It can be difficult to predict in the editing room which sequences or moments are going to resonate with audiences the most once the final cut is released. That means, naturally, that there have certainly been more than a few cases of some really iconic movie moments almost never getting to see the light of day.
Let’s talk about some of those here today.
‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ in The Wizard of Oz
Perhaps the first thing you think of when you think of The Wizard of Oz is Judy Garland’s otherworldly performance of the song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. And if you can believe it, there was a world where we never ever got to hear it.
During a preview screening at MGM, company executives criticized the use of the song for being A.) too sad for the film, and B.) too slow of a ballad for a film of its pace. Sensing the power of the song, the film’s producers Mervyn LeRoy and Arthur Freed staunchly advocated for the song’s inclusion. When things escalated, LeRoy even threatened to quit the project entirely if the song were to be removed. The executives eventually conceded, and our world was forever better for it.
Darth Vader’s Rogue One Cameo
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Unlike The Wizard of Oz, the most iconic moment of this Star Wars prequel-sequel was pretty much a total afterthought. Rogue One had to undergo extensive reshoots, and the idea for the scene came to the head of film editor, Jabez Olssen a whopping four months before the release date.
The story goes that one day while on set, Olssen nervously pitched the idea to a visiting Kathleen Kennedy, who wound up approving it on the spot, and then adding it in pretty much immediately after. So everyone say a huge “thank you” to Jabez Olssen for coming up with such a cool idea on the fly.
‘Part of Your World’ From The Little Mermaid
This one’s story is almost too outlandish to be true. But it’s also too annoyingly simple to be made up. Keeping with the thread of executives nearly cutting iconic songs from iconic movies, “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid also nearly did not survive one of the rounds of test screenings.
During a test screening of the film, Disney exec Jeffrey Katzenberg watched a young boy zone out during the musical number and spill his popcorn all over the floor. This led him to conclude that the song would be too boring to consistently engage all young children, and that, as a result, it should be cut from the film on the spot. Seriously. Thankfully, just like with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, animator Glen Keane and lyricist Howard Ashman fought tooth and nail to keep the song, and in the film it remained.
The Box Scene From Se7en
‘Se7en’Credit: New Line Cinema
Se7en has one of the most iconic twist endings in movie history, as well as one of the darkest. As you can imagine, by the theme of this article, it almost wasn’t the way we all know it at all.
When studio heads read the original, and final version of the script, they were appalled by its content and ordered it to be changed, so that the ending wasn’t entirely bleak. It’s mostly down to rumors as to what they wound up wanting, but there have been whispers of a shootout, a dog’s head instead of Gwyneth Paltrow’s, and Morgan Freeman killing Kevin Spacey instead of Brad Pitt. But that’s not really here or there.
What IS true is that due to a clerical error, Fincher was sent the original draft of the script to read as opposed to the one the studio wanted. Fincher signed on to direct the version he read, and when the studio tried to play catch up, Fincher, Freeman, and Pitt all advocated so strongly to keep the ending as is, with Pitt even putting it as a contract stipulation, that the studio finally conceded.
‘Here’s Johnny!’ From The Shining
This one was just a case of Kubrick vs. Kubrick. Jack Nicholson improvised the line during filming as a nod to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, but Kubrick initially hesitated to include it in the film, as he was worried that international audiences may not understand the riff Nicholson was going for. Thankfully, he came to his senses and realized that Nicholson’s iconic, chilling performance and delivery of the line itself was enough to outweigh any of those concerns, and any international audiences would be moved anyway.
This was absolutely the right call. I always like to say, in retrospect, that nobody should have ever doubted Kubrick with any of his creative choices…and this sentiment can now be applied to the man himself!
