1.Blazing Saddles was originally suppose to star Richard Pryor and Gig Young. Mel Brooks wanted Pryor but couldn't get the studio to agree and Young was fired his first day on set and replaced by Gene Wilder.
2. Thora Burch's (American Beauty, Ghost World) parents were porn stars in the '70s.
3.One hit wonder Cliff Nobles had little or nothing to do with his one hit.
Instrumental classic "The Horse" was originally the vocalless b-side version of his a-side "Love is Alright". Since he just sang and didn't write or produce the song, this took him completely out of the equation.
4. Most of Bruce Lee's on-screen punches and kicks in Enter the Dragon purposefully didn't connect to protect the extras, injuring him in the process. Some accounts have Bruce's only real blow in the movie was a side kick to co-star Bob Wall that Wall insisted be real. The force was so great it broke the arm of the extra assigned to catch him. I say on-screen because he used to get challenged by extras to fights constantly (and win, of course).
5.Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein's exploits inspired Psycho, Silence of The Lambs and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Massacre was advertised on it's release as "based on a true story" continuing the movie industries love affair with the ambiguousness of that phrase. Not that the real Gein's story wasn't a horror story of it's own. Check it out, if you dare!
6. Hedy Lamarr, film star of the '30s and '40s, co-created a device that helped radio controlled torpedos avoid detection. The basic idea that she came up with is used today to make cellphone and wifi transmissions more secure.
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