Trivia - "Looney Tunes: Back in Action"
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Movie Trivia

"Looney Tunes: Back in Action" (2003)


Among the items on the shelf in the Warner Bros. board room is the coveted bird statue from "The Maltese Falcon" (1941).

When Daffy Duck is fired, he is handed a box of his belongings - including a picture of Daffy posing with Richard Nixon and Bob Hope.

The director of the Batman movie shooting on the Waner Bros. lot is Roger Corman - who is known for producing many low-budget films. When D.J. (Brendan Fraser) accidental falls into an air bag that was rigged for a stunt, Corman can be heard grousing "That air bag cost a lot of money!"

When D.J. and Daffy Duck leave for Las Vegas, the car in the garage that they take is revealed to be a Gremlin. At that moment, the music on the film's soundtrack is the "Gremlins" theme from the 1984 Joe Dante film (and its 1992 sequel).

Many of the various Vice Presidents on the board at the Acme company are played by actors who have been seen in director Joe Dante's other films. Mary Woronov played Mary McQueen in "Hollywood Boulevard" (1976). Ron Perlman played Alan Manieski in "The Second Civil War" (1997). Vernon Wells played the villianous Mr. Igoe in "InnerSpace" (1987). And Robert Picardo has been in almost every film Joe Dante has directed, including "The Howling" (1981), "Explorers" (1985), "Innerspace" (1987), and "Matinee" (1993).

After being run out of Yosemite Sam's casino, D.J. and Daffy scramble back to their car. Daffy says "I say we do Cirque du Soleil and call it a night!" Originally, Daffy's line referred to Siegfried & Roy. Because the famous Las Vegas show was closed after Roy Horn was severely bitten by a tiger, the line in the film was changed at the last minute.

When Mother (Joan Cusak) tells D.J. that he needs some "spy stuff," she opens a door to show him a room full of secret weapons and gadgets. To open it, she types a combination on a key pad. It would seem that the combination is written on a sticky note kept on the wall above the lock - if you watch carefully, you'll see her remove the note to open the door, and replace it when she's done.

Right as our heros enter Area 52, they are attacked by a strange alien creature. While a robotic claw catches the monster, the music heard on the soundtrack is a tune called "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott. Fans of the old Warner Bros cartoons would recognize it instantly, as composer Carl Stalling used it frequently for similar anxious Looney Tunes moments.

The other creatures that are kept at Area 52 and later attack our heroes are all from various science fiction and fantasy films: Ro-Man from "Robot Monster" (1953), the space traveler from "The Man From Planet X" (1951), a Dalek from the "Doctor Who" series, a Triffid plant from "The Day of the Triffids" (1962), a mutant slave from "This Island Earth" (1955), and one of the killer brains from "Fiend Without a Face" (1958).

In addition to the villainous creatures that attack, there are several more references to other films in the Area 52 sequence. Mother's assistant is none other than Robby the Robot from "Forbidden Planet" (1956) and "The Invisible Boy" (1957) - his dialog in this cameo was edited from his appearances in those films. Kevin McCarthy shows up very briefly as Dr. Miles Bennell from "Invasion of the Bodysnatchers" (1956). He is carrying a giant seedpod from the film - and he is even in black & white. The famous "gurgle-glug-gurgle" sound effects from "The Man in the White Suit" (1951) can be heard for a moment in one of the laboratories. And when Mother mentions "giant ants," the sound of the giant ants from "THEM!" (1954) can be heard in the background.

When Mother opens Robby the Robot's compartment to remove a videotape labeled "The Blue Monkey," there are three other tapes left in the collection that can be seen very briefly: "Moon Landing Dress Rehearsal," "How Sausage is Made," and "Congressmen Go Wild."


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