Stir Crazy

Fun Facts About Stir Crazy (1980)

• Stir Crazy reunited comedy icons Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder after their earlier hit Silver Streak (1976). This time the duo leaned harder into slapstick and physical humor.
• This was the first movie directed by Sidney Poitier without also starring in it. Poitier is one of the few major Hollywood actors of his era to have successfully transitioned to directing mainstream comedies.
• The hilarious holding-cell scene where Richard Pryor lights a match while Gene Wilder reacts was completely improvised by Pryor. It was left in the film because the more scripted versions resulted in Wilder laughing uncontrollably.
• Many of the scenes, including the prison rodeo sequence, were filmed inside Arizona State Prison. Real inmates participated as extras.
• To maintain strict prison security, the entire cast and crew had to leave the facility in a single-file line every evening, just like the inmates. This helped ensure that no inmates, many of whom served as extras, escaped by blending in with the cast and crew.
• Sidney Poitier confirmed that the movie was difficult to shoot because Pryor was so funny it was challenging to get usable, consistent takes.
• This was the first time Richard Pryor received a $1 million salary for a single movie. He also got 10% of the gross, which was substantial. Because the film grossed over $100 million domestically.
• Gene Wilder reportedly threw himself into the woodpecker costume scenes completely. Many takes were required because everyone struggled to keep straight faces.