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9 unusual facts about Rain Man


Cogar, Oklahoma

The exterior of the abandoned W.S. Kelly gas station and general store in Cogar can be seen in the 1988 movie, "Rain Man".

Gerald R. Molen

Molen has appeared in cameos in several of the films he produced, including Rain Man, Days of Thunder, and Jurassic Park.

Married to the Mob

He also shared the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor in a three-way tie with Martin Landau for Tucker: The Man and His Dream and Tom Cruise for Rain Man (1988).

Pelle the Conqueror

Max von Sydow was nominated for, but did not win, the Academy Award for Best Actor, losing to Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man.

Sewer Urchin

He is the sworn defender of The City's sewers and has a Rain Man-like personality, frequently utilizing interjections such as "Yeah," "Definitely," and "Very (something)."

Sony Watchman

A model of Watchman is shown many times in the movie Rain Man.

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two

The film Rain Man portrayed an autistic savant, who was able to rapidly determine the number of toothpicks from an entire box spilled on the floor, apparently subitizing a much larger number than four objects.

The New Biographical Dictionary of Film

Thomson notes that Clark Gable was a rising star at thirty: “Now, in our collective recollection, Gable may seem older, worldlier, and more grown-up than Cruise was at thirty. But when did Gable ever risk playing the jerk to whom Cruise was totally committed in The Color of Money? When was Gable as uninhibitedly tender as Cruise managed in Risky Business? And could Gable have survived the black-hole narcissism of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man?”

Wattles Mansion

The mansion was featured on the television series The O.C. and Buffy the Vampire Slayer ("Reptile Boy"), in the movie Troop Beverly Hills, and the sanatarium scenes in the film Rain Man were shot there as well.


Barry Morrow

These include the savant played by Dustin Hoffman in the film Rain Man, inspired by the real savant Kim Peek; and mentally retarded Bill Sackter, played by Mickey Rooney in the TV movie "Bill".

Ruth C. Sullivan

Sullivan assisted in the production of the 1988 movie Rain Man by serving as a consultant on autistic behavior, and Dustin Hoffman worked with Sullivan and her son Joseph, who has autism, when practicing for his role.

The Belle Stars

"Iko Iko", a cover of The Dixie Cups' 1965 hit (later featured in the 1988 movie Rain Man), was The Belle Stars' long-hoped-for UK Singles Chart debut, peaking at a modest number 35 in June 1982.

However, in 1989, the Belle Stars finally had a big U.S. chart hit, when "Iko Iko" reached number 14 on the Billboard Top 100 in March, after it was included on the soundtrack of the film Rain Man, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.


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