Indy Trivia

With Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull opening this weekend I thought I'd share some trivia about the previous 3 movies.

Raiders Of The Lost Ark

• Iran and Iraq are both shown on a map, although the area, in the 1930s, was called Persia.
• The map showing the path of Indy's flight includes Thailand, which was called Siam at the time.
• During the fire fight in Marion's Bar, Indy's gun changes from a .38 revolver to a Colt .45, back to a .38, then back once again to a .45.
• Set in 1936, the sub-machine guns used are German MG-44s, which weren't designed until 1944.
• When Indy pushes a stone block out of a wall to escape from the crypt, it bounces as it hits the ground.
• When Marion is tied up in the German tent, her hair is under the gag tied around her mouth, then over it, then under it again.

Temple Of Doom

• The movie opens with a scene in a night club. After the fight is over, and Indy and Willie make their escape, the name of the club is seen as they drive away - Club Obi Wan.
• 'Temple Of Doom' is actually set before 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark'.
• The original dress for Willie in the opening "Anything Goes" scene was destroyed by an elephant in the jungle scene when it ate the back of the dress.
• When they arrive at the plane after the club scene, the man that walks them to the plane is Dan Aykroyd.
• When the lava pit is opening to sacrifice Willie, listen for the same sound as Darth Vader igniting his lightsaber.
• Just like Indiana was named after George Lucas' dog, Willie was named after Steven Spielberg's dog and Short Round was named after screenwriters Bill Hyuck and Gloria Hatz's dog.
• Indy charges after the guards with a sword just before going on the bridge, then has to make a quick retreat when they chase him. Remember Han Solo and the chase of the stormtroopers on board the Death Star? Harrison Ford is one brave man...
• Some of the action scenes in in this film were actually written for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', but were dropped and incorporated into this one.

The Last Crusade

• Hitler signs his name with the wrong hand when he autographs the diary, and actually spells his own name incorrectly.
• Trying to find his father, Indy goes through his father's mail, revealing a stamp which wouldn't have been issued at that time.
• The airship Indy and his father looks very much like the Hindenburg which exploded the year before. It is not the Hindenburg, but in fact the Graf Zeppelin II, her twin, which was ready for commercial operation in 1938. However, the the dirigible never carried a paying customer and was instead used for reconnaissance of the English border just before the war.
• When young Indy is in the lion's cart, he cracks a whip that cuts him on the top of his chin, hence Indiana's chin scar. But actually Harrison Ford got that scar when he crashed his car while trying to put his seatbelt on.
• River Phoenix, who plays the young Indy, played Harrison Ford's son in the 1986 movie "The Mosquito Coast."
• In the scene in the zeppelin where Indy talks with his father, Harrison Ford and Sean Connery both elected to shoot the scene wearing no trousers because it was so hot and they didn't want to stop every ten seconds to wipe sweat away.
• During the fighting scene on the tank. Indy is punched and hits the periscope while the solders inside watch. One of the solders says to the other "The Americans - they fight like women" in German and then gets hit by the periscope.
• During the scene with Hitler in Berlin, there is one shot where some books to be burnt are shown. If you look closely, you can see that one is "Das Kapital" by Karl Marx.