Paul Hogan confirms 40-year-old truth behind Crocodile Dundee: 10 facts you didn't know about Australia's most successful film of all time
"That's not a knife..."
For almost 40 years, fans from Australia and around the world have been recreating Paul Hogan's iconic line from Paul Hogan's.
While it's likely you know the film back to front, you probably don't know the truth behind making Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee a global legend.
Hogan returns to screens in the Stan doco Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee to tell you the truth behind Australia's most successful film of all time.
From the scenes that were put in the editing bin to the on-screen turned real-life romance, we break down the documentary's 10 biggest revelations here:
1. The film's most famous scene was found in 'the editing room bin'
A scene cemented in pop culture history. Supplied
"That's not a knife, THAT's a knife."
We all know these seven words from Crocodile Dundee's most-quoted scene. The version we see today however, was originally thrown "in the editing room bin", the documentary revealed.
During one of four takes, director Peter Faiman kept the cameras rolling...
"Peter had said 'cut' and Paul kept playing around with this young kid who was the mugger and Paul had this glint in his eye," Delvene recalled.
She said it was like the "pressure of filming" was lifted and Paul could have a bit of fun with the scene.
"That is the take. [Producer] John [Cornell] fished it out of the bin and that is the scene of the film!"
More than 39 years on and Paul Hogan re-enacted his iconic line. Catch the moment here:
2. Co-star Linda Kozlowski wanted to quit, before going on to marry Paul Hogan
At the time Linda had no idea who Paul was, aside from a "commercial, vaguely".
She was a trained actor, he didn't want to rehearse. Linda thought she was a working with an "unprofessional" and wanted to quit.
But director Peter Faiman had an idea. They filmed as much as they could in sequence, starting with the scene they met.
Linda Kozlowski and Paul Hogan. Paramount Pictures
"She saw now that he was funny and fell in love, eventually," he laughed. "So really the story of the movie is the story of their lives," Peter said.
Paul dated and later married his co-star Linda Kozlowski in 1990. They had a son, Chance, and divorced in 2014.
3. It started with a 'shrimp on the barbie'
Kind of.
Australia loved and knew Paul Hogan. But for a while, to the rest of world, he was known as the 'shrimp on the barbie' guy.
The documentary takes a fascinating dive into Paul's career from his early days as a rigger on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, to becoming the face of the famous 1983 Tourism Australia campaign. The one that says "G'day" to the USA.
Paul Hogan in the famous Tourism Australia ad. YouTube
He and John Cornell however "refused to take any money" for the successful campaigns.
It's believed to be a deliberate move by John with the intention to get exposure for Paul in the United States. Perhaps with a bigger project in mind?
4. The idea came to Paul in the streets of New York
While Paul was promoting tourism in New York, he recalled walking back to his hotel one evening.
It was that moment Mick 'Crocodile' Dundee was born. 20th Century Fox
"It was just so horrendously crowded, busy and bustling. It made me feel like a hill billy," Paul remembered. "I virtually wrote [the script] walking down the street and back at the hotel."
"Handwritten in block capitals," he laughed.
You can catch Paul's scribbled notes along with incredible unseen archived footage in the Stan documentary.
5. Paul was told he'd 'never be a film star', they lost the film
So the script was made then came the bigger issue, funding.
"There was one significant naysayer," the general manager of Hoyts Bill Macartney recalled.
And it came from someone in the film industry who thought the "script was a load of bollocks".
Hoges and Strop (John Cornell) were beloved characters on the Paul Hogan Show. A Current Affair
John revealed at the time: "He was advising saying... it won't succeed. Hogan is a television star, he won't ever be a movie star."
"We lost the film."
6. A single 'gamble' went on to make $2.8 billion
They turned to an "old mate" and stockbroker who saw an opportunity and told others to "grab it" with both hands.
"We probably had about 2,000 investors overall, there were a lot of mum and dads... and they were just regular working class people," stockbroker Denis Johnson looked back.
The public took a "gamble" and the budget was found for a film that went on to make the equivalent of $2.8 billion today.
Paul Hogan and John Cornell pose together on the set in 1984. Nine
7. The cast and crew had no film experience
Yep, Paul and John had never made film at the time. Even director Peter Faiman had never made a film.
So they called in the big guns, Ray Brown and Australian cinematographer Russell Boyd and had a bloody good go.
8. It was filmed in a real town with a population of 17
Linda Kozlowski, who played Sue in Crocodile Dundee, returns for the documentary. Stan
Even actress Linda Kozlowski "wasn't prepared" for the outback town of McKinlay, Queensland.
The little Aussie town with a population of 17 was turned into Walkabout Creek for the film.
Lisa and Paul's characters first meet in Walkabout Creek Hotel. A Current Affair
"We knew them all, we knew the whole town by the time we left," Linda laughed.
Fans today can stop by the real Walkabout Creek Hotel, renamed after the movie was filmed, and can visit the original set donated by the crew.
9. 'They were embarrassed': The world wasn't ready for an Aussie star
Among the film's Oscar nomination, Paul Hogan won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in 1987.
"It's so funny I got a Golden Globe" Paul looked back in the documentary.
"I think the foreign press were embarrassed when they got to meet me. They said, 'it's just him with a hat on' was the only difference between me and Dundee."
Paul Hogan and Olivia Newton-John meeting Queen Elizabeth. Instagram/OliviaNewtonJohn
"And I thought, I'm not a very good actor, I just put on different hats," he laughed.
10. It's still Australia's most successful film of all time
For an AU$8.8 million film, Crocodile Dundee made $328 million in the Global Box Office. Throw in inflation over 40 years, in today's money that's $2.8 billion.
Safe to say, the "mum and dads" who invested their money into the film sure got their money back and more!
Paul Hogan and Delvene Delaney today, honour John Cornell's memory. Stan
The film made $178,843,111 total in the 1986 US Box Office alone, at the time becoming the the biggest movie in the world made outside of a major studio.
But this only touches the surface of the incredible documentary, a must-watch for fans old and new.
Love of an Icon: The Legend of Crocodile Dundee is now streaming on Stan.
Crocodile Dundee: The Encore Cut and Crocodile Dundee II are also streaming now on Stan.
Nine Entertainment Co (the publisher of this website) owns and operates the streaming service Stan
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest news from your favourite shows via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
