Three decades ago, on February 12, 1993, Bill Murray relived the same day forever, when the groundhog from the town of Punxsutawney announces how long winter will last. Today, in order to celebrate this anniversary with dignity, let’s relive five production secrets of Harold Ramis’ feature film with Andy McDowell.
1 – Danny Rubin’s first screenplay pitched to Harold Ramis was a reflection on immortality, with the screenwriter thinking – rightly – that it would be cheaper to make a film about a day that repeats itself than about millennia that repeat themselves. flow. His first story was also much darker since Phil Connor, played by Bill Murray, committed suicide at the end and Rita, role played by Andie McDowell, was herself trapped in a time loop. Harold Ramis, interested in the concept, considerably reworked the original script with Danny Rubin, adding a number of comedic elements. It was also the balance between comedy and serious elements that was quickly the source of discord between Bill Murray and Harold Ramis on the set, the actor wishing to incorporate more serious moments. Fun fact, Bill Murray was not the first choice of Danny Rubin, who wanted Kevin Kline, nor even of Harold Ramis who had offered the role to … Tom Hanks.
2 – Impossible to shoot the film in Punxsutawney in Philadelphia, place of residence of the famous groundhog. For what? Quite simply because the town does not have a photogenic city center. So the team went to Woodstock, Illinois. Moreover, when we look carefully at the scene in which Phil sees Ned Ryerson, his former schoolmate, we can see a sign of jewelers with the mention of the name of the real city.
3 – Contrary to what one might think, the marmot – called Scooter – was not friendly. Bill Murray has always indicated that Scooter hated him and bit him no less than three times during filming, forcing him to get a rabies shot!
4 – How long does Phil get stuck in the time loop that makes him relive the day of February 2 indefinitely? Harold Ramis said he thought “30 or 40 years”, Danny Rubin estimated the number of years at 10,000. But according to scholarly scientific calculations, Bill Murray’s character spent about 12,000 days, or 33 years in the time loop. In the feature, it is mentioned that Phil experienced this Groundhog Day 38 times and the number of 414 days is also given.
5 – Every morning, Phil wakes up to the sound of “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher. The song was already an integral part of Danny Rubin’s first script. For what? Because the lyrics are repetitive and it’s a love song, which the screenwriter thought was relevant.
“Groundhog Day” is available through Prime Video, AppleTV+, Cineplexstore, GooglePlay and YouTube digital platforms.