Following are interesting facts about this year's new entertainment special, AFI'S 10 TOP 10, to be broadcast Tuesday, June 17 (8:00-11:00 PM ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  The countdown of the 10 top films in 10 genres will be revealed by Jessica Alba for Romantic Comedy; Sean Astin for Fantasy; Gabriel Byrne for Mystery; Kirk Douglas for Epic; Clint Eastwood for Western; Cuba Gooding, Jr. for Sports; Jennifer Love Hewitt for Animation; Quentin Tarantino for Gangster; Sigourney Weaver for Sci-Fi; and James Woods for Courtroom Drama.

Animation:

Did you know that the title character in SHREK was to have been voiced by "Saturday Night Live" alumnus Chris Farley?  Farley had recorded several sessions as the lovable ogre but died before completing his role.  Because the picture could not be completed using only what Farley had already recorded, Mike Myers was brought in to re-record Shrek's dialogue.

Although most animated movies are rated G or PG, did you know that there are actually two R-rated animated films on the ballot?  The R-rated films are SOUTH PARK:  BIGGER LONGER & UNCUT and WAKING LIFE.

Did you know that SNOW WHITE, released in 1937 was the first feature-length animated film?  In 1936, an Italian animated feature, LE AVENTURRE DE PINOCCHIO (The Adventures of Pinocchio) went into production but it was never completed. 

Fantasy:

Did you know that when LOST HORIZON opened in New York City, before it was released nationally, the film ended when Ronald Colman's character is welcomed back to Shangri-La by Jane Wyatt?  Because Columbia Pictures didn't feel that the ending played strongly enough, a different ending was substituted in which Colman's character struggles valiantly through the snow, until he reaches the gates of Shangri-La.  DVD versions of the film include the first ending as added content.

Did you know that the earliest fantasy film on the ballot is THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1924) and the most recent is THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (2005)?  There are several fantasy films from each decade from the 1930s through the 2000s, but the lowest number of fantasy films for any decade is the 1960s, when only two films, JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS and MARY POPPINS.  The most "fantastic" decade?  The 1980s, represented by 14 films.

Did you know that there are two fantasy films on the ballot that featured real life characters as part of the fantasy, THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER (1941) and BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (1999)?

Did you know that there two films in the fantasy genre, MR. PEABODY AND THE MERMAID and SPLASH, are about love between men and mermaids?  The surprisingly popular theme was also used in an animated film on the ballot, THE LITTLE MERMAID.

Gangster:

Did you know that Robert Redford, Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson were early contenders for the role of "Michael" in THE GODFATHER?  And did you know that, after he was cast, Al Pacino almost lost the role because of a previous commitment to another gangster film, the M-G-M comedy THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT?  After considerable legal wrangling between Paramount and M-G-M, Pacino was released from his commitment to M-G-M so he could appear in THE GODFATHER. And Pacino's role in THE GANG THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT?  That was taken over by Robert De Niro, who had been tested for the roles of "Sonny" and "Paulie" in THE GODFATHER.

Did you know that most of the young toughs featured in the 1937 William Wyler film DEAD END also had appeared in the original Broadway play?  Many of the same actors appeared together in similar roles in ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES as well as 80 other features, including 22 "Dead End Kids" films, 22 "East Side Kids" and 47 "Bowery Boys" films produced between 1938 and 1958.

Did you know that the diner used as the setting for the opening and closing scenes of PULP FICTION was The Hawthorne Grill in Hawthorne, Calif.?  The vintage 1950s style diner can also be seen in the Chevy Chase comedy COPS AND ROBBERSONS, which was also released in 1994. Despite its fame, the diner was demolished in 2001.

Science Fiction:

Did you know that, while DESTINATION MOON (1950), is the oldest science fiction film on the ballot, the genre can be traced back to the late 19th century work of pioneering French filmmaker Georges Méliès?  His three minute 1898 picture, La Lune à un mètre, showed a somewhat less sophisticated, but very charming trip to the moon.

Did you know that Stanley Kubrick had been in preparations to direct A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE for many years, but finally turned the project over to Steven Spielberg?  As a tribute to Kubrick, Spielberg included several homages to Kubrick within the film.

Westerns:

Did you know that John Wayne had appeared in more than 40 westerns before his breakout starring role in the 1939 classic STAGECOACH?  Wayne, who appeared in 10 westerns on the ballot, starred in another 35 before his final film, THE SHOOTIST.  James Stewart is runner up to Wayne for the most westerns, with six appearances on the ballot.

Did you know that only three westerns have won Academy Awards for Best Picture?  CIMARRON, DANCES WITH WOLVES and THE UNFORGIVEN, and all three films are on the ballot? 

Although most westerns are set in the 19th or early 20th century, but did you know that four westerns on the list were set in contemporary times?  They are GIANT, LONE STAR, LONELY ARE THE BRAVE and THE LAST PICTURE SHOW.

Sports:

Did you know that the most represented sport on the ballot is Baseball, with 13 films, but the ballot also contains at least one film about each of these sports:  Basketball, Bobsledding, Boxing, Cycling, Football, Golf, Hockey, Horse racing, Karate, Pool, Racecar driving, Running, Skiing, and Tennis?

Although most people would not think of actor Paul Newman as an athlete, did you know that he starred in four of the sports films on the ballot: THE HUSTLER, THE COLOR OF MONEY, SLAPSHOT and SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME - more than any other actor?

Did you know that the critically acclaimed score for RAGING BULL did not contain any original music?  The film's theme, the "Intermezzo" from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana, is the most recognizable part of the score, which blended classical and contemporary music from the early 1940s through the 1960s.  Because rights to the score involved so many different composers, artists and record companies, the complete sound track to the 1980 film was not released until 2005.

Mystery:

You probably know that in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's SLEUTH there are only two actors in the cast, Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine.  But did you know that there are four fictitious cast names in the onscreen credits?  Three of the names, Alec Cawthorne, John Matthews and Teddy Martin are pseudonyms for Olivier and Caine, who were disguised as different characters in the twist-laden story.  The fourth name, "Eve Chandler," is credited with the role of "Marguerite," a character who is not in the film and is seen only as a portrait of Mankiewicz's friend, actress Joanne Woodward.  By the way, Eve Chandler is a combination of the names "Eve Harrington" and "Margo Chandler," characters in Mankiewicz's 1950 classic, ALL ABOUT EVE.

Did you know that "master of suspense" Alfred Hitchcock has the most films of any director in the mystery genre?  He has a whopping nine titles on the ballot, DIAL M FOR MURDER, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, NORTH BY NORTHWEST, REAR WINDOW, REBECCA, SPELLBOUND, SUSPICION, TO CATCH A THIEF and VERTIGO, all produced between 1940 and 1959.

Did you know that Bryan Singer's THE USUAL SUSPECTS has a connection to JAWS?  The name of Singer's company, Bad Hat Harry Productions, which co-produced THE USUAL SUSPECTS, comes from a line in JAWS in which Roy Scheider's character tells another character, "That's some bad hat, Harry."  You can hear a version of the line spoken at the end of every episode of the television series House, which is also produced by Singer's company.

Romantic comedy:

Did you know that THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER has been remade twice as a feature film?  In 1949 the film was remade as the musical comedy IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson and in 1998 as YOU'VE GOT MAIL starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.  It is one of the rare cases in which all versions of the same story have been box office hits.  In 1978, the story was also adapted by BBC television into the musical SHE LOVES ME.

Did you know that Peter Bogdanovich's, WHAT'S UP, DOC?, which was inspired by another romantic comedy on the ballot, Howard Hawks' BRINGING UP BABY, incorporated many gags and situations from popular movies from the past?  The most famous throwback is in the film's final few moments when Barbra Streisand bats her eyes at Ryan O'Neill and gives a variation of the classic line from his 1970 blockbuster hit, LOVE STORY:  "Love Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry." Audiences loved it when Ryan replied, "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard."

Courtroom drama:

Did you know that when WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION was released in theaters there was a statement in the closing credits asking moviegoers not to reveal the ending?  At preview performances, audience members were asked to sign small cards that read: "I solemnly swear I will not reveal the ending of WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION."

Did you know that in 12 ANGRY MEN, one of the most famous courtroom dramas of all time, there was only one scene actually set in a courtroom?  It was the first scene, in which the jury listens as the judge reads their instructions.  Aside from a short scene at the end of the film as the jurors leave the courthouse, the entire film is set within the jury room.

Did you know that Joseph N. Welch, who portrayed the judge in ANATOMY OF A MURDER was a real life lawyer who represented the U.S. Army during the Army-McCarthy Senate hearings?  At the televised hearings, which riveted the nation in 1954, Welsh's question to Sen. Joseph McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency?" brought him national attention and the reputation for fairness.  In his autobiography, director Otto Preminger wrote that, after Spencer Tracy and Burl Ives both turned down the role, he approached Welch, who surprisingly accepted. 

Epic: 

Did you know that QUO VADIS, released in 1951, had been on and off M-G-M's production schedule for more than fifteen years before it finally went before the cameras?  In 1935, Hollywood trade papers announced that M-G-M's new, twenty-four-year-old matinee idol, Robert Taylor, would star in the picture.  After many casting changes throughout the 1930s and 1940s, the film finally went into production in 1950, with Taylor, who was then thirty-nine, as the star.

Did you know that there are two sets of remakes on the Epic ballot?  Both feature versions of BEN-HUR, 1926 and 1959, and both versions of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, 1923 and 1956.  Cecil B. DeMille directed both versions of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, and although William Wyler only directed the 1959 version of Ben-Hur, he worked as an assistant director on the earlier version.

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AFI

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Matt Lifson/Edelman                

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