10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About The Making Of Clue (1985)

Jonathan Lynn’s 1985 farcical whodunit murder-mystery Clue is one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s. The first cinematic release to be based on a board game, the film stars a stellar ensemble including Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, Lesley Ann Warren, Michael McKean, and Eileen Brennan.

When six strangers are invited to Hill House mansion for a dinner party one stormy evening in 1954 New England, they soon learn they’re involved in a complex blackmail/murder plot conducted by an unknown assailant. As the film celebrates its 35th anniversary this December, here are some behind-the-scenes facts about the making of it.

10 Tom Stoppard Screenplay

Once executive producer John Landis conceived the storyline for Clue, he approached famed playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard to pen the script. Stoppard worked on the project for a year before quitting and returning all of the money he’d been paid for his services.

When Stoppard departed the project, Landis sought legendary composer Stephen Sondheim and famous actor Anthony Perkins to write the screenplay, just as they did together on The Last of Sheila in 1973. However, both were too expensive. In the end, director Jonathan Lynn wrote the screenplay.

9 Casting Wadsworth

Tim Curry has claimed that Clue is his favorite movie of his own. However, according to an interview Lynn gave in 2009, the role of Wadsworth the Butler almost went to someone else entirely.

Lynn admitted that his original choice for the role of the motor-mouthed butler was English actor Leonard Rossiter. Sadly, Rossiter died in 1984 before pre-production began. Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson was then heavily considered for the role but was deemed too unfamiliar to American audiences by Paramount Pictures. John Cleese was also considered before Lynn asked Tim Curry, a friend since their teenage days, to play the role instead.

8 Carrie Fisher Originally Cast

According to Lynn in an interview giving for the 25th-anniversary screening of the film, Carrie Fisher was originally cast as Miss Scarlet, the immoral Madame who runs a brothel in D.C. However, a trip to drug-rehab four days before filming began forced Fisher to be replaced at the last minute.

Before Fisher was replaced, she tried to work out a furlough contract with Lynn to allow her to appear in the film. Her doctors signed off, but the production’s insurance company thought it too risky. Producer Jon Peters’ wife, Lesley Ann Warren, was cast in Fisher’s place at the zero-hour instead.

7 Three Endings

While most people are aware that Clue comes equipped with three different endings, the exhibition of which are not that well known. At the time of its theatrical release in 1985, a different ending was shown during each show. Newspapers in some cities would indicate which of the three endings (A, B, or C) would be exhibited.

On the VHS and DVD release of the film, all three endings are included and played back to back. There is also an option to randomly select one of the three various endings.

6 Singing Telegram Girl

In all three versions of Clue‘s ending, the Singing Telegram Girl is shot to death at the front door with the revolver. The woman who plays the victim is a famous rock singer.

Indeed, the Go-Go’s lead singer Jane Wiedlin plays the Singing Telegram Girl in Clue. The role marks her first appearance in a feature film, which led to small roles in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Sleeping Beauty, and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (as Joan of Arc).

5 Dead Peacock

Clue marked the first film Elieen Brennan made following her rehab stint for painkiller addiction. In Ending B, in which Mrs. Peacock (Brennan) is named as the killer, her ultimate fate had to be altered in postproduction.

Following her confession, Peacock leaves the mansion and is met by a throng of police. In the original edit, Mrs. Peacock is shot to death twice by the Chief of Police. When Paramount deemed the ending too dark, Elieen Brennan re-recorded a line about being a senator’s wife and her fate was changed from being murdered to being arrested. Still, smoke from the Chief’s gun-barrel can still be seen in the film.

4 Mr. Boddy

The primary plot of Clue revolves around the mysterious character Mr. Boddy and which of his blackmailees are bold enough to murder him. Believe it or not, the actor who plays Mr. Boddy was chosen for his punny namesake.

Mr. Boddy is played by Lee Ving, the lead singer of the punk rock band Fear. While Ving had some acting experience prior to Clue, he was cast on the basis of his stage name. That is, Mr. Boddy is Lee Ving (“Mr. Boddy is leaving”) is a direct clue to the movie’s plot, as Mr. Boddy’s death ignites the entire murder mystery.

3 Casting Yvette

For the role of attractive French maid Yvette, several high-profile actresses were considered. Among them include Madonna, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

According to a 2013 interview with BuzzFeed, Jonathan Lynn admitted that Colleen Camp was so eager to land the role that she arrived at the audion in a French maid outfit. Lynn also stated that while he was a fan of Camp’s comedic acting chops, her unavoidable voluptuous physique is what won her the job.

2 Dynasty Mansion

The mansion featured in Clue was shot on a set built specifically for the production. The only scenes that were not filmed on the set were the ones inside the ballroom, which were filmed on location in a house in Pasadena, California.

Once the production of Clue wrapped, the mansion set was bought by the production of the popular TV show Dynasty. The mansion was stripped and redecorated for use as the iconic Carlton Hotel featured prominently in the series.

1 Fourth Ending Filmed

A fourth and final ending to Clue was filmed but ultimately discarded from the final cut. In this version, Wadsworth admits to killing everyone in the house with a slow-acting poison that he secretly put in their cocktails.

Wadsworth also confesses he did so out of a sadistic need for perfection in his life. Afterward, Wadsworth is confronted by the Police Chief before being killed by the guard dogs as he tries to escape in his vehicle. In the movie, Wadsworth is noticeably absent when the guests check on Yvette screaming in the billiard room, which is when he would have poisoned their drinks.