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.
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.
Mona Lisa’s Character Was Based on a Group of Jersey Girls Launer Met in France
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.
'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.
The Courtroom Set Was Used for Television Series 'In the Heat of the Night'
'My Cousin Vinny' was shot in a sound stage in Covington, GA, and used the same courtroom set which appeared in long running police series ' In the Heat of the Night' . There are other connections between the movie and the series, Jill Jane Clemens, who plays the court reporter, also played as a pawnbroker on the series.
The Sac-O-Suds which played such an important role in ' Vinny' , appeared in an episode of the series as Munn’s Market and the tan Ford Bronco driven by Vinny and Jim Trotter to go hunting, was also Bubba Skinner’s car in ' Heat' .