Trivia / Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

• Cast the Runner-Up: At one point, Steve Martin was to play Lawrence with Kevin Kline potentially to be playing Freddy.
• Keep Circulating the Tapes: While this film isn't hard to find, the original film, Bedtime Story, is only available on Region 2 DVD and isn't on any streaming services. This would finally be averted in 2021 when Kino Lorber would release the film on a Region A Blu-ray
• Missing Trailer Scene: The teaser trailer features a sequence which does not appear in the final film. Freddy Benson and Lawrence Jamieson walk along a boardwalk, politely moving out of the way of other people, etc, with a voice saying something like "There are numerous distinguished gentlemen in the world... refined, cultured gentlemen... nice men... but nice men finish last". As the last few lines are spoken, Freddy pushes an old lady into the water, and Lawrence shoves a kid's face into his cotton candy. Frank Oz has said that audiences were very surprised to learn that the scene was not part of the finished film.
• Real-Life Relative: The girl dancing next to Michael Caine in the disco scene is his real-life daughter, Natasha. She's the tall girl with straight black hair.
• Throw It In!:
  • The entire scene where Freddy is in jail trying to remember Lawrence's name was improvised by Steve Martin. Frank Oz was crouched out of camera range and tapped actor Anton Rodgers on the foot to interrupt Martin when Oz felt that he had gone as far as he could with the improv.
  • Caine and Martin would frequently improvise conversations.
• Vacation, Dear Boy: When Frank Oz first approached Michael Caine about the movie, he tempted him with the promise of a cozy villa in the south of France for the three-month period of the shoot. Once Caine learned that the villa on offer happened to be conveniently situated between the villas of two old friends, Roger Moore and Leslie Bricusse, he jumped at the opportunity.
• What Could Have Been:
  • At one point this was conceived as a vehicle for Mick Jagger and David Bowie, riding off of public curiosity of seeing the two in a film together after their duetted cover of "Dancing in the Street". Given the critical and commercial success of the film, it could've been a Career Resurrection for Bowie as an actor, following his Star-Derailing Roles in Absolute Beginners and Labyrinth. Bowie and Jagger ultimately had to bow out of the film due to other commitments, a decision both men regretted later.
    David Bowie: We were a bit tweezed that we lost out on a script that could have been reasonably good.
  • Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Eric Idle, Dudley Moore, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Palin, and Gene Wilder were all considered for the role of Lawrence Jamieson. Matthew Broderick was initially cast, until somebody realised that he would look like Steve Martin's grandson.
  • Tom Cruise was originally considered for Freddy Benson. Eddie Murphy was offered the role, while Bill Murray was also considered.
  • Sean Young was offered the role of Janet Colgate but turned it down to do The Boost.
• Working Title: King Of The Mountain and Dirty Rotten Criminals.

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