‘Around the World in 80 Days’ 1956: 10 Behind-the-Scenes Facts
Find out which role Oscar winner Gregory Peck was supposed to play before he was fired!
Traveling around the world in a hot air balloon might seem a little crazy, but that’s exactly the premise of the Oscar-winning film Around the World in 80 Days 1956. The movie follows Englishman Phileas Fogg (David Niven) and his travel partner, Passepartout (Cantinflas), who, in answer to a bet, try to go around the globe in those 80 days.
Not as easy as it would seem given that the story doesn’t take place in the modern era, but in 1872. This results in them beginning their journey on different steamships, but due to circumstances beyond their control — most notably a tunnel under the Alps that is blocked — they are forced to purchase the balloon that will be their sole means of transportation.
Around the World in 80 Days 1956, it should be noted, is filled with all the hope, wit, glitz and glamour that 1950s Hollywood was known for, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a number of need-to-know facts surrounding its making.
Wanting to travel around the world? The film is available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
1. Around the World in 80 Days 1956 introduced the idea of “cameo roles”
Nothing beats seeing your favorite actor or actress have a cameo in your favorite film, and that idea was established during the production of Around the World in 80 Days. It was added as a means of inviting established stars to work on the film without any sort of serious time commitment on their parts. In the end, there were 50 different cameo appearances.
Bonus Fact: Actor Ronald Colman came out of retirement for his cameo in the film.
2. Filming didn’t take 80 days
Despite being called Around the World in 80 Days, filming only took 75. Even so, it was considered the single largest movie project ever undertaken by Hollywood at the time.
MUST READ: 12 Shocking Facts About Marilyn Monroe’s Hit Classic ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’
3. Around the World in 80 Days 1956 broke a record
The film’s animated end credits were six minutes and 21 seconds long, making them the longest closing credits ever at that point in time. It also marked a first in that the film didn’t have any credits whatsoever leading things off.
Producer Mike Todd chose to do this because he wanted to use the credits as a means of showcasing the different cameos based on geographical location, and didn’t want to spoil what he was sure would be a series of surprises for the audience.
4. The cast and crew really did go around the world
The film started filming in Hollywood where 146 different sets had been built. Then, they went around the world and filmed in England, Hong Kong and Japan.
It should be noted that the production utilized 68,894 extras from 13 different countries.
MUST READ: ‘Funny Face’: 16 Wild Facts About the 1957 Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire Musical
5. The plot came from a classic novel
The idea of traveling the globe in a set number of days by balloon wasn’t new. In fact, it came from Jules Verne’s 1872 novel Around the World in Eighty Days.
Verne also wrote other adventure novels, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of Earth, both of which were also turned into movies.
6. Gregory Peck was originally cast in the film
Oscar winner Gregory Peck was originally cast as the U.S. Cavalry Officer. However, producer Mike Todd didn’t think Peck was taking the role seriously and fired him (which is mind blowing considering the actor’s standing in Hollywood).
MUST READ: Gregory Peck Movies, Ranked: 20 of the Screen Legend’s Best
7. Actress Shirley MacLaine was pregnant during filming
Shirley MacLaine, who played Princess Aouda in the film, was pregnant while she was filming in Japan. She reportedly suffered from a lot of morning sickness and would get sick if she saw the color green.
8. Around the World in 80 Days 1956 inspired a line of food in the U.K.
In the 1980s, a line of snack foods from around the world was launched in the United Kingdom. It included tortilla chips and miniature garlic toast rounds. It was named after Phileas Fogg and included a fictional note from Fogg to his Aunt Agatha, describing both the journey’s present location and the snack itself.
MUST READ: Barbara Billingsley: 12 Secrets About June Cleaver from ‘Leave It to Beaver’
9. Passaoartout’s mustache shape was chosen for a reason
Passaoartout’s (Cantinflas) mustache is in the shape of a bullhorn. The production chose this, because the actor was a bullfighter in real life. In fact, he even shot all of his bullfighting scenes himself.
10. It was the second-ever Best Picture Oscar winner to be shot in a widescreen format
Around the World in 80 Days won Best Picture at the 1957 Oscars, making it the second ever film shot in widescreen to do so. The first was On the Waterfront (1954).
The film grossed $42 million on a $6 million budget.
For all things 1950’s, click here!
