A Clockwork Orange Movie Trivia

In the Film | Making of | Misc.

I was tired of seeing all kinds of wrong trivia quoted as gospel out there, so I compiled my own lists.

In the Film

Did you notice...?

The license plate on the Durango 95 is AV 485Q, which was fake for the film.
On the milk machines in the Korova there is a drawing of a naked woman and the nipples on her breasts are buttons to start the dispensing.
Graffiti on the mural in the lobby of Alex's building from left to right, "Ouch! That's a Treat", "Give us a kiss", "Suck it and See", "If it moves kiss it", "Oohh luvly!", "Hmm somebody's yarbles", "It has come", "Hard luv sun". There are also 7 phalluses, a tongue, socks on one guy and a 'Kilroy was here" face over a wall. This mural was made for the film.
When Alex returns home and says "I knew such lovely pictures" the hanging shots are from the 1965 Lee Marvin movie "Cat Ballou". Cat is being hung and after the trap door is pulled the preacher cuts the rope and she falls through and is caught by Clay. Sequence
When Em explains what it is that Alex does at night you can see the shot was filmed live on location because traffic goes by in the street below.
Kubrick didn't hide the fact that the record shop was the Chelsea Drug Store.
Everyone notices the 2001 A Space Odyssey Soundtrack from 1968 in the record shop. In fact it is the much rarer Polydor release with the Earth instead of the more common space station cover. Next to it is John Fahey "The Transfiguration of Blind Joe Death" from 1965 which features a version of "Bicycle Built For Two" which HAL sung in 2001. On the back wall is The Beatles "Magical Mystery Tour" from 1967. Could it be 2001 = future (setting of film, transfiguration = change that is coming to Alex very soon, mystery tour = the adventure Alex is going to take. Scan of record shop with close up album covers.
A sign on the door & register of the record shop reads, "Shops Act - We regret we are unable to serve customers after 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday & Saturday and after 6 p.m. on Friday" Filming Scan
Three paintings in Alex's parents house are by J.H. Lynch - Autumn Leaves, Nymph and Tina. Another is "Gypsy Girl" by Van der Syde.
The book on Mr. Alexanders' desk is "The Psychology of Learning."
The doorbell at Mr. Alexander's home is the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
The book Mrs. Alexander is reading when the doorbell rings is "Clerks and Craftsmen in China and the West: Lectures and Addresses on the History of Science and Technology" by Joseph Needham.
During Alex's prison check-in the only thing in the book at first is his number 655321. In the novel his number is 6655321.
The Inspector smokes Gold Leaf cigarettes.
Alex's Prison Cell is #23.
The bible quote the Chaplain says to Alex is from Proverbs 24:1, Alex finishes with verse 2. Depending which bible you read it is different such as, "Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief." In another is it, "Do not envy evil people, do not desire to be with them; for their hearts contemplate violence, and their lips speak harm."
The book on the Warden's desk when Alex is signing out is a1970s Almanac.
Upon Alex's release the headline in The Mirror is "Cat-Woman Killer Alex Freed."
When Alex goes to the river before the tramp notices him the number on the nearby boat is CK 167 for the Honis Building/Exporting.
The license plate on the Police Cruiser that takes Alex to the woods is XPE 283Q.
I have heard that the stock shot of the lightning bolt when Alex heads for HOME is from Ben Hur.
There is a sign on the gift basket Mr. Alexander gives Alex that reads "Eat Me" a reference to Alice in Wonderland.
Mr. Alexander's wheelchair was made by Everest + Hastings.
Nametags of the staff in the hospital at the end read Dr. P Taylor and Sir Lesly.

Making of

Dick Haydon was the stand in for Malcolm McDowell. He was the same size and looked a lot like him.
Only 4 sets were built for the film: the Korova Milkbar, the prison reception area, the mirrored hallway and bathroom of Mr. Alexander's house.
Kubrick insisted the milk in the milk dispensers were emptied, washed, and refilled every hour because the milk turned sour under the heat of the set lights.
After getting multiple canes broken over her during the filming of the rape scene was for the original actress quit and Adrienne Corri got the role after Kubrick was assured she had nice breasts. She refused to show them until she had the job.
The William Tell menage-a-trois scene lasts 40 seconds, but took 28 minutes to film at 2 frames per second.
Alex's snake Basil was not in the novel. Kubrick heard Malcolm had a fear of snakes and brought it on the set as a practical joke to scare him. Malcolm wasn't afraid of snakes so it backfired.
Kubrick put the 2001 soundtrack in the record shop to link to his previous film. Malcolm asked him to put the soundtrack to if.... next to it, but Kubrick refused.
Malcolm chose to sing "Singin' In The Rain" during the rape scene, because it was the only song he knew all the lyrics to. Later he said it was because it was the ultimate euphoric song.
"Singin' In The Rain" was from the 1952 MGM musical of the same name starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. The big scene has Kelly singing and dancing in the rain on a street and jumping on a lightpole.
In the novel Mr. Alexander is only referred to as F. Alexander. He is never called this in the film. Julian calls him Frank.
During the filming of the Ludovico scene Malcolm scratched one of his corneas, but didn't know until until he was driving home from the set that night and the anesthetic wore off. He said it felt like someone hammered a nail into his eye.
Malcolm suffered a cracked ribs during filming of Ludovico cure demonstration when Kubrick wanted Lardface to really step on him hard.
One of the newspaper articles about Alex's release lists his last name as "Burgess" as a tribute to the author Anthony Burgess. His last name is never given in the novel.
Malcolm nearly drown when he was unable to find the breathing apparatus hidden underwater in the trough when Dim and Georgie were dunking him. Since he was underwater he couldn't yell for help.
Mr. Alexander's bodyguard was played by professional bodybuilder David Prowse, who later played Darth Vader. He told Kubrick in advance he refused to do multiple takes of carrying Malcolm down the stairs and said to him, "Well, you aren't known as one take Kubrick."
Alex's suicide attempt was at Dolan's house, not Mr. Alexander's.
To film Alex's suicide attempt a Newman Sinclair camera enclosed in a custom built plastic box was thrown off a building two times and did not break.

Misc.

Anthony Burgess never sold the rights of the film to the Rolling Stones. In fact they never had the rights and the Stones had no interest in ever making the film. It was their manager Andrew Loog Oldham who was obsessed with the book and thought by saying the Stones wanted to do it he would be able to obtain the rights. He was wrong.
Terry Southern co-writer of Dr. Strangelove gave Kubrick the novel to read in 1963 when they were working on the film, but he put it on the shelf. When his lifelong dream of making the ultimate film on Napoleon had to put scrapped, Kubrick finally picked up the book in 1969 and went out and bought the rights.
The executive producers Max L. Raab and Si Litvinoff had nothing to do with the film and Kubrick never even met them. They owned the original rights to the film and part of the condition of Kubrick buying them was that they got their names on the film.
The first line in the book is by Alex "What's it going to be, eh?" He uses it again and again, but only the the prison chaplain says it in the film.
This was the first film to ever use the Dolby Laboratory noise reduction system during its theatrical run. Now every film uses it.
One of only two movies rated X on its original release to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and the only one to lose.
Became the first Warner Bros release ever to play for over a year in the West End of London.
The derelict casino was demolished a few months after they filmed there.
The Chelsea drugstore where the record shop scenes were filmed is now a McDonalds. It was first mentioned in the 1969 Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want." - "I went down to the Chelsea drugstore To get your prescription filled." It was also mentioned in the 1991 Kinks song "Did ya." - "Now the Chelsea Drugstore needs a fix, It's in a state of ill repair."

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