‘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’ .
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.
Launer Imagined the Character of Vinny Like Stand-up Comedian Sam Kinison
He told Abnormal Use that he thought that the comedian, known for his screaming rants, could be a good reference for Vinny’s cross examinations.
He said that the way Kinison dealt with hecklers was what he hoped Vinny would do in court. Saying, “So it was going to be Sam Kinison, at least his personality"
The Jumpsuit Tomei Wore in the "Biological Clock" Scene Was Not a Costume
Mona Lisa Vito’s most iconic look was the floral jumpsuit from the scene in which she talks to Vinny about her biological clock. There is something about that skintight, open-backed outfit that just suits the character perfectly.
The funny thing is, the jumpsuit was not from the costume department, it actually belonged to Jonathan Lynn’s assistant.