4. Phone home!
Melissa Mathison was once married to Harrison Ford. While filming ‘Raiders’ on location, Melissa went to be with her husband during the shoot. To pass the time, she decided to work on a script treatment during breaks with none other than famed director Steven Spielberg. Steven dictated a story about an Alien who crash lands on earth, befriends a group of children and eventually, through their help, makes his way home. That script, of course, eventually became the beloved ‘E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial.’
5. Let’s keep things PG, people!
After the first review from the sensors, they decided to give it an ‘R’ rating. Why? Because at the end of the film, when the ark is opened, a head graphically explodes. The producers wanted the film to be open and available to children, so they added layers of fire in front of the exploding noggin in order to make it look less graphic. ‘PG’ rating achieved…and many of us as kids got to enjoy this amazing adventure without having to sneak into the theater!
6. You only live once…or not.
Pat Roach is famous first and foremost as a British wrestler, but did you know that he actually gets killed (twice) in ‘Raiders?’ First, he dies as a giant Sherpa, who is left burning in the Nepalese bar. And then, later as a German mechanic who fights Indiana Jones next to an airplane and eventually gets chewed up by the plane’s propeller.
