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Cameo (2)
At theatrical showings in Monterrey, Mexico, women in the audience were given envelopes marked "Solo para mujeres" (for women only) containing tissues.
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Molly Ringwald (a fellow Brat Pack member) auditioned for the role of Molly, which went to Demi Moore.
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The role of Oda Mae Brown was not written with Whoopi Goldberg in mind, but Patrick Swayze, an admirer of hers, convinced the producers that she would be right for the part.
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The horrific sounds made by the "dark shadows" are really the sounds of babies, played at extremely slow speed.
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When Sam follows Willie to his apartment, he learns that his surname is 'Lopez' from the name tag on the apartment call button. Sam passes this information on to Oda Mae. However, the name 'Lopez' is a 'Dynotape sticker' obscuring the real name of the occupier. This probably explains why 'Willie Lopez' has no police record when Molly passes this information on to the Police detective.
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When it came time to cast the film, writer Bruce Joel Rubin suggested Patrick Swayze for the role of Sam Wheat. Director Jerry Zucker felt that Swayze was completely wrong for the part. Many actors that included Paul Hogan (who instead made Almost an Angel), Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Mel Gibson, Dennis Quaid, Bruce Willis (Demi Moore's husband at the time, who didn't think the film would work), John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Mickey Rourke, David Duchovny, Johnny Depp, Kevin Costner and Alec Baldwin were all offered the part but all turned it down feeling that playing a ghost would be cheesy. Zucker then decided to audition Swayze though he thought he would blow the audition. To Zucker's surprise, Swayze did a great audition and he was cast immediately in the part.
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In this movie Oda Mae Brown, played by Whoopi Goldberg, meets two nuns. Goldberg played a nun in Sister Act and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.
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Shortly before production began, Whoopi Goldberg was not sure that she was going to be able to put this movie into her work schedule. The part was then verbally offered to Jackée Harry who accepted. However, at the last minute Goldberg was able to do the film and Harry was dropped.
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The subway scenes were filmed on the abandoned lower level of the 42nd St. station of the IND 8th Ave. line. Trains appearing in the film wrong-railed through the station; that is, they ran in the opposite direction of normal operation.
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Molly tells Sam that he "leads a charmed life." This is a line from William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Macbeth also claims to lead a charmed life - meaning he cannot be killed. Immediately after making this claim, however, he is killed. Sam is killed after seeing a production of Macbeth.
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Vincent Schiavelli played the subway ghost in the scenes with Patrick Swayze's character. Both men later died of cancer at the age of 57.
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When passing through solid objects, ghosts appear to absorb some of the material they are going through. Jerry Zucker had some difficulty explaining what he wanted this effect to look like. Finally, he illustrated it by dipping a napkin into coffee.
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Vincent Schiavelli's ghost character breaks open a cigarette machine and longs to be able to have another smoke. In real life, Schiavelli would later die of lung cancer.
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Bruce Joel Rubin wasn't sure at first if Jerry Zucker should direct his script, what with Zucker coming from a background of screwball comedy.
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Bruce Joel Rubin wanted Patrick Swayze to play Sam Wheat after he saw an interview Swayze gave. When he brought up his father, he burst into tears. Rubin thought if a macho guy like Patrick Swayze could cry over a loved one, he'd be perfect for Ghost.
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Patrick Swayze got women coming up to him for years asking him to say "Ditto" from the movie.
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Demi Moore got the part of Molly Jensen largely because she can cry out of either eye on cue.
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Patrick Swayze alleged that Sam Wheat was the hardest role he ever played in his career, mainly because he had to be an observer to the action, and not a participant.
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Sondra Rubin playing a nun (her first role) was ironic because she never went out in public without makeup.
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Demi Moore came up with rolling the jar down the stairs, opposed to throwing it as scripted.
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Bruce Joel Rubin didn't like the idea of the Dark Spirits having faces and hands. He thought they should have looked more like shadows come to life, not ghouls with human features.
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The song Sam sings relentlessly to Oda Mae to get her to agree to help him is "Henry the 8th, I Am". The lyrics, in part, are "She wouldn't have a Willie or a Sam..." Patrick Swayze's character is named Sam, and the man who murdered him is named Willie.
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Cameo
Sondra Rubin:
Writer Bruce Joel Rubin's mother plays the nun who faints over the size of the check that Oda Mae endorses.
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Charlotte Zucker:
Director Jerry Zucker's mother (who has appeared in many of the Zucker brothers' movies) plays the bank officer.
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