Buzz
A prevalent criticism of today's Hollywood is the overwhelming number of redundant remakes, many of which are based on films that were already perfectly fine in their original form. However, taking an established idea and enhancing it is an entirely different challenge. Often, creators lack the budget or resources to fully realize their vision at first. When given another shot, however, these artists take their early, smaller-scale projects and transform them into iconic pieces of pop culture.
10. Jim Henson Featured Some of The Muppets in IBM Training Films
The Muppets, after making their mark on Sesame Street and later getting their own show with The Muppet Show, became some of the most cherished characters in pop culture. What many don't know is that Kermit the Frog, the most famous of the Muppets, has actually been around since the 1950s. Kermit made his debut on Sam and Friends, a children's puppet show created by Jim Henson in 1955. Over the next decade, Henson introduced various Muppet characters, particularly Kermit and Rowlf the Dog, in numerous projects, including commercials and late-night talk show skits. However, one of the Muppets’ more unexpected appearances came in training films for IBM.
In 1966, Henson was hired by IBM to create four short films for the company. These films featured early versions of Kermit and Rowlf, and were intended for various purposes: some served as icebreakers for business meetings, while others humorously demonstrated IBM's products. One of the shorts stands out as the first appearance of the Cookie Monster, who comically devours a coffee machine before exploding.
9. The Simpsons Began as Animated Shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show
The first full-length episode of The Simpsons premiered on December 17, 1989, and the show continues to release new episodes nearly a quarter of a century later. It’s incredible to consider how the show evolved into a global pop culture phenomenon, especially when you think about its modest beginnings. In 1987, producer James L. Brooks was working on the Fox comedy series The Tracey Ullman Show, and decided to fill out each episode with short animated interstitials. Brooks, a fan of Matt Groening's comic strip series Life in Hell, planned to animate those comics.
However, Groening, unwilling to surrender the publication rights to Life in Hell, came up with a fresh concept about a dysfunctional family named the Simpsons. The characters were loosely based on Groening’s own family, and he essentially devised the entire idea while waiting in the lobby outside Brooks’ office. These rudimentary animated sketches were voiced by cast members from The Tracey Ullman Show, and after receiving a positive reception, Fox decided to turn The Simpsons into a full-fledged animated series. And the rest, as they say, is history.
8. Sam Raimi’s Original Version of The Evil Dead Was a Short Film Called Within the Woods
In 1981, a young filmmaker from Michigan, Sam Raimi, created a gory, low-budget horror film called The Evil Dead, which tells the story of five college students who visit an isolated cabin in the woods and become possessed by demonic forces. The film made the rounds on the festival circuit, and after receiving a lot of buzz (including a rave review from Stephen King), it secured distribution and became a cult classic. The Evil Dead led to two sequels, and Bruce Campbell’s wisecracking hero, Ash, became one of the most beloved characters in horror. However, the series' success was made possible by a 32-minute short film called Within the Woods.
Three years earlier, Raimi and his friends decided to create Within the Woods on Super 8 film with a budget of $1,600. The short had the same storyline as The Evil Dead and served as a prototype for the feature-length horror film Raimi envisioned. The director hoped to use Within the Woods to attract investors for his larger project. After screening the short at local theaters, Raimi successfully raised $90,000 to fund the production of The Evil Dead. Interestingly, Bruce Campbell also appeared in Within the Woods, but his character was named Bruce, not Ash. Unlike the hero in The Evil Dead, Bruce turns into a demon and meets a gruesome fate!
7. Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights Began as a Mockumentary
One of the standout films of 1997 was Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights, an expansive story about the pornography industry in the 1970s and early 1980s. Mark Wahlberg played Eddie Adams, a young man who finds fame as porn star Dirk Diggler, only to fall into drug addiction. The character was inspired by the renowned porn actor, John Holmes, but Dirk Diggler made his debut in a project Anderson had created nine years earlier.
In 1988, at the age of 17, Anderson made The Dirk Diggler Story, a 30-minute “mockumentary” about the life of its central character. He filmed it entirely on videotape and edited it using two VCRs. Just like in Boogie Nights, a young man named Steven Samuel Adams becomes the famous porn star Dirk Diggler, only to spiral into addiction. Anderson was inspired by a documentary he had seen, Exhausted, a vanity project about John Holmes that portrayed him as a larger-than-life figure while ignoring his self-destructive behavior. The Dirk Diggler Story was intended as a satirical parody of the Holmes documentary, with Anderson’s humor stemming from the actors’ serious portrayal of the absurd material. Early versions of Boogie Nights characters and scenes can be found throughout.
6. Michael Mann’s Heat Is a Remake of His Own Made-for-TV Movie
One of the most highly awaited films of 1995 was Michael Mann's crime thriller, Heat, which would mark the first-ever on-screen confrontation between two of Hollywood’s legends, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The plot follows Vincent Hanna (Pacino), a dedicated cop, as he pursues master criminal Neil McCauley (De Niro), with the most iconic moment in the film being the two rivals sharing a coffee. Heat was both a critical and commercial triumph, but what many didn't know is that Michael Mann had already made a smaller-scale version of this story six years earlier. Mann originally penned a 180-page screenplay in the 1980s and had the opportunity to adapt it into L.A. Takedown, a made-for-TV movie that aired on NBC on August 27, 1989.
L.A. Takedown was initially planned as a pilot for a TV series, though it was never picked up. While the two films share many elements, Mann had to work with a much tighter budget for the TV version and reduced his script to 110 pages. Eager to make a grander, more complex version of his story, Mann chose to remake his own film. With more substantial funding and bigger stars, Mann was finally able to bring his three-hour crime epic vision to life when he made Heat. Interestingly, the now-famous coffee scene also appears in L.A. Takedown, but instead of Pacino and De Niro, it features Scott Plank and Alex McArthur in the lead roles.
5. Seth MacFarlane Based Family Guy Off His Student Thesis Film
Seth MacFarlane’s animated series, Family Guy, is a perfect example of how a pop culture phenomenon can be revived by its fans. Although the show was cancelled after three seasons on Fox, its strong DVD sales resulted in its return in 2005, with new episodes still being made today. However, in 1995, before Family Guy was even conceived, Seth MacFarlane was studying animation at the Rhode Island School of Design. For his thesis project, MacFarlane created a 10-minute animated short called The Life of Larry, showcasing early versions of Family Guy characters.
The protagonist of the short, Larry Cummings, is an overweight, middle-aged man, a clear precursor to Peter Griffin. Larry’s wife is Lois, his son is the overweight teenager Milt (instead of Chris), and his best friend is a sarcastic talking dog named Steve, as opposed to Brian. MacFarlane voiced nearly all the characters himself, and much like Family Guy, The Life of Larry is filled with pop culture references and random cutaway gags. This short film led to MacFarlane landing his first significant job at Hanna-Barbera Studios, where he would later be tasked with creating another short starring these characters, titled Larry & Steve.
4. Sling Blade Was the Continuation Of A 25-Minute Short Film
In 1996, Billy Bob Thornton became a breakout star with his Oscar-nominated performance in Sling Blade, where he played Karl Childers, a mentally challenged man who is forced to adapt to life after spending 25 years in a mental institution for killing his mother and her lover. Thornton not only starred in the film but also wrote and directed it, winning an Academy Award for his screenplay. However, just two years prior, Thornton was still a relatively unknown actor when he first portrayed Karl in a 25-minute black-and-white short film.
The short film, directed by George Hickenlooper, was titled Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade and featured Molly Ringwald as a reporter eager to interview Karl before his release from the institution. The short serves as a prologue to Sling Blade, with Karl recounting the murder of his mother to the reporter. Made on a modest budget of $55,000, the short’s purpose was to help raise funds for a feature-length film. After a falling out with Hickenlooper, Thornton took over as director when the feature film was eventually made. Sling Blade picks up where the short left off, continuing Karl’s journey after he reenters the outside world.
3. Quentin Tarantino Used An Incomplete Film As The Basis For True Romance
Reservoir Dogs marked Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut, solidifying his place as one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation. However, the first script he ever sold was for True Romance, which would be directed by Tony Scott. Interestingly, parts of that script can be traced back to Tarantino’s initial foray into filmmaking. In 1987, while working at a video store, Tarantino decided to direct and star in a black-and-white 70-minute film called My Best Friend’s Birthday, which he shot on 16mm film with a budget of $5,000. It took him three years to complete the project.
Even though the final product of My Best Friend’s Birthday is quite rough around the edges, it already displays Quentin Tarantino’s signature sharp dialogue and love for pop culture references. The plot weaves together multiple storylines, one of which follows a nerd whose friend hires a call girl for his birthday. When the call girl falls for him, he decides to take matters into his own hands and murder her pimp. Tarantino would later recycle this plotline and some of the film’s dialogue (including a male character discussing his attraction to Elvis) when writing True Romance. Unfortunately, a fire at the lab destroyed the final reel, and a complete version of My Best Friend’s Birthday was never released. Only a shortened 37-minute version exists today.
2. Trey Parker And Matt Stone Based South Park Off A Pair Of Animated Shorts
In 1997, the world was introduced to South Park, a controversial adult animated series that quickly became a cultural sensation and a major ratings hit. The show’s sharp satirical commentary on current events has kept it relevant throughout the years, and it continues to air new episodes even after 16 years. However, the series’ popularity can be traced back to its early days as one of the first viral videos on the Internet. In 1992, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the show, made a four-minute animated short titled Jesus vs. Frosty, featuring the original designs of the characters from South Park.
Watching the short now, it’s amusing to see the early version of Stan, whose voice is actually that of Eric Cartman, the character we know as Cartman being named Kenny (though he still dies by the end), and the early version of Kenny being just a nameless kid in a hood! Years later, a Fox executive named Brian Graden asked Parker and Stone to create another short with these same characters. Graden’s intention was to share the video as a holiday greeting card to his friends. The duo produced Jesus vs. Santa, and when the new short made its way through the industry via bootleg videos and the Internet, it went viral. This led to Comedy Central picking up the project, eventually turning it into the South Park TV show we all know today.
1. The Naked Gun Started Off As A Failed Sitcom
One of 1988’s biggest comedy hits was the slapstick classic, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. The film’s success led to two sequels, and Leslie Nielsen’s portrayal of the bumbling Lt. Frank Drebin became one of the most cherished characters in comedy history. What’s even more surprising is that this beloved franchise began as a failed television show. After the success of Airplane!, the comedy trio of Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, and David Zucker created a sitcom for ABC called Police Squad!, which debuted on March 4, 1982.
The show marked Leslie Nielsen’s first turn as Lt. Frank Drebin and parodied police procedural dramas, particularly the Lee Marvin-led cop series, M Squad. Police Squad! was filled with the same brand of dry humor and sight gags that would later define the Naked Gun films. However, the series was so packed with jokes that it became impossible to add a laugh track. At the time, audiences weren’t sure how to react to this unique comedic style, resulting in poor ratings and its cancellation after only four out of six episodes aired. Despite this, Police Squad! gained a strong cult following on home video, eventually leading to its adaptation into a movie. Today, it’s often seen as a prime example of a show that ended far too soon.
