MOVIE TRIVIA … TOOTSIE

MOVIE TRIVIA …

TOOTSIE

1.Bill Murray agreed to omit his name from the opening credits to prevent audiences expecting a "Bill Murray" movie along the lines of Meatballs (1979) or Caddyshack (1980). All of Bill Murray's lines were improvised

2.The character of Dorothy originally did not speak with a Southern accent, but in doing research Dustin Hoffman discovered his voice fell more closely into the range of female pitch while doing the accent.

3.Though the working title for the film was originally "Would I Lie to You?", Dustin Hoffman suggested the title "Tootsie." Tootsie was the name of his mother's dog.

4.Well known transvestite actor Holly Woodlawn was hired by the producers of Tootsie to coach actor Dustin Hoffman in his role as 'Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels' in the intricate art of being a man acting as a woman in films as he prepared for this role.

5.Dustin Hoffman first got the idea to do this film while working on Kramer vs. Kramer (1979). He felt his character in that film had to be both a mother and a father, so he started thinking about how to play a man and a woman. Several scripts, several writers and a few directors later, this was the result.

6.Ellen Foley has a mostly non verbal role as the assistant to the soap opera producer. Her character originally had dialog but it was cut because Foley was recording an album that hurt her speaking voice.

 

7.The movie's line "I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man. Know what I mean?" was voted as the #61 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.

8.The greatest challenge for Dustin Hoffman was getting Dorothy's voice right - he reportedly received help and coaching from Meryl Streep (with whom he had just co-starred in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)). He would read the role of Blance DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and she would offer feedback.

9.Southwest General is a parody of "General Hospital" (1963), even referencing the "Sally Armitage is Max Hedges!" storyline plot twist.

10.Dustin Hoffman allegedly tried out his role as Dorothy by passing himself off as his daughter's Aunt Dorothy at her parent's evening at school. His performance was so strong he actually convinced the teachers present. They never suspected.