Gene Wilder was such a caring man, when his family was asked about why they kept his Alzheimer’s diagnosis a secret they said he didn't want to disappoint “the countless young children that would smile or call out to him, ‘There’s Willy Wonka” or expose them to the cruel realities of the disease and "He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world"
Wow what an amazing man. Gene really was a true talent that could do so much comedy drama he has a good voice too. R.i.p. gene. Too many legends have been passing away.
I used to be a truck driver and in many truck stops there is a tv room. One day I was in a tv room by myself and put this on. By the end of the movie I realized there were well over 2 dozen other truck drivers also watching it with me. Good times.
so the actors reaction looking freaked out was real. They didnt know about genes song or the anything. Hence if you watch closely you can see the actors just stop acting and just watch gene freaked out
You are not conned. If you were old enough to begin working at a chocolate factory, you were old enough to know that movies are different then real life. Especially a movie with Willy Wonka!
Fun fact: when Gene was in his last years, he stayed out of public life (Gene was suffering from Alzheimer's his last years) and all public knowledge of his prognosis was kept silent because "He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."
The most amazing thing to me about this movie is that Peter Ostrum had a fun time playing Charlie, and got offers afterward for no less than a dozen kids' films. But he decided to reject them all, give up show business, and became a veterinarian. How many times in the history of moviemaking have we seen that? I think it was a commendable decision.
The reaction of the kids to seeing the Chocolate Room was genuine. They were kept away from the set until ready to film so as to capture their genuine wonder. Violet and Veruca had quite a feud going on during filming as they both fancied Charlie.
There were a lot of reactions that were genuine. Willy Wonka limping out of the factory and doing the summer salt was improved and genuine, Willy Wonka snapping at Charlie was also genuine, Gene didn’t tell him he was going to do that.
Fun fact: Gene would only accept the role under the condition that no one knows what he is about to do or say, so that their reactions would be real: his intro with the cane, the boat ride, and when he yells at Charlie, all those facial reactions were 100% genuine. The kid who played Charlie was on the verge of tears when he went off on him, it was so unexpected
He also insisted on his introduction scene. He reasoned that if, in his first appearance, he blatantly lies to everyone, nobody will know if they should ever trust him again.
@@TheDunnDusted So did the kid. The tears were completely genuine. Gene felt bad about it later, but said it was better than robbing him of the chance to have that performance as an actor.
@@Sam_on_UA-cam And since Peter Ostrum had no acting experience before making this movie, that motivation actually helped him. I'm 100% sure Gene gave him the biggest hug after the scene was completed though.
Absolute classic. My favorite chocolate bar was the Wonka bar, chocolate & graham crackers. Fun fact, the actress who played Veruca based her character off of girls at her private school she "absolutely could not stand", & the kid actors would often apologize to each other in between takes for being so mean.
She even tried to comfort the boy playing Augustus because he was shivering so badly because they had to do many takes with him in the water which basically was freezing.
@@gryphman I like in this movie that we don't see what happens to the kids. It's in keeping with Wonka being a mysterious trickster type. By the end of the movie we know he has good intentions so we can infer the kids are probably fine, but the air of uncertainty remains, Wonka is a wildcard.
The remake didn't come together as a movie, I actually liked Depp's Wonka and Christopher Lee's dentist character was excellent, but the rest of the movie was flat and disjointed.
is eating an umpa lumpa cannibalism? I guess it falls into the same category as eating an Anthropomorphic animal but they look more humanlike so slightly worse?
Seriously, though, even in that day and age, how did no one question the idea of a middle aged man luring kids to his factory with the promise if free candy, the selecting one to live there with him "happily ever after". I mean, red flags much?
"So shines a good deed in a weary world." Charlie may not have been perfect, but he was GOOD, through and through- and I truly believe that this rendition of that character would live happily ever after.
My husband, literally every time we get to Grandpa Joe's song about how he's been laying around for twenty years letting his daughter support the whole family: TAKE YOUR MOTHER TO THE FACTORY, CHARLIE! (seriously, though, when I was a kid her "cheer up, Charlie" song was always just boring, but as an adult, it kills me to think of how hard her life is and how all she wants is for her son to be sheltered from the realities of adulthood a little longer.) Also, Gene Wilder is a gem among men and this movie is flawless.
Nah, in the book, Charlie's dad is still alive and works in a toothpast factory, screwing on the caps on the toothpaste tubes, while Mrs. Bucket takes in washing to make ends meet and Charlie has his paperroute, of course. They're still poor, of course. Ridiculously so (this is Roald Dahl, after all), since they are described as living is some hovel and only eating cabbage soup, but the point about Grandpa Joe is this: three of the four elderly (really elderly, they're all in their high eighties, if not nineties) people are frail and old and done with life, waiting for death and Mr. and Mrs. Bucket are too worn out and bowed down with worry. But Grandpa Joe is different; he believes in miracles. He's the one who filled Charlie's imagination with images of Wonka and his strange factory. He encouraged Charlie to believe that, even though he only opened a single Wonka bar, he had as much chance on winning as any other child. Charlie's parents didn't. They love him and want the best for him and work their fingers to the bone for him, but Grandpa Joe has been fascinated by Wonka for most of his life and has transferred that fascination and belief in the magical to Charlie. It's only fitting that the old man gets to go to the factory that he has been dreaming of for decades. Mrs. and Mr. Bucket don't give two hoots about that factory, or Wonka or chocolate; they only care to be able to keep a roof over their heads and to keep their loved ones fed. A noble cause, but not a magical one.
@@mrdoctorgilmore First of all, it was a remake, not a sequel. And second, grandma Josephine clearly had dementia or Alzheimer's in the remake. Also, what do you mean "faking it"? If your referring to how easily Joe is able to get out of bed in the remake, it's just showing that he was so happy for Charlie that he was able to get out of bed. He wasn't faking it, it was just a colorful way of showing how excited he was for Charlie.
Ashleigh's reactions without a filter are the reason we see her twice a week, thrice in October. "I'd let Gene Wilder pull my hair." Yes, Ashleigh, you said the quiet part out loud.
My realization was that it was all a scam to con a gullible child into inheriting the company along with the mountain of debt in fines from all the health code violations.
@@jmoon6909 They're only violations if you get caught... and good luck to any inspector trying to get in! Besides, Oompa Loompas clearly aren't human- human rights laws have yet to be extended to them, while as mentioned everyone else signed the waiver.
I always loved hearing about the Behind the Scenes of this film. Like the fact that the actor who played Augustus didn't speak a lick of English and struggling through the couple of lines he had, or the actor who played Mike Teevee admitting he was a little shit that annoyed everyone on the set, or the two girls competing with each other because they both had a crush on Charlie. Plus of course, all the wonderful things they had to say about Gene Wilder. Was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and still is.
My favorite was finding out that when Willy Wonka yelled at Charlie and Grandpa Joe for his transgression, that was unexpected in order to get a more shocked reaction from the both of them. In rehearsal, Gene merely delivered the lines in a more calm, but stern and disappointed voice.
@@JL-sm6cg love how great this movie is directed and letting you from the beginning as Willy Wonka said "Surprises at every door" the whole movie is saying "Don't get too comfortable cause you're going on a roller coaster" Films like this are classics
"Things that you did not see coming", Gene INSISTED he be allowed to do that roll at the introduction to Willy or he'd walk. He wanted to make it immediately clear that you can expect anything with him.
My girlfriend calls that "the unreliable narrator". It's a writing trope that keeps the reader, or in this case, viewer, guessing, and never quite sure where things are going.
Gene Wilder was so amazing in this movie. Everything he was in is fantastic, but this was one of his best roles. People to this day still consider him to be the actual Willy Wonka.
For years, I always predicted there'd be a remake of this, and that Tim Burton would make it... Boy howdy, was I disappointed when I saw what he came up with. Johnny Depp is a great actor, but just misses completely with his portrayal of Wonka.
@@Kainlarsen I think Johnny Depp was miscast. Tim Burton's usually a lot better with that kind of thing, so I don't know what happened there. The movie wasn't terrible, but it could have been a lot better if they had gone with say, ROBIN WILLIAMS.
Wilder also contributed writing. That bit where he originally limps on a cane, then falls and somersaults up, was his own. And he insisted on it. He thought it set the tone for Wonka.
It's funny that I don't think about it more often, but the line “So shines a good deed in a weary world” means a lot to me. Doing the right thing, whether it's a big or small thing, can be the ray of light someone else needs to see in that moment, even if we never know it. We walk through life casting both light and shadows on other people. Charlie wasn't perfect. He made mistakes, but he also restored Wonka's ability to feel hope.
I read a nonfiction book about suicide jumpers on the Golden Gate Bridge. There was an excerpt from a jumper's diary that said 'im so lonely, if just one person smiles at me on the way there I won't do it'. That person ended up jumping.
A tinker was a tradesman who typically repaired household items, mainly pots and pans. They were generally tinsmiths but having other skills like grinding razors and scissors wouldn't be unheard of either. Usually they were itinerant or traveling workers, hence the cart.
15:40 I adore how she set it so that her little inset window is over the kid with similar-colored hair, so that it looks as though Gene is playing with Ashleigh's hair. If that was not intentional, then it is 100% more awesome!
10:43 About why they don’t interview him: Beyond the fact that the ticket ends up being fake, there’s actually a subtle joke going on. You see, the picture they use for the guy who faked finding a golden ticket is actually a picture of Martin Bormann, head minister of the Nazi Party & Hitler’s private secretary. They describe him in the film as a “gambler from Paraguay” as a joke about all the Nazis who escaped to Argentina & other parts of South America. Admittedly, it’s a bit of an unexpected joke to be in a movie like this, but it’s there for people who spot it.
Roald Dahl, the author of the book, also wrote the script for the movie. He had a very quirky sense of humour - every time I watch this, I see something new. Incidentally, this was the first movie I ever saw at the cinema (in 1971, when I was 5).
13:42 That moment with the cane getting caught in the brick, Willy falling, rolling, then springing back up was completely Gene Wilder's idea. And he believed in it so much that he actually said he wouldn't do the movie if they didn't let him do it. When they asked him why, it was because he believed it was a crucial character moment for Wonka. He said it was important because from that moment on both the children and the audience wouldn't know if they could believe anything Wonka said or showed them.
Gene was a wonderful husband and support to Gilda. He is a legend. His guest star on Will & Grace got him an Emmy. RIP GENE AND GILDA. 🌹 I just love that u love Gene. 💞
Yes Gene Wilder insisted on singing Pure Imagination to give his character authenticity. To give Willy Wonka the hopeful interior while showing a sad and lonely exterior. I loved Gene Wilder growing up something about his presence gives every character a rememberable performance that stays in your head for decades.
15:31 You swooning when you hear Gene Wilder's singing voice for the first time is priceless. Yes, that was really him and he had an amazing singing voice.
Yup. His wife protested outside of "The Witches"(original, not the crappy remake)because they gave it a happy ending, when the boy from the story was supposed to remain a mouse forever. I think one of the few movie adaptations he liked was the animated "BFG"(he actually gave it a standing ovation when he saw it in theatres.)
Roald Dahl is a British legend when it comes to children's books. Almost all of his classics are movies now with remakes even. Every book was read to us in primary schools 🥰 his house is now a walk around museum
Gene's summersault was his unscripted adlib, that surprised everyone on set, including the director. Of course, it was movie magic! One of his best films is 'SILVER STREAK'!
it was scripted and genes one demand, actually. He said he wouldn't do the movie if he couldn't do the scene his way. He said from the first time seeing Wonka its important for the audience to know they can't trust him.
@@eansba88- The part about WIlder wanting that scene put in the movie is true and it was technically scripted. HOWEVER, it was also the first time that everyone in the cast had ever seen him in person, so their reactions to his somersault are genuine.
While "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was my first Gene Wilder movie (saw it in the theater), "Silver Streak" will always be my favorite. Gene gets to play the romantic lead as the quintessential "everyman" and is a great homage to Alfred Hitchcock films. Also, the first teaming with Richard Pryor.
The author of the book was Roald Dahl, who besides being an author, was also a fighter pilot in the RAF in WWII, a diplomat and a spy...he knew Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. His works were dark but varied. He also wrote "James and the Giant Peach," "Matilda," "The BFG," and "The Witches," all of which were also turned into films. I strongly recommend "The Witches," which was filmed twice. (The first variation starred Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson, and was the last film Jim Henson (the creator of The Muppets) produced before his untimely death.)
He was also an anti-semite. Oh and the the Oompa-Loompas were originally going to be dark-skinned.....From Africa. I think I just heard your childhood being crushed.... Surprised Wonka hasn't been cancelled yet. But then Dr. Seuss made anti Japaneses war propaganda and snuff films for soldiers..... How else can I can ruin favorite authors?
@Brad1980 Everyone's a little bit racist and prejudiced against someone else. That includes me and you. Are you brave enough to admit it? Or are you a coward and a liar too?
My favorite short story I've read from him has to be "The Landlady." Won't give it away, it's just *chef's kiss* in use of subtext and suspense surrounding what seems an ordinary sort of conversation and situation.
@@erikjohnson3859 Everyone is prejudiced, whether from within or without. I too have struggled with it. Most who choose to not admit this human failure are lying.
20:06- I found out a few years ago that "Snozzberries" were a British slang term for 8===D when the book was written; making this scene so much funnier than when I was a kid (and my parents a little less wholesome than I remember.)
Joe Laying in bed for 20 years [literally never getting out]: How did he use the bathroom? How does he still have any muscle mass in his legs whatsoever?
I think the intention is that they were basically sleeping all the time to reduce the amount of food they needed to live, considering that the family was getting by on cabbage soup with insufficient cabbage...
Gene Wilder really is amazing in this film. He finds the perfect balance between whimsy, creepy, psychotic and funny. There is a subtle dark tone to the movie that I can really appreciate.
He told the story at his "Inside the Actors' Studio" interview that, when he got offered the part, he insisted on doing the fake fall/roll at his character's entrance. When the director asked why, he answered "the audience won't ever know when I'm lying." Perfection.
"So is Willy Wonka crazy?" A question we have been asking ourselves since our childhood. And if you've ever wondered why Gen X is so messed up, the boat scene.
Hi Ashleigh :) This was the first movie I EVER saw in a theater. It was 1971 and I was 6 years old. I loved it, and I kept asking to go to the real Wonka chocolate factory. My brother Marc was 16, and could have been really cruel about it, but he told me that the factory was too far away and we couldn't afford to go. The same year, I went to McDonalds for the first time, Looking for McDonaldLand , because I wanted to meet Ronald. As a disabled kid, I was encouraged to have a VERY vivid iimagination... Which eventually turned me into a writer in school. So this movie is healthy for the creative mind. :)
Yup,…first movie here too. I was 5. Second movie ,..five years later “Jaws”,…..when I need a boost to feel young and good,…my 2 go to movies,..Willy Wonka ,…and the goonies.Timeless treasures!!!!!
I am 60 years old. I have a younger sister and we shared a room growing up. I read her the book at night tell she fell asleep then pick up the next night were I left off. We both loved the book then saw the movie. One of my favorites. The scene when they enter the fantastical room made every kids jaw just drop.
First, Gene singing Pure Imagination is something wonderful, so you're not alone Ashleigh. Second, I have an unanswered question about the film (never read the book) that took me too long realize that I should've asked; what did "Slugworth" offer Varuca Salt? All the other characters were from middle-class or poor families, so that money made a tempting offer, but Varuca's family is so wealthy that her father used ONE of his factories and at least a hundred employees to sort through Wonka bars. As a spoiled brat that would never understand the value of a dollar or what work truly is, Varuca wouldn't care in the slightest about the proffered money, regardless of the sum. The shady man had to have offered her something else. And it couldn't have been a lifetime-supply of chocolate, because her father could buy her that whenever she demanded it. Besides, she was most likely self-assured she would win the grand prize. That is probably the reason she showed up to the factory in the first place, to deny others and to be the only, the most envied, most talked about, most elite individual to have the one the only prize of its kind in the world; why else compete in such a competition and visit a strange, most likely dirty factory, miles from any glamourous locale? Yet you can tell in the experimentation room, she eagerly put out a hand for a gobstopper and crossed her fingers when making her (empty) promise. So she clearly wanted to hand over the confection to the fake Slugworth. What could that man offer her that she would actually care about and her parents couldn't buy her? A cinematic mystery for the ages...
@@chrissandoval7675 Mostly irrelevant. She doesn't think of it as her father's wealth because while he "legally" controls it, she completely controls him. It doesn't have to be your money if you have full control of the one who has the money. To her, there'd be no difference.
@@timm1328 That...might not be far off the mark. Not sure if that's exactly it, but a personal slave that NOBODY else in the world has? That might do it.
11:08 Fun fact: Cars still have six headlights, just in a more compact style. Two turn signals, two headlights, and two high beams. Also two tail lights, two blinkers, and often two brake lights in the back, but sometimes just one central brake light at the base of the rear windscreen. That’s a lot of lights, and that’s just on the outside. Think about the durable bulbs in your dash panel that likely haven’t failed to this day.
Yeah I always thought that they died. But remember in the end that Wonka actually assured Charlie that they're all going to be fine and hopefully wiser than when they came
6:31 "that was weird". That's a dueling scar. For generations in German-speaking countries, upper-class young men it universities would join student societies, kind of like snooty fraternities, which included dueling with swords among their traditions. Getting a scar on your face like that was a status symbol, showing that you were brave, even attractive in a way like an eye patch. Anyway that's why stereotypical German villains often have them.
I met Gene Wilder - I may have shared this story on another reaction where you mentioned him. I lived in New York and went into a deli. I saw this older guy that looked like Gene Wilder, I was almost certain it was him, but I'm not going to get all fan-girl about it because you hear about how it bugs people. He obviously went to that deli enough that the staff was addressing him by name. One of them asked him how his day was going and he said, "Just going to visit Gilda today." Now this was in the mid 2,000s. So even 20 years after her dead Gene was still going to Gilda's grave. That broke my heart. I wish now that I had approached him. I learned after that encounter that he loved meeting his fans. He's also a favorite of mine. For a good Gene Wilder movie check out Stir Crazy with Richard Pryor. The two of them made a few movies together and Stir Crazy is absolutely the best and I always found it hilarious. (I just found your channel 3 months ago and now searched for Stir Crazy and see you reacted to it 8 months ago, haha....guess what I'm watching next?!)
Especially items made from tin, hence the name. A "tinker's dam[n]" might refer to a small dam made of clay to hold molten solder in place during a repair.
When my sister and I watched this as kids, we both couldn't understand why Charlie didn't take his mom to the factory instead of Grandpa Joe. I guess it makes sense story-wise, but she deserved it a helluva lot more than him.
I would have brought my mom too, but I rationalized Charlie's choice as that mom was too tired from work to want to go and had nothing to wear, while Grandpa Joe had not commitments.
@@matthewgillies7509 Charlie's mother didn't "work" in the conventional sense. That is, she wasn't paid for any work she did around the Bucket house. She kept the home up and took care of the grandparents, which is probably the reason she didn't go. Also, I can't remember if it's in the book or not, but in the remake with Johnny Depp, Charlie's grandpa Joe worked for Wonka, giving him a solid reason for being the one who took Charlie to the factory.
I am a 46 year old "Charlie". I want to see the good in the world, despite the bad that has happened to me. Thank you for all of your wonderful reactions!! You are definitely my favorite part of every day.
An absolutely fantastic book. There is a second book, “Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator.” The author also wrote “James And The Giant Peach,” “Matilda,” and “The Friendly Giant.”
He wrote another called "Danny the Champion of the World" which was another one of my favorites. It's about a boy and his single dad, who live in an old Romani caravan car. There is no "magic" or fantasy in it, but about their relationship and what happens after Danny discovers his dad regularly poached pheasants in England, and he gets involved in it. Hijinx ensue, of course
@@cboscari, Yes! My teacher read Danny, The Champion Of The World to us in elementary school (and James, as well as The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and both of the Charlie books). Danny was a great book. Dahl was so great at crafting compelling characters in the midst of satire. Dahl actually had his own Romani caravan on his property. I believe that he sometimes used it as his writing office. Thanks for prompting these old memories for me!
This movie is one of my childhood favorites. A "tinker" was someone who repairs pots, pans and other utensils. The movie was released in 1970, and Richard Nixon was President. Gene Wilder came up with the Willie Wonka intro scene himself. He wanted to emphasize that you could never be sure what Wonka would do, by having him come out limping with a cane, then do a flip and jump up. I suspect you thought the blueberry girl was blonde is because she was blonde, in the remake (which I don't like nearly as well as this version). Veruca Salt's actress performed the song "I Want it Now" on her 14th birthday. She later used to call her daughter "Veruca" every time the daughter was acting bratty! I've been to the German city featured in the ending (Nordlingen, Bavaria), and it's every bit as gorgeous in person as it is in the movie!
The real star of this is Charlie's teacher Mr Turkentine, played by the late, great David Battley: "I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest...."
@@LG123ABC I agree, is it our duty to push her to watch it?! I can see her reaction now... "That was sgreat, never really heard of it but it was a good story, action, effects and surprises.. hahaha
True story: Sammy Davis Jr. wanted to play the role of the candy store owner, because he wanted to perform the song "candyman" but the producers felt he was too famous for the role. Nevertheless, Davis added the song to his live act. Also, if you want more Gene Wilder singing, check out "The adventures of Sherlock Holmes' younger brother"
Sammy's version of the song was released as a single in the United States... Anthony Newley (one of the co-writers of the music) hated how the actor sang it in the movie, thought about recording it himself, and instead, Mike Curb (who worked with The Osmonds) made a deal for Sammy to record it... It was Sammy's first #1 hit in a long time (he was in his late 40s) and it made him some good money & a new, younger fan base... LOVE Sammy Davis Jr. ...
sorry for to kill your theory but 70s movies + about a +succesful bussinesman + rich +influencial+ respected+ peolple loved +society morale pillar+ envied+ BLACK chocolatier, who adopt a poor blond kid ... ooops where is my white-pointy-hat-mask ?
The scene where Willy Wonka comes out the factory sets up the Entire movie, it makes you (even if only subconsciously) not trust that anything is at it seems and gives multiple interpretations to all sorts of things that happen. It was a masterstroke addition that takes the film from good to iconic.
Never scared me. I was eight when this movie came out and I saw it in theaters. Even then, I think I had a decent sense of wonder, and just thought the boat scene was kinda cool. My GF, though, was terrified of Violet's "expansion".
13:17- Slugworth has a dueling scar on his face. In Germany from 1920s thru 1950's- they had 'Dueling Societies' where upper class swordsmen would fight each other for status. They didn't have much in the way of safety equipment. So if you have a big ol' sword scar - it's a mark of honor. You got slashed in the face by a sword and lived to show it. A 'tough guy to take seriously.' mark.
This movie had a weird crossover with my life. As a kid I had a couple of part time jobs (about 5-6 hours a week) so I always had a jingle in my pocket. On a lark I bought a fund raiser candy bar from a friend. It had a golden ticket-see Willy Wonka for free. Took the ticket to the theater and voila!! So, no, I didn't get a tour of the factory but I did have a connection with the character of Charlie.
"I would give my left kidney, to be on a boat, on a chocolate river, staring at Gene Wilder." I love, that you love, Gene Wilder. Also, the look on your face when he began to sing, was priceless.
The child actress who played Violet, blew up like blueberry balloon, and was addicted to gum has an interesting connection to a reaction you did from long ago. Violent, Denise Nickerson was the first child actor offered the role of Regan in The Exorcist. Her parents read the script and fled in horror with their child.
Interestingly, Annasophia Robb (who plays Violet Beauregarde) does a reference to Linda Blair's backwards Exorcist walk when she moves all around outside after being de-juiced. It is interesting how Denise's parents were so against her auditioning for Reagan from the Exorcist yet, 'yes, sure, let us our daughter suffer a huge humiliation turning into a big fat blueberry' and she was on set and off set. Her classmates even laughed after her when her makeup returned when she went back to school.
The man with butcher knives on his cart was a “tinkerer” he is the man you would flag down on the road to fix your old pots and sharpen your kitchen knives. Yeah my dad used to tell us about them when he lived in the city as a kid and he is in his 70s now, so not that long ago. He also had a man who would deliver ice to his house for the ice box. The whole Willy Wonka tumbling scene was improvised by Wilder. He didn’t tell anyone what he wanted to do but he convinced them to just keep filming. The crowd’s reaction was genuine. Wonka’s office is to show how he is half a mind about everything.
I was totally just waiting to see her reaction to Gene singing his first song. He did have a beautiful voice for that song. That scene was excellent. And her reaction to him singing was exactly what I expected.
I didn't watch this movie until recently, despite being a couple years older than her and growing up with parents who really instilled a love for old movies in me. But I remember 'Pure Imagination' being played in a car commercial and I had to track down that song because I was absolutely mesmerized by it. Of course I was super surprised once I found out it is Gene Wilder singing and that it's from this movie!
Fun fact: Gene Wilder's entrance as Wonka was a condition for them to get Gene the part. In an interview about it he said "If I were to play that part, I want to come out with a cane, and there's something wrong with my leg and come down the stairs slowly and then have the cane stick into one of the bricks that are down there. And then get up, start to fall over, then roll into a somersault and jump up." Gene's explanation of why he wanted this was that it would throw off the audience and the characters. "I knew from that time on, no one would know if I was lying or telling the truth."
I'm a sci-fi and horror buff (I started watching this channel because of the Halloween season but stuck around because the commentary is enjoyable) so this film is not my usual fare, but it is genuinely one of my favourite films of all time. I saw it 30 years ago and its just as magical watching it now at almost 38. It'll always hold a special place in my heart. R.I.P Gene, you were the greatest.
They did a broadway musical on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They used three songs from this film in it... "Pure Imagination", I've Got a Golden Ticket", and "The Candyman Can". It broguht me right back to my childhood when I used to watch this movie. The kids actually die in the play. One thing I didn't realize, was how subtle Gene Wilder's performance was. Love it.
So, "fun" fact. this movie was filmed the year before OSHA regulations came into effect (they had been passed, but there was a grace period before they needed to be followed to allow time to bring things to code) the scene with the wonka-mobile spraying soap on them actually caused a delay in shooting as most of the actors had a bad reaction to it. People have a theory that since the movie is set in the same year, that Wonka was trying to get rid of the factory before he was liable for the severe breaches in regulations.
@@VME-Brad true, but it does seem very European! I mean, they hardly made any effort to change how the town they filmed looked, which was in Austria if I remember right.
it's a take on the gag from the jack Benny radio show. jack gets mugged, and the guy says "your money or your life!" .... silence ... he says again "I said, your money or your life!" and jack says slowly "I'm thinking it over."
I've always questioned why she had a case of unsearched Wonka bars lying around in the first place. I mean, given her obvious interest in finding one, it seems she would've rifled through them the moment they were delivered. Still a great gag though.
yes yes yes!!! Ashleigh wondering if Gene Wilder is going to sing and then seeing him sing is iconic. _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory_ is such a classic movie. And love that they didn't show the cast the chocolate room until they filmed that scene, so they got an authentic reaction!!
Ashleigh I believe a tinker is someone who sells metals on the street to make a living. Also, Richard Nixon was the president when this movie came out. It came out in 1971.
One of my favorite movies with Gene Wilder in it is “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”. One of the characters is blind and the other is deaf (Gene Wilder’s character). It is really funny and both characters are great. The villain in the movie kind of gives me Carmen Sandiego vibes.
A 'tinker' is someone who mends metal objects and tools. Until not all that long ago, you'd have people who would travel around and fix people's pots, pans, knives and other tools for them.
It's also the trade where the surname "Cutler" comes from - someone who services and works with any tool that holds an edge. Can still see carts like that at open markets and festivals.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Ashleigh: Does Gene Wilder sing in this?
Me: she is going to flip her lid.
MY LID HAS BEEN FLIPPED.
@@awkwardashleigh That makes quite a mess. Hope Hubben is there to help you clean it up.
@@awkwardashleigh 🍩
Funny, that's what I thought when she talked about wanting to be on the boat. :-D
@@awkwardashleigh I was surprised you didn't know this was a musical! Also Snozzberries is slang for nuts! Like the nuts boys have.
Gene Wilder was such a caring man, when his family was asked about why they kept his Alzheimer’s diagnosis a secret they said he didn't want to disappoint “the countless young children that would smile or call out to him, ‘There’s Willy Wonka” or expose them to the cruel realities of the disease and "He simply couldn’t bear the idea of one less smile in the world"
he was a brave dude, darkest days towards the end of his life, but he didnt want anyone frowning, took it like a champ.
Wow what an amazing man. Gene really was a true talent that could do so much comedy drama he has a good voice too. R.i.p. gene. Too many legends have been passing away.
That's one of the most touching facts i have ever seen. I had no idea Gene Wilder was such a brave and caring Man.
His relationship and caring for Gilda Radner as she slowly died from ovarian cancer is also another example of how brave and caring he was.
I can believe that about him.
I used to be a truck driver and in many truck stops there is a tv room. One day I was in a tv room by myself and put this on. By the end of the movie I realized there were well over 2 dozen other truck drivers also watching it with me. Good times.
I think that's cool. Sometimes truckers get a bad rap, but that goes to show we are ALL kids at heart ❤
Dude, that's awesome. Stuff that tough guy/girl toughness that trucky's are known for. You are prime example of someone that is a big kid at hard.
That's adorable 🥺
That's the most wholesome thing I've ever heard.
@@julier4140 I don't understand WHY truck drivers get a bad rep. They are the ones that makes the world go round.
Fun fact: In the scary tunnel scene, Gene Wilder was the only one who knew what was happening.
so the actors reaction looking freaked out was real. They didnt know about genes song or the anything. Hence if you watch closely you can see the actors just stop acting and just watch gene freaked out
@@walters9620 a lot like the chest bursting scene from Alien
😂
Bollocks! 😂😂
having worked in a chocolate factory for 34 years now i need to say i was conned, its nothing like willie wonka made it out to be
You are not conned. If you were old enough to begin working at a chocolate factory, you were old enough to know that movies are different then real life. Especially a movie with Willy Wonka!
@@steelionx9255 r/woooooooooosh
it more like the opening credits.
@@steelionx9255 they were joking...
@@steelionx9255 they was joking… literally stfu
Fun fact: when Gene was in his last years, he stayed out of public life (Gene was suffering from Alzheimer's his last years) and all public knowledge of his prognosis was kept silent because "He simply couldn't bear the idea of one less smile in the world."
that is the saddest of fun facts
Hardly a "fun" fact
Never knew a young Jon Bon Jovi was in this movie
"Stop...don't come back" has been one of my favorite lines for the 35+ years I been alive...his delivery is spotless!
its "Stop, wait, comeback" yawn". Perfect delivery
Also, "The suspense is terrible! .....I hope it'll last....." He's not actually eating popcorn. Idk what he's eating, but he may as well be 😅🍿
@@jal2550 lol no, it's clearly "Stop, don't, come back"
@@jal2550 he says it twice. I think 'wait' was the first one and 'dont' was the second
Gene’s autobiography is incredible. It’s especially great on audiobook. He did the narration himself.
I cry anytime I listen to that audiobook, and audiobooks rarely make me emotional.
The most amazing thing to me about this movie is that Peter Ostrum had a fun time playing Charlie, and got offers afterward for no less than a dozen kids' films. But he decided to reject them all, give up show business, and became a veterinarian. How many times in the history of moviemaking have we seen that? I think it was a commendable decision.
That is quite amazing!
That’s up there with Kelly Reno, who played Alec in The Black Stallion growing up to become a rancher.
Also the kid who played Benny the jet Rodriguez in “The Sandlot” he’s a firefighter 👨🚒
Carrie Hein, who played Newt in Aliens, did the same rejection of Hollywood.
And the kid who played young Forrest Gump grew up to join the military.
The reaction of the kids to seeing the Chocolate Room was genuine. They were kept away from the set until ready to film so as to capture their genuine wonder. Violet and Veruca had quite a feud going on during filming as they both fancied Charlie.
And their reaction to the farryboat scene was genuine.
There were a lot of reactions that were genuine. Willy Wonka limping out of the factory and doing the summer salt was improved and genuine, Willy Wonka snapping at Charlie was also genuine, Gene didn’t tell him he was going to do that.
Didn’t they reference this feud in the remake?
In the book or the actual actors?
@@anakamarvelous during filming as they said
Fun fact: Gene would only accept the role under the condition that no one knows what he is about to do or say, so that their reactions would be real: his intro with the cane, the boat ride, and when he yells at Charlie, all those facial reactions were 100% genuine.
The kid who played Charlie was on the verge of tears when he went off on him, it was so unexpected
And the limp, forward roll, was his idea.
He also insisted on his introduction scene. He reasoned that if, in his first appearance, he blatantly lies to everyone, nobody will know if they should ever trust him again.
I freaking cried when Wonka yelled at Charlie. So I guess it got the job done.
@@TheDunnDusted So did the kid. The tears were completely genuine. Gene felt bad about it later, but said it was better than robbing him of the chance to have that performance as an actor.
@@Sam_on_UA-cam And since Peter Ostrum had no acting experience before making this movie, that motivation actually helped him. I'm 100% sure Gene gave him the biggest hug after the scene was completed though.
Absolute classic. My favorite chocolate bar was the Wonka bar, chocolate & graham crackers. Fun fact, the actress who played Veruca based her character off of girls at her private school she "absolutely could not stand", & the kid actors would often apologize to each other in between takes for being so mean.
Ok, this I did not know, and I absolutely love how sweet the kids were with each other
And she is so great as Veruca!
She made the best Veruca!
She even tried to comfort the boy playing Augustus because he was shivering so badly because they had to do many takes with him in the water which basically was freezing.
I know that technically the remake is more faithful to the book but this version is by far more memorable and iconic
Yeah never liked that one. One of the few bad roles of Johnny Depp
Just because you're faithful to the book doesn't mean it's going to be a good movie. Some people don't seem to recognize that.
The one thing the remake does do right is showing the other kids leaving the factory.
@@gryphman I like in this movie that we don't see what happens to the kids. It's in keeping with Wonka being a mysterious trickster type. By the end of the movie we know he has good intentions so we can infer the kids are probably fine, but the air of uncertainty remains, Wonka is a wildcard.
The remake didn't come together as a movie, I actually liked Depp's Wonka and Christopher Lee's dentist character was excellent, but the rest of the movie was flat and disjointed.
The look on your face when Gene starts singing.... PRICELESS.
Ashleigh's ovaries exploded when Gene started singing.
Clean up on aisle my panties, amirite.
@@awkwardashleigh sploosh!
@@awkwardashleigh 😂😂😂
@@awkwardashleigh Oh my..
*monocle falls out
@@awkwardashleigh I'm stealing this for future use.
Ashleigh: I’d be taking a bite out of everything in that room.
Gene Wilder: 😬
“Everything in this room is edible! Even I am edible, but that’s cannibalism and it’s frowned upon in most societies.”
is eating an umpa lumpa cannibalism? I guess it falls into the same category as eating an Anthropomorphic animal but they look more humanlike so slightly worse?
It'd all go to waste anyway. Candy is meant to be eaten or it becomes stale and will go bad
"Don't forget what happened to the man who got everything he always wanted. He lived happily ever after." RIP Gene
Still makes me tear up
A wonderful line from a wonderful person.
Seriously, though, even in that day and age, how did no one question the idea of a middle aged man luring kids to his factory with the promise if free candy, the selecting one to live there with him "happily ever after". I mean, red flags much?
@@greenpeasuit That was a more innocent time, TBH.
"I'd let Gene Wilder pull my hair!"
Now I've got Headly Lamar from Blazing Saddles in my head going: "Kinky!" 😋
Ashleigh loves Froggie. Froggie love Ashleigh?
@@alanmackie7012 Riiibit! Ribit!
"So shines a good deed in a weary world." Charlie may not have been perfect, but he was GOOD, through and through- and I truly believe that this rendition of that character would live happily ever after.
That quote is so profound it wasn’t until now that I fully understood it
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka is so special
Stop, don't, come back.
@@whovianhistorybuff Lol, that too XD
your face when you saw Gene start singing in the candy room was EVERYTHING and just made my day.
My husband, literally every time we get to Grandpa Joe's song about how he's been laying around for twenty years letting his daughter support the whole family: TAKE YOUR MOTHER TO THE FACTORY, CHARLIE! (seriously, though, when I was a kid her "cheer up, Charlie" song was always just boring, but as an adult, it kills me to think of how hard her life is and how all she wants is for her son to be sheltered from the realities of adulthood a little longer.)
Also, Gene Wilder is a gem among men and this movie is flawless.
Nah, in the book, Charlie's dad is still alive and works in a toothpast factory, screwing on the caps on the toothpaste tubes, while Mrs. Bucket takes in washing to make ends meet and Charlie has his paperroute, of course. They're still poor, of course. Ridiculously so (this is Roald Dahl, after all), since they are described as living is some hovel and only eating cabbage soup, but the point about Grandpa Joe is this: three of the four elderly (really elderly, they're all in their high eighties, if not nineties) people are frail and old and done with life, waiting for death and Mr. and Mrs. Bucket are too worn out and bowed down with worry. But Grandpa Joe is different; he believes in miracles. He's the one who filled Charlie's imagination with images of Wonka and his strange factory. He encouraged Charlie to believe that, even though he only opened a single Wonka bar, he had as much chance on winning as any other child. Charlie's parents didn't. They love him and want the best for him and work their fingers to the bone for him, but Grandpa Joe has been fascinated by Wonka for most of his life and has transferred that fascination and belief in the magical to Charlie. It's only fitting that the old man gets to go to the factory that he has been dreaming of for decades. Mrs. and Mr. Bucket don't give two hoots about that factory, or Wonka or chocolate; they only care to be able to keep a roof over their heads and to keep their loved ones fed. A noble cause, but not a magical one.
I can relate miriam my mom was a single mom everytime i hear that song now i think of her like a musical hug from the heavens movie is the best!!
Could be worse in the sequel, it turns out all of the grandparents where faking it, Grandma Josephine is just the worst.
@@Smallpotato1965 I think the point is, if Grandpa Joe can get out of bed (and he could), he could help out with the expenses by going back to work.
@@mrdoctorgilmore First of all, it was a remake, not a sequel. And second, grandma Josephine clearly had dementia or Alzheimer's in the remake. Also, what do you mean "faking it"? If your referring to how easily Joe is able to get out of bed in the remake, it's just showing that he was so happy for Charlie that he was able to get out of bed. He wasn't faking it, it was just a colorful way of showing how excited he was for Charlie.
Ashleigh's reactions without a filter are the reason we see her twice a week, thrice in October. "I'd let Gene Wilder pull my hair." Yes, Ashleigh, you said the quiet part out loud.
Charlie's reaction to Gene yelling at Joe is real. The director forbade Gene from telling him about this scene beforehand. And Gene really wanted to.
Watching Ashleigh swoon over Gene Wilder singing was worth the price of admission alone! My fave vid so far! :D
Free?
How much did you pay?
18:00 I love how every seat on the boat was taken. Any time there’s a vehicle, there isn’t enough room had any of the missing children made it.
Becoming an adult is realizing Willy Wonka owning a chocolate factory and holding a contest to humiliate bad children is a great idea lol
And their parents possibly too >_>;;
And realizing schnoz berries are a euphemism for gentlemenly bits.
@@ThePorpoisepower thumbs up for the phrase "gentlemanly bits"
Very good.
My realization was that it was all a scam to con a gullible child into inheriting the company along with the mountain of debt in fines from all the health code violations.
@@jmoon6909 They're only violations if you get caught... and good luck to any inspector trying to get in!
Besides, Oompa Loompas clearly aren't human- human rights laws have yet to be extended to them, while as mentioned everyone else signed the waiver.
"Her voice feels like a warm hug." Nailed it.
I always loved hearing about the Behind the Scenes of this film. Like the fact that the actor who played Augustus didn't speak a lick of English and struggling through the couple of lines he had, or the actor who played Mike Teevee admitting he was a little shit that annoyed everyone on the set, or the two girls competing with each other because they both had a crush on Charlie. Plus of course, all the wonderful things they had to say about Gene Wilder. Was one of my favorite movies as a kid, and still is.
My favorite was finding out that when Willy Wonka yelled at Charlie and Grandpa Joe for his transgression, that was unexpected in order to get a more shocked reaction from the both of them. In rehearsal, Gene merely delivered the lines in a more calm, but stern and disappointed voice.
Fun facts is great
@@JL-sm6cg love how great this movie is directed and letting you from the beginning as Willy Wonka said "Surprises at every door" the whole movie is saying "Don't get too comfortable cause you're going on a roller coaster"
Films like this are classics
"Well, four of these children are just darling, and the fifth one I'm going to shoot in the head tomorrow."
"Things that you did not see coming", Gene INSISTED he be allowed to do that roll at the introduction to Willy or he'd walk. He wanted to make it immediately clear that you can expect anything with him.
"Because from that point on, no one will know if I'm lying or telling the truth."
- Gene Wilder
My girlfriend calls that "the unreliable narrator". It's a writing trope that keeps the reader, or in this case, viewer, guessing, and never quite sure where things are going.
@@hughmorris7557 And it worked perfectly, thus Ashleigh thinking "Something is off about him."
Man I miss Gene.
Gene Wilder was so amazing in this movie. Everything he was in is fantastic, but this was one of his best roles. People to this day still consider him to be the actual Willy Wonka.
For years, I always predicted there'd be a remake of this, and that Tim Burton would make it...
Boy howdy, was I disappointed when I saw what he came up with. Johnny Depp is a great actor, but just misses completely with his portrayal of Wonka.
@@Kainlarsen I think Johnny Depp was miscast. Tim Burton's usually a lot better with that kind of thing, so I don't know what happened there. The movie wasn't terrible, but it could have been a lot better if they had gone with say, ROBIN WILLIAMS.
Wilder also contributed writing. That bit where he originally limps on a cane, then falls and somersaults up, was his own. And he insisted on it. He thought it set the tone for Wonka.
I loved Tim Burton's and Johnny Depp's as well.
The guy and the computer kills me everytime. "Let's see what happens if I promise to share the grand prize" 😂😂😂
That's Tim Brooke-Taylor
"Is that kid gonna be okay?"
No, Ashleigh. No. None of those kids are gonna be okay.
It's funny that I don't think about it more often, but the line “So shines a good deed in a weary world” means a lot to me. Doing the right thing, whether it's a big or small thing, can be the ray of light someone else needs to see in that moment, even if we never know it. We walk through life casting both light and shadows on other people. Charlie wasn't perfect. He made mistakes, but he also restored Wonka's ability to feel hope.
I love it when characters quote Shakespeare.
I read a nonfiction book about suicide jumpers on the Golden Gate Bridge. There was an excerpt from a jumper's diary that said 'im so lonely, if just one person smiles at me on the way there I won't do it'. That person ended up jumping.
Gene was so much more then a brilliant actor. He was a unique person and the legendary Gilda Radner’s husband.
One of the last of those great "utility infielder" actors. Comedy, Drama, Sing and Dance, able to do anything effortlessly.
@@proehm Like Danny Kaye, Donald O'Connor and Julie Andrews.
@@thomast8539 Danny Kaye is a name I haven't heard in decades, that brings back memories
A tinker was a tradesman who typically repaired household items, mainly pots and pans. They were generally tinsmiths but having other skills like grinding razors and scissors wouldn't be unheard of either. Usually they were itinerant or traveling workers, hence the cart.
Ashleigh openly thirsting after Gene throughout this whole video was just what I needed this afternoon 😂 You’re not weird, luv. I totally get it 💗
We've all got our crushes... I don't judge. I'm here for it. :D
She should watch a few Gene Kelly musicals sometime. Talk about a man that could get it! Whoo!
@@sewthernbelle It’s all in the Genes.
Yup, same here 🤭
The smile when Ashley sees Gene - good thing he's passed on Blake!
Welcome, Ashleigh's reaction to Gene singing "Pure Imagination", We've been expecting you.
😍😍😍🤤🤤🤤
Ashleigh: "Sometimes I wonder what the hell's wrong with me."
Ashleigh: "Not my problem!"
Love it (and your commentaries)!
15:40 I adore how she set it so that her little inset window is over the kid with similar-colored hair, so that it looks as though Gene is playing with Ashleigh's hair. If that was not intentional, then it is 100% more awesome!
I noticed that too! 😂😂
10:43 About why they don’t interview him: Beyond the fact that the ticket ends up being fake, there’s actually a subtle joke going on. You see, the picture they use for the guy who faked finding a golden ticket is actually a picture of Martin Bormann, head minister of the Nazi Party & Hitler’s private secretary. They describe him in the film as a “gambler from Paraguay” as a joke about all the Nazis who escaped to Argentina & other parts of South America.
Admittedly, it’s a bit of an unexpected joke to be in a movie like this, but it’s there for people who spot it.
How did I miss that? Good eye on you!
That’s crazy! I never would’ve caught it!
Roald Dahl, the author of the book, also wrote the script for the movie. He had a very quirky sense of humour - every time I watch this, I see something new. Incidentally, this was the first movie I ever saw at the cinema (in 1971, when I was 5).
I never knew that.
TIL...
13:42 That moment with the cane getting caught in the brick, Willy falling, rolling, then springing back up was completely Gene Wilder's idea. And he believed in it so much that he actually said he wouldn't do the movie if they didn't let him do it. When they asked him why, it was because he believed it was a crucial character moment for Wonka. He said it was important because from that moment on both the children and the audience wouldn't know if they could believe anything Wonka said or showed them.
It was a genius idea, it sets the tone for the whole rest of the movie.
Possibly the greatest introduction of a character in cinematic history.
Gene was a wonderful husband and support to Gilda. He is a legend.
His guest star on Will & Grace got him an Emmy. RIP GENE AND GILDA. 🌹
I just love that u love Gene. 💞
Yes Gene Wilder insisted on singing Pure Imagination to give his character authenticity. To give Willy Wonka the hopeful interior while showing a sad and lonely exterior. I loved Gene Wilder growing up something about his presence gives every character a rememberable performance that stays in your head for decades.
15:31 You swooning when you hear Gene Wilder's singing voice for the first time is priceless. Yes, that was really him and he had an amazing singing voice.
Now she's gonna buy the movie soundtrack.
Note: Roald Dahl is known for extremely weird, dark twists in his stories.
and he hated the movie version of his book so much that he refused to allow them to adapt Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Cf. James and the Giant Peach.
Yup. His wife protested outside of "The Witches"(original, not the crappy remake)because they gave it a happy ending, when the boy from the story was supposed to remain a mouse forever.
I think one of the few movie adaptations he liked was the animated "BFG"(he actually gave it a standing ovation when he saw it in theatres.)
@Always Watching - I do. So do billions of people, but they may not know exactly what a snozzberry is to say they know.
Roald Dahl is a British legend when it comes to children's books. Almost all of his classics are movies now with remakes even. Every book was read to us in primary schools 🥰 his house is now a walk around museum
Gene's summersault was his unscripted adlib, that surprised everyone on set, including the director. Of course, it was movie magic! One of his best films is 'SILVER STREAK'!
"I can't pass for black!"
it was scripted and genes one demand, actually. He said he wouldn't do the movie if he couldn't do the scene his way. He said from the first time seeing Wonka its important for the audience to know they can't trust him.
@@eansba88- The part about WIlder wanting that scene put in the movie is true and it was technically scripted. HOWEVER, it was also the first time that everyone in the cast had ever seen him in person, so their reactions to his somersault are genuine.
While "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was my first Gene Wilder movie (saw it in the theater), "Silver Streak" will always be my favorite. Gene gets to play the romantic lead as the quintessential "everyman" and is a great homage to Alfred Hitchcock films. Also, the first teaming with Richard Pryor.
The author of the book was Roald Dahl, who besides being an author, was also a fighter pilot in the RAF in WWII, a diplomat and a spy...he knew Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. His works were dark but varied. He also wrote "James and the Giant Peach," "Matilda," "The BFG," and "The Witches," all of which were also turned into films. I strongly recommend "The Witches," which was filmed twice. (The first variation starred Anjelica Huston and Rowan Atkinson, and was the last film Jim Henson (the creator of The Muppets) produced before his untimely death.)
He was also an anti-semite. Oh and the the Oompa-Loompas were originally going to be dark-skinned.....From Africa. I think I just heard your childhood being crushed.... Surprised Wonka hasn't been cancelled yet. But then Dr. Seuss made anti Japaneses war propaganda and snuff films for soldiers..... How else can I can ruin favorite authors?
@Brad1980 Everyone's a little bit racist and prejudiced against someone else. That includes me and you. Are you brave enough to admit it? Or are you a coward and a liar too?
My favorite short story I've read from him has to be "The Landlady." Won't give it away, it's just *chef's kiss* in use of subtext and suspense surrounding what seems an ordinary sort of conversation and situation.
@@jlex1049 So you lie and out yourself as a dumb racist completely unprompted? Yikes.
@@erikjohnson3859 Everyone is prejudiced, whether from within or without. I too have struggled with it. Most who choose to not admit this human failure are lying.
20:06- I found out a few years ago that "Snozzberries" were a British slang term for 8===D when the book was written; making this scene so much funnier than when I was a kid (and my parents a little less wholesome than I remember.)
Joe: lays in bed for 20 years, not helping the mother
Joe after Charlie wins a ticket: Oh look, I can stand now.
Joe Laying in bed for 20 years [literally never getting out]:
How did he use the bathroom?
How does he still have any muscle mass in his legs whatsoever?
@@MGmirkin There was a bed pan under the bed.
@@crystalsnow1138 Which makes the complete refusal to help around the house even worse; woman cleaned up his excrement!
That plot convience hits hard
I think the intention is that they were basically sleeping all the time to reduce the amount of food they needed to live, considering that the family was getting by on cabbage soup with insufficient cabbage...
Gene Wilder really is amazing in this film. He finds the perfect balance between whimsy, creepy, psychotic and funny. There is a subtle dark tone to the movie that I can really appreciate.
That is true of all of Roald Dahl's books. The film captured that tone very well.
He told the story at his "Inside the Actors' Studio" interview that, when he got offered the part, he insisted on doing the fake fall/roll at his character's entrance. When the director asked why, he answered "the audience won't ever know when I'm lying." Perfection.
"So is Willy Wonka crazy?" A question we have been asking ourselves since our childhood. And if you've ever wondered why Gen X is so messed up, the boat scene.
How do you explain the problem with Millennials then? The 1970's have nothing on how messed up Millennials turned out to be.
@@jeffburnham6611 They got to watch Willy Wonka and Watership Downs and Neverending Story as kids too.
He's eccentric, not crazy. Money makes all the difference.
Hi Ashleigh :)
This was the first movie I EVER saw in a theater. It was 1971 and I was 6 years old. I loved it, and I kept asking to go to the real Wonka chocolate factory. My brother Marc was 16, and could have been really cruel about it, but he told me that the factory was too far away and we couldn't afford to go. The same year, I went to McDonalds for the first time,
Looking for McDonaldLand , because I wanted to meet Ronald. As a disabled kid, I was encouraged to have a VERY vivid iimagination... Which eventually turned me into a writer in school.
So this movie is healthy for the creative mind. :)
Yup,…first movie here too. I was 5. Second movie ,..five years later “Jaws”,…..when I need a boost to feel young and good,…my 2 go to movies,..Willy Wonka ,…and the goonies.Timeless treasures!!!!!
I am 60 years old. I have a younger sister and we shared a room growing up. I read her the book at night tell she fell asleep then pick up the next night were I left off. We both loved the book then saw the movie. One of my favorites. The scene when they enter the fantastical room made every kids jaw just drop.
First, Gene singing Pure Imagination is something wonderful, so you're not alone Ashleigh.
Second, I have an unanswered question about the film (never read the book) that took me too long realize that I should've asked; what did "Slugworth" offer Varuca Salt?
All the other characters were from middle-class or poor families, so that money made a tempting offer, but Varuca's family is so wealthy that her father used ONE of his factories and at least a hundred employees to sort through Wonka bars. As a spoiled brat that would never understand the value of a dollar or what work truly is, Varuca wouldn't care in the slightest about the proffered money, regardless of the sum. The shady man had to have offered her something else. And it couldn't have been a lifetime-supply of chocolate, because her father could buy her that whenever she demanded it. Besides, she was most likely self-assured she would win the grand prize. That is probably the reason she showed up to the factory in the first place, to deny others and to be the only, the most envied, most talked about, most elite individual to have the one the only prize of its kind in the world; why else compete in such a competition and visit a strange, most likely dirty factory, miles from any glamourous locale?
Yet you can tell in the experimentation room, she eagerly put out a hand for a gobstopper and crossed her fingers when making her (empty) promise. So she clearly wanted to hand over the confection to the fake Slugworth. What could that man offer her that she would actually care about and her parents couldn't buy her?
A cinematic mystery for the ages...
Very good points.
wealth independent from her father's.
he promised her an Oompa Loompa
@@chrissandoval7675 Mostly irrelevant. She doesn't think of it as her father's wealth because while he "legally" controls it, she completely controls him. It doesn't have to be your money if you have full control of the one who has the money. To her, there'd be no difference.
@@timm1328 That...might not be far off the mark. Not sure if that's exactly it, but a personal slave that NOBODY else in the world has? That might do it.
A Very rare Gene Wilder AND Harrison Ford film is a comedy western called: Frisco Kid. This is not a joke.
Very fun movie. The Indian scene dancing kills me every time.
Ashleigh: "Im in love with Gene Wilder"
Hubbin yelling in the background: "What am i, chopped liver?"
11:08 Fun fact: Cars still have six headlights, just in a more compact style. Two turn signals, two headlights, and two high beams. Also two tail lights, two blinkers, and often two brake lights in the back, but sometimes just one central brake light at the base of the rear windscreen. That’s a lot of lights, and that’s just on the outside. Think about the durable bulbs in your dash panel that likely haven’t failed to this day.
When Gene Wilder sings Pure Imagination you just can't help but feel all nostalgic and happy/sad all at the same time... He was mesmerising
Yeah I always thought that they died. But remember in the end that Wonka actually assured Charlie that they're all going to be fine and hopefully wiser than when they came
Idk why but “we are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams” is one of my favorite lines of any movie.
He's basically telling her to shut up in the best way.
its been sampled in some awsome songs
@@iconocast any recommendations?
It's the first lines from the poem "Ode," written by Arthur O'Shaughnessy in 1873. The whole poem is nine stanzas long.
For the record, I am a “mature” black woman and I am crazy about Gene Wilder, especially in this movie! I don’t know why, and I don’t care. 🥰
The boat tunnel scene nearly 50 years later is still legit terrifying!!!
6:31 "that was weird". That's a dueling scar. For generations in German-speaking countries, upper-class young men it universities would join student societies, kind of like snooty fraternities, which included dueling with swords among their traditions. Getting a scar on your face like that was a status symbol, showing that you were brave, even attractive in a way like an eye patch. Anyway that's why stereotypical German villains often have them.
Like Siegfried, he got his in a duel in Hieldberg, with his brother.
Wilder said that parents didn't like the movie when it came out, but the kids got it. It's very much a lesson for all children big and small.
"Sometimes I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. Not my problem!"
I'm dead! XD
She fits right in with Wonka...
"Oh my god, I would give my left kidney, to be in a chocolate river, on a boat, staring at Gene Wilder" ❤️ Everything you say I agree with 💯%
I met Gene Wilder - I may have shared this story on another reaction where you mentioned him. I lived in New York and went into a deli. I saw this older guy that looked like Gene Wilder, I was almost certain it was him, but I'm not going to get all fan-girl about it because you hear about how it bugs people. He obviously went to that deli enough that the staff was addressing him by name. One of them asked him how his day was going and he said, "Just going to visit Gilda today." Now this was in the mid 2,000s. So even 20 years after her dead Gene was still going to Gilda's grave. That broke my heart. I wish now that I had approached him. I learned after that encounter that he loved meeting his fans.
He's also a favorite of mine. For a good Gene Wilder movie check out Stir Crazy with Richard Pryor. The two of them made a few movies together and Stir Crazy is absolutely the best and I always found it hilarious. (I just found your channel 3 months ago and now searched for Stir Crazy and see you reacted to it 8 months ago, haha....guess what I'm watching next?!)
God that breaks my heart, but its so sweet, too. Mr. Wilder was such a good man.
A tinker is a person who is handy with repairing items.
He also sharpened knives.
Especially items made from tin, hence the name. A "tinker's dam[n]" might refer to a small dam made of clay to hold molten solder in place during a repair.
A tin worker was called a tinker
When my sister and I watched this as kids, we both couldn't understand why Charlie didn't take his mom to the factory instead of Grandpa Joe. I guess it makes sense story-wise, but she deserved it a helluva lot more than him.
Simple: she couldn't afford the time off.
I would have brought my mom too, but I rationalized Charlie's choice as that mom was too tired from work to want to go and had nothing to wear, while Grandpa Joe had not commitments.
@@matthewgillies7509 Charlie's mother didn't "work" in the conventional sense. That is, she wasn't paid for any work she did around the Bucket house. She kept the home up and took care of the grandparents, which is probably the reason she didn't go. Also, I can't remember if it's in the book or not, but in the remake with Johnny Depp, Charlie's grandpa Joe worked for Wonka, giving him a solid reason for being the one who took Charlie to the factory.
I guess Grampa was the male role model for Charlie.
@@johnw8578 technically, yes. But, in both the remake and the book, Charlie has a father. I'm not sure why he wasn't included in this movie.
I am a 46 year old "Charlie". I want to see the good in the world, despite the bad that has happened to me. Thank you for all of your wonderful reactions!! You are definitely my favorite part of every day.
An absolutely fantastic book. There is a second book, “Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator.” The author also wrote “James And The Giant Peach,” “Matilda,” and “The Friendly Giant.”
He wrote another called "Danny the Champion of the World" which was another one of my favorites. It's about a boy and his single dad, who live in an old Romani caravan car. There is no "magic" or fantasy in it, but about their relationship and what happens after Danny discovers his dad regularly poached pheasants in England, and he gets involved in it. Hijinx ensue, of course
When he wasn't busy being a British spy.
@@cboscari yes! Loved that book also!
@@88wildcat yeah, didn't he write (r co-write) the screenplay to one of the James Bond films?
@@cboscari, Yes! My teacher read Danny, The Champion Of The World to us in elementary school (and James, as well as The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and both of the Charlie books). Danny was a great book. Dahl was so great at crafting compelling characters in the midst of satire. Dahl actually had his own Romani caravan on his property. I believe that he sometimes used it as his writing office. Thanks for prompting these old memories for me!
This movie is one of my childhood favorites. A "tinker" was someone who repairs pots, pans and other utensils. The movie was released in 1970, and Richard Nixon was President. Gene Wilder came up with the Willie Wonka intro scene himself. He wanted to emphasize that you could never be sure what Wonka would do, by having him come out limping with a cane, then do a flip and jump up. I suspect you thought the blueberry girl was blonde is because she was blonde, in the remake (which I don't like nearly as well as this version). Veruca Salt's actress performed the song "I Want it Now" on her 14th birthday. She later used to call her daughter "Veruca" every time the daughter was acting bratty! I've been to the German city featured in the ending (Nordlingen, Bavaria), and it's every bit as gorgeous in person as it is in the movie!
Wilder didn't just come up with his intro scene. He made it a condition of his playing the role.
@@catwhowalksbyhimself That's true. I didn't mention that detail in my original comment, as it was already very long...
A tinker is also a name for a spy
The real star of this is Charlie's teacher Mr Turkentine, played by the late, great David Battley: "I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest...."
He plays the inept wizard with a goosberry pie fixation in _Krull._
@@Umptyscope that where I remember him..Krull is so great, original fantasy movie that was also very scary/ creepy.. Liam Neeson s first role
Loved him in Krull. He also has a cameo in a Mr. Bean episode, as a miniature golf attendant.
@@bigtip8371 Krull is great. Has Ashleigh reviewed it yet? If not, she should!
@@LG123ABC I agree, is it our duty to push her to watch it?! I can see her reaction now... "That was sgreat, never really heard of it but it was a good story, action, effects and surprises.. hahaha
21:00 "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" "Egg doesn't fall far from the *cloaca*" ;-)
True story: Sammy Davis Jr. wanted to play the role of the candy store owner, because he wanted to perform the song "candyman" but the producers felt he was too famous for the role. Nevertheless, Davis added the song to his live act. Also, if you want more Gene Wilder singing, check out "The adventures of Sherlock Holmes' younger brother"
Hop, hop, come and do the Kangaroo Hop....
@@dandesmarais2190 I didn't know that that song was an actual song written in the early 1900s
Sammy's version of the song was released as a single in the United States... Anthony Newley (one of the co-writers of the music) hated how the actor sang it in the movie, thought about recording it himself, and instead, Mike Curb (who worked with The Osmonds) made a deal for Sammy to record it... It was Sammy's first #1 hit in a long time (he was in his late 40s) and it made him some good money & a new, younger fan base... LOVE Sammy Davis Jr. ...
@@vanessawhitneypro I believe Sammy Davis Jr also got a Grammy nomination for it. Such a fun and upbeat version of the song.
sorry for to kill your theory but 70s movies + about a +succesful bussinesman + rich +influencial+ respected+ peolple loved +society morale pillar+ envied+ BLACK chocolatier, who adopt a poor blond kid ... ooops where is my white-pointy-hat-mask ?
The scene where Willy Wonka comes out the factory sets up the Entire movie, it makes you (even if only subconsciously) not trust that anything is at it seems and gives multiple interpretations to all sorts of things that happen. It was a masterstroke addition that takes the film from good to iconic.
Right Willy even says "Surprises at every door "
Fun fact: it was Gene Wilder's idea, and he actually made it a condition of playing the role for exactly the reason you describe
The Boat Scene Is One That EVERYONE Remembers As Being UTTERLY Terrifying As A Kid
This. It scared the crap out of me as a kid.
Still creeps me out when I see that scene 😆
Never scared me. I was eight when this movie came out and I saw it in theaters. Even then, I think I had a decent sense of wonder, and just thought the boat scene was kinda cool. My GF, though, was terrified of Violet's "expansion".
I liked the boat scene. I like the helpless screaming.
Is it bad that of all the scenes that’s the one I was thinkin “ok, scary… however that’d be bitchin!”
13:17- Slugworth has a dueling scar on his face. In Germany from 1920s thru 1950's- they had 'Dueling Societies' where upper class swordsmen would fight each other for status. They didn't have much in the way of safety equipment. So if you have a big ol' sword scar - it's a mark of honor. You got slashed in the face by a sword and lived to show it. A 'tough guy to take seriously.' mark.
Cheer up Charlie is the most underrated song in this movie. It’s all about a mother’s wish for her children to be happy and it is so sweet.
Yep. The melody is really nice too. I wanna learn how to play it.
You have no taste in music.
@@Reggie2000 Why would you say that? Does hurting people's feelings make you feel good?
Its fine, but its still a sad song about a starving child stuck in the middle of a candy and wonder fantasy.
@@ThreadBomb If you like Cheer up Charlie, it's true.
This movie had a weird crossover with my life. As a kid I had a couple of part time jobs (about 5-6 hours a week) so I always had a jingle in my pocket. On a lark I bought a fund raiser candy bar from a friend. It had a golden ticket-see Willy Wonka for free. Took the ticket to the theater and voila!! So, no, I didn't get a tour of the factory but I did have a connection with the character of Charlie.
"I would give my left kidney, to be on a boat, on a chocolate river, staring at Gene Wilder." I love, that you love, Gene Wilder. Also, the look on your face when he began to sing, was priceless.
The child actress who played Violet, blew up like blueberry balloon, and was addicted to gum has an interesting connection to a reaction you did from long ago. Violent, Denise Nickerson was the first child actor offered the role of Regan in The Exorcist. Her parents read the script and fled in horror with their child.
Interestingly, Annasophia Robb (who plays Violet Beauregarde) does a reference to Linda Blair's backwards Exorcist walk when she moves all around outside after being de-juiced. It is interesting how Denise's parents were so against her auditioning for Reagan from the Exorcist yet, 'yes, sure, let us our daughter suffer a huge humiliation turning into a big fat blueberry' and she was on set and off set. Her classmates even laughed after her when her makeup returned when she went back to school.
She did have a spooky role, on Dark Shadows.
Gene made this movie what it is. The dark comedy he delivers is epic!
The buttercup was wax and wasn’t supposed to be eaten, Gene’s a beast.
Gene bit into it, chewed a bit, director called "Cut", and Gene spit it out.
I always thought that looked really good lol, I begged my mom to make me buttercup candy lol.
It really wouldn't have been that hard to make one out of sugar or something that he could actually eat.
Gene Wilder singing "...a world of pure imagination..." is in itself, enough to make this movie worth watching. Pure magic.
The man with butcher knives on his cart was a “tinkerer” he is the man you would flag down on the road to fix your old pots and sharpen your kitchen knives. Yeah my dad used to tell us about them when he lived in the city as a kid and he is in his 70s now, so not that long ago. He also had a man who would deliver ice to his house for the ice box. The whole Willy Wonka tumbling scene was improvised by Wilder. He didn’t tell anyone what he wanted to do but he convinced them to just keep filming. The crowd’s reaction was genuine. Wonka’s office is to show how he is half a mind about everything.
I was totally just waiting to see her reaction to Gene singing his first song. He did have a beautiful voice for that song. That scene was excellent. And her reaction to him singing was exactly what I expected.
I didn't watch this movie until recently, despite being a couple years older than her and growing up with parents who really instilled a love for old movies in me. But I remember 'Pure Imagination' being played in a car commercial and I had to track down that song because I was absolutely mesmerized by it. Of course I was super surprised once I found out it is Gene Wilder singing and that it's from this movie!
Fun fact:
Gene Wilder's entrance as Wonka was a condition for them to get Gene the part. In an interview about it he said "If I were to play that part, I want to come out with a cane, and there's something wrong with my leg and come down the stairs slowly and then have the cane stick into one of the bricks that are down there. And then get up, start to fall over, then roll into a somersault and jump up."
Gene's explanation of why he wanted this was that it would throw off the audience and the characters. "I knew from that time on, no one would know if I was lying or telling the truth."
I'm a sci-fi and horror buff (I started watching this channel because of the Halloween season but stuck around because the commentary is enjoyable) so this film is not my usual fare, but it is genuinely one of my favourite films of all time. I saw it 30 years ago and its just as magical watching it now at almost 38. It'll always hold a special place in my heart. R.I.P Gene, you were the greatest.
They did a broadway musical on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They used three songs from this film in it... "Pure Imagination", I've Got a Golden Ticket", and "The Candyman Can". It broguht me right back to my childhood when I used to watch this movie. The kids actually die in the play. One thing I didn't realize, was how subtle Gene Wilder's performance was. Love it.
So, "fun" fact. this movie was filmed the year before OSHA regulations came into effect (they had been passed, but there was a grace period before they needed to be followed to allow time to bring things to code) the scene with the wonka-mobile spraying soap on them actually caused a delay in shooting as most of the actors had a bad reaction to it.
People have a theory that since the movie is set in the same year, that Wonka was trying to get rid of the factory before he was liable for the severe breaches in regulations.
I came to say the same thing.
That Charlie was just a big fall guy for Willy to avoid a monumental payout.
but his factory isn't in America.
@@GedUK as far as i recall, it doesn't actually say where it is.
@@VME-Brad true, but it does seem very European! I mean, they hardly made any effort to change how the town they filmed looked, which was in Austria if I remember right.
@@GedUK for Charlie's house maybe. but the area around the factory looked very US midwest for the era.
When the wife says she needs to think it over about giving up those Wonka bars is the funniest part of the movie😂😂😂😂
it's a take on the gag from the jack Benny radio show. jack gets mugged, and the guy says "your money or your life!" .... silence ... he says again "I said, your money or your life!" and jack says slowly "I'm thinking it over."
@@rmhartman 😂😂😂
Takes me out every single time!🤣💀
I've always questioned why she had a case of unsearched Wonka bars lying around in the first place. I mean, given her obvious interest in finding one, it seems she would've rifled through them the moment they were delivered. Still a great gag though.
@@ladytrue1154 Yeessssss!!!!😂😂
yes yes yes!!! Ashleigh wondering if Gene Wilder is going to sing and then seeing him sing is iconic. _Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory_ is such a classic movie. And love that they didn't show the cast the chocolate room until they filmed that scene, so they got an authentic reaction!!
Ashleigh I believe a tinker is someone who sells metals on the street to make a living.
Also, Richard Nixon was the president when this movie came out. It came out in 1971.
One of my favorite movies with Gene Wilder in it is “See No Evil, Hear No Evil”. One of the characters is blind and the other is deaf (Gene Wilder’s character). It is really funny and both characters are great. The villain in the movie kind of gives me Carmen Sandiego vibes.
I never get tired of that film. I originally watched it because I'm such a Richard Pryor fan, but Wilder just won me over.
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a woman?
Thanks for the recommendation!
@@MagnoliaSimms80 The chick that kills the guy and frames it on them is who I’m talking about. I consider her to be THE villain of that movie.
A 'tinker' is someone who mends metal objects and tools. Until not all that long ago, you'd have people who would travel around and fix people's pots, pans, knives and other tools for them.
Didn't know that when I first saw the movie, so I thought it was just a creepy guy with a cart of knives, lol.
It's also the trade where the surname "Cutler" comes from - someone who services and works with any tool that holds an edge. Can still see carts like that at open markets and festivals.
@@genghispecan I've personally never heard of the name Cutler before, though I did go to school years ago with a girl with the surname Tinker.
Now, they break easier, often aren't made to even BE repairable, and just get thrown into the trash.
Saw this with two of the actors at Alamo in Lubbock. They did a Q&A after the movie. This movie is equally delightful and scarily trippy.
The audio commentary on the DVD, with the child actors reuniting as adults to watch the movie, is pretty great.