Happy Throwback Thursday! Today we’re spotlighting the year 1981. The biggest movie that year? Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first Indiana Jones movie! George Lucas came up with the idea for the movie in 1973, shortly after finishing his film American Graffiti. He wanted to make a move based on the early 20-th century serial films he enjoyed watching when he was young. He originally called it The Adventures of Indiana Smith, named after his dog, an Alaskan Malamute. His dog was also the inspiration for Chewbacca!
When Steven Spielberg got involved with the project, he was concerned Indiana Smith would remind audiences of the Steven McQueen character Nevada Smith. So they changed the last name to Jones. When it came to casting the lead role, Lucas wanted a relatively unknown actor who would be willing to commit to a trilogy of films. They considered actors like Bill Murray, Nick Nolte, Chevy Chase, Jeff Bridges, and even David Hasselhoff. Who they really wanted though, was Tom Selleck. The problem was that he was contractually obligated to film Magnum P.I. so Lucas and Spielberg asked CBS if they would release him 10 days early from his contract so he could start filming Raiders of the Lost Ark. Realizing Selleck was in high demand, the network greenlit Magnum P.I., forcing Selleck to drop out just a few weeks before filming was supposed to start. Spielberg suggested Harrison Ford, but Lucas was hesitant about casting him in yet another one of his movies. He also didn’t think Ford would want to commit to three films. But Ford thuoght it would be a fun project and agreed to the deal.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was released on June 12, 1981. It earned approximately $354 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing movie of 1981. Today, it’s considered to be one of the greatest films ever made. It even led to an increase in students studying archeology, and many modern archeologists have cited the move as an inspiration. Learn more in the audio below.