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TRIVIA

Trading Places Trivia

1983

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They're not just getting rich, they're getting even!

Trivia

Eddie Murphy stars as classic scam artist Billy-Ray Valentine ("Agent Orange")

Totally Trivia

Film facts for the 1983 Comedy movie starring Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Ameche

Ralph Bellamy, Denholm Elliott, Paul Gleason, Bo Diddley, Kristin Holby, Alfred Drake, Tom Davis, Maurice Woods, Richard D. Fisher Jr., Jim Gallagher, Anthony DiSabatino, Bonnie Behrend, Sunnie Merrill Update Cast

We believe the following trivia is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.

Thanks to Philip Martin

Update

James Belushi, the brother of the late John Belushi, appears briefly during the train scene as "Harvey", the man in the gorilla costume.

Thanks to John Edward Kilduff

Update

Jamie Lee Curtis' sister Kelly has a small part in this movie. She plays the debutante "Muffy", serenaded with several other girls by the rich boys in the scene where Winthorpe is begging for his friend's re-acceptance.

Thanks to Anonymous

Update

Frank Oz, famous for the Muppets, plays a cameo as the corrupt cop. "We're talking 3 to 5, mandatory... Louis."

Rewind Archive

Update

The story about the Duke's cornering of the orange juice market was probably inspired by the "Silver Thursday" market crash of 27 March 1980: where the Hunt brothers of Texas tried to corner the silver market and subsequently failed to meet a $100 million margin call.

Thanks to Aaron

Update

In the scene where Winthorp looks through the window at Eddie Murphy while he is enjoying a meal with all of his old aquaintances, someone asks Billy Ray what he thinks of April Wheat. I'm a real commodities broker and the contract they asked him about does not exist. They did this on purpose because you must have the correct license to even comment on a market. Hence the fake month for wheat. Just an interesting tidbit.

Rewind Archive

Update

Ameche and Bellamy reprised their roles in the 1988 Eddie Murphy movie Coming To America, where Murphy gives a bag of cash to two bums on the street. They turn out to be the Dukes, who declare "We're back!"

Thanks to Robert Baum

Update

In the apartment belonging to Ophelia, there is a poster for a film "See You Next Wednesday." This film title is one of John Landis's trademark in-jokes. References to it can be seen in many of his movies. It was the film which was being shown in the blue movie theatre in his previous work "An American Werewolf in London" (1981) and refernce is made to in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.

Thanks to Joshua Davis

Update

Al Franken (author, Saturday Night Live writer/cast member) appears briefly in a couple of scenes as one of the baggage handlers for the train, that are in charge of the care of a gorilla.

Thanks to Robert Baum

Update

Mupeteer Frank Oz makes a cameo as the Police officer who processes Dan Aykroyd and has appeared in Landis' other releases "The Blues Brothers" (1980) and ""An American Werewolf in London" along with future works "Spies Like Us" (1985) and "Innocent Blood."

Thanks to Luca

Update

Eddie Jones, Jonathan Kent in "Lois & Clark" plays one of the cops who processes Dan Aykroyd.

Thanks to Aimee Ling

Update

Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis both starred in the movie My Girl together and played each others love interest just like in Trading Places.

Update

Bo Diddley, one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, was the Pawn Shop Owner where Winthorpe tried to sell his watch.

Thanks to Zohab Khan

Update

The Entire movie is based on a book By Mark Twain "The Million Pound Bank Note" The book is about an American man who is stranded in England without any money or friends. But one day two old brothers give him a million pound note to see if he can survive a month on the note. It may sound as simple as that, but he can't cash the note because there were only two £1,000,000 notes ever printed and it looks quite suspect if a bum tries to cash it in. The orange juice factor is also based on this book but in this book it is a Curry.

Thanks to Brian Baum

Update

James Eckhouse, the father on Beverly Hills 90210 played one of the officers that processed Eddie Murphy in the police station after his arrest.

Thanks to James Kennedy

Update

Penelope is played by Kristin Holby. Holby appears briefly in Michael Mann's Hannibal Lecter film, "Manhunter". She is one of the victims of the Tooth Fairy, aka the Red Dragon.

Rewind Archive

Update

"Trading Places" was only Eddie Murphy's second movie role.

Thanks to Raj Mehta

Update

Paul Gleason (Clarence Beeks) later went on to star as the somewhat similar principal "Richard Vernon" in "The Breakfast Club."

Thanks to Bernie_Lomax

Update

It is said that Trading Places is based on Mark Twain's "Million Pound Banknote", but I am pretty sure it is based on Mark Twains, The Prince and the Pauper.

Thanks to Anonymous

Update

"Terror Train" - Jamie Lee Curtis starred in a previous early 80's movie where yet she was again aboard a moving train on New Years Eve amongst partying passengers.

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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".

The following trivia for "Trading Places" is apparently bogus. If you disagree or have additional info, please update us.

Will Ferrell plays the television reporter/anchor who announces the upcoming delivery of the orange crop report which Louis, Billy Ray, Ophelia and Coleman see.

Will Farrell did NOT play the newscaster in this film. He was only 16 years old when Trading Places was made (born in 1967), and did not begin his film acting career until 1995.

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1983 Paramount Pictures
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