How the film "Overboard" was filmed: footage from filming and 22 interesting facts about the film (26 photos)

Overboard is one of the best romantic comedies of the eighties and nineties. Thanks to the era of video salons, the film is much more popular in our country than in the USA.





1. This film might not have happened if not for one incident that occurred in Florida. Rescuers found a naked girl on a local beach who had washed ashore. She was practically dying, and when she woke up in a hospital bed, she could not remember anything about herself, not even her name.



When an advertisement appeared in one of the newspapers about the found girl who had lost her memory, the hospital immediately began receiving hundreds of calls. The people who called assumed that it was their missing daughter. But they were all wrong.

The girl continued to stay in the hospital, and she was even given a new name - Jane Doe. This name is given to all girls who cannot be identified or want to remain anonymous. The men in this case are called John Doe. This is something like our Vasya Pupkin.

As a result, the girl’s real relatives were found and she remembered everything. But nevertheless, she decided to keep the name Jane Doe.





Screenwriter Leslie Dixon liked this story so much that she decided to create her own story about a rich girl who lost her memory, which worked well for the local carpenter, who decided to teach her a lesson by “making” her his wife.



Leslie Dixon

2. There wasn’t really any casting for the main roles, since Leslie Dixon specifically wrote the script for Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. When they read the script, they liked it and accepted her offer without any hesitation.



According to Leslie Dixon herself, she was in joyful shock after the actors agreed. The fact is that for the first time in her practice she met actors who would so quickly agree to the role.

But the most interesting thing is that Russell and Hawn were not going to act together anymore. But they liked the script so much that they decided to make an exception.



3. The director of the film was supposed to be Mike Nichols, who directed such films as “Destiny”, “Silkwood”, “Jealousy”, etc. But due to the fact that he became very ill, he had to give up the director’s chair.

As a result, the director became Garry Marshall, who was already known for such films as “Flamingo Boy” and “Nothing in Common”, and who would later direct the cult film “Pretty Woman”.



Marshall always tried to follow his principle of showing traditional family values ​​on screen, so he often “twisted” the scripts. Therefore, his films always had a good romantic ending.

4. Director Harry Marshall decided to insert a small reference to his favorite film, A Clockwork Orange. When Joana accidentally cuts off a scarecrow's head with a chainsaw, you can see that there is a black star around one of the scarecrow's eyes. Alexander DeLarge painted his eyes in approximately the same style in the film A Clockwork Orange.



5. The film Overboard was the third project where Kurt Russell starred with Goldie Hawn. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have been in a relationship since 1983, but in the end they never formalized their marriage. However, they are considered one of the best and exemplary couples in Hollywood, and Goldie Hawn's children from her first marriage (Oliver and Kate Hudson) consider Kurt to be their real father.



It is thanks to this that such a strong chemistry is felt between the main characters.

6. The vast majority of scenes were filmed not in soundstages, but in real locations. Even the bowling we see in the frame was real down to every piece of paper.



But the same mini-golf park was built by the film crew on the territory of a children’s camp especially for the film. But after filming ended, they did not disassemble it, but left it as a gift to local residents.



7. During filming, the actors often improvised, so a good part of the moments that we saw in the film were not at all according to the script. So, for example, when at the beginning of the film Dean completely annoys Joan, insulting her, it was pure improvisation by Kurt Russell.



Also, the same legend about the sailor that Dean told Joana is a pure improvisation of the actor. This scene was not in the script at all.

And as it turned out, Kurt Russell completely changed the character of his character, which only benefited the film.



But if director Harry Marshall was delighted with this improvisation and the fact that they were moving away from the original script, then Leslie Dixon (screenwriter) was simply furious that her script was being subjected to such changes.



8. The same Joanna's yacht on which the film was filmed. belonged to the famous billionaire Dennis R. Washington. The billionaire lent the yacht to the film crew free of charge.

By the way, a few years later this one will appear in another famous film - “Indecent Proposal”.

9. The only sex scene in the film appears only towards the end of the film. The creators deliberately took this step so that Joana and Dean would truly fall in love with each other. And if Dean had taken advantage of the situation and forced her to have sex earlier, then everything would have looked like coercion. Dean's image as a positive character would immediately be destroyed.



10. Harry Marshall considered actor Hector Elizondo his mascot. No, he was not a relative of the director, but for some reason Marshall believed that the film would be more successful if Hector played at least a small role in it.



As a result, Marshall began to shove Elizondo into each of his films. For example, in the film "Overboard" Hector played a garbage ship that caught Joanna. And in the film "Pretty Woman" he played hotel administrator Barney Thompson.



11. Actor Roddy McDowall, who played Joan's servant Andrew, not only acted in this film, but also acted as an executive producer.



12. The role of the sheriff of the city in which the film takes place was played by actor Bing Russell, the father of Kurt Russell.



13. Goddy Hawn's costume, which she wears at the beginning of the film, was designed by costume designer Wayne Finkelman, who once designed Ornella Mutti's costumes for The Taming of the Shrew.



Wayne Finkelman

But if for the film "The Taming of the Shrew" it was necessary to create something good and elegant, then for the film "Overboard", on the contrary, it was necessary to create such repulsive clothes for the main character (revealing outfits, giant bows and lace hats, etc.) emphasize that the heroine has no taste.



But despite this, many ladies wanted to become like the heroine Goldie, and even began to sew similar outfits for themselves.

14. The yacht on which the filming took place swayed so softly and smoothly from side to side that some members of the film crew actually fell asleep from such a “sweet” swaying.

15. Goldie Hawn admitted that she and Kurt had never watched the movie Overboard. And only in 2015 they decided to spend a joint evening watching their film, which millions of viewers adore.

16. The pickup truck that Kurt Russell's character drove can also be called an actor, because two years after the release of the film Overboard, he appeared in one scene in the film Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase.



17. The music for the film was written by the famous composer Alan Silvesteri, who worked on the music for such famous films as “Back to the Future”, “Predator”, “Bodyguard”, “Death Becomes Her”, “Forest Gump”, “Mission Impossible” , "Cast Away", "The Avengers", etc. In truth, Alan Silvesteri is probably the most famous film composer.

18. After filming ended, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn threw a barbecue party for the entire crew.

19. On a budget of approximately $2 million, the film grossed $26.7 million, making it a commercial success. True, critics did not rate this film highly, and it did not become a particular hit in its homeland.



However, Garry Marshall himself thinks it's an amazing film. And in our country it became a real hit.

20. Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have a son together, Wyatt Russell, born in July 1986. So, during the filming of the film “Overboard,” the boy was not yet a year old, Kurt and Goldie took him with them to the set so that he would always be next to them.



And of course, the filming of the film “Overboard” was also remembered by Kurt and Goldie because it was on the set of the film that their son Wyatt took his first steps.



Wyatt Russell

Their son, by the way, followed in the footsteps of his parents and also became an actor. Many might remember him from the TV series “Black Mirror” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” Also in Monarch: Monster Legacy, Wyatt played the young Lee Shaw, while the older Lee Shaw was played by his father Kurt Russell.

21. John Candy was offered to play the role of Kurt Russell's friend, but he turned it down in favor of the comedy "Planes, Trains, Automobiles."

22. In 2018, a remake of the film of the same name was released, but with a gender swap. This time we are talking about a rich man who has lost his memory, who is taken in by a single mother with three daughters, posing as his wife.