Celebrities | Pop Culture | Movies | 80s

Here Are 11 Facts About "Turner & Hooch" For You To Slobber Over

Netflix

They were perhaps the ultimate buddy-cop duo in a time of all-star films. How could you top a rambunctious dog witness to his owners murder, and the tidy detective tracking down the killer. Oh yeah, and who also happens to be Tom Hanks!

The pair made for hilarious partners, but there was a lot that went into the making of the movie they brought Hanks closer his co-stars than we ever knew.

If you remember your heart aching when we lost "that stupid dog", then this is the list for you!

Tough Decisions

Casting is always the hardest part in starting a movie - you want to make sure they really fit the part! The producers actually looked at 50 different types of breeds before settling on the Dogue de Bordeaux.

The dog was chosen because while it was big, it wasn't gigantic, and had a sturdy frame. It was an exotic choice, as there were less than 300 of them in the USA when the movie was released.

Keeping Track

As if it wasn't hard enough for Tom Hanks to focus on one Hooch during filming, it turns out there were actually four dogs that played the one character! The main "actor" was a 17-month puppy named Beasley, and that's awesome.

He even had a stunt double! Igor was a little bit older and better trained than Beasley, and this became wildly apparent when filming later scenes!

Quality Time

In order for the dogs to react naturally with the character Hanks was playing, he spent weeks playing with the different dogs so that they developed a bond between themselves.

"We got along well," said Hanks. "You know, when you make a movie with a dog, you have to work with the dog for weeks prior to shooting it. Otherwise, he won't take his eye off the trainer. So, I would go off and play with I think actually three dogs that portrayed Turner & Hooch. It was a part too big for one dog."

"Looky Here!"

Obviously, all that time together didn't mean that the dogs were suddenly obedient! Hanks reportedly had to use a clicker in order to signal the attention from his hairy co-stars.

Cheers

Hooch was able to eat and drink Dog Treats through anything on camera, however, it was more difficult with any dog to keep up with this character. While Beasley was able to crack open a beer, he refused to drink it. Luckily for him, they substituted it with chicken noodle soup!

Sit Still Will Ya?

If you own a dog, you know how difficult it is to get them to be still, especially if bath time is involved! Beasley did his best to run off set from time to time, and when all they had was a weird montage, Hanks suggested they just use the whole take and show what it "really" looks like.

"Not the car!"

In the plot, Hooch gets a little peckish and starts mowing down on the upholstered car seat. In reality, while filming the stakeout scene, Beasley drooled so much he actually ruined a car seat!

Hanks admitted it was one of his more difficult roles. "And the whole thing was about, whatever this dog does, I react to," he explained. "We will not ask the dog to do anything specifically, this dog will just do things ... And I will react. That was the hardest I've ever worked."

Happy Endings?

Were you heartbroken over the way that the movie ended? While there was a bittersweet moment with the puppies, the directing team decided to have Hooch die because audiences were more "passionate" about the ending.

Thanks, Tom Hanks

While the directors were still figuring out whether or not to kill off Hooch, Tom Hanks himself demanded that the dog go out with a bang.

"It was a Disney movie and when we were putting it together I stood up at a table and pounded my fist and said, in the grand Disney tradition of Old Yeller, 'Hooch must die ... ' and so they killed Hooch," he admitted. "We killed Hooch and we never should have. We should have I guess kept that doggy alive, so we wouldn't have made the children cry."

Word Of Mouth

In an interesting "cameo," the line where Detective Turner berates his new partner Hooch for chewing apart his car was used as a test line while Pixar was preparing the movie Toy Story. They lifted the line and added it to the original animation for Woody, the character that Hanks plays.

Not bad, eh pard'ner?

More Throwbacks

Celebrities

'Mighty Ducks' Star Shaun Weiss Arrested Again Only Months After Leaving Rehab

After Shaun Weiss' arrest in August left everyone worried about the former child star, the actor was forced to re-evaluate his choices. His mugshot showed a gaunt, sickly, and unrecognizable man, but Weiss believed this was his "rock bottom" and hoped to come back from it stronger than ever. In a statement released to his Facebook page after the arrest, Weiss revealed that he realized he was in "danger." Oroville Police Department"At this time, in an effort to break free from the self destructive patterns of behavior and drug abuse that have landed me at rock bottom, (to be

Celebrities

91-Year-Old 'Boy Meets World' Star Scared Off Burglars After They "Kicked In" His Door

Mr. Feeny will forever be a character that every 90s kid cherishes. He was the teacher. The one teacher we all wished we could have in real life, the one teacher who could have given us helpful advice, and above all else, he was the one teacher who would have been the best neighbor ever.William Daniels was a legend and an icon long before Boy Meets World, because he was the voice of KITT in Knight Rider. Not only that, but he won two Emmy awards for his role on St. Elsewhere. Daniels is a talented man, and his

70s

James Karen, Legendary Actor Known For 'Poltergeist' And So Much More, Dead At 94

You probably don't know his name, but you definitely know James Karen's face. The prolific character actor, best known for his role as the unscrupulous developer Mr. Teague in 1982's Poltergeist, passed away in his Los Angeles home on Tuesday at the age of 94.MGM/UA Entertainment Co.Over the course of his seven-decade career, Karen racked up over 200 acting credits across movies, television, and even video games. If you watch just about any of the most popular television shows from the 1970s, 80s, or 90s, you're guaranteed to see him pop up sooner or later. Born Jacob

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Clears Up Some Confusion About The 'Home Alone' Recreation

When that amazing new Google Assistant ad dropped yesterday starring Macaulay Culkin recreating all of the iconic scenes from the 1990 classic Home Alone, People absolutely lost their minds. But here's the thing, you watch it once and you're like, "Oh wow, that's hilarious!" But if you watch it a second time, you'll see that they really went all out to recreate it shot for shot. Honestly, it's almost creepy how well they did. Whether he's jumping on the bed:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleUsing his aftershave:20th Century Fox / YouTube - GoogleTrimming the tree:20th Century Fox / YouTube

Movies

Macaulay Culkin Is Back As Kevin From 'Home Alone' And It's Actually Amazing

It's Christmas time, and you know what that means! It's time to watch a family abandon their son in their home and not even call anyone to go take care of him while he fends off burglars and makes an enormous mess of their house! That's right, every year we all gather around the TV and watch Home Alone for the millionth time, enjoying the hilarious antics that young Kevin McCallister gets into. Macaulay Culkin's portrayal of the character is what made the movie work, well, that and the fact that the 'Wet Bandits' were pretty funny. Culkin made a

Movies

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The New Aladdin Is Here And At Least One Of Our Wishes Was Granted

We've been waiting patiently, okay mostly patiently, since Disney announced that Aladdin was being remade. The cartoon remains one of the most iconic movies of all time, and the fact that they were going to try and bring it to life with real humans instead of the animated versions was kind of concerning. We saw the first trailer a while ago, but the only character we actually saw up close was Aladdin himself. We didn't see how the Genie looked, or Jasmine, or any of the other characters. But now, Entertainment Weekly has given us all the first look at