45 years ago

[Shaun @ Tru6]

one of the best movies ever made was released.


Original trailer

[rfuerst911sc]

A great movie and probably couldn't be made today . RIP John .

[wdfifteen]

I agree, one of the best movies ever. Right up there with Month Python movies.

[Seahawk]

Quick Sea Story:

The folks that made Animal House visited the fraternity a friend of mine was in at University of Georgia...SAE I think.

I was up there on a Friday in Athens when the advanced team toured the frat house looking for location shots, etc. They just said they were making a movie about fraternities. That was it. They did not do any filming at the frat.

After the movie was released they sent a letter thanking the frat for their time...that was the only way the Frat knew.

Athens on a Friday. I need some alone time.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Quick Sea Story:

The folks that made Animal House visited the fraternity a friend of mine was in at University of Georgia...SAE I think.

I was up there on a Friday in Athens when the advanced team toured the frat house looking for location shots, etc. They just said they were making a movie about fraternities. That was it. They did not do any filming at the frat.

After the movie was released they sent a letter thanking the frat for their time...that was the only way the Frat knew.

Athens on a Friday. I need some alone time.

Classic movie!

I went to UGA 77-78 before I transferred to Georgia State (girlfriend was there). Saw the movie in Athens when it came out. I can’t remember the name of the dining hall, but it was not long after the movie came out, there was a huge food fight. I ducked under the table, and did not participate, but it was wild.

[KFC911]

"Animal House" came out in my freshman year at Party U. It wasn't much different than what happened on my campus on a regular basis already .... but taught us about "food fights"

[herr_oberst]

I love that movie, and I think it still holds up today. I watched it last winter when it showed up on Netflix and was pleasantly surprised at how funny it still was, in spite of my seemingly knowing every line to every scene
(I saw it a bunch when it first came out. Except for the frat, I was living the life of any one of those drunken characters.)

I think my favorite scene is when Otter and Mrs Wormer discuss cucumbers at the grocery store. I worked in a grocery store in 1977, and wished I had this kind of chutzpah. Spoiler alert, I didn't.

Animal House Fun Fact. The woman who played Pinto's girlfriend Clorette also played Maggie in Caddyshack - but you all probably knew that.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

The folks that made Animal House visited the fraternity a friend of mine was in at University of Georgia...SAE I think.

My dad said SAE stood for "Sleep And Eat." lol

[sc_rufctr]

Yep, absolute classic. I clearly remember when it was in the theaters (Aust release March 1979).

[LWJ]

Timely. I had the 100th anniversary of my college Fraternity yesterday. Phi Kappa Psi at University of Oregon.

You all know it as the “Omega House” in the movie. Yes. Animal House was next door. Many many stories and related experiences. Good times.

[Racerbvd]

One of my favorites, a friend's father bought the VHS when 1st offered, and we were all staying at their house, he played the movie for us telling us how his fraternity at UF use to have parties like those in the movie and some of the pranks they use to play on others. My friends mother was not happy about her husband planting ideas in our heads..

[craigster59]

I've worked with a few of them from the cast. Tim Matheson is a very cool guy (Jonny Quest).

I've mostly worked with James Widdoes (Hoover). He's a pretty prolific SitCom director.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0927042/?ref_=tt_cl_t_13

[Seahawk]

[matthewb0051]

My parents took me to see Animal House. Pretty sure they didn't know the subject matter as they were big Bible thumpers at the time.

[L8Brakr]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

As a high school lad, I could recite that speech from memory. We also attended recurring late shows with the whole gang wearing the requisite togas. Certainly made the "touchy-feelies" of a teenage movie date more accessible.......

[Mahler9th]

Winter/spring 1978 I was accepted at the College. I will never forget opening that envelope.

Never visited and applied after the deadline. I got lucky.

Later that spring of 1978, I learned that one of my HS friends was a distant relative of its founder, Reverend Wheelock.

Late summer 1978, I found out about a party on a lake just outside of my home town hosted by an alumn. Invitees included alumns, current students and incoming 'shmen.

I attended-- I think one of my HS friends drove me there-- he had sparked my interest in applying, and was headed into his sophomore year.

Again, I had never visited the College.

That afternoon/evening he and I went to see Animal House, along with a junior and a senior. All three of them were in frats at the College.

They seemed to understand many of the jokes, themes and gags.

I had no clue, but enjoyed the film.

Within a month I was on campus, taking the then mandatory English 5 and reading Paradise Lost.

I attended a toga party.

Food fight at Thayer dining hall.

24/7 free beer.

2.7 males to every female.

2/3 of males in the fraternity system.

One of my classmates wound up in the hospital after 17 shots at some party Freshman week.

My team captain freshmen year was a frat brother of the real "Pinto."

I never visited Smith or Colby Sawyer-- I was too busy.

But the stories I heard...

The world is small...

At Werks last Friday in Monterey, I chatted up a father and son at a lunch table. I had just arrived at the event with my wife and a friend and fellow alumn from my grad school days.

The father asked me how I got interested in Porsches. I said "reading car magazines in the engineering library at graduate school in New Hampshire."

The son asked: "which city in NH."

I answered "Hanover."

Then he said he is headed there in just a few weeks to start his Freshman year.

What a coincidence.... it is a "small College, and yet there are those who lover it."

A few days later, I encountered a recent news story:

https://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2023/08/19/animal-house-film-critic-ty-burr-intv-smerconish-vpx.cnn

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2023/08/15/animal-house-national-lampoon-anniversary/

Another coincidence.

I had told the father/son about my 1978 experience with AH, and then boom, the film is in the news.

Made me think about that crazy film and those crazy days once again.

Now this post in these Forums.

The first time I remember seeing Kevin Bacon in a film was that night in late Summer 1978-- Animal House.

In 1991 I joined a company here in Norcal-- they moved me here.

Kevin Bacon's sister worked in HR in that company.

The world is small.

There is at least one connection between the current Barbie movie craze and the College.

One of the first frat parties I attended as a 'shmen was as a guest in the SAE house where many of my teammates were brothers.

I drank just a little and observed some beer pong.

The world is small.

The fellow alumn from grad school at the College with whom I attended Werks... attended HS with... it goes on from there.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

My parents took me to see Animal House. Pretty sure they didn't know the subject matter as they were big Bible thumpers at the time.

How old were you? Any discussion after the movie?

[matthewb0051]

Originally Posted by Shaun @ Tru6

How old were you? Any discussion after the movie?

I think about 7th or 8th grade. Absolutely no discussion about the movie afterwards. I guess we all just played dumb about the sex and nudity.

Great film!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by matthewb0051

I think about 7th or 8th grade. Absolutely no discussion about the movie afterwards. I guess we all just played dumb about the sex and nudity.

Great film!

LOL! Yeah, I can imagine! That's a lot of movie for 7th or 8th grade back in the day.