WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – The 50th Anniversary

Introduction

50 years ago, the Mel Stuart directed Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory wasn’t exactly burning down the box office. Released by Paramount Pictures in June 1971, it grossed $4.5 million on a $3 million budget. Much like Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, released 10 years later, people didn’t know what to make of Stuart’s now-classic film.

Was the film a children’s story? was it a horror movie? A dark sinister comedy? Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory was simply way ahead of its time. People just didn’t respond to it at the theaters. The film was re-released this past week nationwide in theaters for a limited engagement. We thought no better time to reexamine this classic film, and its lasting legacy. 

Roald Dahl

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is an adaptation of legendary British novelist and poet Roald Dahl’s 1964 classic children’s novel Charlie & Chocolate Factory. One cannot speak briefly about Dahl’s life and career.

In 74 years on this earth, he was a fighter pilot, intelligence officer, diplomat, James Bond writer, television host, novelist, poet, screenwriter, and on and on. It also needs to be said that Dahl was a controversial man who was, at times, openly anti-Semitic, something for which his surviving family has apologized for.

As told in the 2001 documentary Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Stuart’s young daughter had read Dahl’s novel and loved it. She told her father that he should make it into a movie. Stuart showed the novel to his producing partner and close friend David Wolper.

Quaker Oats and the Wonka Bar

Wolper, at the time, was working with Quaker Oats to try and find a project that would help promote a line of chocolate bars that the company was making. The producer convinced Quaker Oats to finance Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, and the suits at Quaker Oats saw a potential merchandising goldmine. A deal was now in place for Quaker Oats to put up millions to finance the ambitious project in exchange to mass-produce the “Wonka Bar.”

The title of the film would be changed to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and Dahl would write the screenplay, as a musical. Screenwriter David Seltzer (The Omen) would make considerable rewrites to the script, much to Dahl’s objections. Seltzer would give the evil candy maker and spy “Slugworth” a much larger role in the film.

Casting

When it came time for casting, there was no shortage of comedic actors who wanted to play the enigmatic titular character. All six members of the Monty Python comedy troupe (John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle and Terry Jones), were interested in taking on the iconic part.

The Python team all were rejected by Paramount Pictures. As they were deemed as not being big enough stars at the time. In addition, Jon Pertwee, Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Joel Gray, and an aging Fred Astaire, were all considered for the part. Below, actor Gene Wilder tells CNN’s Larry King his unusual condition for accepting the part he would become most famous for.

Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder, would reflect back in an interview in 2006. Specifically, about the Charlie & The Chocolate Factory remake that director Tim Burton had just completed production on with star Johnny Depp. The remake was to be a darker and more “faithful” adaptation of Dahl’s novel. Wilder, in what you might call a bitter tone, stated:

“Tim Burton did Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice and Batman. He’s not going to do anything close to what we did. I’m sure it’s going to be very scary and my bet, my guess is, it will be geared towards teenagers rather than for pre-teens. I think he wants to scare the shit out of everyone. And he probably will.”

Peter Ostrum

American child actor Peter Ostrum was plucked from obscurity when he was in the 6th grade. Seen performing in a local play in his native Cleveland, Ohio. He was noticed by talent scouts who were on the hunt for a charismatic and sympathetic pre-teen. One that could play the co-lead role of Charlie Bucket.

Ostrum was flown out to New York City for a screen-test, and before he knew it, was on a flight to Munich, Germany, to begin production on his first, and only film. Ostrum would become a successful veterinarian, and he still periodically gives interviews and appears on commentary tracks with regards to his time in the spotlight.

The Legacy of Grandpa Joe

Character actor of stage, screen and TV, Jack Albertson (Chico & The Man), was signed on to play the role of Grandpa Joe, one of Charlie’s four bed-ridden grandparents, who suddenly jumps up like an Olympian when there’s free chocolate to be had. Grandpa Joe also apparently had plenty of money for tobacco while the rest of the family wallowed in poverty and had to survive on cabbage soup.

The Oscar and multiple Emmy award-winner was 64-years-old when he took on the iconic part, and it would change his life, and the meme landscape, for the rest of time. There’s a pretty well populated Facebook page that you can go on that’s dedicated to the hatred of poor Grandpa Joe. The campaign against Joe seems to go back at least 15 years online.

It’s pretty clear that the makers of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory meant for you to love this lazy, yet lovable character. This backfired horribly. As everything, from his hatred of women to his sloth-like behavior while the rest of his family suffered, has been well documented online. There are even theories online that Grandpa Joe was an industrial spy. Given his astute knowledge of Wonka’s business dealings.

The cast would be rounded out by Michael Böllner, playing the glutinous 9-year-old obese antagonist Augustus Gloop. Chewing gum obsessed Violet Beauregarde was portrayed by the late Denise Nickerson. Veruca Salt the spoiled rotten pre-teen, was played by British singer/songwriter Julie Dawn Cole. Mike Teavee the television-obsessed 9-year-old boy, was portrayed by Paris Themmen. German character actor Günter Meisner, portrayed the evil Slugworth. Wonka’s rival chocolatier, and purveyor of the popular Sizzler candy bar.

The Oompa Loompas

In early printings of Dahl’s novel, the Oompa-Loompa characters were originally called Whipple-Scrumpets. They were small orange-colored humans who worked in Wonka’s factory. Written as black African pygmies.

For the 1971 film, this was changed due to protests by the NAACP. They deemed that the importation of the Oompa Loompa’s from Africa, to work in a factory, had slavery implications. The Oompa Loompa’s were all played by white actors with green hair, striped shirts, and baggy lederhosen. Following the release of the film, Dahl defended himself against accusations that he was racist and was deeply moved by the outpouring by activists.

Dahl rewrote the Oompa Loompa’s to be white-skinned for future publications of his novel. Below actor Rusty Goffe (Star Wars: Episode IV) talks about being on set in Germany. As well as his camaraderie with the cast, and other memories from his time in Wonka Land. The actor was in his early 20’s when cast as one of the ten Oompa-Loompas.

Filming

Filming on Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory commenced in August 1970. Production primarily was shot in Munich, West Germany. This because the people at Quaker Oats would save a significant amount of money filming there over the United States. The locations and exterior shots also were fitting for the factory setting. Further contributing to the European feel of the unnamed location of the chocolate factory.

Bill’s Candy Shop was filmed at Lilienstraße, Munich. The closing scene in which the Wonkavator is flying above the factory is overhead footage of Nördlingen, Bavaria. During production, there was great bonding between the adult actors, the children, and director Stuart. Additionally, it’s been reported that the actors that played the Oompa Loompa’s were quite the merry pranksters. Actor Paris Themmen reflected on this in 2014:

“The Oompa Loompas were notoriously mischievous. They were often drunk after a day’s shooting. We all stayed in a hotel together. In those days, when you wanted to have your shoes shined, you’d leave them outside of your hotel room door. One night the Oompa Loompas grabbed all the shoes, tied the laces together…and left them in a pile to be found in the morning.”

During filming, all of the candy that was used on the elaborate sets was not real. Unless one of the actors was actually eating a piece of candy, it was most likely fake. Many of the Wonka Bars used in the film, were made of wood. One thing that was real was the Chocolate River. Made up of 150,000 gallons of water, combined with real chocolate, and cream. By the end of the film’s production, the river was emitting a horrible smell.

Life Is A Disappointment

Screenwriter Robert Kaufman was brought in to add some humorous scenes relating to the Wonka Bar craze. Stuart would later state that his favorite scene in the movie was cut because of poor showings with test audiences.

The scene, which was filmed and quite expensive to shoot, shows an English explorer climbing a mountain. He asks a guru what the “meaning of life” is. The guru asks for a Wonka Bar. Finding no Golden Ticket, the guru states, “Life is a disappointment.” Stuart loved the scene and wanted it in the film. But in the early 1970s people hated it. Stuart had a psychologist friend review the scene. He told Stuart:

“You don’t understand, Mel. For a great many people, life is a disappointment!”

Reviews and Legacy

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory received generally favorable reviews upon its release. Critics Roger Ebert and Charles Champlin both loved it. However, it just didn’t click with audiences the way Paramount and Quaker Oats thought it would. Earning just over $2.1 million during its opening weekend.

It would be via home media, television, and eventually the internet that the movie would gain its legs. By the 1980s, the film had gained in popularity due to repeated TV broadcasts. This as well as home video sales and a cult following throughout college campuses. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly ranked Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory 25th in the “Top 50 Cult Movies” of all time.

Dahl’s Reaction

As could be predicted, Dahl hated the film, and the script. This was because of rewrites by screenwriter Seltzer. Dahl expressed his disappointment in that too much attention was on Willy Wonka and not enough focus was on Charlie. He also hated the casting of Wilder over Spike Milligan. As well as the reworking of the Slugworth character.

Finally, he thought that there were way too many musical numbers incorporated into the film. Dahl’s second wife, Felicity, would later state in 1996 about her husband’s dislike towards the film:

“They always want to change a book’s story-line…What makes Hollywood think children want the endings changed for a film, when they accept it in a book?”

Analysis

The true delight of this film comes in the musical numbers that are presented throughout. From the opening Candy Man to the classic Pure Imagination. These Oscar-nominated arrangements (composed by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley) have stood the test of time and become classics.

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a magical combination of psychedelics. Mixed with a never-ending sense that it’s always Xmas morning. Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstopper is a fitting symbol for this film. Wilder’s warmth, wit and humor make his Willy Wonka one of the defining roles of his career. He’s had a few of them. The actor was able to capture the full range of emotions and behaviors needed to portray Wonka’s strangeness so well.

Wilder does this with such ease. It’s as if the actor and Wonka are one and the same person. When you see Wilder, you immediately think of Wonka. Wilder has frequently recounted the story of being in a grocery store with his mother. His mother delighted in telling a few nearby children that they were in the presence of the great Willy Wonka.

Conclusion

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory has come to be considered a musical classic by cinephiles throughout the world. It also has the honor of being one of the first films released on DVD, back in 1997. This holds a special place in the hearts of enthusiasts of the format.

50 years later, the film holds up in every possible way. Further, Warner Brothers new 4K disc greatly improves upon the previous Blu-ray edition. This cult classic now looks better than ever before at home. Fans of this timeless movie should seek this out.