The Rewatch Podcast: RW548 - Tom Hanks 80's Rewatch

In this episode of The Tom Hanks 80's Rewatch, Cory and Eoghan are fish out of water as they discuss Splash.

Trailer:

Tom Hanks Timeline:

Ron Howard remembered Hanks from his appearance on Happy Days, and had him read for a supporting part in his upcoming movie. That supporting role eventually went to John Candy, and Hanks instead landed the lead role in Splash. The movie became a surprise hit, and Hanks was suddenly a recognizable face.

Our Favourite Trivia:

Notable for being the first film released by Touchstone Pictures, a film label created by Walt Disney Studios that same year in an effort to release films targeted at adult audiences, with mature content not appropriate for the studio's flagship Walt Disney Pictures banner. Splash received a PG-rating for some profanity and brief nudity.

Credited with introducing the girl's name Madison, which has since become one of the most popular names for newborn girls in the early 21st century.

Academy Award-winning visual effects artist Robert Short is credited as the man behind the mermaid costume. He initially pictured the mermaid with a dolphin-esque tail as it would make "biological sense", but Ron Howard rejected the design insisting on a more tropical look. Short eventually created a tail based on koi fish. He would later admit that this was a genius idea since "you lose a lot of color underwater" the red tail stood out more. The tail was fully functional. Hannah swam with the mermaid tail so fast that her safety team could not keep pace with her. Hannah had been swimming "mermaid" style with her legs bound together since she was a child, due to her fascination with Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" story. However, the exceptionally detailed film tail was difficult to remove. For the sake of efficiency, Hannah at first kept it on while the cast had lunch.

Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) was originally blonde, but was made a redhead to look different from Madison.

The fountain from the movie is now on display at "Disney's" "MGM Studios" at Walt Disney World. The mermaid fin Daryl Hannah wore is behind the bar at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney.

Screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel both make cameo appearances in the film. Ganz plays Stan the Tour Guide in the scene set at the Statue of Liberty. Mandel plays the man in charge of ice skate rentals who tackles Tom Hanks' character when he tries to run out with his skates still on. Director Ron Howard's father, actor Rance Howard, can be seen early in the film as Mr. McCullough, an unhappy customer screaming at Allen about his cherries. Howard's brother Clint Howard can be seen as a wedding guest, identified by Candy's character as the bride's brother and yelled at by Hanks.

What's Up Next?

Tom Hanks starts knocking them out in 1984, so lets have some fun with Bachelor Party!

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