Pesci had won an Oscar for the movie ‘Goodfellas’ the night before the shooting of the scene in which he is in jail for contempt of court and finally sleeps soundly, while a prison riot takes place around him.
Lynn takes an amused look back on that day in the DVD commentary, saying, “He flew in from Los Angeles, and on the first take, when we panned to him, he was clutching the Oscar in his arms. We sent that to the studio as the dailies.”
Austin Pendleton Made the Cast Laugh During Shooting
Actor Austin Pendleton, who has a real-life stutter, was cast by his friend, director Jonathan Lynn, as the tongue-tied public defender. Lynn told Abnormal Use that, even though he knew Pendleton would be hilarious in the scene, he wasn't expecting it to be that funny. Apparently, he had to hide behind the camera because he couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Mitchell Whitfield also found his scenes with Pendleton hilarious.
The Memorable "Yutes" Was Inspired by a Real Conversation
The scene in which Vinny and Judge Haller discuss the “two yutes” was “perhaps the most quoted piece of dialogue from the film,” according to Lynn in the DVD commentary, and it was based on an actual conversation that took place between Lynn and Pesci.
The two were prepping the film at the Mayflower Hotel in New York and Lynn recalls, “He said something about ‘these two yutes’ who were on trial and I said ‘what?’ and he said ‘what?’ and I said ‘what’s a yute?’” Lynn recalled. “I realized as we were having that conversation that that was something that ought to happen between Vinny and the judge, so I simply wrote it in the way it happened naturally.”
Many Locations from the Film Are Open to Visitors
Although the story takes place in Alabama, the film was actually shot in different spots in three small towns in Georgia. Director Jonathan Lynn says in the DVD commentary, “Apart from the courtroom,” which was a set, “virtually everything was shot on location. It wasn’t a very expensive movie, and that was the cheaper way to go. It also had more authenticity.”
That means that even today you can visit a number of the film’s locations, including the newly reopened Sac-O-Suds convenience store, where you can buy as much tuna as you want, as long as you remember to pay for it!
The Law Community Gave the Film High Marks
Lawyer Maxwell S. Kennerly said about 'My Cousin Vinny' , “The movie is close to reality even in its details . Part of why the film has such staying power among lawyers is because, unlike, say, A Few Good Men , everything that happens in the movie could happen—and often does happen—at trial.” Law professor Alberto Bernabe, from the University of Chicago, gives his students a list of law movies organized by category, and puts Vinny under “Education”.
The film has also been praised by a Seventh Circuit Court Judge ; referenced by former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; used to teach young lawyers at legal conferences, and appeared in a legal textbook .