ESP ,Related Movie Trivia 4: “The Shining” , Infamous Lines & More

In “The Shining,” there was a particular saying that appears rather central to the plot. Continue with this article to learn how it morphed into something quite different, depending on where you viewed the movie. Other features of this article include room number superstition and the background on a famous quote associated with the movie.

All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy

Jack had only one sentence repeated over and over again in the book he was attempting to write while at the hotel. It was “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Kubrick requested that each page was individually typed out. However, the international versions of the film used completely different sentences. In Italy , it was “Il mattino ha l’ oro in bocca” (“He who wakes up early meets a golden day”). The German version showcased “Was Du heute kannst besorgen, das verschiebe nicht auf Morgen” (“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today”). The French version uses “Un ‘Tiens’ vaut mieux que deux ‘Tu l’auras'” (“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”), whereas the Spanish sentence used was “No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano” (“Rising early will not make dawn sooner.”).

Phone Calls

Because of the nature of the film, Stanley Kubrick was known to call Stephen King in the middle of the night and ask him questions like “Do you believe in God?”

Last and Only Stop on the Hollywood Train

The old woman (Billie Gibson) and young woman (Lia Beldam) that appear in the bathtub scenes did not appear in another movie before or afterwards.

Room Number Superstition

For the front exterior of the hotel scenes, it was the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood in Oregon that had the pleasure of production. However, the book showed Room 217 as the fateful room where a lot of the action was taking place. Management of the Timberline requested that this specific room number was not used during the filming because they feared that no one would ever want to reserve this room in the future. This is why Kubrick switched the script to use room number 237 , one that did not exist at the lodge.

Excessive Takes

Kubrick was known for his excessive amount of takes. For instance, he demanded Shelley Duvall repeat one scene 127 times.

Here’s Johnny!

The infamous “Here’s Johnny” line of the movie was actually adlibbed by Jack Nicholson. He was imitating Ed McMahon’s famous intro of Johnny Carson of “The Tonight Show.” As one of his annual anniversary specials, Carson decided to use a clip of Nicholson as an introduction. Later on, this line was voted #36 by Premiere magazine for “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” in 2007. Out of 100 best movie quotes, the American Film Institute voted “Here’s Johnny” #68.