The Movie Urban Myth Thread

[TheTerror]

'Three men and a baby movie controversy'

Anyone remember the controversy over a supposed dead child in this film but it only turned out to be a cardboard cutout of Ten Danson? I remember seeing it a few times when I was a kid and it freaked me out, but as I got older I realized what it was and found it to be a fun peice of movie history.

[Tobias]

It was a hoax. That's not a dead kid, it's a cardboard cutout of one of the stars, I can't remember which one offhand, just placed behind the curtain.

[Michael24]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_men_and_a_baby#Urban_legend

I've yet to see this movie again since first reading about this story years ago. I need to watch it again. :)

[TheTerror]

As mentioned in my original post it was Ted Danson, but when your 10 years old you dont stop to think about that stuff and it freaked me out to no end back in the day, lol. Good times.

[Elven Moon]

Somebody told me that story as a kid, I was never able to watch the movie because of it ;) Freaked me out too much.

[Mesousa]

I remember hearing this nasty rumor before, from seeing the pictures.

It was referenced in Family Guy, I heard, but form what episode?

[Classic Speedy]

It was referenced in Family Guy, I heard, but form what episode? "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story".

[TheTerror]

Any other Urban Legends in movies out there that are kind of cool? Minus this movie and WOZ of course.

[Tobias]

Why don't we have a mod change the topic title into a 'Movie Urban Myth' thread so we can have them all grouped together?

There's a rumored 'Poltergueist' curse, with both daugthers and the lead ghost in II having died. Add to that that the son would have died had Spielberg not noticed he was really being choked by that clown doll and saved him at the last second and it kind of sounds credible.

[TheTerror]

Why don't we have a mod change the topic title into a 'Movie Urban Myth' thread so we can have them all grouped together?

There's a rumored 'Poltergueist' curse, with both daugthers and the lead ghost in II having died. Add to that that the son would have died had Spielberg not noticed he was really being choked by that clown doll and saved him at the last second and it kind of sounds credible.

There were other deaths and incidents that happened to people who were in the Poltergiest movies, I just cant think of them. In fact, E! had a special on the mishaps from those movies a few years back. Even the indian guy died.

[Michael24]

The Poltergeist "curse" seems like an extreme example, but I'm sure you could find a number of accidents and such tied to any number of productions over the years. The story about real skeletons being used in the pool scene probably just helped push all those incidents into the spotlight, and people started shouting "curse!" I mean, Craig T. Nelson certainly wasn't affected, as he went onto have one of the most popular sitcoms of the '90s.

[DarthGonzo]

"Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story".

It was? When?

[TheTerror]

The Poltergeist "curse" seems like an extreme example, but I'm sure you could find a number of accidents and such tied to any number of productions over the years. The story about real skeletons being used in the pool scene probably just helped push all those incidents into the spotlight, and people started shouting "curse!" I mean, Craig T. Nelson certainly wasn't affected, as he went onto have one of the most popular sitcoms of the '90s.


I heard the house that was used for filming was built on an old burial ground used by Indians back centuries ago. This may have someting to do with it.

[Michael24]

I heard the house that was used for filming was built on an old burial ground used by Indians back centuries ago. This may have someting to do with it.

I think that was just what happened in the movie, not in real life. However, I did read a story that supposedly the skeletons used in the pool scene where in fact real skeletons from a medical school or something, which some of the cast and crew were supposedly not told about beforehand.

[TheTerror]

I think that was just what happened in the movie, not in real life. However, I did read a story that supposedly the skeletons used in the pool scene where in fact real skeletons from a medical school or something, which some of the cast and crew were supposedly not told about beforehand.

Why would they use real skeletons? That seems risky and just plain wrong to me, they could have just used fake plastic ones. Oh this topic is a freaky one, I'm going to have to do some research on this topic, lol.

[Bakasama]

hmm, I think some people need to check this out:

http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/3menbaby.asp

[TheTerror]

Even though I didn't want to bring it up, the "Handing Munchkin" in Oz, was nothing more then a bird like creature on the set. I wonder how that absurd rumor even came about?

[Michael24]

Why would they use real skeletons? That seems risky and just plain wrong to me, they could have just used fake plastic ones.

I agree, but that's what I've read. It might have been the decision of a prop master or somebody like that, like it was cheaper to get real ones from a medical school or something. I'm not sure exactly, but I have read a story that at least some of them were real in that scene.

[Classic Speedy]

It was? When? I believe it was when Stewie, Brian, and Quagmire left on the cross country road trip. I haven't watched it in a while, but the exchange went something like this:

Stewie: Hey Brian, have you seen Three Men and a Baby?
Brian: Yeah.
Stewie: You know there's a dead kid in the background of one of the scenes.
Brian: That's an urban legend.
Stewie: No it isn't, it's real.
Brian: Oh really? Who told you that?
Stewie: ...Lois.
Brian: Ha!

Not a great joke, but eh. Feel free to correct me on the exact exchange, my memory's fuzzy right now. At any rate, it's listed in the cultural references for the movie if you don't believe me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewie_Griffin:_The_Untold_Story#Cultural_references

[MonkeyFunk]

Why would they use real skeletons? That seems risky and just plain wrong to me, they could have just used fake plastic ones. Oh this topic is a freaky one, I'm going to have to do some research on this topic, lol.

I don't know about Poltergeist, but I know one film (I think it was called Hunchback of the Morgue) used a real severed head as a prop.

[Brandon Pierce]

The reason the the ghost/cardboard cut-out thing in "Three Men and a Baby" is easy to believe is because if you watch the scene, the cut-out isn't there, and then when the camera pans back, IT'S THERE IN THE WINDOW! And no, it's not the result of bad editing, it's in one long camera shot! The camera passes by the window once, nothing there, then the camera pans back, and the cut-out is there. It's freaky.

Here's a few Urban movie myths I love:

-The priest in "The Little Mermaid" gets aroused.

-A crewmember's shoe was used as an asteroid in one of the Star Wars films.

-A Munchkin hung himself in the background of The Wizard of Oz. It's actually a bird of coarse, and I agree with the above poster, how the heck could somebody think THAT is a munckin hanging himself? Hell, the bird even spreads its wings!

-Jasimine sports a "camel toe" in one scene of Aladdin.

[Michael24]

-A crewmember's shoe was used as an asteroid in one of the Star Wars films.


And a potato, too! :D I believe the shoe was actually confirmed, though. I once saw a screen cap of the exact shot (during the asteroid field chase in The Empire Strikes Back) that had the shoe highlighted. It was photographed in close-up, so mostly only the sole is visible.

[Movie06]

About the skeleton issue, it is in fact cheaper to use real skeletons rather than make fake ones. Tobe Hooper admits it when he used real skeletons in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

[Zorak Masaki]

Im not sure if this counts, but i remember hearing (from one of my high school teachers no less) that there was a kid who was swimming in the lake used in the Friday the 13th movies, and under the water he saw the dummy/prop of Jason Vorhees.

[Hanshotfirst113]

About the skeleton issue, it is in fact cheaper to use real skeletons rather than make fake ones. Tobe Hooper admits it when he used real skeletons in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I don't know if that's always the case, though you're quite correct in that it was what Hooper said about why he used them in that film.

[Movie06]

Im not sure if this counts, but i remember hearing (from one of my high school teachers no less) that there was a kid who was swimming in the lake used in the Friday the 13th movies, and under the water he saw the dummy/prop of Jason Vorhees.

I don't know but call me cruel but that would make a funny story.

[Robin2099]

Im not sure if this counts, but i remember hearing (from one of my high school teachers no less) that there was a kid who was swimming in the lake used in the Friday the 13th movies, and under the water he saw the dummy/prop of Jason Vorhees.

That would be impressive since all the movies were filmed in different locations. They also never had a dummy used for any of the Jason scenes.

[Brandon Pierce]

Your Indiana Jones Avatar reminds me of the story about Harrison Ford having diarrhea (or a really bad upset stomach; stories vary), resulting in the cutting down of the battle between Indy and one of the villagers. It was merely shortened to Indy whipping out a pistol, shooting the guy with the swords, and then continuing on his way.