Throwback Thursday Trivia: Popcorn

We eat it all the time at the cinema. The smell of freshly made popcorn brings a wave of nostalgia and excitement with going to the movies. But why do we eat this super loud snack? 

Whether you like it sweet or salted, Ticket Stub finds out how popcorn, quite literally, exploded into cinema foyers...

Popcorn was a popular favourite at many American entertainment venues during 1848, including circuses and fairs. Portable vendors moved to cinemas after the talkies burst onto the screen in 1929. During the Great Depression, popcorn became an affordable snack for movie goers and for cinema owners to sell. Eventually, owners produced their own popcorn as it was cheap, easy to store and made people thirsty for some fizz. 

Image: smithsonianmag.com

World War II cemented the movies and popcorn together. Chocolate and sweets were in short supply, due to sugar shortages, so popcorn took over as the dominant confectionery. By 1945, over half of America's popcorn was consumed at the pictures. Advertising also started to entice audiences to seek out yummy refreshments. Check out this catchy cartoon ad from 1957:

Popcorn seems to be more popular than ever these days. With huge varieties on supermarket shelves, you can bring the novelty cinema snack to your home. High-end brands are also taking place in multiplexes and new exotic flavours are being sold. From sour cream and jalapeno chilli to smoked bacon and maple syrup, things have come a long way since the standard sweet or salted bags!

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Throwback Thursday Trivia: The Wizard of Oz

Image: boktowergardens.org

This year sees the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz (1939).

With the re-release of the film coming soon to cinemas, it seems appropriate that for this week's Throwback Thursday Trivia, I will lead you down the yellow brick road of facts which you may not know about the family classic.

Dark Side of the Rainbow

Image: hyperbole.es

Pink Floyd's legendary 1973 album, Dark Side of the Moon, and The Wizard of Oz are coincidentally linked. The visual aspects of the film and the album synchronized together create moments where the two appear to correspond to each other extremely well. Although dismissed by the band members, it is certainly amazing the amount of connections between the two works of art. Some instances include: 'Great Gig in the Sky' beginning when the first tornado arrives, 'Us and Them' plays whilst Dorothy meets the Wicked Witch of the West and as the Scarecrow sings 'If I Only Had a Brain', 'Brain Damage' plays. Not only this but the iconic artwork for the album reflects the transition of moving from monochrome in Kansas to the Technicolor, over the rainbow, in Oz.

The pairing of the two has been named Dark Side of the Rainbow, Dark Side of Oz or The Wizard of Floyd. Watch it on YouTube here:

Lion's Costume

The cowardly lion's costume weighed nearly 100 pounds and was made with real lion pelts.

Image: fallingintowonderland.wordpress.com

Jell-O Make-Up

To film the changing colour of the horse in Emerald City, Jello-O crystals were stuck to the animal. The scenes had to be shot speedily as the horses would quickly lick the crystals off!

Apple Juice Magic

When the Witch tries to take Dorothy's ruby slippers, she is stopped by the firey sparks which prevent her from taking them. The special effect was actually achieved by apple juice spewing out of the shoes. The film was sped up to make it look like fire.

Image: broadwayworld.com

Toto vs. Munchkins

Toto was paid more than the actors who played the Munchkins. The dog, Terry, earned $125 a week. 

Image: fixnation.org

Tin Man's Oil

The Tin Man's oil was in fact chocolate sauce as real oil didn't show up sufficiently on film.

Image: thenightride.wordpress.com 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The most iconic song was nearly out of the movie as it was deemed too melancholy.

Hard to believe, now that many artists have covered the song. Here are my favourite versions of the classic:

Eva Cassidy

Pomplamoose:

The Blanks - featured in the 100th Scrubs episode, 'My Way Home', which references the movie throughout:

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Throwback Thursday Trivia: Wilhelm Scream

In case you missed the first Throwback Thursday Trivia, click here to find out about MGM's iconic mascot.

This week, Ticket Stub looks at one of the most used sound effects in the film and television industry: 

the Wilhelm Scream.

You've probably heard it a gazillion times but never realised there is a name for it or that it even exists. Here is a compilation of examples where the Wilhelm Scream is used - often with someone falling, being shot or thrown from an explosion.

How did this sound effect become so commonplace in film-making?

First used in the 1951 film, Distant Drums, the sound effect was recorded for a scene where a man gets bitten by an alligator. However, it is most famously used in a different film: The Charge at Feather River (1953). (See first clip in the compilation video above.) The name of the character who gets struck in the leg by an arrow is Private Wilhelm. The name stuck and the effect was used repeatedly in subsequent Warner Bros. films.

Nowadays, the Wilhelm Scream is widely recognised by film fanatics due to its extensive use in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series. Sound designer Ben Burrt rediscovered the stock sound effect and incorporated it into these big film franchises. Since then, many films have referenced the Wilhelm Scream and is often seen as an in-joke for filmmakers. 

So next time you're at the movies, keep your ears out for one of the most iconic sounds in cinema!

To find out more, check out this video on the history of the Wilhelm Scream: