Where to watch Home Alone (1990)

Trivia & production notes

• John Hughes conceived Home Alone while planning a vacation and making a packing list, imagining what his 10-year-old son would do if left behind at home.
• Hughes promised Warner Bros. he could make Home Alone for under $10 million, but the budget grew to $18 million during production.
• Warner Bros. shut down production over budget concerns, but the project resumed when 20th Century Fox agreed to finance it after receiving a clandestinely delivered copy of the script.
• Chris Columbus directed Home Alone after leaving National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation due to a personality clash with Chevy Chase.
• Columbus created the character of Old Man Marley during an uncredited rewrite of the script to add emotional depth and a happier ending.
• John Mulaney was scouted for the role of Kevin but his parents declined the audition opportunity for him.
• Daniel Stern was initially replaced by Daniel Roebuck after the shooting schedule was extended and Stern refused to work unpaid extra weeks, but was brought back after Roebuck lacked chemistry with Joe Pesci.
• John Candy filmed his cameo in a single day for $414 as a favor to Hughes, and was the only actor allowed to improvise his dialogue.
• Interior sets were built on the basketball courts and in the gym of New Trier High School's west campus, where Hughes had previously filmed Uncle Buck and Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
• Joe Pesci had call times moved back from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. after complaining to the assistant director so he could play nine holes of golf each morning.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Home Alone, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.