A report on Trading Places

Theatrical release poster
Dan Aykroyd pictured in 2009. Paramount Pictures saw Aykroyd's success as tied to his partnership with the late John Belushi, and the studio did not want to cast him, but his previous work with director John Landis helped him to secure the role
The Curtis Institute of Music pictured in 2010. The building was used as the exterior of the Heritage Club where Winthorpe and Valentine first meet.
Winthorpe, Valentine, Ophelia, and Coleman retire with their gains to a tropical beach. The scene was shot on location in St Croix in the United States Virgin Islands.
Jamie Lee Curtis pictured in 2018. She was dismissed as only a horror film star before her critically well-received breakthrough performance in Trading Places.
Eddie Murphy pictured in 2010. His successes with 48 Hrs. and Trading Places elevated him to film superstardom.
A drawing from the 1882 novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. Trading Places is seen as a modern retelling of that story and Twain's 1893 short story The Million Pound Bank Note.

1983 American comedy film directed by John Landis, with a screenplay by Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod.

- Trading Places
Theatrical release poster

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Murphy at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival

Eddie Murphy

7 links

American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer.

American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and singer.

Murphy at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
Murphy in 1988
Murphy's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Murphy has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in 48 Hrs. (1982), the Beverly Hills Cop series (1984–present), Trading Places (1983), The Nutty Professor (1996), and Dolemite Is My Name (2019).

Landis at the 25th Anniversary for The Blues Brothers in 2005

John Landis

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American comedy filmmaker and actor.

American comedy filmmaker and actor.

Landis at the 25th Anniversary for The Blues Brothers in 2005
Landis at the 2022 Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna

He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed, such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and for directing Michael Jackson's music videos for "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).

Theatrical release poster illustrated by Drew Struzan

Coming to America

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1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role.

1988 American romantic comedy film directed by John Landis and based on a story originally created by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the lead role.

Theatrical release poster illustrated by Drew Struzan

After a dinner date with Lisa is thwarted when Semmi furnishes their apartment with a hot tub and other luxuries, Akeem confiscates his money and donates it to two homeless men.

Current logo since September 27, 2014

Saturday Night Live

5 links

American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol.

American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol.

Current logo since September 27, 2014
The original 1975 cast, from left to right: Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase
Showrunner Lorne Michaels
Comcast Building (30 Rockefeller Plaza, or "30 Rock") from which the show is broadcast
SNLs main stage, during rehearsal, 2008
Lorne Michaels and the cast of Saturday Night Live at the 68th Annual Peabody Awards for Political Satire 2008
Sinéad O'Connor tears a picture of Pope John Paul II apart during a live SNL performance

Murphy's star exploded, and he quickly appeared in films such as 48 Hrs. and Trading Places, before leaving for his film career in early 1984.

Aykroyd in 2009

Dan Aykroyd

4 links

Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer.

Canadian actor, comedian, producer, musician and writer.

Aykroyd in 2009
Aykroyd (right) on the set of The Great Outdoors, 1987
Dan Aykroyd in 1982
Bottle of Crystal Head vodka
Aykroyd's star on Canada's Walk of Fame

One of his best-received performances was as a blueblood-turned-wretch in the 1983 comedy Trading Places, in which he co-starred with fellow SNL alumnus Eddie Murphy and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Franken in 2015

Al Franken

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American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018.

American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018.

Franken in 2015
Franken entertaining troops at Ramstein Air Base in December 2000
Franken with Senator Paul Simon in 1991
Franken playing Saddam Hussein while entertaining service members in Iraq (2005)
Franken campaigning for the U.S. Senate in 2008
Franken at an election rally with Hillary Clinton in October 2008
Franken meeting with Vice President Joe Biden in May 2009
Franken during the 111th Congress
Franken in 2017
Franken in July 2017 (second from the left)

They also had minor roles in All You Need Is Cash and the film Trading Places, starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.

Paramount Pictures

2 links

American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global .

American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global .

Paramount Pictures' first logo, based on a design by its co-founder William Wadsworth Hodkinson, used from 1914 to 1967.
Lasky's original studio (a.k.a. "The Barn") as it appeared in the mid-1920s. The Taft building, built in 1923, is visible in the background.
Detail of Publix Theatre logo on what is now Indiana Repertory Theatre.
Paramount Pictures ad in The Film Daily, 1932
Artist Dario Campanile poses with a picture Paramount commissioned him in 1986 to paint for its 75th anniversary. The company later used the painting as a basis for its new logo. That logo was introduced as a prototype in the 1986 film The Golden Child; the 1987 film Critical Condition was the first to feature the finalized version of the logo. 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was the first to use an enhanced version of the logo, which was last used on 2002's Crossroads.
For its 90th anniversary, Paramount adopted the logo shown here. In 2012, it was used in tandem with the current one. This picture shows the 2010 modification of the logo, which includes Viacom's revised byline introduced in 2006. The first film to use the revised Viacom byline was Iron Man 2.
Paramount Showman's Pictures advertisement, 1925

Other examples are the Star Trek film series and a string of films starring comedian Eddie Murphy like Trading Places, Coming to America and Beverly Hills Cop and its sequels.

Curtis at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con

Jamie Lee Curtis

1 links

American actress, producer, author, and activist.

American actress, producer, author, and activist.

Curtis at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con
Curtis with her mother, Janet Leigh, in 1960
Curtis at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival
Curtis at the 1989 Primetime Emmy Awards
Curtis autographing a copy of her children's book in 2010
Curtis speaking at an event in support of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in September 2016

Curtis's film work spans many genres, including the cult comedies Trading Places (1983)—for which she won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress—and A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which she received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress.

Pryor in February 1973

Richard Pryor

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American stand-up comedian and actor.

American stand-up comedian and actor.

Pryor in February 1973
Publicity photo of Pryor for one of his Mister Kelly's appearances, 1968–1969
Pryor performed in the Lily Tomlin specials. He is seen here with Tomlin and Alan Alda in Tomlin's 1973 special.
Pryor performing in 1974
Pryor in 1986
Pryor in February 1986
Richard Pryor's star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, covered with items left by fans
Preston Jackson's Pryor in Peoria, Illinois

Pryor was also originally considered for the role of Billy Ray Valentine on Trading Places (1983), before Eddie Murphy won the part.

Timothy Harris (writer)

1 links

American author, screenwriter and producer.

American author, screenwriter and producer.

With Weingrod, Harris collaborated on several projects writing stories and screenplays for films such as Trading Places, Brewster's Millions, Twins, Kindergarten Cop and Space Jam.