FILMFACTS
TRIVIA
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May The Schwartz Be With You!
Totally Trivia
Film facts for the 1987 Comedy movie starring Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, John Candy
Daphne Zuniga, George Wyner, Joan Rivers, Dick Van Patten, Michael Winslow, Lorene Yarnell, John Hurt Update Cast
We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.
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One of the ships parked at the diner is the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars (1977).Thanks to Pyro Hedgehog4ever
When Princess Vespa is wearing her headphones before meeting Barf, she looks just like Princess Lea, as well as when she's wearing the veil.Rewind Archive
The "chestburster" scene in the interstellar diner features John Hurt, his character suffered the same fate in Alien (1979), which is why he locks eyes with alien and moans, "Oh no, not again!". In an obscure joke, the creature emulates the singing frog in the classic Warner Brothers cartoon "One Froggy Evening".Rewind Archive
When President Skroob meets the twins, he tells them to "chew their gum." This is a reference to "Doublemint" commercials featuring twins.Rewind Archive
Colonel Sanders is the name of the man who founded Kentucky Fried Chicken. Dark Helmet says "What's the matter, Colonel Sandurz? Chicken?"Rewind Archive
When Dark Helmet asks for transformation into Mega Maid he says "Prepare for Metamorphosis, are you ready Kafka?" Franz Kafka wrote a novel called "The Metamorphosis."Thanks to Leibowitz
"Schwartz", the word for the dark force has a strong resemblance to the German word "schwarz" -meaning black.Update: Carden Blackthorne adds: "Schwartz" is also a Yiddish term for the male organ, hence the shape of the energy beam.
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In the scene where Dark Helmet views a videotape of Spaceballs, the movies in the case are all Mel Brooks' previous films.Thanks to Jonathan Lim
When Yoghurt shows "Spaceballs: The Coloring Book", you can clearly see Optimus Prime of "Transformers" on the cover.Rewind Archive
There are two references to David Lean movies with Alec Guinness. The soundtrack while in the desert is from "Lawrence of Arabia" and the Dinks sing the marching song from "Bridge on the River Kwai".Rewind Archive
Lone Starr is probably a clever mixture of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Lone coming from the Solo part (as in alone) and Starr being something cosmic sounding, such as Skywalker.Thanks to Tim C
Lone Starr is also a brand of beer brewed in Texas and which is only consumed there, or at most, regionally (Texas being the Lone Star State). As such, given Starr's character, I'd argue that it's fairly certain that the beer comes into this, not just the state (though there is a degree of wild-west shenanigans/swagger to both Solo's and Starr's characters) ...it's not particularly good beer -even by American standards. Also noteworthy is that a favorite gag of the locals is to put an empty can of Lone Star between the paws of road-killed armadillos (for some reason, they often end up cartoon-style-dead with all fours skyward) such that it appears that the animal is merely boozing it up.Thanks to Chris Roberts
It is mentioned about how Lone Starr's last name was a reference to something cosmic, like Skywalker. In the original "Star Wars" script, Luke's last name was "Starkiller". One can assume that is where we get the last name "Starr".Thanks to Bill B
If you look closely at Vinny (Pizza the Hut's sidekick) his face is done entirely with make-up. There is no latex (or other such material) used to create the "tin-man" look, only excellent shading. His appearance and stuttering is intended as a parody of commercial personality M-M-Max Headroom.Thanks to Lindy
Daphne Zuniga who played Princess Vespa went on to great success in the 90s, including playing Jo in the series Melrose Place.Thanks to evilash
Rick Moranis has been quoted as saying Spaceballs was "inconsistent and messy" but goes on to say the experience of it was fun.Rewind Archive
Mel Brooks noted that the Yoghurt temple was shot on the same soundstage as The Wizard Of Oz, but quickly added that the resemblance of Lone Starr and party to Dorothy and her friends was purely coincidental.Rewind Archive
Princess Vespa's name means "wasp" in Latin. It is also the name of a popular brand of European motor scooter associated with the youth movement of the 50's and 60's.Thanks to Joe W
The person in the Dot Matrix suit was Lorene Yarnell who was of the "Shields and Yarnell' show in the 70's.Thanks to Craig S.
I strongly doubt that "Use the Schwartz" is an homage to Brooks's lawyer Alan Schwartz. "Schwartz," perhaps the most prototypical Jewish surname, rhymes with "force" and is one of Brooks's many self-depricating comic jabs at Jews in the film. Here are some others:1) References to Vespa as a "Druish Princess" is clearly a reference to the term "JAP" or "Jewish-American Princess"
2) Yogurt speaks with a heavy Jewish accent, including his pronunciation "Moy-chandising" and when he says "Nevah und'ahestimate da powah of da Schvartz!"
3) When Yogurt tries to interpret the medallion, he mocks the heavily muddled yiddish language before clarifying that he's merely clearing his throat.
Thanks to LoverswithCassie
Scriptwriter Thomas Meehan turns up uncredited as King Roland's aide.Thanks to Liz
"Use the Schwartz" is a reference to Mel Brook's lawyer, Alan Schwartz. Whenever any of the characters in the film got into trouble, the mantra was a shout-out to the entertainment lawyer that helped Brooks out during that period in his career.Thanks to C.T. Warren
The T.V. series "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was still in pre-production at the same time as the movie and was therefore spared any parodying. A bit of compensation came in the form of star Patrick Stewart (Capt. Picard) making a cameo as King Richard in Mel's next spoof, 1993's "Robin Hood - Men In Tights".Thanks to X
"Spaceballs the Lunchbox" is a Transformers lunchbox with the image of Metroplex on it.Thanks to C.T. Warren
Two of Mel's signatures in a film are the deliberate goofs, and Spaceballs is no exception to them. They usually involve a film crewman getting zapped in a fight scene (here, the boom mike guy gets slashed with a Schwartz laser), or a prop hitting a camera (here it's the other way around, the camera zooms in too close on Dark Helmet until it nails him in the face!).Thanks to Raymond Howard
Mel Brooks and the two other writers given credit on the movie Spaceballs did not do the treatment, I did.The Winebago configuration of the top thrusters was adapted from Star Trek's Enterprise nacelles.
Shwartz means "Schwarz" just like the German word "black" and refered to the ironic black hole for money Hollywood is for making such films.
The ring was in reference to a ring that round about Mel Brooks through Gene Roddenberry tried to renege on a deal he made with me that my mother and I called the "shimmel ring." (shinny ring)...supposedly made of expensive diamonds.
Vespa was an adaption of "vespers", (religious) and the character of Vespa was contrived from two girls I knew from grade school through high school, one Christian whom acted like a Jewish Princess, and the other who was also Christian, but a closet Wicca whom was at one time a protege' child actress of Gene Roddenberry's in 1964 through at least 1972.
The material throughout was all pun on my behalf, not Mel Brooks, and Skroob was not an anogram, but a partial name from Screwball which the movie would have otherwise been named, Screwballs in Space. "Spaceballs" was associated with the helmets of the Spaceballs, but were intended as an association of the NAZI characterization of a breed of men, so the helmets were designed like chicken eggs, and this worked well with Petty Officer, Colonel Sandurz and the play on words there. Or the armed guard turning to Dark Helmet and saying "Ja Whol!"
As is Star Wars plays off this theme with the Empire, and I thought Mel would love the steuck (stick)"Yiddish" coming from the son of a former BDM Fuehrerin, Gertrude Theresa Noerpel-Howard who told Gene Roddenberry in 1964 for reasons that Mel Brooks and Majel Roddenberry both know well before he wrote "the Cage", "Get your star treking troopers off my property immediately and go back to your little flitchin up the street!"
-Raymond Howard, Hollywood Ghost Writer.
Thanks to Anonymous
Tim Russ, who played the desert-combing trooper who shouts, "We ain't found sh*t!" would later go on to play Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok on STAR TREK: Voyager.Bogus Trivia
There's often fake stuff floating round, y'know? -Like the 'ghost boy' that can allegedly be seen in "Three Men And A Baby".
But, nothing bogus that we know yet for "Spaceballs".
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