Launer’s first ever encounter with young women from New Jersey was when he traveled to France, and he was completely blown away. Remember, this was before reality TV had made the “Jersey Girl” stereotype widespread.
He told The Federalist that he was backpacking and saw a group of women in the water, saying, “They wear jewelry in the water. I never saw that! That always kind of stuck in my head.” He added, “As I approach them, I can’t quite understand their language. When he asked them where they were from, they replied, “New Jersey,” and that is when he realized they were Americans. The image stayed with him and inspired him when it came time to write the character.
Judge Haller Was Famous for Playing Herman Munster
Fred Gwynne, who played judge Haller in ' Vinny' , is best known for his work on iconic television series ' The Munsters' . Abnormal Use asked Mitchell Whitfield what it was like to be tried by Herman Munster. He replied, “Let me tell you something.
Fred Gwynne was such a great guy. Such a good soul and a good heart. It’s a very intimidating presence and of course, growing up – a lot of people remember him, obviously, as Herman Munster, but he’s a great actor."
Mona Lisa’s Expert Testimony Which Won the Case Was Inaccurate
At the end of the film, the “two yutes” are exonerated based on Mona Lisa Vito’s expert testimony. She claims there were two cars made in the 1960s with independent rear suspension, but there were actually three. Dale Launer told TheWrap about his decision to change the script, “I can think of one person I personally know who would know that.
Oddly enough, I had not seen him since high school, and I saw him at the premiere. He said [laughs], ‘You know, there were actually three cars with independent rear suspension.'” Launer is a car buff and says that all of Vito’s knowledge about cars came from him.
Launer Wanted to Show Southerners as the Opposite of ‘Rednecks’
When writing the script, it was important to Launer not to show the people of the South as stereotypical dumb rednecks. Director Jonathan Lynn talked to Abnormal Use about how they purposely made the judge and prosecutor educated and wealthy, blatantly showing how they both went to Yale and were highly intelligent.
Lynn wanted to break the typical portrayal of Southern people in Hollywood.
'My Cousin Vinny', the Novel Series?
Author Lawrence Kelter, who is a big fan of the film, wrote a novelized version of ' My Cousin Vinny' . He also released a sequel to the film in 2017 titled ' Back in Brooklyn' which finally lets fans know what Vinny and Mona Lisa are up to after the trial.
The book received good reviews and has four and a half stars on Amazon, and there is talk of more books in the series.