It's been two decades since "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992) were released, but these films still top the list of holiday movies. But what's particularly interesting about "Home Alone" is that some of the most popular quotes and "Angels With Filthy Souls" appeared in the films.
In the first movie, Macaulay Culkin's character Kevin McCallister is accidentally left behind while traveling with his family on a Christmas vacation. Before McCallister had to set traps to protect his home from a pair of clumsy thieves, he did a few things that his parents wouldn't usually allow. He looks at a Playboy magazine, shoots a BB gun in the house, and watches the old gangster film "Angels with Filthy Souls." This movie also appears in "Home Alone 2" when McCallister plays a prank on a pizza delivery guy, and then when Kevin chases the thief Marv.
"Angels with Filthy Souls" played a major role in the "Home Alone" movies and brought us memorable quotes like, "Keep the change, ya filthy animal." But there's much more behind the story.
#1 "Angels With Filthy Souls" is a fake movie
Source: 20th Century Fox
Because "Angels with Filthy Souls" captures the 1940s noir aesthetic brilliantly, many people have believed Angels with Filthy Souls is a genuine movie because it feels so real. In fact, it wasn't until a tweet by Seth Rogen went viral in 2018 that the truth was revealed. "My entire childhood, I thought the old timey movie that Kevin watches in Home Alone (Angels with Filthy Souls) was actually an old movie,” Rogan wrote. Celebrities like
Chris Evans, Nick Kroll and Elijah Wood responded to the tweet and expressed their shock.
#2 Even Macaulay Culkin was shocked to know the trust
Source: 20th Century Fox
Macaulay Culkin's role in the "Home Alone" movies will live on as his legacy, leading fans to believe he is aware of all the franchise's innermost secrets. But it seems not. In a reply to Rogen's tweet, Culkin said he was equally shocked to realize that "Angels with Filthy Souls" wasn't a real movie.
#3 However, it is based on a real movie
Source: Angels with Dirty Faces / Warner Bros.
The film's title is a reference to the 1938 James Cagney film "Angels with Dirty Faces", in which two thieves argue over money. In the original "Home Alone" scenario, it was simply referred to as "the gangster film." But when it was time to start filming, it was clear that a more formal title was required. "I believe the title was decided upon only because we needed to create a label for the tape Kevin puts in the VHS player," art director Dan Webster told.
#4 They worked hard to make the scene feel as real as possible
Source: 20th Century Fox
Although the scene lasted just over a minute, they paid attention to every detail to recreate the atmosphere of a 1940s gangster movie. Director Chris Columbus said in an interview. "It's not easy to recreate the look and the feel and the sound of those movies,” he continued "Thankfully, I'm obsessed with film, so I'd seen enough of them that it was kind of a painstaking task to get right." According to production designer John Muto, it aims to suggest a combination of black film and really crazy things you've seen on early television, like "Playhouse 90" or "One Step Beyond."
#5 The whole thing was filmed in one exhausting day
Source: 20th Century Fox
"Angels with Dirty Souls" was filmed in just one day right before the main production of "Home Alone" officially began. They filmed on a soundstage at an abandoned high school gymnasium and set up lighting and set design like in 1940s black-and-white movies. Set decorators created a replica of a classic private investigator's office from the time period, while old-school lighting and artificial mist added to the dramatic atmosphere. They also used fiercely hot light to get the effect right.
#6 The two actors changed their roles
Source: 20th Century Fox
For this scene, they had to cast actors that felt like they lived in that particular time period. Chris Columbus said, "I don't know, maybe it was the camera, but we had to find actors that looked like they existed in the '40s." Ralph Foody played Johnny and Michael Guido played Snakes were two of them.
Johnny's so out of his mind to the point of laughing hysterically while filling his enemies with lead. Foody's performance gave the scene so much potency that it's hard to imagine anyone else playing the role. But in fact, Foody and Guido were supposed to play the opposite roles in the original script. The problem was that Foody, who was still recovering from knee-replacement surgery couldn't perform the fall to the floor as he was getting shot. And director Chris Columbus decided to change their roles.
#7 The dialogue is so memorable that it should become a real movie
Source: 20th Century Fox
It's unusual for a movie inside a movie to be used to mock or parody a genre, which is why "Angels with Filthy Souls" feels like it would be a really good movie. The dialogue is sharp and memorable, in addition to the excellent performances and meticulous cinematography. Tensions rise when Johnny warns the Snakes, "I'm gonna give you to the count of 10 to get your ugly, yellow, no-good keister off my property before I pump your guts full of lead... One, two... 10!"
#8 Kevin uses "Angels With Dirty Souls" for protection - and free pizza
Source: 20th Century Fox
Kevin realizes he can utilize dialogue to communicate with the pizza guy after watching the movie on his own. Kevin obtains the pizza without revealing his identity and terrifies the pizza delivery man who believes he is being fired upon. When Marv makes his initial effort to break into the house, Kevin imitates the motion. The Angels scene is repeated more than once in "Home Alone", helping viewers get used to the course of events as if they had grown up watching the scene.
#9 Sakes' trench coat and hat turned out to be a well-liked costume option.
Source: 20th Century Fox
Snakes wore the perfect trench coat and hat to show the audience exactly what kind of movie and time period it was. After that, people have tried to imitate the Snakes' appearance for Halloween and YouTube parodies, but there is something unique about the original that makes it hard to imitate. Nearly 30 years later, actor Guido still has it at home. "I so admired the trench coat that Snakes wore that the costume designer gave me one," he told Vanity Fair. "I've still got it. It still looks and fits great."
#10 At the end of the original script "Home Alone", Harry and Marv watch the movie in jail
Source: 20th Century Fox
"Home Alone" has a touching ending: Kevin reunites with his family, and Old Man Marley reunites with his estranged son and family. That was, of course, until Buzz realized that Kevin had laid waste to his room and let his tarantula loose. Before the final credits, Kevin Kevin was horrified after Buzz yells at him as only an older brother can, "Kevin! What did you do to my room?!" However, according to the original script, the film ends with Harry and Marv watching "Angels with Filthy Souls" in jail with their fellow prisoners. While this addition could be cut to focus on the Christmas sentiment, it would be fun if Johnny and the Snakes return for another encore.
#11 "Angels with Filthy Souls" scenes are some of the most well-remembered and frequently quoted of the "Home Alone" films
Source: 20th Century Fox
Although Guido only had less than a minute on screen, he has already begun to gain public recognition. "I was getting stopped on the streets by kids who yelled 'Snakes!' and then proceeded to do the dialogue from the scene in front of me," he recalled.
#12 It has a sequel, "Angels with Even Filthier Souls" in "Home Alone 2"
Source: 20th Century Fox
It was such a memorable part of the first film that it had its own sequel within"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York", titled "Angels with Even Filthier Souls." This time, Johnny must confront his jazz singer girlfriend, whom he accuses of groping his brother. With its signature line "Get down on your knees and tell me you love me!" the Angels sequel holds its own. But true to form, Johnny couldn't help but succumb to another rampage.
#13 Both scenes are now available to watch in their entirety
Source: 20th Century Fox
The official "Home Alone" and "Home Alone 2" DVDs have the whole scenes from "Angels with Filthy Souls" and "Angels with Even Filthier Souls" for fans to enjoy.
#14 Google brought 'Angel' back 28 years later
Source: Google
In December 2018, Culkin returned as Kevin in a one-minute commercial for Google Assistant. The ad recreates memorable scenes from "Home Alone," but this time Kevin is assisted by an AI assistant that can switch off the lights, control the temperature, and create illusions to scare off the bad guys. An adult Kevin watches "Angels with Filthy Souls" and its famous quotes on the big-screen TV, which is a clear indication of how influential the scene has been over time. The late actor Foody, who passed away about 20 years ago, receives one last mention.