These ‘Planet of the Apes’ Secrets Aren’t Monkeying Around
You know the Planet of the Apes series, including the newest film, War for the Planet of the Apes. But did you know that the original movie, based on a French science-fiction novel, was actually co-written by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling? It’s true, and while some of Serling’s draft was changed before the film was made, one big component survived: He was the one who suggested the twist ending involving the Statue of Liberty. (Of course he did, Rod Serling loved twist endings.) That’s just one of the facts featured in the latest episode of You Think You Know Movies!
The iconic ape makeup in Planet of the Apes was designed by John Chambers, who studied real apes as part of the development of his incredible masks. Though they were cutting-edge for their time, they were also very hard to act through, and even harder to eat through. Actors often had their meals liquefied so they could drink them through a straw. The Oscar category for Best Makeup wasn’t created until the 1980s, so the Academy awarded Chambers an Honorary Oscar for his work on Planet of the Apes. The trophy was given to him by Walter Matthau and a chimpanzee (in a tuxedo).
You Think You Know Movies? is a ScreenCrush original series that dives deep into the cinematic worlds of your favorite movies and freeze frames a few tidbits you might not have known. We’ve already tackled Star Wars, The Avengers and Spider-Man, but this time we’re going ape over these Planet of the Apes facts. Watch more installments of ‘You Think You Know Movies?’ below and let us know in the comments what movies we should cover next!
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