Uniquely Clandestine Factoids Revealed About “The Goonies”

Most people who lived during the 80s recall the flurry of cult classic films that still stick fondly in our memories for a lifetime. Set in the bedroom community of Astoria, Oregon, the 1985 box office hit, The Goonies – which starred two heartthrob actors at the time, both named Corey: Corey Feldman and Corey Haim – is easily one such cult classic. 

This film centered upon a group of social outcast teenagers who embarked upon an adventure to discover One-Eyed Willie’s (an infamous pirate) treasure in order to save their town from pending demolition. While many people have seen this film at least one time, and while there have been fan demands of a sequel, a remake or even a Broadway musical in recent years – none of which have ever seen the light of day – the film is made memorable by its classic 1980s satire, it’s embodiment of the archetypal youth adventure, it’s memorable lines and uniquely woven plot.

If you think that you know everything about this film, be prepared to learn about some rather clandestine factoids that most people don’t know.

A Sequel Almost Happened

There were callings for a sequel of the film in recent years, but due to unforeseeable and uncontrollable circumstances, such notions were quickly aborted. However, there is one known sequel of this movie – the only sequel that exists – the original Nintendo Entertainment System featured a cartridge game called: Goonies II.

The Pirate Ship Was a Real Ship

The director of the film, Richard Donner, actually built a real to life pirate ship that the kids would discover at the end of the film, and which housed the legendary treasure they sought. However, the director never let the children see the ship until the scene was filmed because he wanted to them to imbue a realistic surprise and excitement for the filming. Interestingly enough, after filming the movie, they offered to give the ship away to anyone that wanted it. But due to its size, there were no takers and the ship was cut into scraps to be removed.

Hidden Gremlins References

There is a hidden reference to the movie Gremlins in the film. When Chunk calls the cops to report Fratellis, they don’t believe him because he has called them before with wild stories about little creatures that mutate when you pour water on them. This was also a reference to the 1984 flick (Gremlins) which starred Corey Feldman.

19 Mentions of the S-Word

In the movie they say the s-word or variations of it 19 times in all, and 20 times total counting the final HOLY-S-WORD at the end of the flick.

Mini R2-D2 in Movie

At the end of the movie, it shows a model ship sailing on the sea. If you look closely, you will see a teeny R2-D2 from Star Wars (1977) hidden on the deck of the ship. It’s rumored this was an homage to Steven Spielberg, who directed a scene or two in this film.

Sloth Was an NFL Player in Real Life

In the scene where you see Chunk and Sloth pass through a gate to follow the crew, look closely and you will notice that Sloth is wearing an Oakland Raiders T-Shirt. Interestingly enough, Sloth was played by actor John Matuszak, who was a former professional NFL player for the Oakland Raiders football team.

Sean Astin Kept, Lost the Treasure Map from the Film

As Sean Astin puts it: he was allowed to keep the treasure map from the film after production had been completed. However, it was lost forever after his mother discovered one day and discarded it thinking it was a useless piece of crumpled paper.

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