Jane Kenney

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles has become a staple film in households, especially during the Thanksgiving season. Starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy, these two embark on quite the journey together and end up closer than they ever thought, with an undoubtedly striking cliff-hanger moment at the end (seriously, we want to know what happens to Del Griffith)! There are some fun facts about the show that you might not have known. Relive the memories of this beloved film with us and take a look at these 10 facts about the movie! 1. Steve Martin originally thought the script was too long Steve Martin as Neal Page / Paramount Pictures Steve Martin, who played the role of the disgruntled Neal Page, thought the 145-page script was too long for a comedy film. The first cut of the film (before they deleted any scenes) was actually four and a half hours long! 2. There was exercise equipment on set for John Candy John Candy as Del Griffith / Paramount Pictures The crew behind the film brought in treadmills, weights, and other equipment for Candy to use in his hotel suite. Martin says that Candy didn't use any of it while filming the movie! 3. It was meant to be entirely shot in Chicago Planes, Trains, and Automobiles / Paramount Pictures Yes, the movie was supposed to be shot entirely in Chicago... but there wasn't enough snow in the area for what the film needed! “As we would shoot, we were hopping planes, trains, and automobiles, trying to find snow,” Martin said. We see what he did there. 4. Edie McClurg (the St. Louis car rental employee) improvised her entire scene Edie McClurg / Paramount Pictures We all remember this iconic scene. Martin's character drops exactly 18 F-bombs on Edie McClurg's character, the St. Louis car rental employee. When director John Hughes instructed Edie to improvise a phone conversation on Thanksgiving, this absolute gem of a scene was born. 5. Susan Page was watching another not-yet-released Hughes movie in the film Susan Page (Laila Robins) / Paramount Pictures In a scene during the film, the shots go back and forth between Neal trying to sleep next to a very noisy Del and Neal's wife, Susan, watching TV alone in their bed. She is somehow watching the film She's Having a Baby, a Hughes film, before it was even released! Read onto the NEXT page for more facts about this hilarious film! 6. A scene from a strip club was cut from the film Neal Page and Del Griffith / Paramount Pictures There was a scene where Neal and Del were going to go into a strip club to use the phone after their car broke down. Actress Debra Lamb had no idea her scene was cut until the official screening of the film. 7. Jeri Ryan was cut from the film, but her scene wasn't Bus ride scene / Paramount Pictures Jeri Ryan was one of the passengers on the bus ride scene and it was her first role in a movie. She could not stop laughing at Martin and Candy, so they reshot the scene without her. I would probably be the same way as her; these two are just too funny together! 8. Elton John wrote a song for the film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles / Paramount Pictures / Giphy Elton John and lyricist Gary Osborne were nearly finished composing a song for the film when Paramount insisted on ownership of the recording master. Hughes' record company would not allow this and, therefore, the song has never been released. Maybe we'll get to hear it someday! 9. The original ending showed Del following Neal all the way home Final scene of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles / Paramount Pictures / Giphy During the editing process of the film, Hughes decided that he wanted Del to take the hint from Neal that he wanted to go home alone. This ultimately leads to Neal having a change of heart and going back to find Del after realizing he's homeless. 10. In the scene where Neal thinks about Del and their memories on the train, Martin didn't know the camera was rolling Neal Page / Paramount Pictures Another scene we all remember is the scene where Neal and Del depart. Neal is found reminiscing on the memories he's made with Del and smiling and laughing. Martin had no idea the camera was rolling during this time. This footage was previously regarded as unusable footage, but after Hughes and editor Paul Hirsch went back to take a look, they decided the “beautiful expression” on Martin's face was perfect to use in that scene. Do you remember this movie? Do you watch it every Thanksgiving? Be sure to SHARE this article if you do! Check out one of the most memorable scenes from the film, where Del is driving in the wrong direction and ultimately drives their car between two trucks: