can’t visit it to pay your respects. It was destroyed in a fire in 2005.
Every Audience Saw a Different Ending
Clue’s box office failure was partially blamed on the studio’s decision to show only one of the three filmed endings at each theatrical showing, no doubt leading to lots of confused conversations between people who didn’t know they’d seen completely different movies. Paramount eventually resorted to newspaper ads indicating which endings would be seen at which showings.
There Was a Fourth Ending
Believe it or not, still another ending was filmed in which Wadsworth confesses to all the murders, poisons everyone present to leave no witnesses, and gets killed by the dogs as he tries to leave. The director scrapped it on the basis of being too obvious, but it survived to the novelization. Speaking of which…
The Novelization Had an Unlikely Author
Following the film’s release, Fawcett Gold Medal published a novelization written by none other than Michael McDowell, most famous for writing the screenplay for Beetlejuice. He’s best known for his horror writing, including A Nightmare Before Christmas, Thinner, and various Tales from places.
There’s (Maybe) a Remake Coming
Hollywood has been trying to remake Clue for decades, a campaign that’s included deals with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman to star at various points. Last we heard, John Wick writer Shay Hatten was attached, so get ready for some especially violent rolls of the dice.
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