19 surprising facts about Raiders of the Lost Ark you probably didn’t know

When Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters in 1981, it introduced the whip-cracking archaeologist Indiana Jones and started one of the most popular film series in history. The film was a major critical and popular success. It earned the title of highest-grossing film of the year and several Academy Awards.

Its popularity remains strong. It is often named the best action-adventure in film history. We enjoy sharing movie magic facts, such as these 82 mind-blowing movie facts. Here are 19 surprising facts about the filming of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Improvised moments and animal actors

1. The famous scene in which Indy shoots the show-off swordsman was improvised. Harrison Ford had food poisoning at the time and was too ill to perform the stunt as planned. He suggested just shooting the sucker.

2. To get maximum creepy-crawliness for the scene where tarantulas crawl on Satipo’s back, the crew added a single female tarantula. Before adding her, the male tarantulas did not move.

3. R2D2 and C3PO make an appearance in the Well of Souls scene.

4. The name Indiana Jones comes from Marcia Lucas’ dog, Indiana. The dog also served as the inspiration for Chewbacca.

Iconic gear and practical effects

5. Indy’s hat is one of the most iconic pieces of headwear in film history. The hat was bought at the Herbert Johnson hat shop in Saville Row, London.

6. David Morgan crafted Indy’s whip. The company supplied over 30 bull whips of the 450 series for the first three movies.

7. The exploding head at the end used meat and liver for extra gore. It originally earned the film an R rating. The filmmakers added layers of fire in front to obscure the detail and lower the rating.

8. Toht’s melting face was created using a combination of gelatin, colored yarn for muscles and sinews, and alginate. It was melted using propane space heaters over 10 minutes and sped up in post-production.

The secrets of sound design

9. To create a realistic sound effect for body blows, the crew whacked a pile of leather jackets with a baseball bat.

10. The sound effects for the giant rolling boulder were created by holding a microphone near the tires of a Honda Civic as it coasted down a gravel embankment. The boulder itself was made of fiberglass.

11. For the snake scene in the Well of Souls, the crew bought every snake available from pet shops in London. It was not enough. They supplemented the numbers with legless lizards and pieces of hose.

12. Sound designer Ben Burtt created the sound of snakes writhing by sticking his fingers into a cheese casserole.

On-set challenges and casting

13. The capuchin monkey was uncooperative in giving the Nazi salute. The crew spent several days trying to get the shot. They finally used bribery. The scene in the film shows the monkey reaching for grapes.

14. The stare-down between Indy and the cobra was filmed with a sheet of glass between them. The cobra was angry and spit venom on the glass.

15. The Well of Souls scenes were filmed in the Overlook Hotel from The Shining.

16. Other actors considered for the role of Indy included Nick Nolte, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Tom Selleck, Chevy Chase, Tim Matheson, Nick Mancuso, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, and Jack Nicholson.

17. Danny DeVito was originally going to play Sallah. He dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Taxi.

18. The sound effects for the ghosts escaping the Ark were created by filtering the sounds of sea lions and dolphins through a vocoder.

19. Steven Spielberg has called Raiders of the Lost Ark his most “humbling” filmmaking experience, admitting that producer George Lucas’s original story treatment was so strong that much of the film practically directed itself.