Gene Wilder Insisted On This Before Playing Willie Wonka [Video]

I don't care how old, or young you are. You've almost certainly seen "Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." It's one of those timeless classics, like "The Wizard of Oz." Letters of Note reports, it took some persuasion to land Gene Wilder in the title role. He made "suggestions" about what he'd like his costume to look like, and was insistent about how he'd make his entrance. Wilder told director Mel Stuart, “I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I'm walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause."  Wilder explained he wanted to keep everyone guessing about his veracity.

By the way, did you ever wonder what's become of Charlie? He's living in my old home town...