Tag: anchorman

It’s been 15 years since the world first met Ron Burgundy, legend of the news trade and a man whose apartment smells of rich mahogany. So why not grab a trident, dive into the newscaster free-for-all and learn more about the making of “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.”

1. The Ron Burgundy character was inspired by a former Detroit newscaster named Mort Crim.

2. According to Will Ferrell, his character’s full name is Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy.

3. Ferrell drew on his years of musical experience for the early party scene where Ron riffs on Jethro Tull. Ferrell has been playing the flute since grade school.

4. Not that he’s a particularly trustworthy figure on the best of days, but Ron is probably lying when he brags about being friends with legendary newscaster Edward R. Murrow. Murrow died in 1965, years before the events of “Anchorman.”

5. Ferrell’s frequent costar John C. Reilly had to turn down the role of Champ due to his commitment to Martin Scorsese‘s “The Aviator.” As consolation, Reilly was given a cameo role in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.”

6. The zoo scenes were filmed at the Los Angeles Zoo, which is a convenient spot since it closed down in the 1960’s.

7. As bizarre as the news team fight sequence is, it was almost even weirder. An earlier draft of the script featured a plane full of newscasters crashing in the mountains and doing battle with ninja star-wielding monkeys.

8. Another early draft featured an extra news team member named Marshall Connors. William H. Macy was considered for the role.

9. Director Adam McKay filmed numerous alternate takes of many scenes, sometimes shooting as many as 20 variations of a single scene.

10. Amy Poehler originally had a role in “Anchorman,” but her character was completely cut out of the final version.

11. Because there were so many alternate and deleted scenes left over after the final cut was completed, McKay was able to combine them and create an entirely new direct-to-video movie called “Wake Up, Ron Burgundy.”