Editing Animal House (section)

===Casting===
Initially, Reitman had wanted to direct but had made only one film, ''[[Cannibal Girls]]'', for $5,000.<ref name="Nashawaty"/> The film's producers approached [[Richard Lester]] and [[Bob Rafelson]] before hiring [[John Landis]], who got the director job based on his work on ''[[Kentucky Fried Movie]]''.<ref name="Medjuck"/> That film's script and continuity supervisor was the girlfriend of Sean Daniel, an assistant to Mount. Daniel saw Landis's movie and recommended him. Landis then met with Mount, Reitman, and Simmons and got the job.<ref name="Nashawaty"/> Landis remembered, "When I was given the script, it was the funniest thing I had ever read up to that time. But it was really offensive. There was a great deal of projectile vomiting and rape and all these things".<ref name="Olson">{{cite news |last=Olson |first=Eric |title=Director, John Landis: The Dean Speaks |work=Digital Movie Talk |date=October 23, 1978}}</ref> Landis claims his big contribution to the film was that there "had to be good guys and bad guys. There can't just be bad guys, so there became a good fraternity and bad fraternity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/john-landis-on-harold-ramis-he-was-very-angry-not-to-be-cast-in-animal-house-1201119152/|title=John Landis on Harold Ramis: He Was Very Angry Not to Be Cast in 'Animal House'|last1=Cheney|first1=Alexandra|date=February 25, 2014|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2019-01-08|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131010444/https://variety.com/2014/film/news/john-landis-on-harold-ramis-he-was-very-angry-not-to-be-cast-in-animal-house-1201119152/|url-status=live}}</ref> There was also early friction between Landis and the writers because the director was a high-school dropout from Hollywood and they were all college graduates from the East Coast. Ramis recalled, "He sort of referred immediately to ''Animal House'' as 'my movie.' We'd been living with it for two years and we hated that".<ref name="Nashawaty"/> According to Landis, he drew inspiration from classic Hollywood comedies featuring the likes of [[Buster Keaton]], [[Harold Lloyd]], and the [[Marx Brothers]].<ref name="Mitchell03"/>

The initial cast was to feature [[Chevy Chase]] as Otter, [[Bill Murray]] as Boon, [[Brian Doyle-Murray]] as Hoover, [[Dan Aykroyd]] as D-Day, and [[John Belushi]] as Bluto, but only Belushi was interested. Chase turned the film down in favor of  ''[[Foul Play (1978 film)|Foul Play]]'';<ref name="Nashawaty"/> Landis, who wanted to cast unknown<ref name="insidestory"/> dramatic actors{{r|neumer2003}}<ref name="Nashawaty"/> such as Bacon and Allen (the first film for both) instead of famous comedians,<ref name="Nashawaty"/> takes credit for subtly discouraging Chase by describing the cast as an "[[Ensemble cast|ensemble]]".<ref name="insidestory"/> Landis has also stated that he was not interested in directing a "''Saturday Night Live'' movie" and that unknowns would be the better choice. The character of D-Day was based on Aykroyd, a motorcycle aficionado. Aykroyd was offered the part, but he was already committed to ''Saturday Night Live''; according to Landis, the show's producer [[Lorne Michaels]] threatened to fire Aykroyd from the show's cast if he took the role of D-Day,<ref name="Medjuck"/> which ultimately went to Bruce McGill and provided him with his breakthrough role.<ref name=TCM>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/127329%7C203511/Bruce-Mcgill#biography|title=Biography for Bruce McGill|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref> In August 2018, Aykroyd explained that although Michaels permitted him to do ''Animal House'', he ultimately chose to stay behind on ''Saturday Night Live'' so as not to leave Michaels understaffed.<ref name=yahoo>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/john-landis-directed-aretha-franklin-225003690.html |title=Dan Aykroyd Says Lorne Michaels Didn't Keep Him From Playing D-Day In 'Animal House': 'Blues Brothers' Update|author=Mike Fleming, Jr.|website=[[Yahoo]] |date=August 23, 2018 |access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref><ref name=cinemablend>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2456579/no-snls-lorne-michaels-didnt-stop-dan-aykroyd-from-joining-animal-house|title=No, SNL's Lorne Michaels Didn't Stop Dan Aykroyd From Joining Animal House|author=Conner Schwerdtfeger|website=CinemaBlend|date=August 29, 2018 |access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref> Belushi, who had worked on ''[[The National Lampoon Radio Hour]]'' before ''Saturday Night Live'',<ref name="insidestory"/> was also busy with SNL, but spent Monday through Wednesday making the film and then flew back to New York to do the show on Thursday through Saturday.<ref name="Schwartz"/> Ramis originally wrote the role of Boon for himself, but Landis felt that he looked too old for the part and Peter Riegert was cast instead. Landis offered Ramis a smaller part, but he declined. Landis met with [[Jack Webb]] to play Dean Wormer and [[Kim Novak]] to play his wife; at the time, Webb reportedly turned down the role because of concerns over his clean-cut ''[[Dragnet (franchise)|Dragnet]]'' image, but later said he did not find the script funny. Ultimately, [[John Vernon]] was cast as Wormer after Landis saw him in ''[[The Outlaw Josey Wales]]''.{{r|neumer2003}}

Belushi initially received only $35,000 for ''Animal House'', but was paid a bonus after the film became a hit.<ref name="Schwartz"/> Landis also met with [[Meat Loaf]] in case Belushi turned down the role of Bluto. Landis worked with Belushi on his character, who "hardly had any dialogue";<ref name="insidestory"/><ref name="Ebert"/> they decided that Bluto was a cross between [[Harpo Marx]] and the [[Cookie Monster]].<ref name="insidestory"/><ref name=chfanml>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tq1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=6448%2C506185 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |last=Wyant |first=Dan |title=The 'chief animal' |date=December 2, 1977 |page=1B |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131010444/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=tq1VAAAAIBAJ&pg=6448%2C506185 |url-status=live }}</ref> Belushi said he developed his ability to communicate without talking because his [[Albanians|Albanian]] grandmother spoke little English.<ref name="Lights">{{cite episode|series=[[20/20 (American TV program)|20/20]]|title=Lights, Camera, Summer|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|date=May 23, 2018}}</ref>

Belushi was considered a supporting actor and Universal wanted another star.{{r|neumer2003}} Landis had been a crew member on ''[[Kelly's Heroes]]'' and had become friends with actor [[Donald Sutherland]], sometimes babysitting his son [[Kiefer Sutherland|Kiefer]].<ref name="Nashawaty"/> He had also just worked with him on ''[[Kentucky Fried Movie]]''. Landis asked Sutherland, one of the most popular film stars of the early 1970s, to be in the movie. For two days of work, Sutherland declined the initial offer of $20,000 plus "points" (a percentage of the gross or net income).<ref name=BI>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/animal-house-mistake-that-cost-donald-sutherland-millions-2014-3 |title=The Huge 'Animal House' Blunder That Cost Donald Sutherland Millions |author=Frank Palotta |website=[[Business Insider]] |date=April 3, 2014 |access-date=November 11, 2015 |archive-date=November 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117032309/http://www.businessinsider.com/animal-house-mistake-that-cost-donald-sutherland-millions-2014-3 |url-status=live }}</ref> Universal then offered him his day rate of $25,000<ref name=Variety>{{cite magazine |last1=Riley |first1=Jenelle |date=November 5, 2014 |title=Donald Sutherland Reflects on Long Run of Success, Looks to 'Snowy' Future |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/features/donald-sutherland-the-hunger-games-1201347477/ |access-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-date=January 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131010444/https://variety.com/2014/film/features/donald-sutherland-the-hunger-games-1201347477/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or 2% of the film's [[Gross (economics)|gross]].<ref name=BI/><ref name=Variety/> Sutherland took the guaranteed fee, assuming that the film would not be very successful; although this made him the highest-paid member of the cast (Belushi and Neidermeyer's horse, Junior, each received $40,000),<ref name=UMO /> the decision cost Sutherland what he estimates at around $14 million.{{r|Variety}} The star's participation, however, was crucial; Landis later said "It was Donald Sutherland who essentially got the film made."{{r|neumer2003}}{{r|Variety}}

"Pinto" was screenwriter Chris Miller's nickname at his Dartmouth fraternity.<ref name="insidestory">''Animal House: The Inside Story.'' Executive produced by Kevin Bachar, written by Laura Sobel, Bio, 13 Aug. 2008.</ref> DeWayne Jessie adopted the "Otis Day" name in his private life and continued touring with the band.<ref name="insidestory"/>