12 Pop Culture Masterpieces That Were Absurdly Low-Effort

Marlon Brando’s stirring, iconic performance in 'The Godfather' was made possible by cue cards.
12 Pop Culture Masterpieces That Were Absurdly Low-Effort

Ah, the wonderful world of music and movie-making. From the classic sounds of "Kung Fu Fighting" to the timeless lines of Marlon Brando in The Godfather, these iconic works have become a part of our collective cultural heritage. But what many don’t know is the stories behind the scenes -- the long hours, the creative breakthroughs, and the cost-saving hacks -- that made these works of art possible. 

Here we present a list of behind-the-scenes secrets about some of the biggest hits in music and film... that were basically just farted out without a thought, then swept through the world like wildfire. From the humble beginnings of "Clint Eastwood" to the recycled animation in Disney movies, these stories offer an interesting look at the creative process and the lengths some people will go to make their dreams a reality. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this list of behind-the-scenes secrets about some of the most beloved music and movies of all time.

Brando: cued and confused

Low-Effort Pop Culture The Godfather Marlon Brando used cue cards to help him remember his lines, and Robert Duvall even held them up for him during some scenes. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures,
Reddit

Time

Recycled content galore

Low-Effort Pop Culture Power Rangers For about 30 years, Power Rangers has been using scenes and footage from the Japanese show Super Sentai, cutting out any stuff that was too Japanese or violent or just strange, and using it to fill around a third of each episode. CRACKED

Saban Entertainment

Den of Geek

Cheap animation hack

Low-Effort Pop Culture He-Man's Orko He-Man's companion originally went by Gorpo. To get the most out of the animators' work, the character was renamed as Orko, so that when the footage was flipped, it would look exactly the same and they'd get double the amount of animation. CRACKED

Filmation

Gizmodo

OK, sometimes it’s hard to be mad at Michael Bay

Low-Effort Pop Culture Transformers: Dark of the Moon Michael Bay used footage from The Island twice in the movie. This was because of an accident on set that left an extra injured, and the money saved was given to her to help pay for medical expenses. CRACKED

Paramount Pictures,
DreamWorks Pictures

IndieWire

Instant classic, two takes

Low-Effort Pop Culture CARL DOUGLAS KUNG FU FIGHTING AND OTHER GREAT LOVE SONGS Carl Douglas' Kung Fu Fighting Douglas and Biddu Appaiah recorded the smash hit Kung Fu Fighting in just two tries, with only 10 minutes left in their studio time. The song was a huge success, topping the charts in 12 different countries. CRACKED

20th Century Records

Stereogum

Disney’s cost-saving secret.

Low-Effort Pop Culture All your old-school Disney faves (sorry) Disney has been reusing animation from earlier movies to save money since forever. This was especially true from the 1960s to the 198os, when clips from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and The Jungle Book were used in other movies. CRACKED

Disney

Nerdist

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