12 Animal House Tales We Doubt You've Come Across

      Here are 12 behind-the-scenes tales from Animal House, including one about an actress, as shown above, who was not part of the film.

      To Begin

      Universal – Credit: C/O

      Many people regard Animal House, released in 1978, as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comedy films. Its iconic status is undeniable, although the ubiquitous posters of John Belushi as Bluto in his "COLLEGE" sweatshirt were a bit overdone. Hopefully, college students today have more originality in their decor.

      The success of Animal House transformed comedy and film, inspiring numerous movies, including several direct imitators. The slobs-versus-snobs theme, college comedies, and raunchy gross-out humor all gained newfound popularity, thanks to Animal House.

      Furthermore, the movie served as a launchpad for several noteworthy careers. This is why a deeper exploration of Animal House is beneficial. Here are the behind-the-scenes stories of the film.

      Three Character Names Were Adapted from a Previous National Lampoon Project

      Universal – Credit: C/O

      The film's full title is National Lampoon’s Animal House, as it was the first movie produced by National Lampoon, the renowned humor magazine. Besides the magazine, National Lampoon also created one-off projects.

      In 1973, they published National Lampoon 1964 High School Yearbook Parody, a complete fake yearbook for the fictional C. Estes Kefauver High School located in the imaginary Dacron, Ohio.

      A significant amount of detail was poured into this 176-page fictitious yearbook. At the time, Time Magazine deemed it “the best comedy writing in the country.” Doug Kenney, one of the writers for Animal House and the original editor-in-chief of National Lampoon, was able to draw from the fictional yearbook he helped create.

      Characters like Larry Kroger, known as Pinto, and Mandy Pepperidge appeared in the 1964 High School Yearbook Parody. The name Vernon Wormer is also featured, though he is portrayed as a gym and civics teacher in the yearbook.

      Chris Miller, Not Kenney, Contributed Personal Fraternity Experiences to the Script

      Universal – Credit: C/O

      While Kenney had a wild and unrestricted comedic style, he wasn’t a Bluto. During his time at Harvard, he was part of the elite Spee Club. On the other hand, John Christian Miller, credited as Chris Miller on the Animal House screenplay, attended Dartmouth, another Ivy League institution. Kenney viewed Miller as the go-to expert on fraternity life among the National Lampoon writers, according to NPR.

      Miller had started writing about his fraternity experiences in a memoir he titled The Night of the Seven Fires, though he had given up on it.

      Fortunately, he kept his manuscript on hand. Facing a deadline, Miller submitted a chapter from his memoir, which secured him recognition as one of the credited writers on Animal House. Many of the character nicknames in the film are directly inspired by Miller’s fraternity brothers.

      Not Everyone Obtained the Roles They Desired

      Columbia – Credit: C/O

      Ivan Reitman would eventually have a successful career as a comedy director, famously helming Ghostbusters. He produced Animal House but also aspired to direct. At that point, however, he had only directed one low-budget Canadian cult comedy, which did not impress the Universal producers.

      Ultimately, John Landis was hired to direct, having just enjoyed success with the raunchy film The Kentucky Fried Movie.

      Reitman had involvement from The Second City’s Harold Ramis in the film, who is credited as a writer. During the script's nine drafts, Ramis envisioned the character of Boon for himself. Landis thought Ramis appeared too old for the role (though the same was not said for 28-year-old John Belushi) and offered him a smaller part. Irked, Ramis declined the offer.

      John Landis Took Significant Credit for Shaping Animal House

      Universal – Credit: C/O

      In an interview with Digital Movie Talk, John Landis described the original script for Animal House as “the funniest thing I had ever read” but also “extremely offensive.” He believed the film required clear distinctions between “good guys” and “bad guys,” leading him to create the antagonistic fraternity in opposition to the “good guys” of Animal House.

      Landis also influenced the casting choices. Initially, the movie was set up to feature a cast of Saturday Night Live alumni. Alongside Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd were all considered for roles.

      However, Landis preferred to cast lesser-known actors with serious backgrounds, allowing Kevin Bacon and Karen Allen the opportunity to make their film debuts. His bold personality occasionally rubbed other creatives the wrong way; for instance, Harold Ramis noted Landis’s frequent claim that Animal House was “my movie,” which