Trading Places is, in my opinion, the best and most underappreciated Christmas film ever made.
Given how well Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd got along, it’s almost a crime that we never saw them collaborate more. Not to mention that 25-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis, a stunning and exceptional actress, gave some scenes that will never be forgotten.
However, did you know that a number of the movie’s most amusing scenes were entirely accidental?
It really wouldn’t have worked if Trading Places had included any other actors. Everything came together flawlessly, resembling a rare planet alignment. This film is nothing short of amazing, from Eddie Murphy’s excellent comedy to Dan Aykroyd’s witty performance and Jamie Lee Curtis’s indelible presence at just 25 years old (yeah, she was smokin’ hot).
It was released about 40 years ago and is still regarded as a timeless classic. Do you think that’s possible? You would think that a film of that age would seem stale after forty years, but Trading Places never gets old. Its ongoing appeal is demonstrated by the fact that many fans even make it a Christmas ritual.
As we delve into the backstage tales, surprising bloopers, and obscure details that contribute to Trading Places’ current status as a comic masterpiece, stay tuned.
The film’s deeper message
In case you haven’t seen it, Trading Places is a well-known comedy from 1983 that tells the story of a crazy social experiment. Randolph and Mortimer Duke, two wealthy brothers, wager to see if a person’s success is determined by their personality or their surroundings.
They switch the lives of their affluent, privileged employee, Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), and a brash street vendor, Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy), in order to prove their theory.

Louis’s life is totally destroyed by the Dukes, who give Billy Ray all of his possessions, including his money, job, and prestige. In order to exact revenge on the Dukes and give them a lesson they won’t soon forget, Louis and Billy Ray team up with a cunning woman named Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) after realizing they’re being fooled.
It’s a witty, humorous film about class, greed, and the true nature of identity. Its deeper lessons, such as exercising caution while passing judgment on others, are still relevant today.
The screenwriters were inspired by a tennis match.
The concept for Timothy Harris and Herschel Weingrod’s book Trading Places was born in the early 1980s when Harris got to know two affluent (and extremely frugal) brothers who were always vying with one another.
Screenwriter Timothy Harris revealed that he and his two brothers, both of whom were doctors, used to play tennis. They were extremely annoying to play with since they were always fighting over anything, not just the game.
Harris came up with the notion to make this relationship into a tale and presented his literary partner, Herschel Weingrod, with the idea of brothers debating the “nature versus nurture” controversy. As they say, the rest is comedic gold.
Everything was changed by a bikini photo.
The initial plan was for comedic icons Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor to star in the story.
When that failed, director John Landis brought in Eddie Murphy, who was only making his Hollywood debut with this film, and Dan Aykroyd, with whom he had previously collaborated.
Ophelia is the only character in the script that I found problematic due to her extreme fantasy. How the fuck am I going to get away with this? She’s such a fantasy, the quintessential “hooker with a heart of gold.””,” Landis uttered.

When John Landis asked Jamie Lee Curtis for Ophelia, he was taking a risk. Although he first had her in mind for the part, the studio wasn’t on board. Curtis was most recognized at the time for her scream-queen parts in horror movies.
Curtis would be able to demonstrate that she was capable of more than just outrunning a slasher wearing a hockey mask in her first big-budget movie, a true A-list opportunity.
“I wasn’t wanted by anyone else. John Landis was the only one who said, “She’s going to play this part,” and I can assure you that without that moment, I wouldn’t have the profession I do now,” Curtis said.
Later, John Landis acknowledged that Curtis’ choice to perform a topless sequence contributed to the Paramount executives’ decision to reconsider. They believed it would help make the film more marketable after seeing a picture of her in a bikini.
John Landis was unaware of Eddie Murphy’s identity.
Director John Landis was unaware of Eddie Murphy’s identity at the time of the film’s casting. Although Murphy’s breakthrough movie, 48 Hours (1982), had not yet been released, the studio had previously seen it and knew he was going to be a big star.
“What do you think about Eddie Murphy for the role of Billy Ray Valentine?” Landis remembers being asked.In a lighthearted reply, he asked, “Who is Eddie Murphy?”
Eddie Murphy became one of Hollywood’s highest-paid and most sought-after comedians thanks in large part to the film. Murphy stated that he received $350,000 for his work, however some sources stated that he received up to $1 million.
Making Trading Places, he added, was the most enjoyable experience he had ever had on a film set. Every movie after that, he joked, felt more like “work.”
Have you ever heard this iconic joke from Eddie Murphy?
Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy played the Duke brothers, Randolph and Mortimer, in Trading Places, and they were perfect. With their cunning and conceit, these two affluent and naive elites propel the film’s notorious social experiment, making them the ideal antagonists you enjoy seeing receive what they deserve.
Remarkably, Bellamy and Ameche returned to their parts as the Dukes in Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America (1988), when they appear as homeless men in a humorous cameo. To assist them get back on their feet, Murphy’s character Prince Akeem offers them a large sum of money in a full-circle moment.
Oh, and here’s an interesting fact: Ameche’s 100th movie and Bellamy’s 99th was Trading Places. Eddie Murphy couldn’t help but joke, “The three of us have produced 201 films!Murphy humor at its best!
After three minutes, a nice detail
These days, it’s hard to locate comedies like Trading Places, especially from the 1980s. It’s been decades since anyone has managed to capture that ideal balance of heart and humor. Here’s an interesting twist: this comedy is set in Philadelphia rather than New York, as is the case with most comedies from the 1980s.
In fact, there was a rationale behind their decision to shoot in Philadelphia. Everything that represents America’s idealism, including the Constitution, the country’s founding, and the belief that everyone has the right to pursue happiness, was closely associated with the city.
Screenwriter Timothy Harris told Business Insider, “I thought it was a good way to highlight that, especially in the opening scene when you see the legless black guy.”
The opening montage also has another clever Easter egg for the astute spectator.
The famous Rocky statue can be seen if you pay great attention around the three-minute mark. It was initially spotted in front of the Philadelphia Spectrum arena in Rocky III (1982). It now hangs out at the base of the museum steps, where it has grown to be a major attraction for tourists visiting Philadelphia.
The enigma of the weather in Trading Places
They had to film in a snow-covered city during the first fifteen days of production in Philadelphia because of the extremely cold weather.
In a scene where Randolph and Mortimer pick up Valentine from prison, filmmaker John Landis was forced to sit in a tow truck while Ralph Bellamy, Eddie Murphy, and Don Ameche pulled the Rolls-Royce.

While the actors used a space heater to stay warm, Landis donned a heavy parka. The worst part is that Landis was using a radio to listen to their conversation!
However, if you watch later scenes, you’d believe they were shot somewhere else entirely. The streets of Philadelphia were suddenly dry and clear of snow.
An above view of Constitution Hall even reveals leafy trees and verdant grass. I’m sorry! It appears that the weather in Trading Places was just as erratic as the story turns.
The rule of Eddie Murphy
To regulate financial markets and stop anyone from utilizing insider information to manipulate the market, similar to what the Duke brothers attempted to do in Trading Places, a rule was introduced to the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act in 2010. This guideline is now referred to as the “Eddie Murphy Rule” because the film served as inspiration for it.
Oddly enough, Eddie Murphy acknowledged that he was simply acting out the script during the film’s tumultuous commodities trading scene. He said that commodities trading was too complicated for him to understand, thus he had no idea what was going on. Therefore, even though Eddie didn’t fully comprehend market manipulation, he did contribute to its education!
The return of a Hollywood icon
A Hollywood mainstay since the 1930s, Don Ameche typically played the slick, mustached protagonist. However, did you know that before making an appearance in Trading Places, the seasoned actor had taken a 13-year hiatus?
John Landis’s initial response upon learning that Don Ameche hadn’t produced a movie in thirteen years was, “Has he dead away?”

Ameche had never portrayed a villain in a movie before, so Landis specifically wanted him to play one, and Trading Places provided the ideal setting for that. Even though Ameche was well-known in Hollywood, he acknowledged that he had never heard of two of the hottest comedians at the time, Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.
Both Murphy and Aykroyd acknowledged that they knew very little about Ameche, so the sentiment was reciprocated! This entertaining bit of Hollywood history demonstrates how different eras and skill sets can coexist.
One scene was difficult because of religious views.
As a devoted Republican and a devoted Roman Catholic, Don Ameche felt uncomfortable using profanity because of his strong religious beliefs.
This got problematic when he had to yell, “F**k him!” at the end of the film.during a gathering of business leaders on Wall Street. In keeping with his values, Ameche refused to repeat the phrase for a second take and insisted on doing the sequence in a single take.
One line nearly was cut.
Some of the clichéd lines in the original script for Trading Places bothered Eddie Murphy. He believed that lines like “sucker” and “jive turkey” were unrealistic. He clarified that stereotypical speech would be used by a white writer writing for a black reader. In order to make his lines sound more natural, he altered a lot of them.
However, Murphy’s quip, “Who put their Kools out on my Persian rug?,” nearly got omitted.Murphy kept it in despite the studio’s concerns that it would be interpreted as racist because Kool cigarettes were mostly sold to African Americans.
Hair alternates between sides.
Many of the amusing moments in Trading Places were unplanned, which is not surprising given Eddie Murphy’s talent at improvisation.
For example, it wasn’t intended for Mortimer Duke (Don Ameche) to struggle to grab the money clip, but the performers simply went along with it, being true to their roles, and it ended up in the film.
Another interesting element is that one of the pictures is actually inverted horizontally while Mortimer Duke is signing the paychecks. He signals with his left hand initially, then his right, and then his left again. Additionally, his hair portion alternates between sides. Has anyone else noticed this minor error?
The real story of Sweden’s Inga
Do you recall when Ophelia, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, introduced herself as “Inga from Sveden”? Well, there was some confusion behind the scenes. Her co-stars thought it was a little strange for a “Swedish” persona to be wearing lederhosen, which is actually traditional in German-speaking nations!
Jamie Lee Curtis struggled with the Austrian accent, so they decided to go with a Swedish touch instead, which is how the whole “Swedish” disguise came to be.
Jamie Lee Curtis’s thoughts on the nude scene
Jamie Lee Curtis had her first nude scene in the comedy, and later that year, she performed another topless performance in Love Letters (1983).
Jamie Lee Curtis was rather assured about her topless moment in an interview from 1990.
In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, she even remarked, “My breasts are beautiful, and I gotta tell you, they’ve gotten a lot of attention for what is relatively short screen time.”

However, by 2022, her viewpoint had somewhat shifted. In a retrospective interview with People, Curtis acknowledged, “I was 21 years old and the part required Ophelia to take off her dress.” Did I like the process? No. Was I ashamed that I was doing this? Indeed.
Now that she is older, she couldn’t fathom performing a naked scene once more: “I was single at the time, but I have been married for 37 years. I have children of my own. “Definitely not,” Curtis said.
Fashion gaffes and family ties
You can see that Ophelia is wearing pantyhose when she brings Louis to her flat at about minute 58 of the movie. However, she is simply wearing underwear when she takes off her garment.
Did you also know that Jamie Lee Curtis’ sister, Kelly Curtis, plays Penelope’s (Kristin Holby) pal Muffy? Additionally, Nicholas Guest, her future brother-in-law, appears as Harry! A really cool family bond!
A silent homage to John Belushi
Dan Aykroyd’s mug shot features the same number, 74745058, that John Belushi was given in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers.

This was inserted by Aykroyd as a sincere tribute to his late comedy partner, who had died the previous year. John’s brother, Jim Belushi, also appeared in the movie as a circus act wearing an ape suit.
The scene that was left out of the theatrical version
It turns out that there is a small hidden treasure that was left out of the original theatrical cut, even though I thought I had seen everything there was to see in Trading Places! When a movie is presented on television, a scene frequently appears, most likely to pass the time in between advertisements.
Things change after Billy Ray (Eddie Murphy) overhears the Dukes’ plan and Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleason) speaks with them on the phone. In the original, Beeks takes the crop report briefcase and walks directly from the phone booth to the Amtrak platform.
However, in the extra scene, we get a behind-the-scenes glimpse as Beeks goes to a protected vault, where he opens a safe deposit box and knocks down a security guard to obtain those reports. Let’s talk about some extra-shady activities that are taking place behind the scenes.
Trading Places was quite unique, wasn’t it? These kinds of films, with their enduring characters, amusing scenes, and ideal balance of humor and social criticism, seem to be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, that same enchantment isn’t available to us today. However, the 1980s and 1990s are a blessing!