Some 35 years after the classic Planet of the Apes evolved into one of the biggest films of the year, and one of the biggest franchises in history, David Hughes unearths 35 things you might not know about the original movie



================================ • The film was adapted from a 1963 novel by Frenchman Pierre Boulle, author of the book which inspired another classic film, The Bridge on the River Kwai • The book may have been inspired by a chapter in Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels in which the hero visits a land ruled by horses, and by George Orwell's Animal Farm , in which the world is ruled by animals • Although the film's apes lived in a relatively primitive society, the apes in the book were civilised, living in a futuristic society with cars, helicopters and aircraft all super-sized for apes • For the film, the idea of civilised apes was deemed to expensive, and the decision was made to create a relatively primitive society for the apes • Actor Charlton Heston, Oscar-winning star of Ben-Hur and El Cid , committed to the film within an hour of hearing the pitch, on 5 June 1965 • The earliest scripts were written by Rod Serling, the creator and writer of many episodes of The Twilight Zone • Among the other writers who worked on the project were Charles Eastman, Don Peters and Michael Wilson, who had won an Oscar adapting another Pierre Boulle novel, The Bridge on the River Kwai • Planet of the Apes producer Arthur P Jacobs had previously made such Hollywood classics as Goodbye, Mr Chips and the original Doctor Dolitte • Heston and Jacobs were laughed out of almost every studio in Hollywood before 20th Century Fox embraced the idea of a movie which reversed the roles of humans and apes • In order to convince the studio that the make-up would not look ridiculous, Heston filmed a make-up test with actors Edward G Robinson ( Double Indemnity ) and James Brolin, the current Mr Barbra Streisand • When the time came to make the movie, Edward G Robinson decided not to play Dr Zaius because he found the make-up too gruelling; instead, actor Maurice Evans took the part • On 20th Century Fox's list of possible directors was Blake Edwards, who directed Breakfast at Tiffany's and the best of the Pink Panther movies • Before Charlton Heston signed to play the hero, John Wayne was among those considered by the producers • Bond girl Ursula Andress was originally considered for the role of Nova, the beautiful but mute human female ultimately played by Linda Harrison, studio boss Richard Zanuck's girlfriend • Planet of the Apes was filmed almost entirely on location in the Arizona desert, in the middle of summer, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees making the costumes and make-up even more excruciating to wear • The famous courtroom scene was inspired by a 1920's court case in which a Tennessee schoolteacher was arrested for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution, a case which later became the classic film Inherit the Wind • Actor Roddy McDowall (Cornelius) made a number of Super-8 films during his months on location, some of which can be found among the extras of the latest edition of the DVD