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With Christmas time just around the corner, I try to watch movies on TV that are uplifting or funny and bring back some great memories from past Christmas holidays. Unquestionably, one of my favorite holiday rerun movies is "Gremlins." Gremlins was released in June of 1984 in the U.S. (albeit the original release date had been set for the Christmas season). It became hit with millions of its viewers. This hilarious movie-with a limited amount of holiday terror added- takes place in an idyllic small town called Kingston Falls-the kind of town nestled away in a quiet area from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. A pre-occupied, aspiring inventor father decides to purchase his son (Billy Peltzer) a one-of-a-kind Christmas gift, which is a doll-like "Furby" creature he purchases in an obscure Chinatown antique store. The mischievous gremlins themselves, we're kinda' scary-looking, and rake havoc and mayhem on this quaint little town. This hit movie also includes the antics of the ever-so-adorable Gizmo, who was the imaginary "Mogwai" star of the movie, along with the town's characters. (You gotta love the scene when the town's wicked old lady-Mrs. Deagle-opens the front door and finds the monstrous-looking gremlins singling Christmas carols at her front door.) Here is a list of fun facts about the movie you may not have known: 1 - The idea of creepy looking Gremlins, were inspired by mice that inhabited Chris Columbus's (writer and filmmaker) NYC, Manhattan apartment. During the day it wasn't so bad, but at night these little creatures decided it was time to come out and scurry around in the darkness, which sounded a little creepy. These busy nighttime critters inspired the Gremlins. 2 - Howie Mandel (comedian, actor, TV host and voice actor), is the voice of the adorable "Gizmo." Frank Welker, who voiced "Stripe" in Gremlins, suggested he be hired for the role. Frank Welker was also the voice behind a famous cartoon character: Fred from "Scooby-Doo.". 3 - Actress, Phoebe Cates was considered a controversial casting choice for playing the sweet and innocent character, Kate. Phoebe had previously appeared topless in a scene from the 1982 movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High...Oops! She did land the role and was additionally cast in Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990). 4 - Monkeys were originally thought to play the vicious gremlins. The idea of using monkeys was abandoned quickly when the movie crew found out the monkeys weren't too happy about wearing rubber gremlin masks. 5 - Steven Spielberg decided to cast an unknown actor, Zach Galligan, for the role of Billy Peltzer because of the chemistry between him and Ms. Cates displayed during auditions. The well-known, popular actors Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson were originally considered for the role. 6 - The movie settings for the fictitious towns of Kingston Falls in Gremlins, and Hill Valley of Back to the Future are the same. Back to the Future was released a year after the first Gremlins movie. 7 - Steven Spielberg suggested that the role of Gizmo-the cute little Mogwai- should stay until the end of the movie. Originally, Gizmo, the pet, would transfer himself into "Stripe" the Gremlin, but Spielberg decided the audiences would want to see the lovable Gizmo as much as possible (Gismo was literally a "ray of sunshine" compared to the troublesome gremlins.), so he withdrew the idea and kept the characters totally separate. 8 - Every last gremlin was an animatronics robotic device which cost upwards of $30,000-$40,000 dollars each. Every night when the crew went home they had to open their vehicle trunks for security just to make sure they weren't being stolen. 9 - Early drafts of the Gremlins movie script, featured the Gremlins eating Billy's dog and decapitating Billy's mother's head. All the producers decided this was probably a bit dark and morbid for a Christmas movie. (On a personal note: "I'm glad they decided against it!") 10 - Good News! If you're a fan of the 1984 cult-classic Gremlins movie, you'll be happy to know Gremlins 3 (the title is still pending )is on its way- in the near future- to your nearest movie theater. (I'm hoping to see the original cast members Phoebe Cates, and Zack Galligan together again.). The original writer, Chris Columbus, confirmed the script for Gremlins 3 has been completed and will be more reminiscent and a sequel of the first Gremlins movie, not the second wacky sequel, which he didn't write. Chris has reassured fans the animatronic puppets will still be heavily featured in the production, with some CGI elements added as well. Always remember, " Be careful! Sometimes what you see, isn't always what you get!" If you like this story, please share it with your Facebook family and friends. For more stories from Contributing Writer, Patty Penke, check out her blog: Turn Trash 2 Cash

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