13 Comedies With Not-So-Funny Behind The Scenes Stories

A coordinated effort from people working together is required to make a film or television show, and sometimes a clash of personalities threatens to derail the entire production. Even the greatest comedy of all time has problems with equipment and staff that aren’t exactly the stuff of jokes.

In the sci-fi and horror genres, B movies can often be so bad they’re good, and they’re ridiculousness can often turn them into unintentional comedies. Unfortunately, this horseshoe phenomenon tends to not work in favor of comedies, which tend to turn out as simply unfunny when they are bad enough. That is the conundrum and the explanation why most awful comedies are just downright unwatchable.

The early nineties were an especially powerful decade when it came to one of the poorest comedies of all time. Most of the guilt must be placed squarely on the shoulders of general audiences, who continue to gravitate to real low brow entertainment again and again. The thing is, even classic comedies often have truly grim and unfunny back stories.

Scroll on for some behind the scenes facts about movies that you'll never see the same way again…

13

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS BILL MURRAY TOOK TO BEING HIS ANNOYING CHARACTER IN WHAT ABOUT BOB? A LITTLE TOO WELL. CRACKED.COM Murray went method with his character Bob Wiley in the film, seeking out ways to anger co-star Richard Dreyfuss, in- cluding yelling that everyone hated him and merely tolerated his presence. He also playfully shoved producer Laura Ziskin into a lake. — Source: EW

12

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE CAMERA BROKE ON THE VERY FIRST SHOT OF MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL. CRACKED.COM First-time film directors Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones leapt feet first into the pro- duction of the movie, choosing an impos- sible location half a mile up Glen Coe in Scotland for their first days of filming. The camera jammed on the first shot, leaving them scrambling to make do. — Source: BBC

11

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS AN UNCOOPERATIVE BRUCE WILLIS AND A HIGH KEVIN SMITH MADE COP OUT A NIGHTMARE ON SET. CRACKED.COM Willis was apparently dead-set on sabotaging the production of the movie, or at least making Smith's job as director more difficult. He would intentionally miss his mark, one time walking over to the catering table during a take. Kevin Smith was also reportedly using too much weed during filming, and would sit behind his monitor not interacting with the actors. — Source: Collider

10

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS EDDIE MURPHY GOT PLASTERED TO DEAL WITH THE TOXIC ENVIRONMENT ON THE SET OF COMING TO AMERICA. CRACKED.COM Eddie Murphy and director John Landis clashed a lot on set due to Murphy coming into this movie already such a huge star. After some weirdness between them, CO- star Arsenio Hall gave Murphy vodka to calm his nerves, and he immediately downed the whole quart. Murphy later said, That was the first and last time I'll ever drink. — Source: Rolling Stone

9

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE WRITER'S ROOM AT SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE IS FULL OF PEE. CRACKED.com According to Tina Fey, the (extremely male) writers room at SNL was full of pee cups, as the writers were apparently too lazy to make their way to the very close bathroom. Even the slightly more mature Weekend Update offices had their own pee jar, proudly displayed to whomever walked in. — Source: New Yorker

8

BEHIND-THE-SCENEST FACTS CHEVY CHASE DROVE CHRIS COLUMBUS TO QUIT CHRISTMAS VACATION. GRACKED.COM After shooting a few second unit scenes, director Chris Columbus met with Chevy Chase, after which Columbus walked away from the project. Columbus remarked, To be completely honest, Chevy treated me like dirt. If the term being Chevy Chased away doesn't exist, it needs to. — Source: Chicago Mag

7

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE MAIN CAST OF SEINFELD HATED WORKING WITH THE ACTRESS THAT PLAYED SUSAN, LEADING TO HER BEING KILLED OFF. GRACKED COM Heidi Swedberg was, by all accounts, a lovely person, but the cast had a hard time getting in sync with her on the show. After Julia Louis-Dreyfus shared some screentime with Swedberg, she remarked to Larry David, Don't you want to just kill her? — Source: Vanity Fair

6

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS ROSANNE BARR DISPLAYED A LIST OF HER ENEMIES ON THE DOOR TO HER DRESSING ROOM ON ROSANNE. CRACKED.co Not trying to hide her aggravation to- wards the crew, Barr prominently dis- played a memo addressing THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO BE FIRED IF THEY'RE NOT NICE TO ME. This included, EVERYBODY... ALL PRODUCERS, ALL WRITERS, ALL SUBJECT TO CHANGE. — Source: Stealing the Show: How Women Are Revolutionizing Television

5

BEHIND-THE-SCENESFACT BOY MEETS WORLD HAD A DEATH CHAIR OF FIRED CHILD ACTORS. CRACKED.co Writers eventually gave up trying to fill the role of Cory's second best friend, since none of the actors seemed to fit and were fired one after the other. Since this character always sat in a certain seat in the lunchroom, it became known as the death chair by the cast. — Source: IMDB

4

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS JESSICA WALTERS WAS YELLED AT ON THE SET OF ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT. CRACKED.CO After Jeffrey Tambor went off script and was improvising in a take, Walters tired to reset the scene and take it from the top - her being a more traditional actress. Tambor went off on her and she apologized, but she was clearly shaken, later saying it was the first time she was yelled at like that on set. — Source: Deadline

3

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE CAST OF FRASIER HAD TO STAGE AN INTERVENTION FOR KELSEY GRAMMER. CRACKED.COM Kelsey Grammer's alcohol abuse had gotten so bad during the run of the show, that his co-stars had to force him to check into the Betty Ford Center. John Mahoney, who played Martin Crane, said it was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, and that It's going to somebody's house whom you love, who's down, and just beating him down even further for his own good. And it was... horrifying. — Source: Today

2

BEHIND-THE-SCENESFACTS THE ACTORS PLAYING FRED AND ETHEL MERTZ ON I LOVE LUCY HATED EACH OTHER. CRACKED.co .COM The odd couple, Vivian Vance and William Frawley, were always tossing insults at each other on screen, but it apparently didn't stop there. Vivian allegedly called Willian an old poop, and William responded creatively by calling her a bitch. — Source: Meet the Mertzes: The Life Stories of I Love Lucy's Other Couple

1

BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS THE FIRST BORAT DIRECTOR QUIT THE PRODUCTION. AFTER 11 DAYS DUE TO THREATS ON HIS LIFE. CRACKED.com After they shot the rodeo scenes of the movie, where Borat gets an entire arena of 2nd amendment loving southerners on his bad side, the crew started to receive threats. The director, Todd Philips, left after 11 days in fear for his safety and Larry Charles was brought in to replace him. — Source: Daily Mail

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