20 facts you might not know about 'Pulp Fiction'

Tarantino is thought of as a bit of an auteur, but he had helped crafting “Pulp Fiction.” The story is credited to Tarantino and Roger Avary, and with good reason. The two started working on an anthology film in 1990, with Tarantino’s segment becoming “Reservoir Dogs.” Avary’s section, which was called “Pandemonium Reigns,” helped form the basis for the “Gold Watch” segment of the movie.

If you have watched Tarantino’s movies, you have likely noticed many references and “product placements” for Big Kahuna Burger and Red Apple Cigarettes. Both companies, which were made up by Tarantino, debuted in “Pulp Fiction.”

“Pulp Fiction” is a pretty crazy movie, and definitely a “hard R.” That makes it not everybody’s cup of tea. This included the head of Columbia TriStar Mike Medavoy. TriStar had a “first look” deal for “Pulp Fiction” but decided to pass on it, as Medavoy declared it “too demented” for his tastes.

Obviously, “Pulp Fiction” did eventually get made. Its debut came at Cannes, arguably the most important film festival in the world. It was a smash at the 1994 Cannes, as it took home the Palme d’Or, which is the top prize the festival presents every year.

This is definitely a quotable movie, and Samuel L. Jackson’s Jules has some lines that have stood the test of time. Jules says that there is a Bible quote he likes to recite, which he does three times in the movie. The quote, he says, is Ezekiel 25:17. While there is an Ezekiel 25:17 in the Bible, it is not what Jules actually says in the film. His line is an amalgam and approximation of other lines from the Bible.

“Pulp Fiction” made Tarantino a huge name, making over $100 million at the box office (a first for an “independent” movie) and earning seven Oscar nominations. John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman all got acting nominations, and the movie was up for Best Picture as well. In the end, though, the only win went to Tarantino and Avary for Best Original Screenplay.

“Pulp Fiction” didn’t win Best Picture, instead losing to “Forrest Gump.” Travolta’s turn as Vincent Vega in Tarantino’s film was huge for him, but his 1994 could have, theoretically, been even better. Reportedly Travolta turned down the role of Forrest Gump, which of course went to Tom Hanks. Hanks proceeded to win his second Best Actor award in a row.

People point to “Pulp Fiction” as a huge turning point for Travolta’s career. It definitely provided him a boost, which lasted until he decided to make “Battlefield: Earth,” one of the all-time great flops. While Tarantino has earned a reputation for casting actors he loves and giving their careers a jolt, it was not his intent with “Pulp Fiction.” He wanted Michael Madsen for the movie, but Madsen signed on to act in “Wyatt Earp” instead.

Speaking of Madsen, in “Reservoir Dogs” he played Mr. Blonde. That’s just his code name, of course. Blonde’s real name is Vic Vega. No, this is not a coincidence. Vic from “Reservoir Dogs” and Vincent from “Pulp Fiction” are brothers. Tarantino even used to talk about making a Vega brothers movie, though it never came to pass.

Lance, the drug dealer played by Eric Stoltz, can be seen chowing down on a bowl of Frute Brute during the film. In real life, he wouldn’t have wanted to eat that cereal. One of the beloved “Monster Cereals” along with Count Chocula and the gang, Frute Brute was discontinued in 1982. While it came back for a bit in the 2010s, in 1994 any bowl of Frute Brute would have long since expired.

Marcellus Wallace’s briefcase drives a lot of the action. Whenever it gets opened, a light seems to emanate from it. Many have speculated what’s in the briefcase, from Elvis’ jumpsuit to Marcellus’ soul. The answer, however, will disappoint the speculators. Tarantino has said that there’s nothing specific in the briefcase. It’s literally just a pure MacGuffin, much to Tarantino’s satisfaction we’re sure.

There are a lot of notable names in “Pulp Fiction.” Since much of the action is set in Los Angeles, who knows who you might run into. Kathy Griffin has a small role in the movie, and you might think she’s playing a character. In fact, Griffin is playing herself. The actress just happened to stumble into the events of “Pulp Fiction” apparently.

Poor Marvin. One haphazardly handled gun was his downfall. Marvin may have gotten shot in the face, but the actor who played him has an impressive resume. Although, most of the time you haven’t seen his face. Phil LaMarr has been an incredibly prolific voiceover actor. He played Hermes on “Futurama,” Samurai Jack on “Samurai Jack,” and that’s just a small sampling.

An iconic scene in the film features Vincent and Mia participating in a dance contest. Tarantino loves to reference other pop culture in his movies, and this dance scene is no different. Both Travolta and Thurman pull out some notable dance moves, but Travolta is the one who does the “Batusi,” a dance done by Adam West’s Batman in the ‘60s.

TriStar didn’t want “Pulp Fiction” at first, but eventually, every studio wanted a “Pulp Fiction” of its own. This led to several films released being labeled as clones of Tarantino’s film, or just outright knockoffs. A few of the not-so-memorable movies that were seemingly exceedingly influenced by “Pulp Fiction” include “Destiny Turns on the Radio” and “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead.” Apparently, a terrible title was part of the recipe for these knockoffs.

While the film got several Oscar nominations, Best Original Score was not among them. That’s because the movie had no original score. Instead, it’s soundtracked by a variety of existing songs, much of it diegetic (i.e. originating from within the movie). Perhaps the song most associated with “Pulp Fiction” is Dıck Dale’s version of “Miserlou,” a surf-rock staple.

We assume that Tarantino is a huge fan of Dıck Miller. The character actor counted many directors as big fans, including Joe Dante, who cast him in every single one of his movies. Miller appeared in well over 100 films in his career, so you definitely have seen him in action. However, you did not see him in “Pulp Fiction.” Miller had a role as Monster Joe, who owns the junkyard, in the movie, but his scene was cut.

Many people consider “22 Short Films About Springfield” one of their favorite episodes of “The Simpsons.” Granted, they mostly seem to love “Steamed Hams,” which does not reference “Pulp Fiction.” There is a segment of the episode that does, though, involving Chief Wiggum, Snake, Herman, and the Van Houtens. This includes Wiggum and his fellow police officers doing their own take on the “Royale with Cheese” conversation.

After the Marvin fiasco, Jules and Vincent have to change out of their nice – but bloody – suits. Vincent finds himself donning a t-shirt for the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. You would be forgiven for thinking this is a joke written by Tarantino, but the Banana Slugs is indeed the mascot for UC Santa Cruz’s sports teams.

It’s been over 20 years, so we have gotten accustomed to hearing the phrase “Pulp Fiction.” However, it’s entirely within the context of the title of the movie. At the time, this wasn’t exactly an obvious title, and “pulp fiction” doesn’t come in the movie at all. The film’s title is in reference to “pulp magazines,” cheap, often salacious magazines filled with lurid fiction. The “pulp” comes from the cheapness of the paper used to print the material. The movie was Tarantino’s own take on this old “pulp fiction.” Hence the title. Weird for 1994, and even weirder now.